Mike Bickle - Devotional Prayer - House of Prayer

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Building the House of Prayer: A Prophetic Call to Action (Haggai 2)

I. THE CONTEXT OF REBUILDING THE HOUSE OF PRAYER IN 536-515 BC

A. The dramatic story of rebuilding the house of prayer in the days of Zerubbabel from 538-515 BC is a powerful encouragement to those seeking to build a house of prayer in this hour.

B. This drama started when God told Jeremiah that Israel would go into captivity for 70 years (606-536 BC). Jeremiah prophesied that God would visit them and cause them to return to Jerusalem.

10 Thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. (Jer. 29:10)

C. From God’s view, the temple in the past and future is His house of prayer. Isaiah was the first in Scripture to refer to the temple as the house of prayer (Isa. 56:7). Jesus called the temple the house of prayer because its purpose was first and foremost to be a place of encounter with God in prayer and worship. It was to function as a worship sanctuary that continued night and day.

7 For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isa. 56:7)

12 Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple …13 He said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer...’” (Mt. 21:12-13)

D. This story is told in three passages (Ezra 1-6; Hag. 1-2; Zech. 3-8) as it highlights four leaders who worked together in Jerusalem to help the remnant build the house of prayer. They are Zerubbabel and Joshua and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

1. Zerubbabel: the governor of Judah who functioned as an apostolic leader responsible for mobilizing the people to build the house of prayer buildings (the temple complex)

2. Joshua: the high priest who was responsible to oversee the administration of the day-to-day function of the priests and Levites in the house of prayer

3. Haggai: The older prophet gave four messages in five months in 520 BC (Aug.-Dec.). The first message was delivered on August 29 (Hag. 1:1-11), the second on October 17 (Hag. 2:1-9), and the third and fourth on December 18, 520 BC (Hag. 2:10-23).

4. Zechariah: He called the remnant to repent in November 520 BC (Zech. 1:1-6). He received his longest prophecy in January 519 BC, consisting of 8 visions that he received on one night (Zech. 1:7-6:8). A main theme in these 8 visions was to build the house of prayer (Zech. 1:16; 4:6-10; 6:12-13).

E. There were two Persian kings. Cyrus released and financed the Jewish captives in 536 BC to return from 70 years of Babylonian captivity in order to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1). Darius helped the remnant with finances in their efforts to rebuild the temple in 520 BC (Ezra 6).

II. OVERVIEW OF THE STORY

A. Approximately 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 1-2). The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took five months, covering about 700 miles (Ezra 7:9). The remnant returned to a city (and temple) that had been desolate for 70 years, since Babylonian armies destroyed it (586 BC).

B. After arriving at Jerusalem, they lost their excitement after having been there only about one year. In that time, they laid the foundation of the temple and then because of opposition from enemies, along with an economic and agriculture crisis, they quit for 16 years (536-520 BC).

C. The house of prayer was rebuilt over a 24-year period (538-515 BC). The two most important dates to remember are 536 BC, when they laid the foundation of the temple and then quit in discouragement (Ezra 3:10; 4:24) and 520 BC when they restarted their labors (Ezra 5:1-2).

D. There were three main obstacles in Jerusalem. The Samaritans who moved into the land after Israel went into captivity aggressively opposed the remnant of Israel (Ezra 4:1-5, 24). The remnant of Israel struggled with spiritual lethargy, compromise, and fear (Hag. 1:1-11; Zech. 1:1-6). The economic crisis was intensified by drought and agricultural failures

III. EZRA 1-6: SIGNIFICANT EVENTS (538-515 BC)

A. Ezra 1-6 gives significant events related to building the house of prayer. This covered a 24-year period from when God stirred Cyrus in 538 BC to build the temple to its completion in 515 BC.

B. In 538 BC, Cyrus, the king of Persia (modern-day Iran) defeated the nation of Babylon (modern-day Iraq). Then Cyrus made a surprising decree to free the Jewish captives from Babylon to return to Jerusalem to build the house of prayer. He even helped them financially.

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom…saying,2…All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem…3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem…and build the house of the LORD…4 Whoever is left…help him with gold…freewill offerings for the house of God…5 The heads of the fathers' houses…with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord… (Ezra 1:1-5)

C. Cyrus gave them the articles of gold that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in 586 BC.

7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem…11 All the articles of gold and silver were 5,400. (Ezra 1:7, 11)

D. About 50,000 captives returned from Babylon to help build the house of prayer in Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1-65).

