The Chapters – Quick Access

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Basics

BOOK: Haggai

Description: Warnings & encouragements to the returned exiles to keep on building the temple and complete it.

Author: Haggai, a prophet or someone close to him

Date written: Somewhere between 627 and 609BC

Chapters:  2

Brief Synopsis

• The first returning exiles are in the process of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem but are hindered and falter and the work comes to a stop.
• The Lord uses Haggai to bring His word to these people to encourage them and get the work under way again until completion.
• As we will see, these four ‘words’ all come within the space of six months,

Haggai clearly ‘fits’ in with the temple rebuilding observed in Ezra, where he is seen to be prophesying, presumably bringing these words. See Ezra 5:1, 6:14. Together with Zechariah he is clearly used by the Lord to motivate and encourage the returned exiles in their task of rebuilding the temple. Enemies has sought to put them off the rebuilding, but God’s word came with challenge, explanations and encouragements, and the work was restarted and taken on to completion. Here we see a classic illustration of the impact of prophecy to bring change to a present situation.

Prophecy Timing

• 1:1-15 Prophesy 1 (in 6^th month) [also a supplementary short word in v.13]
• 2:1-9   Prophecy 2 (in 7^th month)
• 2:10-19 Prophecy 3 (in 9^th month)
• 2:20-23 Prophecy 4 (in 9^th month (2^nd)

Outline

• 1:1 Introduction
• 1:2-11 First Message: The Call to Rebuild the Temple
  • 1:2-4 Excuse & Challenge
  • 1:5,6 A clear absence of blessing in poverty
  • 1:7-11 The Reason
• 1:12-15 The Response of Zerubbabel and the People
  • 1:12 Obedience
  • 1:13-15 The Lord Strengthens the Workers
• 2:1-9 Second Message: The Temple to Be Filled with Glory
  • 2:1-5 Encouragement from the Lord
  • 2:6-9 The Promise of Glory and Peace
• 2:10-19 Third Message: A Defiled People Purified and Blessed
  • 2:10-14 The Rapid Spread of Sin
  • 2:15-17 Poor Harvests because of Disobedience
  • 2:18-19 Blessing to Come as the Temple Is Rebuilt
• 2:20-23 Fourth Message: The Promise to Zerubbabel
  • 2:20-22 The Judgment of the Nations 
  • 2:23 The Significance of Zerubbabel

Concluding Comments

• There is a difficulty in 2:9 with the reference to ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house’ which was replaced when Herod built his temple several centuries later. Also there is no reference to the glory of the Lord filling this temple when it was completed. However Herod’s temple was in fact an enlarging of this temple, and so although Herod’s temple was much larger than this present one, it did in fact constitute the same temple as far as this prophetic word applies. When the Son of God walked in its precincts the glory of God was indeed present in a way not previously known. Previously it had been just the shining glory; now it was God Himself.
• At the end Zerubbabel is encouraged: you are my signet ring that is used for creating a seal or guarantee. You are a type of one who will come at the end who will seal my purposes. Your activity here and now is a guarantee for establishing my purposes so that this people will still be here and this house will still be here when my Son comes.
• Lessons within the ministry and work of Haggai are:
  • The prophetic work can be a great encouragement to move the work of God on.
  • The prophetic can call for obedience and can bring the challenge that stirs faith for men and women to move on in the purposes of God.  
  • Without the prophetic it is doubtful if the rebuilding of the Temple would have been completed.
• Haggai is thus a key player in re-establishing the temple after the Exile, paving the way for the activities in some four hundred years’ time, the Temple being an anchor for the people of Judah and Jerusalem.