1. HAGGAI

2. The Book of Haggai is the second shortest book in the Old Testament; only Obadiah is shorter. The name of the book is named after the prophet, Haggai, whose name probably means “Festival of Yahweh” or “Feast of Yahweh.” Haggai the first among the post-exilic Minor Prophets We know nothing about Haggai's parents, ancestors, or tribal origin Haggai is also mentioned twice in the Book of Ezra, the priest who oversaw the work of rebuilding the temple (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14) The book is a mixture of prose and poetry, the introductory sections being prose and the oracles poetry.

3. Christ is portrayed as the Restorer of the Temple’s glory (2:7-9) and the Overthrower of the kingdoms of the world (2:22). Further Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise to Zerubbabel that “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.” (2:23) Christ as seen in Haggai:

4. Amos Artaxerxes I Haggai Temple Completed 516 BC458 BC Return under Nehemiah 444 BC KINGS OF PERSIA Darius Hystaspes Xerxes Invasion of Greece Esther Babylon Falls & Jews allowed to return to the Land 539 BC Cyrus Cambyses

6. Under a decree in 538 B.C of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, almost 50,000 Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, and Zerubbabel who replaced him, in 537 B.C. (Ezra 1:2-4) and rebuild their temple. Haggai and Zechariah appear to have been two of these returnees, as was Joshua the high priest, though Haggai's name does not appear in the lists of returnees in the opening chapters of Ezra. During the year that followed, these returnees rebuilt the brazen altar in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:1-6), resumed Levitical sacrifices, celebrated the feast of Tabernacles, and laid the foundation for the reconstruction of the (second) temple (Ezra 3:8-13; 5:16). Samaritan and other local opposition to the rebuilding of the temple resulted in the postponement of construction for 16 years. During this long period, apathy toward temple reconstruction set in among the residents of Judah and Jerusalem. Darius Hystaspes (521-486 b.c.) became the new Persian king. In the second year of Darius (520 b.c.) God raised up Haggai the prophet to encourage the Jews in the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:1-2; Hag. 1:1). The rebuilding of the temple was resumed and completed in 516- 515 BC., exactly 70 years after its destruction

8. The book contains four short sermons that Haggai preached to the Jews who had returned from the Exile. Haggai is the most precisely dated book of the Bible, with the dates of each sermon given to the exact day. Each of the four messages took place in 520 BC. Structure

9. At the heart of the book of Haggai is the prophet’s urgent insistence that the postexilic Jewish community get to the work of rebuilding the Temple. They were building their own houses but had neglected God's house. It was important to finish building the temple because only then could the people fully resume Levitical worship as the Lord had specified. They had gone into captivity for covenant unfaithfulness. Thus they needed to return to full obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. Furthermore, in the ancient Near East the glory of a nation's temple(s) reflected the glory of the people's god(s). So to finish the temple meant to glorify Yahweh. Thus the main theme of Haggai is the temple as God's dwelling place on earth, as a center for worship, and as a symbol of Yahweh's greatness. Theme

10. I. A call to build the temple ch. 1 A. Haggai's first challenge 1:1-6 B. Haggai's second challenge 1:7-11 C. The Israelites' response 1:12-15 II. A promise of future glory for the temple 2:1-9 III. A promise of future blessing for the people 2:10-19 IV. A prophecy concerning Zerubbabel 2:20-23 OUTLINE

11. A Pair of oracles delivered on the same day that stress the negative consequences of the unfinished temple followed by a double call to take the Lord's word to heart 1:1-11 B The promise of the Lord's presence that would energize the reconstruction of the temple 1:13-15a B' The promise of the Lord's presence that would guarantee coming glory 1:15b—2:9 A' Pair of oracles delivered on the same day that stress the positive consequences of the finished temple including a double call to take the Lord's word to heart 2:10-23

12. “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,” (1:1) Haggai dates his first recorded revelation to the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the Persian king Darius Hystaspes (522-486 B.C.). Elul corresponds to about mid-August to mid-September in our calendar. The first day of that month was the day of the new moon and, therefore, a festival day. (Numbers 10:10; 28:11-15; 2 Kings 4:23). Some scholars have calculated Haggai’s precise date as August 29, 520 B.C. Thus, His ministry, as this book records it, spanned less than four months, from the first day of the sixth month (1:1) to the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (2:20). In the modern calendar this would have been between August 29 and December 18, 520 B.C. The expression “by the hand” indicates that Haggai was the agent through whom God’s word was conveyed.