E. There were full-time singers and musicians in the days of Zerubbabel.

45 Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God…according to the command of David…47 In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. (Neh. 12:45-47)

65 They had 200 men and women singers... (Ezra 2:65)

F. The king of Persia assigned a stipend from the royal treasury for the support of the singers. The singers were to pray “for the life of the king and of his sons.” (Ezra 6:10).

23 It was the king's command concerning them that a certain portion should be for the singers, a quota day by day. 24 Pethahiah…was the king's deputy in all matters… (Neh. 11:23-24)

8 I [Darius] issue a decree as to what you shall do…for the building of this house of God: Let the cost be paid at the king's expense…10 that they may offer sacrifices of sweet aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons. (Ezra 6:8-10)

G. In the seventh month of their first year in Jerusalem (536 BC), the altar was built (Ezra 3:1-2). In the second year, they began to work on rebuilding the temple itself (Ezra 3:8-9). Some months later, when the foundation of the temple building was finished being laid, they celebrated. The older men wept because it seemed so small compared to Solomon’s temple (Ezra 3:10-12).

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood…with trumpets, and the Levites…with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD…All the people shouted with a great shout…because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But…the old men who had seen the first temple wept… (Ezra 3:10-12)

H. Adversaries arose against those who were building the house of prayer and it stopped in 535 BC.

1 When the adversaries of Judah…heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD…4 The people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose …24 Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased [535 BC], and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius [520 BC]… (Ezra 4:1-5, 24)

I. After a delay of 16 years (535-520 BC), God sent prophets to stir up the leaders to start building.

1 Then [in 520 BC ] the prophet Haggai and Zechariah…prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah…2 So Zerubbabel…and Jeshua…rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. (Ezra 5:1-2)

J. After nearly five years (520-515 BC) of work, they completed the house of prayer.

14 The elders of the Jews built, and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah…and they built and finished it…15 The temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar…in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius [515 BC]. (Ezra 6:14-15)

IV. HAGGAI’S PROPHETIC MESSAGE IN 520 BC: A CALL TO ACTION

A. Haggai’s first message in 520 BC was given on the first day of the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar or on August 29. It was a call to action to work on building the temple. The Lord stirred the spirit of the people so that they went to work 24 days later on September 22.

1 In the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet…saying, 2 “This people says, ‘The time has not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.’”7… “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD. (Hag. 1:2-8)

12 Then Zerubbabel…Joshua…with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God…14 The LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel…and the spirit of Joshua…and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD…15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month… (Hag. 1:12-15)

B. Haggai’s second message in 520 BC was given on October 17. The key issue was in how they “saw” their labors. They were to see the connection of their labors to the larger house of prayer reality. In God’s eyes, the “worship sanctuary” they were building in 520 BC was the same one that Solomon had built (960 BC) referred to as “this” temple (v. 3, 7, 9). It had continuity with the heavenly worship sanctuary (Rev. 4-5) and the millennial worship sanctuary (Zech. 6:13).

3 Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? How do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?...7 I will shake all nations [Great Tribulation], and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations [Jesus], and I will fill this temple with glory…9 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former… (Hag. 2:3-9)

C. Haggai called them to be strong or to be resolved to not quit in the midst of the pressures. They were called to work or to be diligent and even grateful for the privilege of working with something God was so zealous for. They were called to not fear or to see the evidences of the Spirit’s work among them and to be confident that it would remain with them.

4 Now be strong, Zerubbabel…be strong, Joshua…be strong, all you people…and work; for I am with you 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear… (Hag. 2:4-5)

D. Zechariah’s first message (Zech. 1:1-6): calling the remnant to repent in November 520 BC

3 “Return to Me…and I will return to you.” (Zech. 1:3)

E. Zechariah’s second message (Zech. 1:7-6:8): 8 visions on the same night in January 519 BC

6 This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts. 7 “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”…9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it…10 For who has despised the day of small things? These seven [eyes] rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord...” (Zech. 4:6-10)

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Much of this teaching will be used by the English speaking Pastors in the Africa Training Bible School.(ATBS)

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