Haggai 2
MESSAGE #2
TISHREI 21,
4280* The seventh day of Sukkot (Oct. 17, 520 BCE) 2:1-9
* The actual
Hebraic date is unclear, this is an estimated calculation.
1 In the seventh month, in the one
and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet
Haggai, saying,
2 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,
3 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?
4 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:
5 According to the word that I
covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among
you: fear ye not.
We are not
to judge and make decisions on things based on our physical sight alone. Looks
can be deceiving and we are not to judge a book by its cover. The ornate
entrapments of a Temple are just icing on the cake, but not necessary for such
a Temple to be greater. It’s what’s inside that counts. The Shekinah can fill a
skin and cloth tent just as much as it did Solomon’s Temple, so a 2nd Temple
without visual pizzazz was no obstacle for God.
This second
Temple would end up being greater than Solomon’s. Why? After all, the Shekinah
never came down on this one as it did when Solomon built the first. I’ll try to
tell why, because it was the one Messiah Himself walked into, cleansed,
ministered and taught in and proclaimed Himself as Messiah in during Sukkot.
“He who has
not witnessed the rejoicing at the water-drawing huts has, throughout the whole
of his life, witnessed no real rejoicing.” (Sukkah 53b).
So what,
that’s not in the Torah right? So what does it have to do with us or Yeshua for
that matter? This is just a man-made tradition!
Hold up!
Yeshua wasn’t against man made traditions or Oral Torah as long as it didn’t
nullify the Written Torah. For in the Brit Chadasha we find Yeshua keeping
holidays and traditions not commanded in the Written Torah.
During the
“Last Supper” Yeshua went by the Haggadah, the liturgy of the Passover Seder.
We find Him at the Temple during Chanukah, the “Feast of Dedication” and in
John chapter seven we find Him at this Water Pouring Ceremony (Simchat Beit
HaShoava) during the last day of Sukkot ('Hoshana Rabbah' - 'The Great
Salvation’) mentioned in the Talmud in the text above!
“On the last day, that great day of
the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."” John 7:37- 38 (NKJ)
If one
carefully studies Talmud and Jewish traditions you will find where Yeshua even
added himself into those things as well as the prophecies in the Torah and
Tanak.
So how did
this water pouring ceremony become such a fixed part of Judaism, even to this
day?
“When the
Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, one of the special Sukkot observances was to
pour water on the Altar. The drawing of water for this purpose was preceded by
all-night celebrations in the Temple courtyard; on the 15 steps leading to the
azarah (inner courtyard) stood Levites while playing a variety of musical
instruments, sages danced and juggled burning torches, and huge oil-burning
lamps illuminated the entire city. The singing and dancing went on until
daybreak, when a procession would make its way to the Shiloach Spring which flowed
in a valley below the Temple to "draw water with joy." "One who
did not see the joy of the water-drawing celebrations," declared the sages
of the Talmud, "has not seen joy in his life."
While water
was poured each day of the festival, the special celebrations were held only on
Chol Hamoed since many of the elements of the celebration (e.g., the playing of
musical instruments) are forbidden on Yom Tov.
Today, we
commemorate these joyous celebrations by holding Simchat Beit HaShoeivah
("joy of the water drawing") events in the streets, with music and
dancing. The Lubavitcher Rebbe initiated the custom of holding such
celebrations on Shabbat and Yom Tov as well -- without musical instruments of
course. The fact that we cannot celebrate as we did in the Temple, said the
Rebbe, means that we are free to celebrate the joy of Sukkot with singing and
dancing every day of the festival.” – www.chabad.org
And why was
this ritual so significant, especially in Yeshua’s time?
Well, first
off the Kohanim (Levitical Priests) had a special schedule during Sukkot:
The Kohanim
were divided into three divisions and each day of Sukkot there was a special
ritual. Division one sacrificed the animals and items prescribed out in Numbers
29. Division two went to the East Gate of the Temple and headed to the Motzah
Valley where they would discard the sacrificial ashes at the start of Shabbat.
While there they would cut 25 foot willows and they would line up across the
road holding the willows. About 30 feet behind them would be another row of
priests with willow branches. They would then begin to march waving the willows
in a swooshing motion creating the sound of the Ruach (Wind), symbolizing the
Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. Division three in the meantime would be
heading down to the pool of Siloam, meaning “peaceful flowing waters” (John
9:7, 11). The Cohen HaGadol (High Priest) was in this third group and he had a
golden flask and drew the water called mayim chayim (living waters) because any
water that was flowing was considered “living”. The High Priests assistant had
a silver flash of wine. Both Groups would return to the Temple with the sound
of the Shofar upon their arrival. One man would play the flute, the flute
player was called “the pierced one” and
symbolizes the Messiah (Psa. 22:16, Zech. 12:10, John 19:34-37, Rev. 1:7) and
the flute players led the procession of the “wind” and “water” carrying
priests. The Willow carriers would circle the Brazen Sacrificial Altar seven
times while singing Psalm 118:25-26; the sacrificial division of priests would
lay the slain sacrifices on the altar. Then the Cohen HaGadol and his assistant
the ascended the altar and all Israel gathered into the Temple courts and sang
a song called “Mayim (Water)” based on Isa. 12:3 according to Mishnah Sukkot
5:1. Then the High Priest poured out the water on the southwest corner of the
altar on the horn, and then the wine was poured out as the Willow holders
leaned their branches against the altar and made a sort of Sukkah.