13. Zerubbabel was the political governor of the Persian province of Judah who had led the returnees back to the land (Ezra 2:2). He was the son of Shealtiel ("I have asked of God," Ezra 3:2, 8; 5:2; Neh. 12:1) and the grandson of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah), one of the descendants of King David (cf. 1 Chron. 3:17-19; Matt. 1:12). As grandson of the last legitimate king of Judah, Jehoiachin, Zerubbabel was qualified in every way to succeed as Davidic king even though under Persian dominion he had to settle for the office of governor. If in the biblical record Sheshbazzar is the same as Shenazzar (1 Chron. 3:18), Zerubbabel was the second of a line of Jewish governors culminating in Nehemiah. Note: Haggai is the only biblical author to refer to Zerubbabel as governor (1:1, 14; 2:2, 21). Joshua was the high priest of the restoration community and a descendant of Aaron. He was the son of Jehozadak, who had gone into Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. (1 Chron. 6:15; cf. Ezra 3:2, 8; 12:1, 8).

15. “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.” (1:2) In his first sermon Haggai chides the returned exiles for putting their own interests ahead of the Lord and the Temple. The result, he says, has been calamitous, for the more they sought self-satisfaction the less they achieved it.

16. “Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?” (1:3-4) The 1996 edition of A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, Part II, translates the original Hebrew used by the King James as “cieled Houses” as meaning “to provide the ceiling of (a house) with curved or hollow supports.” Other commentators have translated it to mean “rich panels” The work of the Temple had started gloriously: “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” (Ezra 3:10-11)

17. Unfortunately, after two years the work stopped, mired in discouragement and derailed by a lack of focus. Now the people were claiming that it wasn’t the right time to continue rebuilding. Yet they had been working on their own houses in the sense they were going beyond the necessities of construction and spending effort on decorating their homes with various ornate features. Some commentators have noted King Cyrus had provided the Jews with money to buy hardwood timber to rebuild the temple (Ezra 3:7). Thus it is possible that the restoration Jews had used this superior wood to build their own homes rather than to rebuild the temple. So Haggai’s main question was, “Was it really appropriate for them to live in luxurious homes, while God’s house lay in ruins?

18. “Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” (1:5) Haggai turns around the argument of the people by asking whether indeed it was appropriate for them to build their own houses even though they have protested that it was not appropriate to build the house of Yahweh. “Consider on your ways,” the prophet commands. Literally he says, “Set your heart upon your ways,” an injunction calling for very serious reflection and discernment with the intention of choosing the right course, the course leading to divine approval and blessing. Thus, Haggai asks God’s people to consider what direction their life is headed, and if they really want it to continue that way. The same idiom occurs in v. 7.

19. “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.” (1:6-7) Haggai shows the connection between their negligence of God’s house and their total lack of success in everyday life. It was a classic case of cause and effect. To make his point, Haggai gives four examples of the futility of selfish effort. While they had worked hard planting, their food supply was insufficient to meet their needs. Because of very poor grape harvests, the amount of wine was so meager that a person could not become intoxicated with drink. The people had clothes to wear, but their garments did not keep them warm during the cold winter months. Their situation was comparable to putting money into a bag full of holes in the sense that the money they earned disappeared before they could pay all their bills. The people would agree with the common adages, “The faster I go, the behinder I get” or “the harder I work the more debt I am in”

20. “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.” (1:8) The remedy for their undesirable situation was for them to start rebuilding the temple. The purpose of the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament was so God could dwell among the people and they could see His glory. The destruction of the Temple had brought the departure of His glory (Ezek. 11:23), but its reconstruction would allow God’s glory once more to inhabit His holy land (Hag. 2:7, 9) Note: In the NT the Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us.... and we beheld his glory (Jn 1:14). Also the believer's body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16) with the express purpose of glorifying God (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:5).

