Haggai Chapter 2
The Glory of the Second Temple
A. The Second Word from God: The Glory of the New Temple
(Haggai 2:1-3)
In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
This second prophetic message from Haggai came in the seventh month, during the Feast of Tabernacles, a time when Israel celebrated God’s provision and His presence among His people. The message came in October of 520 B.C., only a few weeks after the people had resumed the rebuilding work. God directed Haggai to speak directly to the leadership — Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest — and also to the remnant who had returned from Babylon.
The Lord’s question, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?” was meant to stir their memory. About sixty-six years had passed since the destruction of Solomon’s temple, and there were still some elderly men alive who had witnessed its magnificence. As recorded in Ezra 3:12-13, “But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.”
The contrast between Solomon’s glorious temple and the modest structure now being raised was painful. Solomon’s temple had been built with wealth, beauty, and unparalleled craftsmanship. The new temple, built by a people recently freed from exile and with limited resources, seemed humble and unimpressive. Yet God wanted them to see that the true value of the temple was not in its gold or grandeur, but in His presence.
The Lord asked, “Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?” Such comparisons between “the good old days” and present efforts often discourage the people of God. As Charles Spurgeon once said, the enemy uses such comparisons to whisper discouragement: we cannot build like Solomon, so why build at all? But the truth is that no work of man can ever be truly worthy of God. Even Solomon’s magnificent temple fell short of His glory. What mattered was obedience and devotion, not outward splendor.
A.W. Tozer’s prayer captures this humble spirit: “Dear Lord, I refuse henceforth to compete with any of Thy servants. They have congregations larger than mine. So be it. I rejoice in their success. They have greater gifts. Very well. That is not in their power nor in mine. I am humbly grateful for their greater gifts and my smaller ones. I only pray that I may use to Thy glory such modest gifts as I possess. I will not compare myself with any, nor try to build up my self-esteem by noting where I may excel one or another in Thy holy work. I herewith make a blanket disavowal of all intrinsic worth. I am but an unprofitable servant. I gladly go to the foot of the cross and own myself the least of Thy people... I purpose to pray for others and to rejoice in their prosperity as if it were my own.”
(Haggai 2:4-5)
Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
Here, God issued three imperatives to His people: be strong, work, and fear not. These commands reflect the same encouragement given to Joshua centuries earlier when he was called to lead Israel into the Promised Land. The Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). The same God who strengthened Joshua and Israel in their conquest of Canaan now strengthened His people in rebuilding His house.
God’s command to “be strong” was not merely a call to human determination, but an invitation to depend upon His strength. The prophet emphasized this truth by adding, “for I am with you.” When God’s people recognize that His presence abides with them, their work takes on eternal meaning. Human frailty is no obstacle when the Almighty stands beside His people.
The Lord also reminded them, “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt.” God was faithful to His covenant promises. Just as His Spirit went before Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire during the Exodus, so now His Spirit remained among them to guide and empower their labor. The covenantal faithfulness of God was the anchor of their hope.
Under the Old Covenant, God’s Spirit was “among” His people, empowering them for specific tasks and guiding them corporately. Under the New Covenant, His Spirit now dwells within believers, as promised in John 14:16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
This assurance — “My Spirit remaineth among you; fear ye not” — was meant to dispel their discouragement. The visible glory of Solomon’s temple may have been gone, but the abiding presence of God’s Spirit was far more valuable. Their strength was not in their materials, wealth, or numbers, but in the unchanging presence of the Lord of hosts.
The Glory of the Second Temple
(Haggai 2:6–9)
For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
The prophet Haggai now declared that the future glory of the temple would surpass that of Solomon’s magnificent structure. God’s message began with a reminder of His sovereign power and coming intervention in human history. The phrase “Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth” announces divine upheaval, a shaking of creation itself that prefigures His judgment and ultimate restoration. This same verse is quoted in Hebrews 12:26, which reads, “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” The author of Hebrews connects this prophecy to the final eschatological shaking, when God will purge and renew creation before establishing His eternal kingdom.
When the Lord said, “I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come,” He foretold a time when all the nations of the world would be stirred. The “Desire of All Nations” has traditionally been understood as a Messianic title, pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Ancient rabbis and early Christian commentators both saw this as a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah to the temple that was being rebuilt under Zerubbabel’s leadership. The shaking of nations finds its fulfillment not merely in geopolitical turmoil, but in the spiritual upheaval that occurs when Christ, the true King, enters human history.
Some interpreters note that the word translated “Desire” may also mean “treasures,” suggesting that the wealth of the nations would come to honor the Lord. Indeed, Isaiah 60:5 prophesies, “Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” However, the greater truth transcends material wealth. The true “Desire of All Nations” is the person of Jesus Christ Himself — the only One who can bring peace, righteousness, and fulfillment to the nations, even though most of the world remains unaware of its deepest longing.
Charles Spurgeon captured this beautifully when he said, “He is the one, the true Reformer, the true rectifier of all wrong, and in this respect the Desire of all nations. Oh! if the world could gather up all her right desire; if she could condense in one cry all her wild wishes; if all true lovers of mankind could condense their theories and extract the true wine of wisdom from them; it would just come to this, we want an Incarnate God, and you have got the Incarnate God! Oh! Nations, but ye know it not! Ye, in the dark, are groping after him, and know not that he is there.” The coming of Christ to the temple literally fulfilled this promise. The very presence of the Son of God walking in its courts gave that second temple a glory Solomon’s gold could never equal.
Furthermore, Spurgeon noted that Christ being the Desire of All Nations should fuel our missionary zeal: “Brethren, I may add, Christ is certainly the desire of all nations in this respect, that we desire him for all nations. Oh! That the world were encompassed in his gospel! Would God the sacred fire would run along the ground, that the little handful of corn on the top of the mountains would soon make its fruit to shake like Lebanon. Oh! When will it come, when will it come that all the nations shall know him? Let us pray for it: let us labor for it.”
When the Lord said, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,” He reminded the builders that all resources belong to Him. They need not despair at their lack of wealth, for the God of heaven owns all that is precious. This was a direct encouragement to keep working and trusting, even when their temple seemed inferior in outward beauty. Hudson Taylor, the missionary pioneer to inland China, once illustrated this truth in his youth when, though poor himself, he gave his last coin to a destitute family rather than rely on money instead of God. That act of faith not only saved the family’s life but strengthened his conviction that God’s supply never fails those who obey Him. True faith produces generous hearts, because those who trust in God’s provision freely give to others knowing that “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Finally, God declared, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.” This promise was fulfilled in two distinct ways. First, King Herod later expanded and beautified the second temple beyond Solomon’s original construction, making it one of the wonders of the ancient world. But more importantly, the Lord of Glory Himself — Jesus Christ — entered that temple, taught within its courts, and purified it with His zeal for His Father’s house. The physical splendor of Herod’s architecture could not compare with the divine presence of the Messiah. As John wrote, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
In closing, the Lord promised, “And in this place will I give peace.” The word peace here is shalom, meaning much more than the absence of conflict. It speaks of wholeness, righteousness, and the full blessing of God upon His people. The peace that Christ gives is not political or temporary, but eternal and spiritual, as He Himself declared, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
Therefore, while the outward magnificence of Solomon’s temple could never be regained, the inward glory of God’s presence in Christ far surpassed it. The glory of the latter house was greater, not because of gold or grandeur, but because it became the very dwelling place of the Son of God — the Desire of all nations.