As we continue our journey through the Trei Asar, we now have just three of the twelve “minor” prophets left to cover: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
It’s been a great journey with you so far. And I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have – even if you’ve only been with us for part of our “ride” through the “12”!
Well, this week, we come to another fascinating prophet: Haggai. So let’s dig in!
But before we do, let’s review some important Jewish and Biblical history that will help us understand what’s happening in this book. And we’ll start before the time of Haggai.
In the middle of the 900s BCE, Solomon built the First Temple, or Bayit Rishon, in Jerusalem. Several centuries later, the Babylonians conquered Judah, and in 586 BCE, they destroyed the Temple.
Then, in 539 BCE, the Persian king Cyrus conquered Babylon. He then issued a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.
And in 538 BCE, the first major aliyah (return to Israel) took place, led by Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest.
Now, this may come as a surprise, but many Jews in Babylon chose not to return to Israel after the exile. In fact, most stayed in Babylon! And the Jewish community there continued to flourish for over a thousand years, eventually producing the Babylonian Talmud. It’s surprising to many that only around 40,000 to 45,000 Jews returned in that first wave of return.
I also want to mention that, according to Jewish tradition, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were among the 120 members of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah, or Men of the Great Assembly.
According to traditional Jewish sources, this was the body that led the Jewish people during the early years of the Second Temple period. It was associated with Ezra and other significant figures of that era.
Now, not everyone embraces the historicity of the Great Assembly, since we don’t have a clear Biblical or contemporary historical source for it. But it is well attested in rabbinic tradition.
So that’s just a little background that will help us make sense of Haggai. But with that historical framework in mind, let’s get into the book itself.
First, the Hebrew name Chaggai comes from the word for “feast” or “festival,” giving it a meaning along the lines of “my feast.” (Some of you have heard Rabbi Jason say, “Chag S’meach,” which means “Happy Festival” during the Biblical holidays. That word “Chag” is the same basic word in view here)
Now, although Haggai is only two chapters long, it is packed with meaning that would have spoken to the people of that time. But this book also includes strong allusions to the End of Days and offers fantastic application points for us today.
So let’s get into the text.
Haggai 1:1 says:
“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.”
Although we know very little about Haggai himself, he consistently gives us detailed information about whom he is addressing and when he receives his prophecies. And two of the central characters are Zerubbabel and Joshua. So who were these characters?
Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, but he was also a descendant of King David. So he represented the possibility of a restored Davidic monarchy. Joshua, on the other hand, was the High Priest and represented the potential restoration of the Temple and its sacrifices.
These two men are hugely important in both Haggai and Zechariah.
Now, verse 1 also tells us that Haggai received this prophecy in the sixth month, which is the Hebrew month of Elul. And what is Elul known for in Jewish tradition?
Teshuvah. Repentance. Returning to God.
Keep that in mind as we look at what HaShem says next.
In Haggai 1:2, God says:
“These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.”
Now, I think this message is most likely directed to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the leaders of the people. And the issue is clear.
The Jewish people had been back in Jerusalem for quite some time, perhaps sixteen years, and they still hadn’t rebuilt the Temple.
They had an altar, and they had laid the foundation. But beyond that, they had made very little progress. These opening verses of Haggai seem to rebuke the leaders for letting the people think rebuilding the Temple could wait. Well, then HaShem speaks to the people.
In Haggai 1:4-6, He says:
“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill.”
And then in verse 9:
“You looked for much, and behold, it came to little…Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”
Now, in my opinion, that’s an unusually clear assessment of the problem! There’s nothing vague here. So, what is HaShem saying is the problem?
Verse 9 gets right to the heart of it. The people have busied themselves with building their own houses while God’s house has been neglected.
And according to verses 10-11, what is the result?
It’s pretty simple. Because they have neglected to rebuild the Temple, they are not experiencing God’s blessing.
And verse 8 gets to the heart of what HaShem wants them to do.
Just build the thing!
But let’s try to get into the minds of the people who were living in Jerusalem at that time.
Why were they so reluctant to rebuild the Temple?
Well, for one thing, they had legitimate personal matters to attend to, including rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.
But I tend to think the biggest hurdle they were reluctant to climb was the overwhelming weight that comes with starting over. We’ll look at chapter 2 in the next blog. And there, we’ll see that some of the people Haggai was speaking to could remember the days of the First Temple and its glory. And the thought of building something that could compare with that must have been nothing short of daunting.
The reality is that what they would eventually rebuild would not be as spectacular as the First Temple, at least not in a physical sense.
But God was telling them to start over and rebuild nonetheless. And He would be with them.
I think there’s an important principle here that applies to us as individuals.
My observation is that most people experience one to three major life events that require them, on some level, to start over and rebuild.
And when we look at the ruins and face a “rebuild,” it can be paralyzing.
One of my favorite singers, Chris Stapleton, has a song called “Starting Over.” And if you don’t like a little country music, you might not appreciate this reference! But I think it’s a great song.
One of the things I love about it is the way it captures the importance of being willing to take a chance and start over, even when the road ahead is difficult.
And that is exactly what the people in Haggai had to do. They had to start over. And it was time to get started.
Well, the good news is that Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people responded well to Haggai’s prophecy.
Haggai 1:12 tells us that they “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God” and that “the people feared the Lord.” And then in verse 13, HaShem gives them a wonderful promise:
“I am with you, declares the Lord.”
Starting over is difficult. It was difficult for them, and it’s difficult for us. Can you relate?
But in Haggai, we see them begin rebuilding with the confidence that HaShem was with them.
And as we’ll see in Part Two, there’s much more to this story!
