Haggai
Book Type
The tenth book of the Minor Prophets; the thirty-seventh book of the Old Testament; the thirty-seventh book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Haggai
The Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile began rebuilding the temple around 537 BC, but because of opposition they became discouraged and stopped. When Haggai’s prophetic career began in 520 BC, he challenged their decision to stop building God’s house while they continued building houses for themselves. Haggai aimed to convince the people and their leaders to finish the temple—to make sacrifices to obey God instead of focusing entirely on their own needs.The Jerusalem Temple still lay in ruins nearly twenty years after the Hebrews returned to Judah from exile in Babylon. Surely God’s house deserved better! Yet the people of Judah were themselves living in comfortable homes. Haggai pointed out this discrepancy and successfully roused the people to rebuild the Lord’s Temple. Haggai gave Israel a renewed vision of how their efforts would serve God’s plan for his people.Haggai challenged the discouraged people in Jerusalem to examine the way they were living and to set new priorities that would please God. They must remember that God was with them; he controls their future and wants his people to be holy.Theme & Overview
The prophet Haggai calls the complacent people of Judah to resume the rebuilding of the temple and in that way give glory to God. The restoration of the Lord’s house by the people of God will mediate God’s presence.Next to Obadiah, Haggai is the shortest book in the Old Testament, containing only two chapters comprised of a total of 38 verses. Delivered in simple prose, Haggai’s prophecy consists of messages from God delivered to the nation after the rebuilding of Solomon’s temple had ceased for about 10 years. The King James Study Bible says the book’s straightforward style is enhanced by the use of questions, recurring expressions, and commands. The NIV Student Bible asks why the temple was so important? After all, the proper sacrifices and rituals could be carried out on a makeshift altar. But God’s reputation was at stake. He could not be properly honored so long as the house he called home lay in ruins. The temple symbolized God’s presence and Israel’s priorities. Haggai clearly shows the consequences of disobedience and obedience. When the people give priority to God and his house, they are blessed rather than cursed. Obedience brings the encouragement and strength of the Spirit of God. Haggai is about people making God’s priorities their priorities—a message that applies as much to our lives today as it did in the days of Zerubbabel and Joshua. The book affirms that, if the people of Yahweh devote themselves to His work, He will faithfully finish it.A secondary theme in Haggai is the promised prosperity of God’s people if they will make Him their priority. But this promise is not about personal wealth; instead, it is an assurance that Yahweh will provide the necessary resources to accomplish His purposes. Yahweh’s presence itself guarantees that His work will be completed, even from beginnings that do not seem favorable according to human standards.Haggai teaches us to make God the priority, to base our actions on faith, and to seek Yahweh’s presence (Hag 2:4–5, 10–19). Yahweh reveals His desire to be among His people in the temple-building project. Further, the story of the temple’s completion shows us that God is not concerned with the world’s standards of honor and wealth (Hag 1:8); instead, He seeks our dedication and best efforts, exerted via His Spirit’s outpouring.Yahweh declares that He is with the returned exiles in Haggai (Hag 1:13; 2:4). And this is still true—God accompanies those who work for Him. When we rely on Yahweh for all things, He will act powerfully among us.Key Themes1. The restoration of God’s house. Temple restoration highlights the Lord’s desire to renew a covenant relationship with his people, characterized by his presence (1:13; 2:4–5). A decaying temple signifies a decaying relationship and brings defilement rather than holiness to the people (2:14).2. The prophetic word is the divine Word. The divine message comes “by the hand of Haggai” (1:1, 3; 2:1, 10), is characterized by “thus says the LORD” (1:2, 5, 7; 2:6, 11), is a message “to Haggai” (2:20), is characterized by “declares the LORD” (1:9, 13; 2:4 [3x], 8, 9, 14, 17, 23 [3x]), is the “voice of the LORD their God” (1:12), and is the “LORD’s message” (1:13).3. The Lord is sovereign. The phrase “LORD of hosts” occurs 14 times in these 38 verses (see 1:2). The Lord gives the divine word, controls the fortunes of his people (1:9; 2:17, 19) and nations (2:6–8), directs nature (1:10), motivates his people to action (1:14; 2:4), and establishes and deposes kingdoms (2:20–23).4. The people must work. A restored house will bring pleasure and glory to the Lord (1:8) and convey blessing to the people (2:19), but there is work to be done. Physical labor (1:14) is urged in the form of numerous imperatives (1:7–8; 2:4–5). But there is also “heart” work to be done, as evidenced by the call to consider past experience in light of the present inaction (1:5–7; 2:15–19).5. The restoration of David’s house. Undoubtedly Zerubbabel, the heir of David (see note on 1:1), is promised an elevated status (2:23). The Lord, who had taken off the “ring” of the Davidic house (Jer. 22:24–27), now promises to wear it once again. As in the OT (2 Samuel 7; Ps. 2:6), the NT understanding inextricably unites king and temple. It is only as the temple is rebuilt (Matt. 26:61; 27:40; John 2:18–22) that Christ Jesus, the Davidic heir, is installed as the messianic King (Rom. 1:1–4), thus fulfilling the promises to Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:1, 12–13; Luke 3:27).Jerusalem at the Time of Haggaic. 