Haggai Chapter 1
Introduction to the Book of Haggai
The Book of Haggai is among the shortest books in the Old Testament, containing only two chapters, yet its message is powerful and timely. It was written to a discouraged remnant of Israelites who had returned from Babylonian exile and had grown weary in their work for the Lord. Through the prophet Haggai, God called His people to renew their priorities, to put Him first once again, and to rebuild His temple as an act of obedience and worship.
Historical Background
Haggai’s ministry took place in the year 520 B.C., during the reign of Darius I of Persia. This was approximately sixteen years after the first group of Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel, as recorded in Ezra 1–2. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, the people began rebuilding the temple, laying its foundation with great joy (Ezra 3:10–11). However, due to opposition from local adversaries and their own misplaced priorities, the work came to a halt (Ezra 4:4–5).
For sixteen years, the temple lay unfinished. The people turned their attention toward building their own homes and pursuing their own prosperity, while the house of God remained in ruins. It was in this context that God raised up Haggai — and shortly afterward, Zechariah — to stir His people back to action. Haggai’s message came during the second year of King Darius and covered a span of just four months. In that short time, the people’s hearts were rekindled, and the temple project was renewed with vigor.
Authorship and Date
The prophet Haggai’s name means “festive” or “festival,” possibly reflecting the joy that his message ultimately produced when the people returned to obedience. Haggai is mentioned in Ezra 5:1–2 and Ezra 6:14 alongside the prophet Zechariah, confirming that his ministry coincided with the rebuilding of the second temple. His prophecies can be dated precisely because each of his messages is given a specific date tied to the Persian calendar, corresponding to the months of August through December of 520 B.C.
Purpose and Message
The central theme of Haggai is the call to put God first. The people’s neglect of the temple symbolized their spiritual apathy. While they focused on their own comfort, they failed to honor God with obedience and devotion. The Lord, through Haggai, rebuked their misplaced priorities and revealed the consequences of their disobedience — drought, poor harvests, and futility in labor.
In Haggai 1:4–6, the Lord confronts them:
“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 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.”
The message is unmistakable: the people’s material struggles were the direct result of spiritual neglect. By putting their own interests before God’s, they forfeited His blessing. But when they obeyed and began to rebuild, God assured them of His presence and favor, saying, “I am with you, saith the Lord” (Haggai 1:13).
Haggai’s message also carried a prophetic vision of hope. The Lord promised that the glory of the second temple would surpass that of Solomon’s, not because of material splendor, but because the Messiah Himself — “the Desire of All Nations” — would one day walk within its courts (Haggai 2:7–9). Ultimately, Haggai’s prophecy points forward to the coming kingdom of Christ, when God will once again “shake the heavens and the earth” and establish His everlasting peace.
Outline of the Book of Haggai
A Call to Rebuild the Temple (Haggai 1:1–15) — The people are rebuked for neglecting the house of God and commanded to resume the work.
The Glory of the Second Temple (Haggai 2:1–9) — God encourages His people with the promise of greater glory and His abiding presence.
A Call to Holiness and Blessing (Haggai 2:10–19) — The Lord reminds them that holiness is not transferable, but obedience brings blessing.
A Prophecy of Future Hope (Haggai 2:20–23) — God promises to overthrow the kingdoms of the earth and establish His chosen servant, foreshadowing the reign of Christ.
Theological Themes
Haggai’s short but profound message reveals several key theological truths:
God’s Sovereignty: The Lord controls the nations, the elements, and the course of history to fulfill His purposes.
God’s Presence: His promise, “I am with you,” reminds His people that obedience and courage are possible only through His abiding presence.
Covenant Faithfulness: God remains faithful to His covenant, even when His people fail. He disciplines them not to destroy, but to restore.
Future Glory: The prophecy of the greater glory of the latter temple points directly to Christ, the ultimate manifestation of God’s presence among His people.
Application for Today
The message of Haggai remains relevant for every generation. Believers today are called to build not a physical temple, but their lives as a dwelling place for the Spirit of God. As 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
When Christians prioritize their own pursuits over God’s kingdom, spiritual decline follows. But when they seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all other things are added to them (Matthew 6:33). Like the people of Haggai’s day, we are reminded to “consider our ways,” to examine whether our time, energy, and resources truly honor the Lord.
