Haggai – Build for God First
The Message of the Post-Exilic Old Testament Prophetic Book
Aug 17, 2009
Haggai the prophet teamed up with Zechariah to speak to the first group of Jews who had returned from the exile in Babylon (Ezra 5:1). His message is aimed to encourage the people to restart the rebuilding programme of the temple in Jerusalem, and to point forward to a time when the Lord would show his glory in a dramatic way.
Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple
A group of 49,897 Jews (Ezra 2:64-65), under the leadership of Zerubbabel, returned to Jerusalem in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia (see article on Post-Exilic Books); this was approximately 534BC.
They began to build the temple but soon faced opposition from the people who had been living on the land since the time of the captivity (Ezra 4:1-5), which caused the work on the temple to stop until the second year of Darius, King of Persia (circa 520BC). It was in this year that Haggai brought the people four messages (Haggai 1:1).
Reasons for Difficulty
Haggai’s first message in chapter 1 centres on explaining the difficulties the Jews had been experiencing. It seems that the people are working hard, they are planting their grain but the harvests are failing and there is never enough food or clothing (Haggai 1:5-6).
Haggai explains that the reason for this is that the people have wrong priorities. They are piously saying, “The time is not right to build the temple,” when really they are spending all their time on their own houses and living – and they don't have time for God’s house. Haggai’s words of exhortation are effective and the people return to work. (Haggai 1:14-15)
Filling the House with Glory
The second message brought by Haggai comes a month after the building work has resumed. Some of the older people who had been children at the time of the exile were beginning to compare the new structure with the older temple of Solomon – and the comparisons were unfavourable (Haggai 2:3). Haggai’s message to these people, and to Zerubbabel the leader of the people and Jehozadak the High Priest, was to look to the Lord. He promised that, while the structure may not be as impressive, the Lord was about to do something amazing there anyway.
He speaks of shaking the heavens and the earth, and of the coming of the Desire of all Nations. This seems to be pointing into the future, when the Promised Messiah would come to change the way God works in the world.
Haggai's Promised Blessings
Two months later, Haggai receives two more short messages to convey to the people. The first (Haggai 2:10-19) explains that, although the people were defiled because of their disobedience, God would bless them anyway – an example of God’s grace – favour where it is not deserved.
The other message is for Zerubbabel the governor (Haggai 2:20-23). Again, the Lord promises to shake the heavens and the earth, and overthrow chariots and foreign kingdoms. He also promises to make Zerubbabel his chosen signet ring. This is a further pointer to a future descendant of Zerubbabel – Jesus Christ, who came and is making an effect on every single kingdom across the world.
Exhortation and Encouragement
Haggai’s message is a mixture of exhortation to a people which had forgotten to put God in first place, having become taken up with the details of their own lives, and of encouragement to people who feel that the work they are doing is simply not good enough. His message is, “If God fills the weakest efforts with his glory, then they will accomplish great things.”
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