Patty Barona is the Spanish speaking pastor at Iglesia del Nazareno Nuevo Comienzo in Exeter. She is from Ecuador and has been serving in the Central Valley for the last 20 years and in Exeter currently.
In the year 605 BC, the Jewish people were sent out of their land to the conquering nation of Babylon (also called the Babylonian Captivity). Seventy years later the people of Israel were granted permission to return to their land. That took place after the Persians conquered Babylon. Under the edict of King Cyrus of Persia they could finally return to their land with the purpose of rebuilding the temple. This event is also recorded in the book of Ezra, chapter 1, which would be the historical context of this portion of Haggai which we are focusing on.
When they returned to Israel, they first rebuilt the altar so they could restart the sacrifices. Later they worked on the project to rebuild the temple. Their work lasted approximately two years but was stopped due to their enemies who constantly instilled fear and discouragement in the people, causing them to finally stop the work. For fourteen years the temple project was abandoned. The people went from fear to apathy and finally they came to the conclusion that the time to rebuild the house of God had not come…