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Haggai

Introduction

What is the Book of Haggai About?

Read this 4-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read Haggai!

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Videos

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Overview of Haggai

6 Minutes | by BibleProject

This overview video illustrates for us the literary design of the book of Haggai using creative animations.

Book of Haggai Summary: A Complete Animated Overview is copyright 2016 by BibleProject and is available for viewing at www.bibleproject.com.

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Haggai Summary

5 Minutes | by Paul David Tripp

This video is part of the series, The Gospel One Chapter at a Time, where Paul David Tripp summarizes each book of the Bible and shows how it points us to Jesus.

This video was originally published by Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. on their YouTube Channel.

Historical Context

Who wrote the book of Haggai and when was it written? 

The book of Haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet Haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider Haggai its author. Nothing is known of Haggai’s genealogy. The specific mention of the “second year of Darius” (Haggai 1:1 ESV) places the book in the year 520 BC.

From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote Haggai for your good and to lead you into joy.

What is the setting of the book?

Jerusalem at the Time of Haggai

c. 520 BC

Haggai prophesied to the people of Jerusalem after they had returned from Babylon in 538 BC. The walls and temple of Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Within a year after returning from Babylon, the people had laid the foundation for the new temple, but by Haggai’s time they had still not completed it. Haggai, together with Zechariah, called upon the people to stop focusing on their own economic well-being and complete the temple. 

What is the message of the prophets who come after the exile?

Almost 50 years later [after the exile], in 538 BC, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, released the Jews from captivity. He commissioned them to rebuild the temple to their God and reinstitute worship according to their laws (Ezra 1). Although the initial building project began with great energy and optimism, external pressures as well as internal struggle caused the building project to grind to a halt. Eighteen years later, in 520 BC, the temple remained in ruins as the people of God had become preoccupied with securing their own worldly comforts. Into this situation the postexilic prophets [Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi] come with a powerful word of both warning and promise. They warn Israel of the dangers of forsaking their God and remind Israel of God’s unwavering commitment to his people’s welfare. These three themes come to dominate the message of the postexilic prophets: God’s sovereignty over the nations, his presence with his people, and his commitment to the future glory of both Israel and the nations. With these truths pressed firmly on their hearts, Israel will have to wait with patience for the final and ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises, when their deliverance will be complete and the God of Israel will be recognized as sovereign over the whole world.

—Stephen M. Coleman

Source: Content quoted from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Books

God's Daring Dozen: Haggai’s Feast

Haggai’s Feast

by Brian J. Wright and John R. Brown | Children’s Book

Difficulty: Easy

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study

by Stephen M. Coleman | Bible Study

Difficulty: Easy

Message Series

Haggai by Christopher Ash

Check out this 4-part message series where Pastor Christopher Ash walks us through the four messages given to God’s people through Haggai. Pastor Ash gently asks thought-provoking questions that lead us both to “consider your ways” (Haggai 1:7 ESV), and to apply Haggai’s message to our own context. In every message, he leads us to Jesus and shows how this book looks forward to the arrival and accomplishments of Jesus.

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Haggai Dictionary

As you read through Haggai, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.

Bless

To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, he brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.

Consecrate

To set apart something or someone to serve God in a special way.

Covenant

An agreement. In the ancient Near East, sometimes covenants were made between two people or groups of people. Both sides decided what the agreement would be. However, in the Bible, the word usually refers to agreements between God and people, when God decides what will be done and the people agree to live by the covenant. The old covenant of law set standards of behavior in order to please God. The new covenant of grace presents God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

High priest

The most important priest of all the priests, who served God in the tabernacle and later in the temple. In the Old Testament, the high priest offered the most important sacrifices to God for the people. In New Testament times, he was also a powerful political leader. He was the head of the Sanhedrin—the group of men who governed the Jewish people. He even had a small army. The high priest wore special clothing described in Exodus 28:1-39. Aaron was the first high priest. All other high priests were his descendants. The New Testament says that Jesus Christ is now our high priest, the one who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (see Hebrews 8–9).

Judah

(1) One of the sons of Jacob and Leah. (2) The descendants of Jacob and Leah’s son of the same name, who became the tribe of Judah. (3) The southern kingdom when the Israelites divided into two separate countries after the death of King Solomon. (The northern kingdom was called Israel.)

Law

(1) All the rules God gave to help people to know and love him and to live happily with each other. The Ten Commandments are part of God’s law. (2) The first five books of the Bible. These five books are often called the Law. (3) The entire Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament is referred to as the Law. (4) Any rule that must be obeyed, whether it was decided by God or by people. (5) God’s rules in the Old Testament plus other rules added by Jewish religious leaders. (6) The conscience of an unbeliever who knows he or she has not followed his or her own moral code (see Romans 2:14-16).

Priest

Among the Jews, a man who offered prayers and sacrifices to God for the people. Priests led the public worship services at the tabernacle and later at the temple. Often the priests also taught the Law of God to the people. The priests of Israel were all descendants of Aaron’s family. All Christians are also priests (see 1 Peter 2:9). We are to help others learn about and worship God.

Remnant

A small part that is left. In the Old Testament, remnant usually refers to the few Israelite people who remained faithful worshipers of God after their exile in Babylon.

Seal/Signet

A small tool or ring that had a design cut into one side. The owner of each seal had his or her own special design. When the owner wanted to put his or her own special mark or brand on something, the person would press the seal into hot wax or soft clay. As the wax or clay hardened, it kept the design in it. Seals were used in many ways, including to show that two people had reached an agreement, to seal a letter, to show who owned something.

