Let us begin to muse from the book of haggai and its theme. Haggai preached his sermons during the second year of darius i 521486 b. The book of haggai introduction to the book of haggai in the bible. Haggai is the second shortest book in the old testament obadiah is shorter, and is quoted by the new testament once compare heb. Chapter second contains, the second prophecy 19, which was delivered a month after the first. He shows christ as the branch, foretells his entry into jerusalem,shows him as the good shepherd, the stricken shepherd, foretells his. Haggai with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. God offered many blessings to the first returnees after the exile. The book of haggai reminds the exiled rebuilders of jerusalem to give god their primary allegiance and not rebel against the covenant like their ancestors. After thousands of years, the book of haggai remains largely unique among the. He also pointed out when the people turned away from god, their needs were not met, but when they honored god, they prospered. Summary of the book of haggai the story of the bible. Chapter first comprehends the first address 211 and its effects 1215. In a fallen world, in which it is often difficult to feel gods presence amid trials of various kinds, the message of haggai to the global church is the promise of the presence of god.
He called them to reverence and glorify god by building the temple in spite of local and. No portion of scripture has been so misunderstood as the ook of haggai, b the tenth of the minor prophets. Haggai is among the most carefully and precisely dated books in the entire bible. This summary of the book of haggai provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of haggai. The final book of the old testament, malachi received its name from its author malachi 1. He shows christ as the branch, foretells his entry into jerusalem,shows him as the good shepherd, the stricken shepherd, foretells his betrayal for thirty. The book of haggai offers future hope and encourages. The specific mention of the second year of darius places the book in the year 520 b.
He called them to reverence and glorify god by building the temple in spite of local and official opposition. It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. A decaying temple signifies a decaying relationship with the lord. In haggais day it was a picture or shadow of the true house of god.
Watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down. Key personalities are haggai, zerubbabel, and joshua. The book of haggai, also known as the book of aggeus, is a book of the hebrew bible or tanakh, and has its place as the thirdtolast of the minor prophets. There had been a failure of crops in the land, and the prophet came to zerubbabel and joshua the priest with the word of the lord, telling them that it was because the people had been building. Haggai portrays christ as the desire of all nations. Haggai introduction commentary commentary critical and. Aug 30, 2017 what is the central theme of the book of obadiah. According to haggais message, if the people would place god at the center of their lives, they. Aug 15, 2018 in this second shortest book of the old testament after obadiah, haggai scolded his countrymen for living in paneled houses while the lords house had fallen into disarray. The main theme was on the importance of the temple of the lord and the need for people to get at the task of rebuilding the temple. Jul 31, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. To encourage the reconstruction of the temple in hopes of bringing great blessings to israel after the exile. Although it must be acknowledged that this conclusion is highly debated.
The book of haggai is narrative history and prophetic oracle. May i point out that there is probably a century of time which passes between the book of zephaniah and the book of haggai. The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider haggai its author. According to haggai s message, if the people would place god at the center of their lives, they. Haggai s messages were preached within a fifteen week period 29 august to 18 december 520 b. When the people give priority to god and his house, they are blessed rather than cursed cf. These people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the lords house. It was written to people like us, who would say that god must be first. The structure of haggai is built around the four messages contained in the book. Now, although you may be crowded in your church, and have need of more space, the church building is not the house of god. Haggai is known only from this book as well as two references to him in the book of ezra. However, rather than leaving them alone with the task of rebuilding, haggai continued to preach to the jews, encouraging them with the hope of future glory in the temple and a victory to come over the enemies of gods people 2. The book of haggai, the second shortest in the old testament, communicates this same message. Most major english translations have presented the text in prose form, although a number of translators would acknowledge some poetic elements in the text.
With the fall of babylon about 19 years earlier in 539 b. Haggai probably had returned from the 70 year babylonian captivity with the first group to return in 537536 bc. Haggai, the writer of this short book, is mentioned in ezra 5. Notably, the book of haggai can be singled out as a prophetic book that was in pursuit of one controlling theme. Overview of the book of haggai third millennium ministries. Haggai haggai is the first of the prophets which are postexilic or who prophesied after the captivity. Haggai intro to haggai biblica the international bible society. Zechariah however shows jesus as the righteous branch.