Haggai’s message is a call to repentance, obedience, and renewed devotion. It challenges believers to put God’s work first and to trust that His presence and provision will follow. When God’s people align their hearts with His purposes, the result is spiritual renewal and divine blessing — both in their lives and in the world around them.
Getting Priorities Straight
A. God Rebukes the Returning Remnant for Their Misplaced Priorities
1. (Haggai 1:1) Introduction
“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 son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying.”
In the second year of King Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Haggai. This date marks the prophecy as beginning in September of 520 B.C., giving us a precise historical point of reference. Haggai is the first among the post-exilic prophets. Of the twelve Minor Prophets, the first nine prophesied before the Babylonian captivity, while Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi ministered after the return from exile. The once-glorious kingdom and temple of Solomon were gone, Jerusalem lay in ruins, and only a remnant remained with the monumental task of rebuilding.
In 538 B.C., Cyrus, king of Persia, issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem after seventy years of captivity. Two years later, in 536 B.C., Zerubbabel led the people to lay the foundation of the temple, but opposition, discouragement, and apathy caused the work to cease in 534 B.C. For fourteen long years the project lay abandoned, until Haggai’s message in 520 B.C. stirred the people to resume the work, which they completed in 516 B.C. (Ezra 6:15).
The prophet’s dating system uses the reign of a pagan king because Israel had no king at that time, yet even under foreign dominion, God still controlled the timeline. As Charles Spurgeon observed, “There is a set time for each of His messages to come to men, and God would have them give heed to every message as soon as it is delivered. If they do not, He keeps count of the days of their delay.”
The Word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, emphasizing that God still spoke to His people in the hard years of restoration. Ezra 5:1–2 records, “Then the prophet 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. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.” Ezra 6:14 further notes, “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
The name Haggai likely means “Festival of Yahweh,” possibly indicating that he was born on a feast day. The key figures addressed were Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah and descendant of King Jehoiachin (Jechoniah), and Joshua (Jeshua), the high priest. These two men stood as the civil and spiritual leaders of the restoration era, called to work together for the rebuilding of the temple and the renewal of worship in Jerusalem.
2. (Haggai 1:2) An Excuse for Not Rebuilding the Temple
“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.”
Eighteen years had passed since the exiles first returned, and for fourteen of those years the foundation of the temple had lain idle. The people had begun the work with great enthusiasm, as recorded in Ezra 3:10–11: “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” Yet despite this glorious beginning, discouragement set in, opposition arose, and the work ceased.
The people convinced themselves that “the time has not come” to rebuild the temple. They made excuses that sounded spiritual but masked their misplaced priorities. Their reasoning was understandable from a worldly perspective: the land was desolate after seventy years of neglect, the work was laborious, they lacked both wealth and manpower (Haggai 1:6), they faced poor harvests and drought (Haggai 1:10–11), and hostile neighbors opposed them (Ezra 4:1–5). Many likely longed for the relative ease of life in Babylon.
Nevertheless, their excuses revealed spiritual blindness. Rather than admit disobedience, they cloaked it in false piety. They reasoned, “It isn’t the Lord’s timing,” as though hardship were a divine signal to delay obedience. When God’s will seems difficult, unbelief often disguises itself as waiting on the Lord.
Some may have justified the delay through misinterpretation of Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11–13; 29:10). Thinking the seventy years had not yet expired, they failed to recognize that Daniel had already prayed and interpreted the earliest captivity in 605 B.C. as the starting point (Daniel 9), demonstrating faith in God’s mercy. The remnant, however, lacked such faith and postponed obedience under the pretense of waiting for perfect timing.
God’s use of the phrase “This people” instead of “My people” underscores His displeasure. Though these were the faithful remnant—only about fifty thousand out of hundreds of thousands who returned—their neglect of His house separated them from fellowship with Him. They were not wicked idolaters but well-intentioned believers who had misplaced priorities. Their comfort and self-interest had subtly taken precedence over God’s glory.
3. (Haggai 1:3–4) Haggai Exposes Their Wrong Priorities
“Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?”
Then the Word of the Lord came again through His prophet, confronting the people directly. The Lord had listened to their excuses and seen the reality of their hearts. They claimed it was not time to rebuild the temple, yet they had found plenty of time and resources to rebuild and adorn their own houses. While the temple of God remained desolate, their homes were paneled and decorated with luxury. The Lord’s rebuke exposed the true condition of their priorities.
