Haggai, the sixth-century prophet who returned to Judah from Babylonian exile, has given his name to this book as its composer. His name means "festive" in Hebrew.
Key Text: 1:8
"'Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified,' says the Lord."
Key Term: "Rebuilding"
The primary focus of this book is rebuilding the Jewish temple in Jerusalem after the return from Babylonian captivity.
One-Sentence Summary
When Haggai proclaimed God's command to rebuild the temple, giving God's promises that the glory of the second temple would exceed that of the first temple, the people obeyed with a willing heart.
Original Historical Setting
Author and Date of Writing
Haggai, Around 520 bc
Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah. Hardly anything is known about him. He did not note his lineage or his hometown. Presumably he was one of the exiles from Babylon that returned to Judah in the 530s. He did, however, date precisely the four occasions on which "the word of the Lord came" to him (1:1; 2:1,10,20). In modern equivalents, these dates are (1) August 29, 520; (2) October 17, 520; and (3) December 18, 520. According to Ezra 6:14, Haggai saw the successful conclusion of his ministry in the completion of the temple. Presumably he wrote down his messages as they were given to him, and he compiled them shortly thereafter.
First Audience and Destination
Israelites in Jerusalem After They Returned from Exile
The original hearers and destination are clearly stated. The first audience was the people of Jerusalem that had returned from exile. In particular, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest were recipients of some of Haggai's exhortations.
Occasion
Ezra 4–5 describes the opposition that the returning exiles faced when they attempted to rebuild the temple. Opposition, however, became an excuse for inactivity. For more than 15 years, inertia ruled. God raised up Haggai to rouse the Jews from their inertia.
God's Message in Haggai
Purpose
This book preserves the divinely inspired sermons that Haggai gave during his ministry in the last months of 520 bc. These prophecies were originally for the people of Judah who had recently returned from the Babylonian captivity and were lethargic about their primary duty: to reestablish the true worship of God at His temple. Unlike most biblical prophets, Haggai's message was obeyed, and his sermons were kept as a permanent reminder of his ministry. From a broader perspective, the temple, the Jewish community, and a stable Jerusalem were important circumstances for the coming of Jesus more than five centuries later.
First Pass
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple 587 bc. In October 539 bc Cyrus, the Persian conquered Babylon and soon after announced that the people of Judah were free to return to their ancestral home. He even promised to help them rebuild their temple as part of a general policy of restoring foreign religious centers.
Think Carefully About Your Ways
The leaders and people of Judah had allowed external opposition, discouragement, and self-interest to keep them from completing the task of rebuilding the Lord's temple (1:2–4; 2:3). The Lord's command through Haggai was to "build the house" for the pleasure and glory of God (1:8).
Consider the Lord's Promises
The Lord assured His people of success through His presence (1:13–14; 2:4–5). He also promised them that He would reward their renewed work and dedication to Him by glorifying the temple and granting them peace (2:6–9) and blessing (2:18–19). Finally, He promised to restore the Davidic throne on the earth through a descendant of Zerubbabel (2:20–23).
The Reliability of Haggai
Eugene Merrill has observed that except for the prophet Ezekiel, no biblical authors have dated their activities and messages as precisely as Haggai and Zechariah. God's message first came to Haggai in the second year of the Persian King Darius Hystaspes (522–486 bc) on the first day of the sixth month. Archaeological discoveries together with astronomical data enable us to translate this date to August 29, 520 bc. The four messages of Haggai take place within a chronological framework from this date to December 18, 520 bc.
How Haggai Fits into God's Story
- 1. Prologue: Creation, Fall, and the Need for Redemption
- 2. God Builds His Nation (2000–931 bc)
- 3. God Educates His Nation (931–586 bc)
- 4. God Keeps a Faithful Remnant (586–6 bc)
- 5. God Purchases Redemption and Begins the Kingdom (6 bc to ad 30)
- 6. God Spreads the Kingdom Through the Church (ad 30–?)
- 7. God Consummates Redemption and Confirms His Eternal Kingdom
- 8. Epilogue: New Heaven and New Earth
CHRIST IN HAGGAI
Through Haggai the Lord says He will shake the elements of creation and the nations. Then the nations will come to worship at the new temple that God will fill with His glory (2:6–7). Simeon saw in the baby Jesus a light for the Gentile nations and glory for Israel (Lk 2:32).
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW ELEMENTS
Teachings About God
God desires to be honored by His people (see Key Text). Because of this, He has the right to prescribe what pleases Him. His concern in the time of Haggai was to be worshipped properly in His temple.
Teachings About Humanity
On one hand, the people that Haggai addressed needed to be rebuked. They were under a divine curse because of their inactivity concerning the things of God. It was not so much that they were actively evil but that they were passive when they should have been passionate. On the other hand, the book shows that people can be moved to do right things, but even this must be at God's initiative: "And the Lord stirred up . . . the spirit of all the remnant of the people" (1:14).
Teachings About Salvation
The people who returned from exile were cured of the idolatry that took their ancestors into captivity. Haggai revived an emphasis from the era of the Davidic monarchy: the need for a temple as a place for redeemed people to worship.
Genre and Literary Style
Prophetic Sermons Written in Hebrew Prose
Although Haggai was clearly a postexilic prophet, his prophecies both "forth tell" and "foretell" in the classic manner of the Hebrew prophets: (1) call for people to turn from their sins (in this case, the sin of unconcern for the temple) and (2) predictions of future events (such as the glory that would come to the second temple).
The book is written in Hebrew prose rather than poetry. In English Bibles, Haggai is the tenth of the 12 Minor Prophets. In the Hebrew canon it belonged to the composite book called "The Twelve." (See Genre and Literary Style for HOSEA for more information.)
A PRINCIPLE TO LIVE BY
Leadership Responsibility (Hg 1:1–11, Life Essentials Study Bible, p. 1251)
Spiritual leaders in the church are to both model and teach the will of God.
