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THE MINOR PROPHETS
The Prophet Haggai
Build the Temple
Lesson #11
Victor M. Eskew
INTRODUCTION
A. We now begin a study of the 10th Minor Prophet, Haggai.
B. Haggai is the second shortest book of the minor prophets containing only 2 chapters and 38 verses.
C. He is like unto the prophet Jonah in that he had a very positive response from those who heard his prophecy.
D. As far as the book is concerned, it only concerns a time period of about 4 months.
E. Let’s list several interesting passages of the book before we go into our survey of Haggai.
1. “Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways” (Hag. 1:5, 7).
2. “Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message to the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord” (Hag. 1:13).
3. “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not” (Hag. 2:5).
4. “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law…” (Hag. 2:11).”
5. “I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord” (Hag. 2:17).
I. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
A. The author is Haggai, the prophet (Hag. 1:1).
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…
B. Nine times we read the name of Haggai in this prophecy (Hag. 1:1, 3, 12, 13; 2:1, 10, 13, 14, 20).
1. Four times he is referred to as “the prophet” (Hag. 1:1, 3, 12, 2:1).
2. Once he is called “the Lord’s messenger” (Hag. 1:13).
C. The name Haggai comes from the Hebrew word “hag’ which means “festive.”
1. Many commentators believe that he may have been born during one of the festive weeks of the Jews.
2. Haggai 2:1, reveals that one of his messages came immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles.
In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month. Came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying.
D. Again, we are informed that Haggai was just a mouthpiece for God.
1. The phrase, “the word of the Lord came unto Haggai,” is used five times (Hag. 1:1, 3, 2:1, 10, 20).
2. We also read other phrases such as, “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts” (1:2) and “Thus saith the Lord of hosts” some 15 times in the book.
3. This message did not originate with Haggai. He was the messenger of the Lord (Hag. 1:13).
Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.
II. THE DATE OF THE BOOK
A. “Because of the precise dates given for each prophetic message, the events of the book may be dated more accurately than any other book in the whole Bible” (Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, Zodhiates, “The Book of Haggai,” 1152).
B. In Haggai 1:1, he says that his first message came “in the second year of Darius the king…”
1. Darius was the king of Persia. His reign began in 621 B.C.
2. The second year of his reign would have been 620 B.C.
3. The following is a list of the king of Persia (Ancient Persian Rulers Timeline (Modern Iran) (thoughtco.com)).
559-530 – Cyrus the Great
529-522 – Son
522 – Smerdis (Bardiya) (brother)
521-486 – Darius I, the Great
485-465 – Xerxes I (son)
464-424 – Artaxerxes I, Longimanus (son)
424 – Xerxes (son)
424 – Sogdianus (brother )
423-405 – Darius II, Nothus (brother)
404-359 – Artaxerxes II, Mnemon (son)
358-338 – Artaxerxes III, Ochus (son)
337-336 – Artaxerxes IV, Arses (son)
335-330 – Darius III, Codomannus (great-grandson of Darius II)
C. The three other oracles were also proclaimed in the second year of Darius.
D. Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah about whom we will study next (See Ezra 5:1; 6:14).
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel even unto them.
III. THE RECIPIENTS OF THE BOOK
A. Haggai 2:2 tells us of two individuals and one group of people who received this prophecy.
Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people.
B. Zerubbabel (Hag. 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4, 21, 23)
1. Zerubbabel led the first of the captives back to Jerusalem who were set free by Cyrus, king of Persia in 536 B.C. (Ezra 2:1-2).
Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one to his city; which came with Zerubbabel…
2. Zerubbabel means “descended in Babylon” or “sown in Babylon.
3. He is called the “governor of Judah.”
a. Strong (6346): prefect :- captain, deputy, governor
b. BDB: governor
C. Joshua (1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4
1. Joshua was the high priest among the people at that time who also returned to Jerusalem (See
2. Ezra 2:40; 3:2
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests…
D. The residue
1. This is the remnant of Israel, the first group who returned to Jerusalem.
2. Ezra 2:64 (NOTE: This number does not include servants and maids, See Ezra 2:65).
The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore.
3. When they returned their purposes should have involved four things.
a. Restoration of the temple
b. Restoration of worship
c. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem
d. Restoration of the people of God in the Holy Land
IV. THE THEME OF THE BOOK
A. Stated: Rebuild the Temple
1. “His ministry had a single focus: urging God’s people to be obedient, especially in rebuilding the temple” (Zodhiates, 1152).
2. “He called the people to rebuild the Temple, to remain faithful to God’s promises, to be holy and enjoy God’s great provisions, and to keep their hope set on the coming MESSIAH and the establishment of His Kingdom” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Youngblood, ed., 532).
3. LESSON: “The rebuilding of the Temple shows that authentic worship is a very important matter” (Nelson, 532).
B. A Timeline:
722 B.C. Assyrian Captivity
612 B.C. Fall of Nineveh
606 B.C. 1st Captivity into Babylon
597 B.C. 2nd Captivity into Babylon
586 B.C. 3rd Captivity into Babylon
536 B.C. The return of the exiles
521 B.C. Darius begins to reign in Persia
520 B.C. Haggai prophesies
516 B.C. The temple is rebuilt
C. The Rebuilding of the Temple:
1. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the invading armies of Babylon (2 Kings 25:8-9a).
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and he burnt the house of the Lord…
2. Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4).