Temple

The permanent place in Jerusalem where the Jews worshiped God. The first temple was built by King Solomon and the people by following the instructions God had given Solomon’s father, King David. The temple was a very beautiful place. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice. In AD 64, the temple was destroyed again but was not rebuilt.

Dictionary Source

This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Tough Questions

We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read this book of the Bible. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?

How does the book of Haggai encourage us?

In this 36-minute message, Pastor John Piper encourages us where we are disheartened and challenges us where we lack spiritual fervor. After becoming more familiar with the message of Haggai, you will be motivated to reengage in whatever God has called you to do!

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What does the book of Haggai have to say to us today?

As Seth and David from Spoken Gospel discuss Haggai in this phenomenal 54-minute podcast, you will be reminded of the generous and good character of God, you will be challenged to seek the Lord afresh, and motivated to trust Jesus from the heart.

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Insights

The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of Haggai.

What is the book of Haggai about?

This book consists of four prophecies delivered within the space of four months, some 16 years after the return of the first exiles to Jerusalem. Work on the second temple had begun in 536 BC, shortly after the exiles’ arrival home, but after a few years the work had ceased. Haggai, a contemporary of the prophet Zechariah, challenged the people to wholeheartedly take up the task again of rebuilding the house of God.

—Henrietta Mears

Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. 

What is the message of the book of Haggai?

The book of Haggai is a relevant and timeless book on the need to put God’s work first in one’s life. For the prophet’s society, rebuilding the temple would be the visible sign of the people’s determination to put God first.

—ESV® Study Bible

Source: Content taken from the ESV® Study Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2008 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What does the book of Haggai teach us about idolatry?

The prophet’s denunciation of the people’s misplaced priorities reveals something about the nature of idolatry: the idols of our heart make promises they cannot keep. They promise that if we serve, for example, comfort, wealth, power, or pleasure, we will experience deep satisfaction and peace. The reality is that serving anything other than the one true God leads ultimately to only dissatisfaction and emptiness (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). Throughout the Bible, God’s people are called to recognize the false promises of idols for what they are: lies that lead away from the true peace that comes only from knowing and worshiping the living God.

—Stephen M. Coleman

Source: Content quoted from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

What does the book of Haggai teach about God?

A topic related to repentance, which is somewhat overlooked, is the role of the Holy Spirit in the theology of the post-exilic prophets[1]. Haggai assured his audience that God’s Spirit remained among them, even as the Holy Spirit rested on Moses and the seventy elders of Israel after the exodus from Egypt to enable them to lead the Hebrew people (Haggai 2:5; cf. Numbers 11:16-17)…Haggai also emphasizes the abiding presence of God’s Spirit (Haggai 1:13; 2:4-5), a theme shared with the book of Zechariah (cf. Zechariah 1:16; 8:23). This pronouncement sparked the enthusiasm of the leadership and the people so that they began the work of rebuilding the temple (Haggai 1:14).

1. See further D.G. Firth and P.G. Wegner (eds.) (2011).

—Andrew Hill

Source: Hill, Andrew. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012.

How does the book of Haggai point to Jesus?

Israel’s purity laws pertain to external realities (e.g., diet, physical health, contact with the dead), yet are meant to teach Israel, among other things, about the holiness of God, the nature of sin, and the need for atonement. In Jesus’ ministry, we see something of the reversal of the principles of contamination. Typically, touching a leper, a woman with a discharge, or a corpse would make someone unclean and would leave the leper, woman, or corpse in a state of ritual impurity. However, when Jesus touches these individuals, they are healed, purified, and, through faith, forgiven (Mark 1:40–45; 5:21–43). Jesus is able to do so because of his power over sin and death and because of his willingness to switch places with these individuals (and with us) by becoming unclean and defiled on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).

—Stephen M. Coleman

Source: Content quoted from Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: A 12-Week Study © 2018 by Stephen M. Coleman. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

How does the book of Haggai challenge us today?

We have in the days of Haggai a very similar scenario to what we face today. People are busy. Through the day-to-day life filled with the day-to-day tasks and agendas the pursuit of personal advancement was promoted to a position of preeminence. And as a result, the agenda of God and his will for his people gets sacrificed on the altar of personal pursuits.

So many times we say that we are too busy…too busy for people, too busy for ministry, too busy for personal Bible reading/devotion, too busy to pray, too busy to meditate, too busy to whatever…to this God says, “Consider your ways!”

—Erik Raymond

Source: Raymond, Erik. “Priorities and Haggai.” Ordinary Pastor (July 5, 2006). This article originally appeared here at The Gospel Coalition. Used by permission.

How does the book of Haggai encourage us?

“Work, for I am with you” (Haggai 2:4 ESV) goes straight to the heart of what can make a resolution truly Christian. Work, because I’m at work in you. Paul remixes Haggai in Philippians 2:12-13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (ESV). In both the apostle and the prophet, it’s the presence of God that energizes and inspires our exertion of effort to fulfill godly resolves.

—David Matthis

Source: By David Mathis. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org.

Haggai Playlist

Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of Haggai.

Take My Life

by Norton Hall Band | Hymn

Grace Will Prevail 

by The Wood Drake Sessions feat. Wendell Kimbrough | Folk

Breathe

by Michael W. Smith | Praise & Worship

First Things First

by Shane & Shane and Kingdom Kids | Praise & Worship

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