The book of haggai, also called the prophecy of aggeus, the 10th of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Haggai 1 niv a call to build the house of the lord bible. Book of haggai study put god first in life learn religions. Each presents the date and divine origin of the prophecy as well. The book of haggai begins as a wakeup call to the jews who had neglected the. The global message of haggai i am with you, declares the l ord hag. Introduction the prophets to the returned remnant were haggai, zechariah, and malachi. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the captivity exile in babylon. Book of malachi overview insight for living ministries. He probably was one of the jewish exiles of the tribes judah, benjamin, and levi who returned under zerubbabel, the civil head of the people, and joshua, the high priest, 536 b. Obedience brings the encouragement and strength of the spirit of god. Haggai ministered among the jews who had returned to judea after some 70 years of exile in babylon. Reading the bible through the jesus lens in haggai from biblical book to biblical hook charts adapted from dr. Haggai is second only to obadiah in brevity among the books of the old testament.
The historical background for haggais prophecy is found in ezra 5 and 6. Haggais messages were preached within a fifteen week period 29 august to 18 december 520 b. In hebrew, the name comes from a word meaning messenger, which points to malachis role as a prophet of the lord, delivering gods message to gods people. If were not careful, the busyness of our lives can crowd out god. In this book, haggai challenges israel after the exile to remain faithful. Apart from obadiah, haggai is the shortest book in the ot, but its teachings are none the less significant. An exegetical commentary haggai, zechariah, malachi. Although attributed to haggai, the book must be credited to someone other than the prophet. He foretells the savior more than any other book outside isaiah. Haggai 1 niv a call to build the house of the lord. Haggai sought to challenge the people of god concerning their priorities.
Haggai in this little book, we are taken back in time to the second year of darius, and the first day of the sixth month of that year haggai 1. The book closes with high expectations for zerubbabel, leaving little doubt that the book was written before the governors restoration program failed. The overall theme of the book of haggai is two fold. A call to build the house of the lord in the second year of king darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the lord came through the prophet haggai to zerubbabel son of shealtiel, governor of judah, and to joshua son of jozadak, the high priest. Ackroyd, studies in the book of haggai, jjs 2 1951. The people felt discouraged because their temple looked unimpressive, but haggai reminded them to keep working and hope in gods promise of a new jerusalem. Jul 21, 2011 the theme of haggai let us begin to muse from the book of haggai and its theme. Watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. God raised up the prophets haggai and zechariah to stir up the people from their spiritual indifference and to encourage them to complete the work which had stopped almost. The persian king cyrus encouraged the captive people to return to their country of origin and to rebuild the jerusalem temple so that their god would once again have a house to live in ezra 1. When you read this book you will notice that the theme of the prophecy of haggai is get busy and build the lords house.
The book of haggai begins as a wakeup call to the jews who had neglected the temple, but it ends with an example of how god delights in his childrens obedience. The book of haggai consists of two brief, comprehensive chapters. The concise, bare bones style of the book of haggai has led some scholars to believe it is a summary of a longer, more detailed work that has since been lost. The work of temple restoration highlights the lords desire to renew a covenant relationship with his people 1. Haggai figures significantly in the endtime period we are. King cyrus of persia had issued an edict in 53837 bc for the jews to return to judah. These people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the lord s house. Because his name means festal one, it is suggested that haggai was born on a feast day. Haggai returned with the first expedition led by zerubbabel, along with ezra the scribe ezra 3. We know nothing about haggai other than what the book of ezra mentions and what we learn from the prophets own book.
They belong to the period told about in the books of ezra, nehemiah, and esther. The historical setting dates around 520 bc before the temple has been rebuilt. Work began on the restoration of the temple, only to run into opposition from former inhabitants of the land. The book of haggai probably contains poetic oracles framed by narratival sections 1. Haggai clearly shows the consequences of disobedience 1. The object of the prophet was generally to urge the people to proceed with the rebuilding of the temple.
The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and. The book consists of four prophecies delivered over a fourmonth period in the second year of the reign of the persian king darius i the great 521 bc. Book of haggai overview insight for living ministries. The book of haggai was written in approximately 520 b. The book of haggai, the 10th of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets.
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