Israel: A pale shadow of her former selfIsrael: A pale shadow of her former self

Preview of Haggai & ZechariahPreview of Haggai & Zechariah• Why the those who returned from the exile found it hard to worship with all their hearts

• Where Esther, Ezra & Nehemiah fit in relation to the exile

• Who Haggai was talking about when he said, If you build it He will come!

• Why Branch is a good metaphor for Messiah

Israel: A pale shadow of her former self●KING•from King to carpenter

●Temple•from Porsche to Geo Metro

●High Priest•from Urim & Thummim to Clueless

●Holy of Holies•from Glory to empty

1B Why an exile?

2B Life during the exile

3B Length of the Exile

586 536605

PEOPLE

516TEMPLE

Zerubbabel'sReturn

Ezra'sReturn

Nehemiah'sReturn

500 464

445

415

EZR A NEHEMIAH

ZECHARIAH

HAGGAI

MALACHI

ESTHER

1 6 7 10 1 13-

4583

5

6

520 516

1-2 CHRONICLES

●Good cop / Bad cop?●Very different styles●Very singular in purpose:•To see the Temple reconstruction

completed

TEAM MinistryTEAM MinistryPostexilic prophets: Zechariah & Haggai

●Direct Indirect●Practical Visionary●Immediate Ultimate●Specific General●Detailed Conceptual●HAGGAI ZECHARIAH

Haggai 1:8-10Haggai 1:8-10Go up into the mountains,

and bring down timber

and build the temple . . .

What you brought home I blew away. Why?

Because of my house, which remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house!

●2A The 8 Night Visions•1B Horses & Riders: God will avengeZechariah 1:88 During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.

Zechariah 1:1111 And they reported ... “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

ZechariahZechariah

Zechariah 1:1515 but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.’

Zechariah 1:1616 “Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

●2A The 8 Night Visions•1B Horses & Riders: God will avenge•2B Four Horns & Craftsmen: God will punish the nations, 1:18-21

18 Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns!19 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.21 I asked, “What are these coming to do?” He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”

ZechariahZechariah●2A The 8 Night Visions•5B The Golden Lampstand: God will empower rebuilding

●2A The 8 Night Visions•5B The Golden Lampstand: God will empower rebuilding

Zechariah 4:2-32 He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

JoshuaHigh Priest

ZerubbabelRoyal Leader

Zechariah 4:66 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

7 “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

9B The Conclusion: The Crowning of Joshua the HP

6:11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

6:12 Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Here is the man whose name is the Branch,

Branch?Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of the

LORD will be beautiful and glorious . . . .

Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

No KingFrom 586 to now…

Jehoiachin “Branch”

Branch?Jeremiah 23:5 “The days are coming,” declares the

LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,

a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

Jeremiah 33:15 ”‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

6:11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

6:12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Here is the man whose name is the Branch,

and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD,

and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne.

And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.

King Priest

And there will be harmony between the two (offices of king and priest)

Israel: A pale shadow of her former selfIsrael: A pale shadow of her former self

• O come, O come, EmmanuelAnd ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appearRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.O come, Thou Branch of Jesse, freeThine own from Satan's tyrannyFrom depths of Hell Thy people saveAnd give them victory o'er the graveRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

• O come, Thou Key of David, come,And open wide our heavenly home;Make safe the way that leads on high,And close the path to misery.Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

• O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,In ancient times did'st give the Law,In cloud, and majesty and awe.Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

●Esther is a Proverbs 31 woman!

●She is a model of devotion to her people and her God.

●All of you women would do well to emulate her character . . .

●But are we sure?

23

• Historical—inform the reader about facts that happened in the past– What's good? The Bible is true and accurate– What's the problem? It leaves out many "important" historical details,

because…• Moral—inform the reader about how to behave

– What's good? Most of us need to behave better.– What's the problem? every story does not prescriptively tell me how to

behave better, e.g. Abraham, Gen 12. – Becoming a "nice" person isn't really what God cares about most

• Theological—revealing WHO God is to draw the reader into relationship with him– What's good?– What's the problem?

ESTHER

●God is Present•Name ? Law? Worship?

●Esther is a role model•foreign soil•food•“Jewishness”•contest

●Mordecai = “good guy”•“Son of Kish, Shimei” / Agag

Agree or Disagree? ?