21. “Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” (1:9) These judgments were a fulfillment of promises God made hundreds of years before in the time of Moses. This was divine chastening for disobedience (cf. Lev. 26:18- 20; Deut. 28:41). They should have put the Lord first. “ye run every man unto his own house” figuratively describes the zeal of the people who rush to achieve their own glory before that of God’s "Those who plan to give to God 'once they have enough for themselves’ will never have enough for themselves!“ Dyer

22. “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.” (1:12) The stern rebuke and urgent appeal of the prophet Haggai to the leaders and citizens of the remnant community had their desired effect and the people began rebuilding the Temple

23. “Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.” (1:13) The temple rebuilding work still remained under governmental ban. So the people needed the courage to proceed despite this ban and opposition from neighboring peoples.

24. “And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king” (1:14-15) The date reveals that there was a twenty-three day interval between the time the message to rebuild was first proclaimed (Hag. 1:1) and the time of its execution. Various explanations for this delay are offered, the most likely being that the intervening three weeks were right in the midst of harvest time when every hand was needed to bring in the crops, especially in this year of unusual drought (1:11) or it took this much time to plan and organize the project.

26. “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,” (2:1-2) The Lord revealed another message, an oracle of encouragement, to Haggai almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, modern October 17) of the same year, 520 B.C. This was the last day of the feast of Tabernacles. Tishri was a month of celebrations for the Israelites. On the first of this month they celebrated the feast of Trumpets, and on the tenth, the day of Atonement. The feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Festival of Booths or Ingathering) began on the 15 th of the month and lasted seven days, and the following day was a day of rest (Lev. 23:33-44).

27. “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?” (2:3) Haggai starts off by comparing the temple with the temple that Solomon built, which had been destroyed 66 years earlier. The only people who would have remembered this temple would be very old. What the older members saw at the site appeared to be insignificant or as nothing when compared with the temple they had seen in their youth (they had made a similar negative comparison when the foundation of the temple was laid 16 years earlier in 536 B.C…cf. Ezra 3:8-13). When Solomon built the first temple, he spared no expense in materials, and hired the best talent he could find to do the work. Thus, some may have been saying, “We cannot build like Solomon, therefore let us not build at all.” Furthermore, neighboring peoples continued to oppose the rebuilding. Therefore, those active in the rebuilding needed encouragement.

28. The Lord used the occasion of the feast of Tabernacles to encourage the builders of the temple in Haggai's day. This feast looked back to the Exodus, reminded the Israelites of their wilderness wanderings, and anticipated settlement in the Promised Land. This message also looked back to the Exodus, referred to the present temple construction, and anticipated the glory of the future temple. Also, scholars note that the dedication of Solomon's temple took place 440 years earlier at the feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:2; 2 Chron. 7:8-10), so that was perhaps another reason the Lord gave this message to Haggai on this day.

29. “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.” (2:4-5) The phrase “... for I am with you” references back to Ex 19:4-6; 29:45; 33:12f, and Isa 63:11-14. The Lord again encouraged Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people to work and not to lose courage but to maintain an inner strength and resolve, boldly going ahead with the rebuilding despite any seeming obstacles.

30. The Lord reiterated the promise He had made to the Israelites when they left Egypt in the Exodus. His Spirit would stay in their midst, so they did not need to fear (cf. Exod. 19:4-6; 33:14). The returnees could identify with their forefathers who departed from Egypt because they had recently departed from another captivity in Babylon. As the Lord had been with them in the cloudy pillar, so He was with them now. Furthermore, King David had given the same charge and promise to Solomon regarding the first temple (1 Chron. 28:10, 20). Note: Under the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was among the people. Under the New Covenant He is in God’s people.