The phrase “cieled houses” refers to houses with paneled walls or ceilings, finished and decorated—far beyond what would be considered a basic shelter. These returning exiles had managed to carve out personal comfort while neglecting the central symbol of God’s presence among them. Their actions spoke louder than their excuses: it was time to live in comfort, but not time to honor the Lord with obedience.
As Matthew Poole observed, some evidently had more than one house, both city and country homes, showing the prosperity they had gained while God’s house lay in waste. The issue was not wealth itself but misplaced devotion. Their labor went into their own comfort, while God’s dwelling remained a ruin. As John Trapp noted, “Solomon first built a house for God, and then for himself.” The order of priority reveals the heart, and in this case, the heart of the remnant had drifted toward self-interest.
The Lord was not condemning their effort to provide shelter or improve their living conditions but was exposing their spiritual apathy. They had allowed self-focus and worldly satisfaction to eclipse their dedication to God’s glory. Haggai’s rebuke showed that they had become comfortable with their comfort while remaining indifferent to the work of the Lord. Their priorities were disordered; their comfort had taken precedence over God’s worship. They were willing to invest, plan, and labor for their own interests but not for the cause of the Lord.
Haggai’s message serves as a timeless mirror for God’s people. Many today share the same rationalizations: “I must focus on home first,” “I’ll give when things are more stable,” or “It’s just not the right time.” These phrases sound wise and responsible, yet they mask spiritual complacency. Like the Jews of Haggai’s day, believers can easily make their personal lives the center and relegate God’s work to a convenient future. The prophet’s voice cut through their excuses, functioning like an alarm clock—unwelcome but necessary.
As Leon Wood noted, “Many Christians are like those ancient Hebrews, somehow convincing themselves that economy in constructing church buildings is all-important while sparing no expense in acquiring their personal luxuries.” When God’s house lies neglected while believers chase after material improvement, the same principle applies: God is not first.
The problem was not the existence of wealth or blessing but the lack of gratitude and stewardship toward the Lord. The people owed everything to Him for their return and restoration, yet they devoted their best to themselves. They should have felt restless and ashamed until the work of God prospered as much as their own households.
4. (Haggai 1:5–6) Consider Your Ways and the Result of Them
“Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 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.”
The Lord’s command, “Consider your ways,” is a call to spiritual reflection. Literally, the Hebrew expression means “set your heart upon your ways” or “put your heart on your roads.” God told the people to examine the direction of their lives, to look honestly at where their choices were leading. Their misplaced priorities were not producing blessing but barrenness.
They worked hard, but it availed little. Their labor yielded little harvest; their meals failed to satisfy; their clothing did not warm them; and the money they earned vanished as if their purses had holes. Every attempt to secure comfort apart from obedience to God was frustrated. They were busy but barren, productive but unfulfilled. They mistook material busyness for divine blessing.
The Lord was directly connecting their economic hardship to spiritual neglect. Their financial struggles were not random misfortune but divine chastisement. God was withholding blessing to awaken their conscience. The Mosaic Covenant had long warned of such consequences. In Deuteronomy 11:16–17, the Lord said, “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.”
The people likely dismissed their struggles as bad luck or economic downturn, never realizing that the Lord Himself was resisting them. When priorities are inverted, God’s blessings turn to emptiness. As James Boice observed, “I do not know of any passage in the Bible that better describes the feverish yet ineffective activity of our own age.” People labor tirelessly, yet their lives lack contentment because they have not put God first.
The curse that Haggai describes is twofold: first, meager returns (“Ye have sown much, and bring in little”), and second, futility (“He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes”). Even what they gained slipped away. This is the divine law of frustration for self-centered living.
Haggai’s words ring true across every generation. When our hearts are divided, our efforts lack God’s blessing. We may build careers, accumulate possessions, and pursue success, yet still feel empty because nothing can fill the God-shaped void except His presence. As Matthew Poole observed, “Had your little been as the righteous man’s little, you might have lived on it and rejoiced in it; but it had not such a blessing upon it; it was blasted, and so was weak, and empty, and profited little.”
When God is not first, even abundance feels hollow. The Lord was not trying to impoverish His people but to realign their hearts. Their frustration was mercy, not cruelty. Through hardship, He was calling them to repentance and restoration.
5. (Haggai 1:7–11) What They Must Do: Rebuild the Temple
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 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. 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. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 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 labour of the hands.”