520 B.C.Haggai prophesied to the people of Jerusalem after they had returned from Babylon in 538 B.C. and before they had rebuilt the temple in 515. The city of Jerusalem lay in ruins, the walls and the temple having been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Within a year after returning from Babylon, the people had laid the foundation for the new temple, but by Haggai’s time they had still not completed it. Haggai, together with Zechariah, called upon the people to stop focusing on their own economic well-being and complete the temple.Author
Haggai, as noted in Haggai 1:1.Recipients
Haggai wrote for Jews who were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, following the exile. His message was largely positive, encouraging his hearers to not be concerned that the temple was not as decorative as the original temple under Solomon. Haggai 2:3 indicates the author may have seen the temple prior to its destruction, meaning Haggai may have been over seventy years old. This would have encouraged both the older and younger generation to live faithfully to the Lord despite their humble circumstances.Date
Unlike many Old Testament books, each of Haggai's four prophecies is noted by specific dates (Haggai 1:1; 2:1, 10, 20) over a four-month period in approximately 520 BC.Background
The opening verse attributes the book to the prophet Haggai, whose name is related to the Hebrew word for “festival.” It also identifies the date as the second year of Darius I, the king of Persia (who reigned 522–486 BC). The precise dates provided in this book are between August and December 520 BC (Hag 1:1, 15; 2:1, 10, 18, 20).Haggai’s prophetic activity is situated during the events narrated in the historical book of Ezra. The first exiles had come to Jerusalem shortly after an earlier Persian king, Cyrus the Great, allowed them to return (538 BC). They had begun to rebuild the temple at that time but had stopped because they encountered opposition from other inhabitants of the land (Ezra 4:1–5, 24; 5:16). Beginning in 520 BC, Haggai and another prophet, Zechariah, prophesied to the people (see Zech 1:1). They encouraged the people to begin the work again (Ezra 5:1; 6:14). Their preaching had the intended effect, and with the support of King Darius, the temple was finished around 516 BC (Ezra 6:6–15). Here, we see Yahweh using the power of persuasion and the leader of the international superpower of the time—the king of Persia—to rally support for His intended purposes.In 538 BC Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, issued a decree permitting conquered peoples who had been deported by the Babylonians to return to their homelands (see Ezra 1). The first emigrants to return to Jerusalem were led by Sheshbazzar, a prince of Judah and the first governor of the restored community (Ezra 1:5–11). In their enthusiasm, the returned exiles soon began to rebuild the altar and the Temple (Ezra 3), but local pagan residents threatened the Israelites and discouraged them from their God-given work (Ezra 4:4–24). The construction site lay neglected for nearly twenty years after their return.The Hebrew people were gloomy during this period. Selfishness crippled community spirit, and apathy and disillusionment detracted from their worship. Only a small percentage of Hebrew exiles had actually returned to Judah, the city walls still lay in ruins, the Temple of God was a pile of rubble, and drought and blight ravaged the land. Judah languished as a Persian vassal state while the surrounding nations harassed the leadership in Jerusalem and thwarted their timid improvement efforts.Haggai began preaching in 520 BC. The immediate occasion for Haggai’s sermons was a severe drought affecting Judah (1:11). God sent him to motivate the Israelites to rebuild God’s Temple and to encourage the spiritual renewal of the people of Jerusalem. In response, Judah resumed the rebuilding (1:14), and the project was completed in March 515 BC (see Ezra 6:15).Jerusalem after the Exile, 520 BC. After many of the Jews returned from exile in 538 BC, they inhabited the land of Judea. The Judeans, however, were surrounded by hostile neighbors and had become discouraged by opposition and want. Haggai’s preaching encouraged them to finish rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, the spiritual center of their nation.