31. “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.” (2:6-7) This rocking of Mount Sinai preceded the construction of the tabernacle that was later replaced by the temple in Jerusalem. Similarly, a tremendous shaking is linked to the rebuilding of the temple. …And the “Desire” of all nations shall come: Through the centuries, most see this as a prophecy of the Messiah coming to this temple rebuilt in the days of Haggai and Ezra. The writer of Hebrews quoted this verse in Hebrews 12:26. He then added that we who are in Christ have an unshakable kingdom that will endure the coming cosmic earthquake (Heb. 12:27-29).

32. Further, verses 6-9 contains eschatological language, revealing that the unpromising beginning of a second Temple will someday give way to one whose magnificence and glory far transcend those of Solomon’s. God would do again in the future what He had done at the Exodus and at Mt. Sinai (Exod. 19:16, 18; Ps. 68:8; 77:16-18). Shaking the heavens and the earth describes evidence of the Lord's supernatural intervention (cf. Isa. 2:12-21; 13:13; Ezek. 38:20; Amos 8:8). These phenomena will accompany the new exodus and new covenant as well, as both Haggai (2:6-7) and other prophets attest. There will be a shaking of the natural structures (Jer. 4:24; Ezek. 38:20) and of men and nations (Isa. 64:2; Ezek. 38:20; Mic. 7:17).

33. “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.” (2:8) At the same time God would shake all the nations, His return will upset the political and governmental structures of the world (cf. Zech. 14:1-4). The nations would bring their wealth to the Israelites, like the Egyptians gave their treasures to the departing Hebrews at the Exodus (cf. Exod. 3:21-22; 11:2-3; 12:35-36). On a more immediate level, the book of Ezra reveals that support for the rebuilding and beautification of the temple came from Gentiles (Ezra 7:11-28). After an investigation of the official records, Darius issued a decree that the rebuilding of the temple should proceed without hindrance and be given financial support (Ezra 6:6-10). When Ezra returned to Jerusalem, he received gold and silver from the Persian king (Artaxerxes Longimanus) and other government officials.

34. “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.” (2:9) Even though the present temple was less glorious than Solomon's temple, the Lord promised that the final glory of the temple would be greater than its former glory. The Lord also promised to bring peace to the site of the temple, Jerusalem. In some aspects this prophecy was partially fulfilled. Herod the Great rebuilt Zerubbabel’s temple on a grand scale, a scale rivaling Solomon’s temple. Further, God’s assurance, “in this place I will give peace,” indicated to the temple rebuilders that the upheavals affecting the nations would not be a source of disturbance to them. They had no reason to be alarmed and would be able to complete the work without interference or interruption.

35. Yet, Isa. 60:4-14 describes the coming of the riches of the nations to Zion (cf. 61:6; Mic. 4:13), riches that include gold and are accompanied by praise of YHWH. In that day the kings of the nations will serve YHWH, and they and their wealth will be brought captive to Him. Additionally, the promised peace is shalom. It means far more than stopping conflict - it is the establishment of a lasting, righteous, good. Thus, lasting peace will only come when Messiah returns to rule and reign (cf. Isa. 2:4; 9:6; Zech. 9:9-10)

37. “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,” (2:10-11) Another prophecy came from the Lord on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of 520 B.C. (December 18). During the two months between this prophecy and the former one (vv. 1-9), Zechariah began his ministry in Jerusalem (Zech. 1:1).

38. “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.” (2:12-13) Haggai queries if someone carries consecrated food in his garment and touches other food of any kind with the garment, will that food become holy? Holy meat was meat set apart for a particular sacrificial purpose (cf. Lev. 6:25; Num. 6:20). The answer was, no it would not become holy. Next, Haggai asks if someone who has become unclean, for example by touching a corpse, touches food of any kind, will the food become unclean? The answer was, yes it would become unclean. What is the point? Holiness does not come by contact. It is not transferable. But contact with unholiness does defile.

39. In fact the Mosaic Law taught that moral uncleanness could be transmitted, but moral cleanness could not (cf. Lev. 6:18; 22:4-6; Num. 19:11-16) It must be noted though that according to Leviticus 6:27, a garment brought into immediate contact with sacrificial meat would become holy. But the garment itself could not impart holiness to anything else. Someone who, in an unclean state, ate sacrificial meat, however, would not be made holy. In fact, the unclean person who deliberately did so was to be subjected to the punishment of cutting off. (Leviticus 7:20, 21) (The idea of sickness serves as a great analogy. If you are healthy and your spouse has the flu, and you kiss them, will that make them well? Will it make you sick?)

