Bible Study Outline - Haggai

Bible Study at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
Mid-Week Teaching Service on 07 Mar 2001

Haggai is the earliest of the three post-exilic prophets (the other two are Zechariah and Malachi). The book of Ezra provides the background to this book. The name "Haggai" means "feast." He was probably born during one of the three pilgrimage feasts of the Jews (ie, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost or Weeks, and Tabernacles). His name is appropriate because it was through his ministry that the Temple was rebuilt and dedicated with a feast. In 538 BC the conqueror of Babylon, Cyrus king of Persia, issued a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple (EZR 1:2-4, 6:3-5). Led by Zerubabbel (called Sheshbazzar in EZR 1:8) about 50,000 Jews returned and began rebuilding the Temple (which had been totally destroyed by the Babylonians).

The rebuilding of the Temple was not an end in itself but it represented God's dwelling place, ie, His presence among His people. After two years, they completed the foundation amid great rejoicing (EZR 3:8-10). Their success aroused the Samaritans (half-breed Jews) who were afraid of the presence of a strong Jewish nation among them. So they falsely accused the Jews to the Persian authorities. As the new returnees were, at this time, also struggling to rebuild their homes and farms - they conveniently took this political setback as an excuse to stop rebuilding he Temple, so that they could concentrate on their personal pursuits first. And they were content to worship in an unfinished Temple (consisting only of the Altar and the Temple foundations) for sixteen years. They used the political hindrances and their personal hardships as excuses to abandon God's work. They did not say that they would not build God's house but said: "The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built" (1:2). We also easily fall into Satan's temptation to delay doing God's work, as we wait for the perfect "right" time (which never comes). Every day is the right day to put God's business first.

God stirred up Haggai and Zechariah to successfully challenge the Jews to restart their rebuilding efforts. This time, the attempt of the Samaritans to stop the work backfired (EZR 5:3-6; 6:6-12) and the Temple was finally finished and dedicated in 516 BC (EZR 6:15-18).

Haggai Chapter 1

v. 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel .... the governor of Judah, and to Joshua ... the high priest, saying - Darius the king (Darius Hystaspes) is different from Darius the Mede (DAN 5:3 1). Zerubbabel was the temporal head and Joshua was the spiritual head of the Jews. Though Zerubbabel and Joshua were godly men, they too needed to be stirred up by Haggai's message.

v. 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD"s house should be built - God refers to Himself as "LORD of hosts," (ie, God of armies) more than ninety times in the three post-exilic books, to encourage the disheartened and outnumbered Jews. God usually calls His people "My people," but here, in anger, calls them "This people." "This people" who had returned to rebuild the Temple had now forgotten their priorities because of cowardice, covetousness and comfort. They justified themselves by claiming that God's "time is not come" and that the delay was the result of their obedience not their disobedience. They conveniently misinterpreted the hindrances they encountered as God's message to them to stop the work - and would not continue until they received a "sign" from God to restart the work. In fact, when we do God's work we must expect hindrances from Satan and the world. We often interpret providential occurrences to suit our desires. Furthermore, they believed that they were doing right by putting the security and comfort of their families first.

v. 3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet saying

v.4 Is it time for you, O ye to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? - "Ceiled" means "paneled," ie, luxurious wood paneling used in the Temple (l KI 6:9; 7:3) and in king's palaces (JER 22:14). In contrast to their luxurious houses, God's house was in a pathetic state (with only its bare foundations and the Altar). They had placed their personal interests above God's and their physical needs above their spiritual needs. Their priorities were opposite of King David's, who was ashamed to live in a palace while the Ark of God was in a tent (2SA 7:2).

v.5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways - Five times in this book (1:5,7; 2:15,18,18), the people are admonished to "consider" (literally: set their heart upon) their ways. While we are quick to judge the actions of others, we usually do not analyze our own actions. It is very necessary to consider our ways at the end of each day or project - and even to have others (especially godly friends) to give their honest opinions. The Jews failed to consider the ridiculousness of their action (living in ceiled houses while God's house was still disgracefully unfinished after sixteen years) nor the cost of it (God's severe punishment of their sin - v.6-1 1). They had faded to consider God's commandment to "seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (MAT 6:33).

v.6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little, ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes - Haggai uses five pairs of poetic contrasts, each coming to the same conclusion. They had been afflicted with bad weather, bad health, poor harvests and all their efforts to build a "comfortable and secure" life had failed but they had not considered that their failure to "put God first" was the root-cause of their problems. They had probably blamed their problems on bad weather, bad health or unfavorable economic conditions. Therefore, God sent Haggai to remind them that the root-cause of life's problems is our wrong relationship with God.

v.7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider your ways - It is extremely difficult for men to admit their faults and they do their best to find excuses for their failures. Therefore, God warns them not to "brush aside" His earlier advice to them to "consider their ways" (v.5).

v.8 Go up to the mountains, and bring wood, and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD - God commands them to stop their selfish pursuits and "Go up" immediately to the mountains (which had been reforested in their seventy years of exile) and bring wood, and build the house. God's Temple is called the house because it was meant to be the center of Jewish life. Whenever the Jews made it the house, Israel prospered- God's name is shamed when His house is neglected but will be glorified when it is carefully built.

v.9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little, and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house - The Jews had worked hard and therefore expected prosperity but all their efforts seemed to be "blown" away in some mysterious way. Though they did not realize it, it was God who "blew" away their efforts because they "ran" to build their houses but had stopped building God's house. God punished them in the way that hurt them most, namely, by taking prosperity away from these prosperity-mad Jews. His punishment also fitted their sin - they were unconcerned to build God's house, so God was unconcerned to build their houses.

v. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit - Heavy dew is an important source of water in Israel (2SA 1:21) and provides moisture when there is no rain. Water from heaven, which is so critical for life in a poorly irrigated place like Israel, is a symbol of God's blessings.

v. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands - Grain, wine and oil are the three basic crops of Israel. A word-play is present in verses 9 and 11. God's house lies in waste (in Hebrew: chareb, v.9) and so in retaliation God sends a drought (in Hebrew: choreb). The drought was so severe that it affected the wellbeing of men and cattle and all their other occupations. When God sends a "drought" upon us, we are in deep trouble.

v. 12 Then Zerubbabel ... and Joshua.... with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God h ad sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD - The people recognized that the words of Haggai was "the voice of the LORD" and "did fear before the LORD." Today's Christian, who possesses God's written Word, can easily check if the preacher's word is really God's Word and respond accordingly.

v. 13 Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD - They had neglected God for sixteen years, yet God responds immediately to their repentance by assuring them of His presence (and therefore, His blessings).

v. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel ... and the spirit of Joshua ... and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God - When we are willing to be obey, God gives the us the strength to obey. Only when God stirs (ie, moves the hearts) of His people, will they be able to do the work of building God's house. May God stir us up, as we pat Him first in our lives!

v. 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king - The rebuilding of God's house resumed just twenty three days after Haggai's preaching (cf. 1: 1).