The date was significant.
“On the twenty first day of the seventh month” (2:1).
This was around our September/October but more importantly it was the month that the Jewish people celebrate the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Day of Atonement is celebrated on the 10th and the Feast of Tabernacles starts on the 15th and goes for a week.
The Day of Atonement is the one day of the year, the most holiest of all days, in which the high priest enters into the temple and makes atonement on behalf of Israel.
The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is a harvest, celebration and thanksgiving festival.
Why is this important?
Because the LORD is going to encourage them in their rebuilding of the temple. He says it may not look great now, but there is coming a day when the glory of the latter temple will far surpass that of the former temple. Or in his words,
9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
He is speaking of Jesus.
But first the LORD began to question the priests on their understanding of clean and unclean. The question and answer format is very common among the priests, then and now.
With his questions what he is trying to tell them is that being back in Jerusalem and having at least the foundation of the temple laid is not what makes them holy.
They are a defiled people and just like consecrated meat that touches other things and becomes defiled, or a man touching a dead body makes defiled, so the Israelites have become defiled. Defiled from their sin and maybe even defiled from their neglect of the temple.
So at present whatever they do and offer at the temple is defiled, as they have been a people who have been defiled. But that is about to change.
“From this day on I will bless you” (v. 19).
And now for the second time God promises a shaking.
21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
And previously:
6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.
What is this shaking? There are a couple of layers.
The first layer is for Zerubabbel. We know this as it says “on that day” of the shaking he will take make Zerubabbel as his signet ring. Something sacred to the king.
I believe what he is saying is that he is going to preserve Israel in the midst of great conflict. Though the empires of the world crumble and fall apart, the covenant people of God will stand.
But there’s another layer in that this is prophetic. God is going to bring another shaking to the kingdoms of the earth and the kingdom of God will stand.
This verse is quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 12 and to understand, you need the bigger context:
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
When God spoke through Moses, the people were terrified.
When God spoke through Jesus, there was incredible rejoicing in heaven.
If they did not escape when God spoke through Moses, how much more will you not escape when God speaks through Jesus?
God shook up the earth when he spoke through Moses.
He says in Haggai he will “once more’ shake up the heavens and the earth, removing what can be shaken, created things. God replaces the temporal trappings of this world with something eternal.
And what will remain is what will not be affected by the shaking, the kingdom of God.
All that is of this world was shaken up with Christ. What remains is the kingdom of God which cannot be shaken.
What’s our response?
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”