(Reading Sep 26-Oct 2)

40. Haggai, Zechariah, and the Rebuilding of the Temple

Key Point: 
In order for their restoration to be complete, the people must give their attention to rebuilding the temple, the symbol of God’s presence among them. 

Key Verses: 
“Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.”  (Ezra 6:16)


Thought Questions:

1.  What is the basic message of the book of Haggai?  It is brief but historically significant.  Haggai is a prophet that people actually listened to!





2.  Zechariah’s visions are strange and fantastic, but what is God trying to communicate to his people through these visions?





3.  Restoration is sometimes hard work!  How does Zechariah encourage the people?  What is different now than in their recent memory?





4.  While the temple is being rebuilt, there are some who complain about how things still aren’t what they used to be.  What is the destructive power of that complaint?





5.  What tone do you hear in these psalms?  Where should we be using that tone today?  Are we as a community of faith, or is it missing?




6.  Where do you see shades of the Messiah in these later prophecies?  What is most meaningful to you in them?

7.  Have you ever read Zechariah before?  How does this often-ignored prophet strike you?  Why do you think this prophet and the others like him are often undervalued or avoided?  Is it possible to reclaim them?