Haggai
1. FIRST MESSAGE: A CALL TO ACTION—BUILD THE TEMPLE (1:1–15)
A. Reproach: Their priorities are wrong—self before God (1:1–6). 1:1. Each of Haggai’s messages is precisely dated in reference to the reign of Darius I (“the Great”), who reigned over the Persian Empire in 522–486 BC. Haggai brings his first message on August 29, 520 BC, which is the day of the festival of the New Moon (Nm 10:10), when great numbers of worshipers regularly would gather in Jerusalem.
Zerubbabel is the grandson of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah exiled in 597 BC. Zerubbabel is of the line of David but holds an appointed office as governor of Judea under the Persians. The other person addressed is Joshua, the high priest, who has returned from Babylon along with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2:1).
1:2. Haggai’s brief message is from the Lord and thus urgent and authoritative. “LORD of Armies” is a designation for God especially common in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It is a reminder of the fact that all the resources of heaven and earth are at God’s command. God is also the Lord of Israel’s hosts. He is their commander in chief, and they are responsible to him.
The expression “these people” instead of “my people” draws attention to God’s displeasure with Israel’s spiritual apathy. Their attitude is summed up in the statement “The time has not come.” These people have lost their vision and are comfortable with leaving God’s work undone.
1:3–6. God’s statement in 1:4 points to Israel’s wrong sense of values, diametrically opposed to that of David (2 Sm 7:2; Ps 132:1–5), who felt ill at ease in a luxurious house while the ark of God had only a tent. The term “paneled houses” refers to the practice of laying wood paneling over the basic stone walls; the people had gone beyond providing for their basic needs and were primarily concerned with personal luxury.
Haggai asks the people to “think carefully” about the consequences of their misplaced priorities (1:5), an admonition repeated five times in the book (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18 [2×]). By taking careful stock of their situation they are led to realize how far they have strayed from the path of blessing. Haggai 1:6 draws attention to this. Though they have not been reduced to abject poverty, the fruit of their labor falls far short of expectation. On top of that, food, clothing, and money do not provide the normally expected benefits. God’s blessing is not there.
B. Admonition: Get priorities right—God before self (1:7–11). Haggai now tells the people what they must do: obey God and begin building the temple again (1:7–8). This act of obedience will both please God and bring him honor.
To make sure his hearers do not lose sight of the cause-effect relationship between their poverty and their neglect of the temple, Haggai reminds them that their harvests have been consistently much poorer than expected (1:9). Because of their behavior all of nature is affected, not only the three basic crops (grain, grapes, olive oil). The productivity of the land depended on adequate and timely rain and dew (1:10). When God withheld this, the land, cattle, and people all suffered (1:11). Haggai uses an appropriate wordplay in stressing the reason for the drought. The temple remains a “ruin” (Hb hareb, 1:9); therefore, God calls for a “drought” (horeb, 1:11).
C. Response: Obedience and the will to restart building (1:12–15). In response to Haggai’s message, the people fear the Lord (1:12) and begin work on his house (1:14). Because of their obedience, God can now promise renewed blessing: “I am with you” (1:13). These gracious words are repeated in 2:4 and, along with the other promises of blessing in 2:5 and 2:19, constitute a powerful source of encouragement. God’s presence and enablement guarantee the successful outcome of the project. There is a period of twenty-three days between Haggai’s first message and the actual start of work (1:15), no doubt to organize work teams and to allow the workers to finish their harvesting activities. [The Postexilic Prophets]
2. SECOND MESSAGE: A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT (2:1–9)
A. The problem: The inferiority of Zerubbabel’s temple (2:1–3). Not quite a month after the work has begun (2:1; cf. 1:15), Haggai speaks again to encourage the people, assuring them that their labor is not in vain and is indeed meaningful and pleasing to God. The problem is addressed in 2:3: “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory?” Those who had seen Solomon’s temple sixty-five years earlier disparaged the new temple. The younger people rejoiced greatly when the foundation of the temple was laid, but the older priests, Levites, and family heads wept loudly (Ezr 3:10–13) because they had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple and knew that the present effort would not compare. This negative attitude still had a harmful impact on the people in Haggai’s time. Their temple seemed to be “like nothing.”
The phrase “be strong” (Hag 2:4) is reminiscent of God’s admonition in other crucial situations. Joshua is encouraged with these words (Dt 31:23; Jos 1:6–9) when he faces the responsibility of stepping into Moses’s shoes and leading Israel. In 1 Ch 22:13 and 1 Ch 28:20, David encourages young Solomon with respect to building the temple.
