About Haggai
When we put God's house last and our own comfort first, we toil much and gain little - but when we honor God with our priorities, he blesses what we cannot achieve on our own.
""I am with you," declares the Lord Almighty."
Haggai 1:13
Written
circa 520 BC
Author
Haggai
Genre
Prophecy
Position
37th of 66 books - Minor Prophets
Authorship
Haggai - possibly an elderly man who had seen Solomon's temple before the exile. He was the first post-exilic prophet and one of the most precisely dated in Scripture - all his prophecies are dated to specific months and years.
Historical Context
The Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon under Zerubbabel (538 BC) and laid the temple's foundation, then stopped due to opposition and discouragement for 16 years. By 520 BC, the people had rebuilt their own houses while God's house lay in ruins.
Purpose
To challenge the returned exiles to prioritize rebuilding the temple - not for the building's sake but because God's presence among them was at stake.
Key Message
When we put God's house last and our own comfort first, we toil much and gain little - but when we honor God with our priorities, he blesses what we cannot achieve on our own.
Book Structure
Interesting Facts
Haggai's four messages span just four months in 520 BC - making it the most time-compressed prophetic book.
Haggai 2:9 - The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former - is a remarkable promise given that the post-exilic temple was physically much plainer than Solomon's.
The response to Haggai's preaching was immediate: the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God (1:12).