Haggai 1:1–11, 2:5-9

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Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries, University of Mobile

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Haggai 1:1–11, 2:5-9

Reality Defined (1:1–9)

Haggai is the first of the post-exilic books, written after the Israelites had returned from captivity in Babylon. When the Persians defeated the Babylonians they allowed all the exiles to go back home if they wanted to. Many of the Israelites chose to go back to their homeland but Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord were destroyed.

The Jews began to repair the temple but opposition caused them to cease working on it. Over the next few years they turned instead to building their own houses and focusing on their own lives. However, they did not prosper.

God confronted the people of Israel through Haggai the prophet by asking them how they can be thinking of themselves when God’s house was not even finished. The problem was that the people of Israel were putting themselves and their own desires over the desires of God.

Discipline Defined (1:10–11)

In these verses God reveals it is because of the neglect of the temple that the Israelites are not prospering. The crops were not as successful as they expected and there was a drought in the land because God was trying to get their attention.

God is in control of the entire earth and, therefore, if He so chooses to prevent rain from coming or prevent crops from growing He is fully capable of doing it. Many times in the Old Testament God reveals He is doing this as a form of punishment to get people to change their behavior.

However, whenever there is a drought or a flood or other major catastrophe, we shouldn’t necessarily think it is because God is punishing someone.

When Hurricane Katrina hit many people said God was punishing New Orleans because it was such a sinful town. However, we have not received divine revelation to tell us God was intentionally punishing any one town because of their sin. Surely God could have done it for those reasons but to suggest that one city is more deserving of God’s punishment than others is a bit presumptuous.

It is safe to just acknowledge that God has the power to inflict punishment in any way He sees fit but not to presume He is punishing locations when natural disasters hit.

Glory to Come (2:5–9)

The Israelites heeded Haggai’s warnings and set to work on building the temple. This is what God’s people should always do when faced with conviction — obey the Word of the Lord and repent. God prophesies through Haggai and states He will shake the nations and the desire of nations will come and He will fill the temple with glory.

This prophecy has a twofold meaning. As is the case with many prophecies in the Old Testament, they often have an immediate meaning but they also have a future meaning.

In this case it referred to the temple being filled with people from all around the world bringing silver and gold. This was true at the time of Jesus’ birth when Herod made the temple very large and Jews from all around came to give their tithes and offerings.

But the desire of nations also refers to Christ and His coming because in Him is eternal life, the true desire of all men.

Just as the Israelites obeyed the commands of God through Haggai, we need to obey His commands today. When we obey God, we are truly successful; maybe not in the eyes of mankind, but in God’s eyes. Following God costs everything but it is always worth it.