Agere Sequitur Esse

Haggai

Book of Haggai

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Haggai to call the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple. People include Haggai, Zerubbabel, and Joshua. The place is Jerusalem.
. ..Themes. Right Priorities, and God’s Encouragement.
. ..Outline. “God sought to warn the people to heed His Word. Not only did God warn them but He also offered promise through His servant Haggai to both motivate them to follow Him. Because the people of God reversed their priorities they failed to put God in first place in their lives” (William Seay 2019, L15 01:52–02:12).
. ..Application. “The Book of Haggai draws attention to common problems most people face, even today. Although there are settings and cultural differences, it is not difficult to identify with Haggai’s situation. The Book of Haggai asks us to examine our priorities to see if we are more interested in our own pleasure than doing the work of God and we should reject the defeatist attitude when we run into opposition or discouraging circumstances” (Seay 2019, L15 10:18–10:54).
. ..Timeline. Written in 520. Cyrus’s decree in 538. The exiled return to Jerusalem in 537. Temple construction began in 536. The temple work halted in 530. Haggai and Zechariah become prophets in 520 and work on the temple is resumed. The rebuilding of the temple was completed in c. 516 BC.

Introduction. The purpose was to call the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple. The author was Haggai. It was written to the people living in Jerusalem and those who would return from exile. The key people are Haggai, Zerubbabel, and Joshua. The key place is Jerusalem.

Themes. 00:45 – There are two major theological themes. (i) Right Priorities. God had given the assignment to finish the temple in Jerusalem when they returned from captivity. After fifteen years, they still had not completed it. There were more concerned about building their own homes than finishing God’s work. Haggai told them to get their priorities straight. (ii) God’s Encouragement. Haggai encouraged his people as they worked. He assured them of the divine presence of the holy Spirit, of final victory, and the hope that the messiah would reign.

Outline. 01:45 – God sought to warn the people to heed His Word. Not only did God warn them but He also offered promise through His servant Haggai to both motivate them to follow Him. Because the people of God reversed their priorities they failed to put God in first place in their lives. Judah was sent into Babylonian exile in response to Daniel’s prayer, and in fulfillment to God’s promise. Then God directed Cyrus, the Persian king, to allow the Jews in exile to go back to Jerusalem. A group of Jews, about 50,000, returned to their land with great joy. They put God first in their lives, they worshiped Him, and began to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem with the aid of the local people who lived in Palestine. Their courageous faith was met with opposition from the local people as well as the Persian government for approximately 15 years. This opposition and several poor harvests in a row and the broken walls of Jerusalem called the people of God to center their priorities on their own personal needs rather than the work of God.

Though in light of these circumstances, the Jews could choose between several possible alternatives. (i) They could give up their old theological priorities and compromise and intermarry with the local inhabitants of Palestine who worshiped other gods. This practice would ease the local tension, might result in some financial assistance, and could possibly bring cooperation from the Persians. (ii) The could give up the idea of rebuilding the temple destroyed by the Babylonians or wait until more people returned from exile. A new Persian king came to rule, and the peoples’ financial situation began to look more positive. (iii) The could continue to concentrate on improving their own lives in Jerusalem, maintain commitment to their religious ideas, but not stick their neck out in any kind of radical way and try to be tolerant and peaceful with those who oppose them. (iv) They could renew their commitment to God and finish His temple.

In this situation, Haggai carried on a short but very protective ministry. Haggai thought to challenge the people of God concerning their priorities. He called on them to reference and glorify God and build the temple in spite of local and official opposition. Not to be discourage because this new temple would not be quite as richly decorated as Solomon’s temple was. Haggai and the [ ] simply turned from the uncleanliness of their ways to trust in God’s sovereign power. He preached to them the promise of God’s presence and His provisions. The people believed God’s promises, demonstrated their reverence for God, and began to rebuild. God dramatically fulfilled His promises in providing for every need for soon the Persians gave official support for rebuilding the temple. They commanded the local inhabitants not to interfere with the Jews and even paid the full cost of finishing the temple building. The Book of Haggai is a reminder of the problems of the people of God faced at that time and how the people courageously trusted in God and how God provided for their needs. Through the ministry and encouragement of Haggai, the people of God set new priorities. They acted boldly on the basis of God’s promises and received His grace and blessing. The words of Haggai gave hope and confidence to a group of people who had faced economic, social, and political opposition by emphasizing these three doctrines: (i) God is in control of all the nations of the earth and can remove political opposition to His Word. (ii) The people of God need to reject the defeatist attitude and act on the basis of God’s promises. (iii) God will bless those who strive for purity and who give priority to His design.

The Israelites who returned to Jerusalem lost all hope of ever rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem because of the political opposition from the local inhabitants, Palestine, and to the Persian government. The Book of Haggai shows that God can overturn previous political decisions and use these powers to bring about His glory. He can overthrow kings and great military powers and raise up His own chosen servants. Hope and assurance were strengthened because God’s hand was on the leaders of Israel and because He promised that His presence or Spirit would be with His people. The people of God did not always see the sovereign hand of God at work for troubles were all around. They tried to rebuild the temple but encountered crop failures, discouragement about the size and glory of this new temple and political opposition. Opposition easily led to defeatist attitude and a rejection of God’s priorities. When the crops failed, many felt that putting bread on their own table was most important. The rebuilding of the temple could wait. If the size and glory of the new temple could not compare with Solomon’s temple, which they remember that ideal, why not forget the project until it could be done right? Since there was political opposition, they could only conclude that this was not the time to build the new temple. The prophet Haggai showed that God was not pleased with this defeatist attitude when opposition arose.

God continues to be displeased with opposition today and with our desire to carry out His work. The Book of Haggai contains exhortations concerning changes that Gods desires to see in the lives of His people. They need to reconsider their priorities to overcome their defeatist attitude and to do God’s work. If they would put God first rather than the comfort of their own homes. God could bless them. If they would just build His temple and not put such a priority on its look, God could bless them. If they remove impurities and live holy and Godly lives, God could bless them. In light of God’s sovereign power and His promises He desires that His people step out in faith, act courageously, and bring glory to His name.

Application. 10:15 – The Book of Haggai draws attention to common problems most people face, even today. Although there are settings and cultural differences, it is not difficult to identify with Haggai’s situation. The Book of Haggai asks us to examine our priorities to see if we are more interested in our own pleasure than doing the work of God and we should reject the defeatist attitude when we run into opposition or discouraging circumstances. We have the assurances that God is with us always and is in full control of our circumstances and rest secure in God’s hands knowing that He will abundantly bless us, we faithfully serve Him.

Timeline. 11:20 – Cyrus’s decree which allowed the exiled to return in c. 538 BC. The exiled return to Jerusalem in c. 537 BC. Temple construction began in c. 536 BC. The temple work halted in c. 530 BC. Haggai and Zechariah become prophets in c. 520 BC and work on the temple is resumed. The rebuilding of the temple was completed in c. 516 BC. The Book of Haggai was written in c. 520 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS