Haggai

1Chapter

Command to Rebuild the Temple

1In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
2“The Lord of Armies says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”
3The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” 5Now, the Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways:
6You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to be happy. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.”
7The Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways. 8Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10So on your account, the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops. 11I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, fresh oil, and whatever the ground yields, on people and animals, and on all that your hands produce.”

The People’s Response

12Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord.
13Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people: “I am with you —this is the Lord’s declaration.”
14The Lord roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of the Lord of Armies, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
2Chapter

Encouragement and Promise

1On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: 3‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn’t it seem to you like nothing by comparison? 4Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel—this is the Lord’s declaration. Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land—this is the Lord’s declaration. Work! For I am with you —the declaration of the Lord of Armies. 5This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.’”
6For the Lord of Armies says this: “Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord of Armies. 8“The silver and gold belong to me”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. 9“The final glory of this house will be greater than the first,” says the Lord of Armies. “I will provide peace in this place” —this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

From Deprivation to Blessing

10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11“This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a ruling. 12If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.”
13Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”
14Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before me—this is the Lord’s declaration. And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.
15“Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple, 16what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty. 17I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to me—this is the Lord’s declaration. 18From this day on, think carefully; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; think carefully. 19Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”

Promise to Zerubbabel

20The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother’s sword. 23On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
Study
Chapter 1
CSB

To acknowledge the Lord as God has implications for ordinary decisions of life. It is to live before One who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and who has an agenda. He has a plan that impinges on the details of our lives. The people who had returned from Babylon through God’s grace and leadership soon tried to put him at the edge of their awareness. They had their own agenda, building comfortable homes for themselves while God’s house lay in ruins (v. 4). Through Haggai’s preaching, the people were moved to respond to the Lord’s command to build his house for his glory.

ESV

Introduction: Reluctant Rebuilders. The opening establishes the characters and context of the book. The Lord, prophet, king, priest, and people figure prominently as the major problem is presented, namely, that the Lord’s house is in ruins and the people do nothing about it.

ESV

Characters. second year … sixth month … first day. August 29, 520 B.C. As the first of the month, it is the day of a new moon festival, and thus of public worship (1 Chron. 23:31); it is also three weeks after the anniversary of the destruction of the first temple (2 Kings 25:8; Jer. 52:12). At this point most of the harvesting is finished, with only dates and summer figs left to be harvested. Darius. Persian king 522–486 B.C. by the hand of (cf. Hag. 1:3; 2:1). A phrase unique to Haggai among the writing prophets, though common in the books of Moses. Zerubbabel was a grandson of Jehoiachin, heir to the Davidic throne, and governor of Judah (see Ezra 3:2, 8; 4:2–3; 5:2). Joshua. High priest and son of Jehozadak, whose line is traced through Zadok to Aaron (1 Chron. 6:11–15; Zech. 3:1, 8; 6:11).

ESV

Context. LORD of hosts. Highlights the Lord as the leader of heavenly or earthly armies. Approximately one-third of all biblical occurrences of the phrase are found in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (see chart); it emphasizes the Lord’s universal rule (see note on 1 Sam. 1:3). not yet come. The people claim that the time for temple restoration has not yet arrived: they want to postpone the work until sometime later.

ESV

Consider Your Ways: Fruitless Prosperity. In the second word to Haggai, the Lord asks his hearers to consider whether their prosperity, such as it is, brings about the intended satisfaction, and he exhorts them to supply materials for “my house” (vv. 3–11). A general response follows (v. 12).

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Work without Satisfaction. On the date of this oracle the people can reflect on the disappointing harvest season (cf. vv. 10–11). They struggle mightily for personal gain at the neglect of the Lord’s house. God evaporates their gain in order to teach them that the building of his house will bring him glory and must be their priority.

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paneled … ruins. The inattentive people focus on comfortable personal dwellings (v. 9) while the Lord remains “homeless” (2 Sam. 7:2; 1 Kings 6:9; Jer. 22:13–15).