40. “Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.” (2:14) Haggai then made an application of this principle to the people for the Lord. Their sacrifices were unacceptable to God because they were unclean. They should not think that contact with something holy, such as the temple they were working to complete, made them acceptable to God.

41. “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” (2:18-19) Although the people had now focused on rebuilding the Temple, they still had very scare basic necessities due to previous meager harvests. Also, probably there had been very little agricultural work done while they were in the process of construction. Thus, the food reserves for the winter months probably looked very bleak. However, God promised from this time forward (assuming of course they continue to be faithful to the covenant) He would begin a new age of prosperity.

42. “And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;” (2:20-21) The Lord gave Haggai a second message on the same day as the previous message (v. 10), the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (December 18). Unlike the other messages that included Joshua the high priest and the assembled people, this message is specifically directed to Zerubbabel. The governor had heeded YHWH’s word through Haggai and boldly resumed temple rebuilding. Therefore, the words about the universal shaking would have assured him that nothing would stop the successful completion of the project. YHWH, the One who could shake everything, would not allow any obstacle to remain.

43. “And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.” (2:22) The Lord announced that He was going to overthrow the rulers of the nations of the earth (cf. Exod. 15:5; Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45). He would defeat their armies by turning them against each other (cf. Zech. 12:2-9; 14:1- 5; Rev. 16:16-18; 19:11-21).

44. “In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.” (2:23) God’s acknowledgment of Zerubbabel as His “servant” was an exceptional honor. In fact, by calling Zerubbabel His 'servant' and 'chosen' one God gave him the same status David had enjoyed (cf. 2 Sam. 3:18; 6:21; 7:5, 8, 26; 1 Kings 8:16). Seal rings were used to authenticate documents or to establish ownership (cf. 1 Kings 21:8; Dan. 6:17; Esth. 8:8). As a seal ring, Zerubbabel would represent YHWH in an official capacity and be certain of his protection. The words of Haggai 2:21-23, though spoken directly to Zerubbabel, were not fulfilled in his day. As a descendant of David, Zerubbabel was in the royal line through which the Messiah was destined to come. The promise to Zerubbabel, therefore, guaranteed the continuance of the royal line and evidently served to keep the people’s hope in the coming of the Messiah alive.

45. God had revealed through Jeremiah that if Jehoiachin (Coniah), Zerubbabel's grandfather, was His signet ring, He would take it off and give it to Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Jer. 22:24-25). The curse on Jehoiachin that none of his descendants would sit on David's throne or rule in Judah (Jer.22:30) may have referred to his immediate descendants (i.e., children). Thus, some scholars suggest that "God reverses to Zerubbabel the sentence on Jeconiah.” However, either way, Jesus Christ qualified as a Davidic king because He was the physical descendant of Nathan, one of David's sons, not Solomon. Jesus was the adopted son of Joseph, who was a physical descendant of Solomon and Jehoiachin (cf. Matt. 1:12-16; Luke 3:23-31).

46. Interestingly, “For I have chosen you” seems to have a deeper significance: in the ancestry of Jesus, Zerubbabel was the last person to stand to be in both the line of Mary (the blood lineage of Jesus - Luke 3:27) and Joseph (the legal lineage of Jesus - Matthew 1:12).

47. Just so we don’t miss the main point… Haggai exhorted the remnant community to reestablish their focus on the things of God, primarily the restoration of the Temple, which symbolized the intimate presence of God. In order to complete it properly, the people were obedient to listen and do the commands from God. Likewise, restoration in the individual life involves rebuilding the control of the Spirit of God through obedience to the kingship and lordship of Jesus Christ. Thus, it involves his ministry as king in our lives. It means the recognition, again, of God’s right to own us, to direct us, to replace our plans with his, to change us, and to make both the major and minor decisions of our life.