3. When they returned, they laid the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3:8-11).
4. After the foundation was laid, they ceased working on the temple. There were many factors involved.
a. Opposition from the enemies of God’s people
b. Defeatism on the part of the Jews
c. Selfishness: indulgence of self
d. Lukewarmness
e. Procrastination
f. Neglect
g. Indifference
h. Misplaced priorities
5. Because of all of these things, God’s house laid waste for some 16 years (Hag. 1:4, 9).
…and this house lie waste?...Because of mine house that is waste…
6. Haggai was the first prophet to speak to the returned exiles. He commanded them to build the house of God (Hag 1:8).
7. Just days after his first message, Israel begins to build the temple (Hag. 1:14-15).
And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, 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, in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
8. Some grew discouraged when they saw that this second temple was not a great as the first temple (Hag. 2:3).
9. Haggai, however, promised that the glory of this temple would excel the glory of the first (Hab. 2:9).
10. The temple was completed four years later in 516 B.C. (Ezra 6:15).
And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
V. THE KEY VERSE OF THE BOOK
A. Haggai 1:8
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
B. Important note: The temple was not going to rebuild itself.
C. In the book, The Living Messages of the Books of the Old Testament, brother Mac Deaver lists several things the Jews had to possess and do in order to build the temple.
1. Reflect (Hag. 1:5, 7, 2:15, 18)
2. Build the house (Hag. 1:8)
3. Be strong (Hag. 2:4)
4. Work (Hag. 2:5)
5. Fear ye not (Hag. 2:5)
6. Seek out of the law (Hag. 2:11)
VI. LESSONS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS IN THE BOOK
A. Haggai delivered four messages to the Jews.
1. Haggai 1:1-15 2nd year 6th month 1st day
2. Haggai 2:1-9 2nd year 7th month 21st day
3. Haggai 2:10-19 2nd year 9th month 24th day
4. Haggai 2:20-23 2nd year 9th month 24th day
B. Christ is seen in the book of Haggai.
1. Restorer of the Temple’s glory (2:7-9)
2. Overthrower of the kingdoms of this world (2:22)
3. Signet ring for Israel (2:23)
C. Zerubbabel: “…will make thee as a signet” (Hag. 2:20-23)
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.
1. Zerubbabel “was to serve as a ‘signet ring’ (2:23), a sign or promise of the glorious days to come” (Nelson, 532).
2. “Zerubbabel becomes the center of the Messianic line, and is like a ‘signet ring’ sealing both branches together” (Wilkinson & Boa, 285).
a. The lineage of Joseph (Matt. 1:12-13)
b. The lineage of Mary (Luke 3:27)
D. Lessons:
1. The people needed to be reminded. “Haggai told the people some things that they already knew” (Living Messages, 395).
2. Man has a tendency to procrastinate (Hab. 1:2).
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.
3. Man will often do things for himself, but will not do similar things for God.
a. The Jews built houses for themselves, but left God’s house in waste (Hag. 1:4)
Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?
b. Application:
1) We will spend thousands for personal items, but will never give thousands for missionaries.
2) We will spend time with our personal family, but will not spend time with the family of God.
4. It is always time to put God first (Hag. 1:4).
5. All men need to consider their ways before God (Hab. 1:5, 7).
Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
6. The Jews were living beneath their privileges because they were not obedient to God (Hag. 1:6).
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 here is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes.
a. “God had not blessed them domestically because they had forgotten Him spiritually” (Geisler, 293).
b. If we neglect God’s work, He will withhold His blessings.
7. We overcome discouragement by looking at what God is going to do with what is available at the present (Hag. 2:9).
8. God wants us to seek His law (Hag. 2:11)
9. The Lord requires holiness and obedience, and the contamination of sin blocks the blessings of God (Hag. 2:11-19).
CONCLUSION
A. Haggai’s style is quite different from that of the other prophets. He does not express the poetic manner of the other prophets. He is brief and to the point.
B. Yet, he has a great impact upon his hearers. Very quickly, the children of Israel heed his words and begin work on the temple.
12 THOUGHTS FOR CHRISTIAN WOMEN (2)
15 Encouraging Reminders For Every Christian Woman Trying To Live Out Her Faith | Thought Catalog
7. There will be days when your heart feels defeated, when you will
try to make an impact on someone or something and you will
fail. These will be hard days, yes, but you cannot give up.
Remember that everything is possible in Him, and with Him you
will not fail. Continue forward. You are strong. Your God is
stronger.
8. Be a blessing to others. Hold open doors, exchange smiles, let someone
else go first, lend a listening ear or a helping hand. When you do good
works for others, God looks on you with pride. Show His grace by being
graceful to everyone around you.
9. Remember that you are a child of God—beautiful, strong, smart, powerful,
and loved.
10. Imperfection is a natural part of being human. You will be criticized for the
ways you don’t measure up to the perfection of your religion. Nod your
head but don’t hang your head. Always try to be the best you can be.
Always try to live in the image of God. But know that you cannot be
flawless and blameless, and that your God loves you anyways,
unconditionally.
11. Do not be so easily swayed by the ways of the world. Sometimes the world sparkles and shines, entices and begs you to come closer. It looks so wonderful, these artificial things and this superficial happiness—but those are both short-lived. Remember that you have an eternal life in Heaven and eternal joy in God. His love is far greater than earthly things will ever be.
12. Not every woman is like you, you know. You have a different way of acting and speaking, a different way of carrying yourself, a different way of loving and respecting your body. No, you are not strange or crazy. No, you are not less special. No, you are not better than any other sinner. But you are wonderfully, beautifully made in Christ. Stand firm in your morals and decisions. Do not change yourself for others or for love. Be proud of your body, your faith, your soul, and your being. Be proud of your God.
