The Book of Haggai is a short prophetic book in the Old Testament written by the prophet Haggai around 520 B.C. It contains four messages calling the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after their return from Babylonian exile.
After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. They began rebuilding the Temple but soon became discouraged and stopped the work. Instead, they focused on building their own houses while the house of the Lord remained in ruins.
Haggai was raised up by God to confront the people and motivate them to put God first by completing the Temple.
¶ Main Message
Haggai’s central message is clear: Put God first. When the people neglected God’s house and prioritized their own comfort, they experienced frustration and lack of blessing. Haggai called them to repent, resume the work, and trust that God would be with them and bless them.
The book shows that obedience brings blessing, while disobedience and misplaced priorities bring frustration.
- Prioritizing God — Putting God’s work and God’s house above personal comfort and interests.
- Obedience and Blessing — God blesses obedience and withholds blessing when His people are disobedient.
- God’s Presence — The promise that God is with His people as they obey Him.
- Future Glory — A prophecy that the glory of the future Temple (fulfilled in Christ) will surpass the former Temple.
- Encouragement — God encourages His people not to be discouraged by current circumstances.
- Haggai 1:4-5 — “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!”
- Haggai 1:7-8 — Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
- Haggai 2:4-5 — Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.
- Haggai 2:7-9 — “And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,” says the Lord of hosts… “The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,” says the Lord of hosts. “And in this place I will give peace,” says the Lord of hosts.
- Haggai 2:19 — “Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.”
¶ Significance and Application
The Book of Haggai is highly practical. It teaches believers today to:
- Examine our priorities and put God first in our lives.
- Obey God even when circumstances are difficult or discouraging.
- Trust that God is with us when we step out in faith and obedience.
- Recognize that God can take what seems small or insignificant and use it for His glory (the second Temple was smaller, yet God promised greater glory through the coming Messiah).
Haggai also contains a beautiful Messianic prophecy pointing to Jesus Christ as “the Desire of All Nations.”
- Temple
- Zerubbabel
- Post-Exilic Period
- Messiah
- Obedience
- Blessing