The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Haggai’s four brief sermons sounded a wake-up call to a community that was spiritually asleep. His message was to “get up and go to work” rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple.Haggai correlated the community’s lack of agricultural and economic success with their neglect of the Lord’s Temple. He rebuked the people for their disinterest in worshiping God and called them to repentance and spiritual renewal. When the people responded positively and began the work of rebuilding, Haggai encouraged them with the promise of God’s continuing presence and help.Haggai called the people of Jerusalem to authentic worship, trust in God’s word, personal holiness, and obedience to divinely appointed leadership. Haggai emphasizes the abiding presence of God’s Spirit (1:13–14; 2:4–5), a theme shared with Zechariah (Zech 1:16; 8:23; see Ezek 37:27–28).Through his messages Haggai tried to persuade his audience to glorify God by rebuilding the temple. He argues that one should not: (1) focus on one’s own needs (1:4), (2) be discouraged because the temple was not as glorious as Solomon’s (2:3), (3) be unclean and unholy (2:10–14), nor (4) feel useless and powerless (2:20–23).CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThroughout the Bible, there is a call and a reminder to place God first. The period following the return from exile was no exception. Haggai’s challenge was to call the postexilic community of Jews living in Jerusalem not simply to focus on their own creature comforts but to honor God. This commitment would be reflected in their work on the temple. Haggai’s call was later reflected in the words of Jesus: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Mt 6:33).Haggai’s call for the people to get their priorities in order and place God first by rebuilding his temple was of great importance. For the people to return to this task was a sign of their priorities. It also showed that God was with the remnant and that his promises of restoration had begun to be fulfilled. Their obedience in this matter declared God’s glory and thus brought him pleasure. It served to vindicate the Lord since the temple’s destruction had disgraced the Lord’s name. Finally, their obedience to Haggai’s words served as a pledge of the new covenant and the messianic age. The restoration of the temple was a sign that God had not revoked his covenants with Levi or with David. He would provide cleansing and restoration through a glorious temple and a messianic ruler.Key Verses (ESV)
Haggai 1:4: "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" Haggai 1:5–6: "Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes."Haggai 2:9: "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts."Key Passages (NLT)
Ezra 5:1–2 At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem.…Haggai 1:1–2:23On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people…Structure & Outline 1
StructureThe book of Haggai contains four dated messages. In the first message (Hag 1:1–11), the prophet declares that the time has come to honor Yahweh by rebuilding the temple. The governor Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, and the people of Judah respond positively to this message (Hag 1:12), and Yahweh reassures them of His presence (Hag 1:13). In the second message (Hag 2:1–9), Yahweh says that the restored temple will be greater than the previous temple that was destroyed. The third message (Hag 2:10–19) reveals that the people’s uncleanness—meaning the impurity that resulted from their sin and failure to keep God’s law—played a part in their difficulties. However, Yahweh will still bless them from that day forward: The return of Yahweh’s people to Him and the laying of the new temple’s foundation represents a critical juncture, one that will result in His blessing. In the fourth and final message (Hag 2:20–23), Yahweh announces that He will overthrow existing powerful nations and use Zerubbabel as a signet ring—a sign of Yahweh’s rule manifest through the servanthood of Zerubbabel.Outline • First message: God’s call to rebuild the temple (Hag 1:1–11) • Response to first message (Hag 1:12–15) • Second message: future glory of the temple (Hag 2:1–9) • Third message: uncleanness and blessing (Hag 2:10–19) • Fourth message: prophecy concerning Zerubbabel (Hag 2:20–23)Outline 2
Haggai's two chapters include four dated prophecies, serving as the main sections of this brief book. Chapter 1 takes place "In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month" (Haggai 1:1). Haggai challenges the people: the reason they were not being blessed was because they had not rebuilt the Lord's temple. Instead, they had focused on rebuilding their own homes and fields (Haggai 1:2–11). Haggai's hearers obey the Lord in verses 12 through 15, with Haggai encouraging them: "I am with you, declares the Lord" (Haggai 1:13). The remnant began rebuilding "on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king" (Haggai 1:15).Haggai's second prophecy (Haggai 2:1–9) comes "In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month." He encourages the people not to worry that the temple was not as extravagant as the previous temple. The Lord would one day come to fill the house with glory and, "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former" (Haggai 2:9).Haggai's third prophecy (Haggai 2:10–19) brings blessings for the people and is given "on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius" (Haggai 2:10). From that day forward, the Lord determined to bless His people living in Jerusalem.Haggai's final prophecy (Haggai 2:20–23) came on the same day as the third prophecy, predicting the Lord's future reign…