Haggai 1: The First Prophecy

v.1 Prophecy through Haggai to Zerubbabel & Joshua

v.1 In 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, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: 

v.2 The Lord’s complaint about the returned people

v.2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’

v.3,4 His challenge to them (1)

v.3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 

v.4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 

v.5-7 His challenge to them (2)

v.5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 

v.6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 

v.7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 

v.8 His instruction

v.8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. 

v.9-11 Why they have not prospered

v.9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 

v.10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 

v.11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” 

v.12 They accept the word and obey the Lord

v.12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. 

v.13 A supplementary encouragement

v.13 Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. 

v.14,15 Thus the Lord stirs them to continue the rebuilding work

v.14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 

v.15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.,

[Notes: The first prophecy comes through Haggai to the two leaders [v.1]. The people had slipped into a way of thinking – perhaps used it as an excuse to conform to the pressures of the enemy on them not to build – whereby they decided it was easier not to bother with the rebuilding [v.2]. The Lord [v.3] challenges them over this, that they are happy to have nice houses themselves while God’s ‘house’ still remains in ruins [v.4]. Rather than give a direct instruction to start rebuilding, the Lord asks them to face up to what had been happening [v.5-7] and realize that they lacked God’s blessing. Then He comes with the ‘get on with the rebuilding’ [v.8]. So, the Lord says, see the link between the absence of blessing and you not building [v.9-11]. The word gets through to them [v.12] and the Lord gives a further encouragement [v.13] and so all the people get stirred up and restart the building work [v.14,15]. The prophetic word has had its effect!]

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