According to
the Mishnah Rosh HaShannah 1:2f says that it is during Sukkot that God decides
who gets rains for next year and how much. Sukkot is also that time after Yom
Kippur when it is said that the fate of each human is decided for the next year
and the books in heaven are closed. So this is probably another reason for the
water pouring ceremony, a type of supplication for rains.
These
rituals and ceremonies are nowhere commanded in the Torah but the Rabbis and
Sages feel by the spelling inconsistencies in Numbers 29 that spell the word
‘mayim” they nonetheless base the tradition of the water pouring ceremony on
the Torah itself.
Rabbi Akiva
(Ta'anit 2b) asserted that the water libation was alluded to in the Torah with
the use of the plural form nesakhehah ("drink-offerings thereof") on
the sixth day (Numbers 29:31), reflecting that one of the two libations
consists of water.
“On Succoth
even the humblest of all has its place on the Altar: water. The Midrash tells
us that at the time of creation, the waters cried out to G-d that everyone has
a place on the Altar -- oxen, sheep, wheat, barley, oil, wine. All except for
water. The waters threatened to engulf the world until G-d promised them that
on the festival of Succoth, Israel would offer a libation of humble water on
the Altar, accompanied by SIMCHAS BEIS HASHOEVA, "the Joy of the Water
Drawing", which was so great that it brought people to prophecy.
The water
libation on Succoth is not written explicitly in the Torah but only allusively.
Three seemingly minute anomalies in the Hebrew phrasing of the laws of the
offerings of the second, sixth and seventh days of the festival of Succoth,
enable us to trace the letters of the word Hebrew word MAYIM -- WATER --
running through the Hebrew text (see Rashi on Numbers 29:18).” – Gil Marks
Three
anomalies are derived from looking at how words are rendered differently on the
second, sixth, and seventh days of the Festival:
1. Second day - "their
libations" (Heb. niskeyhem םהיקסנ ,(where there is an extra
"yod" (י (and an extra "final mem" (ם (in the usual rendering of "its
libation" (Heb. niskah הקסנ .
2.
( 2. Sixth day - "its libations" (Heb. niskeyhah היקסנ ,(where the usual rendering of
"its libation" (Heb. niskah הקסנ (has an extra "yod" (י .
3.
( 3. Seventh day - "after the manner" (Heb. KaMishpatam םטפשמכ ,(which has an extra "final
mem" (ם
(when compared to the other instances of "after the manner" (Heb.
KaMishpat טפשמכ (in this passage. These anomalies actually gives us two extra
"mems" and two extra "yods", however the Hebrew word for
"water" (Heb. "mayim" םימ (only needs one of the
"yods". What are we to do with the extra "yod"? That lies
in the realm of the Kabbalah and we will not delve into that here.
And
obviously Yeshua had NO PROBLEM with it and included Himself with in the
derived tradition.
A custom, a
tradition, something that the Pharisees and Sadducees did; something that made
it into the Talmud that Yeshua did not oppose but participated in and used to
proclaim His divine Messiahship! Therefore it stands to reason His own talmidim
were there and participated too and the believers that came after his
resurrection and ascension.
We see now
why He said:
"If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as
the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water."
A further
fulfillment was when Yeshua was executed on the Roman cross and blood
(symbolizing the wine) and water flowed (John 19:34).
ADONAI the
Father obviously didn’t have a problem with this man made ritual for HE told
Yeshua to go and deliver such a message, for Yeshua speaks only what the Father
bids Him to (John 5:19, 30; 8:28; 14:28).
6 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;
Rashi tells
us in this verse that, “One more nation will subdue you, the Greeks; but their
domination will last only a short time.”
This in turn
refers to the Maccabeean (Hasomonean) revolt where Judah and his brothers took
back and restored this very Temple that the returning exiles built and which
Yeshua the Messiah walked and ministered in.
7 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.
This verse
is a reference that Haggai said and thus told the people that this is the
Temple that Messiah would visit and because of this, nations would join
themselves to Israel in the Commonwealth and or convert and visit the Temple.
The Key Word
Study Bible helps clarify what I am trying to say:
“The
interpretation of the phrase “the desire of all nations” is much disputed. Some
versions translate the clause “they will come with the wealth of all nations.”
This is explained by the construction of the sentence in Hebrew. The verb
“shall come” is plural, and thus can support the idea of an individual person
being represented by the word “desire.” It is best understood as a reference to
the nations that will one day bring their offering to God to be consecrated for
His service.”
I say
precisely because of the coming of Messiah, because why would the nations come
and convert to Judaism!? Judaism after the time of Messiah ministering on earth
would stop evangelistic and missionary activities, so how would people know or
be convinced to come? I still firmly believe that one can apply this verse to
the coming of Messiah, because one day it is prophesied that Gentiles will
celebrate Sukkot and bring an offering!