B. The encouragement: A greater glory yet to come (2:4–9). 2:4–5. The admonition “be strong” is grounded, first of all, on the promise “I am with you” (2:4). This promise is a link to the past, to the covenant made at Sinai built on the Abrahamic covenant (2:5; cf. Gn 12). God’s presence with his people means he approves of the work and he will support and protect them.
2:6–9. A second promise is added: “I will fill this house with glory” (2:7). This promise is linked to the future, the glory that is yet to come. God relates their present activity to the coming surpassing glory of the temple. It was natural for the people to make comparisons between Solomon’s temple and Zerubbabel’s temple. But from God’s perspective these temples are both his house, singular. Since God has acknowledged the second temple and promised his presence, there is no reason for discouragement. The people’s work, though seemingly insignificant, is part of God’s overall program of establishing his presence on earth.
“In a little while” (2:6) sometimes refers to eschatological events. It emphasizes imminency and perhaps the suddenness of the onset of the events described. As God has acted in mighty, earthshaking fashion before, so will he again. This future event is described as a shaking (2:6–7). Great upheavals, political, social, and cosmic, are in God’s program. Here the direct result of this shaking is the filling of God’s house with glory.
Haggai 2:7 has commonly been understood as a messianic reference, but it is likely a reference to the great wealth of the nations. That which they have highly treasured will be brought and will fill the temple. While other passages such as Ezk 43:1–5 stress the presence of God’s glory in the future temple, here its physical splendor is primarily in view. But the words “I will provide peace” (2:9) do point to the presence of God with his people (see Ezk 34:25; 37:26–28).
3. THIRD MESSAGE: CONFIRMATION OF BLESSING (2:10–19)
2:10–14. Haggai asks a two-part legal question of the priests that poses no difficulty for them (2:12–13). The question makes the point that uncleanness defiles everything it contacts (2:14). The opposite, however, is not the case. Any item of food that came into contact with consecrated meat would not thereby become ceremonially clean. The uncleanness of Judah’s disobedience in neglecting the temple has vitiated everything they touch.
2:15–19. The date of this message is December 18, 520 BC (2:18; cf. 2:10). The people have been at work on the temple project for three months now, and they have not yet experienced the abundant harvests that result from God’s blessing. This is because they are between harvests (2:19). The fields are plowed and the new seed planted in anticipation of a rich harvest, but their barns and wine vats still show the effects of their former disobedience.
Nevertheless, the people are to mark this day, December 18, as the beginning of a new era. Haggai 2:18 picks up the thought of 2:15a. Haggai 2:15b–17 recalls the past. The barns are still empty and the vine has not yet borne fruit. But from this day on they will begin to see the visible results of their obedience. To a certain extent they have obeyed in faith up to this point, but from now on the words “I will bless you” will become a tangible reality (2:19).
4. FOURTH MESSAGE: THE RESTORATION OF THE DAVIDIC KINGDOM (2:20–23)
2:20–22. This is the second message on this date and is directed to Zerubbabel (2:20–21). The events described here are clearly eschatological. The phrase “I am going to shake” is the same as in 2:6–7 and refers to the great upheavals that will precede the establishment of God’s kingdom. The same Hebrew word is used of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Dt 29:23; Is 13:19; Jr 20:16; Am 4:11). As sudden and as final as Sodom’s ruin was, so will it be with the Gentile thrones (2:22). Utter destruction is in view here. The overthrowing of chariots and their riders is reminiscent of the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the sea (Ex 15:1, 5). The terror and confusion will be so great that men will fall by the sword of their brothers. Just when the might of the world powers seems to be unassailable, God will shake and overthrow them and establish his own kingdom (see, e.g., Zch 12:1–5; 14:1–9).
2:23. Zerubbabel never reigned as king; nor did Haggai aspire to make him king. Haggai uses Zerubbabel, the current representative of David’s royal line, to point to the Messiah. The reference to “my servant” and the one God has chosen is reminiscent of the messianic “servant passages” (Is 42; 49; 50; 53). The term “signet ring” refers to the authority given to the Messiah as God’s personal representative. It is noteworthy that the curse on Zerubbabel’s grandfather Jehoiachin (Coniah) is couched in language involving the signet ring. Though he was the signet ring on God’s right hand, he was pulled off and cast to his enemies (Jr 22:24). But now the Davidic line is restored to authority and honor. Thus the book ends on a note of encouragement.
Haggai prophesies during “the second year of King Darius” (Hg 1:1, 15; cf. 2:10). The ruins seen here are from the palace of Darius I at Persepolis. This magnificent structure is decorated with ornate reliefs and was a showcase of the power of the Persian Empire.
© Hansueli Krapf / Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-sa.