Name means: “Festive.”
Home: Possibly born in Babylon; relocated to Jerusalem in 538 B.C.
Occupation: Prophet in postexilic Jerusalem.
Best known for: His eagerness to complete temple construction, in contrast to the apathy of many of his neighbors.
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Haggai’s world was shaped by three important leaders.
• Darius, also known as Darius I Hystaspis (522–485 B.C.), ruler of the Persian empire who continued the policy of his predecessor Cyrus, allowing Jews to return to their homeland from Babylon (see “Cyrus’s Decree” at Ezra 1:1).
• Zerubbabel, grandson of King Jehoiachin of Judah (see Jehoiachin’s profile at Jer. 52:31) and governor of Judah after the Exile.
• Joshua, the high priest in Jerusalem after the Exile.
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The Jews who left Babylon for Jerusalem struggled like any refugees in the aftermath of war. They were poor, and they lacked even basic necessities. Much of their former home lay wrecked and desolate. They faced the arduous task of rebuilding their cities and recovering their heritage. For the Babylonian exiles, this included the reconstruction of the temple, the spiritual hub of their community.
At first the returnees enthusiastically rallied around the project. Within a year or two, however, they gave up, distracted by their own material needs. For the next sixteen years, temple construction came to a halt while everyone devoted themselves to reestablishing an economy.
To a large extent, they succeeded. Scripture reports that the inhabitants of Jerusalem built paneled houses (Hag. 1:4), a sign of their increased wealth. They worked hard, reclaiming and replanting fields and vineyards. But the time for spiritual renewal had been put off for far too long. The Lord sent the prophet Haggai to tell the people to get back to work on the temple, asking, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (1:4).
Haggai pointed out the futility of all the bustling activity around him (1:6). The people’s work in and of itself was not wrong, but it was inappropriate given the temple’s disrepair. The people’s priorities were misplaced. They were sating their material hungers but starving themselves spiritually. They needed to finish what they had begun: establishing a gathering place for worship. Both their spiritual and their physical lives depended on it (1:9–11).
Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The lesson here is not that material gain is a problem but that it is relatively worthless when held up against the cost of our souls. God longs for us to put first things first, guarding and promoting our spiritual health over any worldly consideration.
More: Solomon learned the truth about material possessions and spiritual poverty the hard way. Read his conclusions in Eccl. 2. Haggai’s message does not devalue hard work. We are to work diligently and faithfully, as though working for Christ Himself. See “The Lord’s Employees” at Col. 3:22–24 and “People at Work” at Ps. 8:6.
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Name means: “Offspring of Babylon,” possibly indicating his birth during the Exile.
Home: Babylonia, until he returned to Jerusalem around 538 B.C. (Ezra 2:2).
Family: Grandson of King Jehoiachin; son of Shealtiel.
Occupation: A prince of Judah at the time of the return from Babylon (Ezra 1:8); appointed governor of Judah.
Best known for: Leading the first group of Jews back to Judah from Babylon to rebuild the temple. His influence was so crucial that the second temple is often designated “Zerubbabel’s temple.”
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The prophet Haggai spent four months restarting the stalled project of rebuilding the temple.
Date | Accomplishment |
August 29, 520 B.C. | Presented a status report on the situation and helped people see why their failure to complete the temple was a problem (Hag. 1:1–11). |
September 21, 520 B.C. | Reaffirmed the Lord’s commitment to assist His people; restarted construction (Hag. 1:12–15). |
October 17, 520 B.C. | Reviewed the project’s long-term significance, promising that the new temple would be more glorious than the old (Hag. 2:1–9). |
December 18, 520 B.C. | Announced that God would begin blessing the people again in light of their hard work (Hag. 2:10–19). |
December 18, 520 B.C. | Presented a message to Zerubbabel concerning God’s plan to “shake heaven and earth,” and the news that the Lord had chosen Zerubbabel to play a part in His plan (Hag. 2:20–23). |
Haggai’s job was to keep the leaders of Jerusalem and their workers focused on the task at hand. But he also had to help them see the larger value of serving God instead of chasing their own comfort (Hag. 1:6–9). Haggai encouraged the people to exchange their short-term view for a long-term view. Often, what makes us happy today can make us miserable later, but what requires sacrifice in the short term leads to rewards in the long term (Matt. 6:19–21).
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As a new temple began to rise on the site where the original house of God had stood, some of the elderly among Jerusalem’s citizens remembered the “former glory” of the first temple. Its exquisite cedar paneling, gold overlays, and magnificent furnishings made the new temple seem “as nothing.”
The Lord did not stop these people from honoring the past, but He did urge them not to neglect the present. He challenged leaders and laborers to “be strong … and work; for I am with you” (Hag. 2:4). The new structure would not restore Solomon’s gilded glories, but it would do something much more important: provide a gathering place for worship and the revitalization of God’s community.
Scripture repeatedly encourages us to remember and honor the past. But it also urges us to face the reality of the present. God is at work today just as much as yesterday. When we cooperate with what God is doing here and now, who knows what wonders we may accomplish?
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Haggai predicted that the Lord planned to rock the nations. Twice he said that God would “shake heaven and earth” (Hag. 2:6, 7, 21, 22). But these twin messages seem to refer to two completely different events, or at least two completely different sides to one event. One deals with salvation, while the other concerns God’s judgment:
“Once more … I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory.” | “I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.” |
These passages show that God sets before the world a choice similar to what Moses put to Israel just before entering the Promised Land—a choice between blessing and curse, salvation and judgment, life and death (Deut. 30:19).
Just as Moses encouraged the Israelites to choose life, God also invites all nations to take hold of His eternal life. Haggai made clear that when the Lord judges the nations, His judgment will be final. So He “shakes” the earth. He wants everyone to repent of evil and turn toward Him, the “Desire of All Nations.” If we persist in turning away, He allows us to self-destruct, “every one by the sword of his brother” (Hag. 2:22).
God judges all people by the same righteous standard. He does not play favorites. His invitation today is the same as in Haggai’s day—to turn to Him and be saved.
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