The Lord repeated His command, “Consider your ways,” urging His people once again to reflect on their behavior and its consequences. Their troubles were not from random misfortune but from deliberate divine chastisement. The remedy was simple: obey. God did not leave them to guess what repentance looked like—He gave them specific instructions.
He commanded, “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house.” The Lord called them to action, to do the hard and practical work of rebuilding. The restoration of worship required labor as well as faith. Spiritual renewal is not achieved by sentiment but by obedience. God’s command involved physical exertion—cutting wood, hauling it down, and building—but it was holy labor, for it was unto the Lord.
This call exposed the emptiness of their excuses. They said the time was not right, yet God Himself said the time was now. Their failure was not in understanding but in doing. The Lord was waiting for their participation. As history shows, when David Livingstone sought to go to Africa and was told by a mission board, “When God wants to evangelize Africa, He will do it without your help,” that attitude mirrored the error of Haggai’s generation. God accomplishes His work through willing servants, not idle spectators.
The purpose of the command was clear: “That I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.” The rebuilding of the temple was not about architecture but about worship. The people had taken pleasure in their homes and glorified themselves, now the Lord demanded that He receive that pleasure and glory instead. God delights when His people place Him first. As Paul later wrote, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The Lord reminded them of the futility of their self-focused labor: “Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little.” Their effort without obedience yielded emptiness. Whatever they brought home, God Himself “did blow upon it.” The phrase paints a vivid picture of divine frustration—God simply breathed upon their gain, and it scattered. They could not keep what He would not bless.
The reason was clear: “Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” The people hurried to improve their own dwellings but ignored the ruin of God’s temple. They showed zeal for their comfort but none for His cause. The Lord therefore withheld the dew and fruitfulness from the earth. The heavens refused rain, and the ground refused abundance.
“I called for a drought upon the land,” God declared. The drought touched everything—land, mountains, crops, vineyards, oil, livestock, and human labor. The people likely blamed Satan, praying fervently for deliverance, but the drought was not demonic attack; it was divine correction. The Lord Himself had called it forth. Their hardship was not random, but disciplinary—meant to awaken their conscience. By withholding blessing, God was calling them to repentance.
Even today, the same principle applies. When God’s people neglect His work to pursue their own, He may frustrate their efforts to draw them back to Himself. Prosperity without obedience becomes a curse, while obedience, even in scarcity, brings peace and divine favor.
B. The Response to Haggai’s Prophecy
1. (Haggai 1:12) They Obeyed God and Feared His Presence
“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, 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 had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.”
The message struck home. Obedience began with leadership—Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest set the example, and the remnant followed. True revival always begins with those in authority humbling themselves before God. This was not merely a stirring sermon; it provoked repentance and action.
They “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet.” Here we see the doctrine of inspiration in practice: God’s voice is heard through the words of His prophet. As John Calvin observed, “For the word of God is not distinguished from the words of the prophet, as though the prophet had added anything of his own.” The message was divine, though delivered through human lips.
Their obedience showed respect for both the office and the commission of the prophet. Haggai’s authority came not from personal charisma or eloquence, but from the fact that “the Lord their God had sent him.” True spiritual authority rests upon divine calling and fidelity to God’s Word.
“And the people did fear before the Lord.” Their reverence was not mere emotion but recognition that God was near and active. This fear was holy, producing obedience rather than paralysis. It was the kind of fear that leads to holiness, acknowledging that the Lord of hosts is not to be trifled with.
2. (Haggai 1:13–15) God Responds to His People
“Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. 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.”
When the people responded in obedience, the Lord immediately responded with encouragement: “I am with you, saith the Lord.” These four words transformed despair into strength. God’s presence is the ultimate assurance for any task. His power accompanies His commands, and His fellowship energizes His people for His work.
The Lord then “stirred up the spirit” of the leaders and the remnant alike. Revival begins when God awakens hearts, aligning human will with divine purpose. It began with the leadership—Zerubbabel and Joshua—and then spread throughout the people. What began as conviction turned into commitment.
“They came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.” The stirring of their spirits resulted in action. It was not an emotional moment that quickly faded but a movement of obedience that produced tangible fruit. Their renewed zeal was evidenced by labor in the service of God. The people who once said, “The time is not come,” now worked diligently because the Lord was with them.
The precise date given—“the four and twentieth day of the sixth month”—shows that less than a month had passed since the first prophecy (Haggai 1:1). Within three weeks, the nation had gone from apathy to action. That is the power of the Word of God when received in faith.