CSB

For the prophets before the Babylonian exile, the major issues were the people’s tendency to worship false gods and the social injustice that created severe inequalities between rich and poor. For prophets whose message was focused on the postexilic Judean community, the issue was different. The great need was the restoration of the institutions of Israelite worship centering in the sanctuary. Ezekiel drew up a blueprint for the restored temple and its ceremonies (Ezk 40–47); Malachi called for the purification of the priesthood (Mal 3:1-4) and faithfulness in the tithe (Mal 3:8-10). Zechariah, likewise, was concerned with the honor of the priesthood (Zch 3:1-5). Haggai also turned to this emphasis on worship. It was because the people had neglected their responsibilities, including the rebuilding of the Lord’s house, that their efforts to prosper came to nothing. His message was a precursor to Jesus’s teaching, “you will be measured by the same measure you use” (Mt 7:2). One cannot open the hand to receive while clutching what he already has.

ESV

Consider your ways. Ponder your actions and the resulting experiences.

ESV

sown much … harvested little. This describes the hard work the people have done, and the frustrating yield. God has not blessed their crops because of their preference for personal comfort over the rebuilding of the temple (v. 4). eat … drink … clothe … earns wages. Their efforts to care for themselves and their families lead only to frustration, so the Lord wants them to “consider their ways” (v. 5).

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Go up … bring … build. The people are commanded to bring wood to build a proper house. As the Lord takes pleasure in acceptable sacrifice (Ps. 51:19), the sacrifice of temple-building will result in his pleasure and glory.

ESV

The word “house” is used three times with three different meanings: home (a place to store goods); my house (the Lord’s temple); his own house (one’s personal dwelling). busies himself with (lit., “is running for”). As compared with the implicit critique of v. 4, the misplaced priorities of the people are now made explicit.

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Therefore. There is a causal link between the ruin (Hb. khareb) of the Lord’s house (vv. 4, 9) and the drought (Hb. khoreb).

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General Response: Obedience and Fear. To the admonition of vv. 3–11, people render a general response of hearing and alarm. The remnant (v. 14; 2:2) is the same as the people addressed in 1:2; 2:4, 14. feared the LORD. See note on Acts 9:31.

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a Promise and Progress. The obedience and fear characterizing the general response of v. 12 provokes the third statement from the prophet. The promise of the Lord’s presence (v. 13) engenders the actual response of “work” in vv. 14–15a.

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messenger (Hb. mal’ak) … message (Hb. mal’akut) … worked (Hb. mela’kah). This play on words makes a direct connection between the speaker (Haggai), the content of what was spoken (statement of assurance), and the desired effect upon the people (lit., “and they performed work”).

ESV

God’s Promise. I am with you (cf. 2:4). This is the great promise of covenantal assurance (cf. Num. 14:9; Josh. 14:12; Judg. 1:19; Isa. 43:5; cf. Matt. 28:20). The task before them will be undertaken with the promise of God’s aid.

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a Specific Response: Work Begins. In this fine example of divine prompting and human response, the Spirit of the Lord moves in the people and the people take action.

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the LORD stirred up the spirit. God awakens in the people an intense desire to work on repairing his house. Progress on the house arises only by means of the enabling power of the sovereign God (Ex. 35:21, 26, 30–35). their God. The companion statement of covenantal assurance (e.g., Jer. 24:7; 31:33; Ezek. 11:20; 37:27).

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a twenty-fourth day … sixth month. September 21, 520 B.C.

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b–2:9 The Former and Latter Glory of This House. Haggai bolsters flagging spirits in this fourth message. Comparing the past glory of the temple with the present ruins brought inevitable discouragement (2:1–3). The people are called to act based on the past (2:4–5). As God moved Israel to build the tabernacle, so he will now move among the nations to provide for the restoration of his house (2:6–9).

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b–2:3 Comparing Past and Present. The Lord challenges those who remember to compare the past glory of the temple with its present status.

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b–2:1 second year … seventh month … twenty-first day. October 17, 520 B.C. (cf. 1:1), and the next-to-last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:2). It is likely that the people celebrated with limited resources (Hag. 1:10–11).