The Central Thought of this Book of Haggai
The book of Haggai suggests that the construction of the house of Jehovah is tied to the well-being of God’s people in the present and to the arrival of the Messiah in the time of restoration during the millennial kingdom. In the Old Testament, the temple symbolizes both Christ as the individual house of God and the church as the collective body of Christ. Therefore, the message of Haggai applies to us as we are the embodiment of that symbol. The way Jehovah interacted with the returned captives in the story can be interpreted as his current interactions with us in the process of recovery.
The Book of Haggai is the second smallest Book in the Bible. Its date reaches backward to 520 B.C. Within its two short chapters and 38 verses (King James version) are hidden many messages of encouragement and lessons on how to face life’s many trials of discouragement, opposition, weaknesses, wrong thinking, and wrong choices. The message was a clear word from God to the Israelites to rebuild the temple after they had come out of captivity and returned to Jerusalem. The book speaks of the opposition they encountered along the way and stopped building. Turning away from the trials and problems and instead of keeping their faith decided to build their own lives, their own homes and plant their own food to survive.
These same words are a simple, direct spiritual message with few words for believers of today. Words that are packed with power. It holds a message for the rebuilding of our own temple, the place inside of us all where our spirit resides and the place where God wants to live once the foundation is properly built and the sanctuary has been cleansed. It teaches about the problems which will arise up against us immediately after the decision has been made to focus our attention and devotion towards the presence of God in our lives.
It is a message of trust, commitment, and continuous work. It is a practice of meditation, prayer, and offerings that should be done on a day-to-day basis to put God in the very center of our lives in order to maintain that place of peace and rest. A place that many of us venture out into the world to find, not realizing the work of the temple begins with us, inside.
The physical temple in Haggai was previously that of Solomon’s and was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians nearly 70 years earlier. Thousands of Jewish citizens were taken into captivity just as the Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied. They were instructed by Jeremiah after entering Babylon to build houses and plant gardens and that God would visit them after the 70 years had passed and cause them to return back to their land. (Jeremiah 29:10)
The Bible is very clear that when the 70 years were fulfilled the Jews returned to Jerusalem under the rule of Cyrus who had conquered Babylon. During his first year of reign, he declared the Jews would go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. They were to again begin construction on rebuilding the foundation as quoted in Isaiah 44:28.
Haggai is only spoken of in this Book of the Bible and mentioned again in the Book of Ezra. His genealogy is not known but it is said he was one of the original few that had seen the temple when it stood in all its glory, he is referred to as, a returned remnant since he was among the captives taken to Babylon.
Solomon spared no expense in the building of the original temple. A temple that was dedicated to God and was built to house the Ark of the Covenant. But because of the sins of the Jewish people, God’s patience came to an end and removed his presence from among them. The destruction of this beautiful place was a horrible scene leading to much suffering. Not even the foundation was left and the exact location is not known. There are many speculations and reasonable evidence according to scripture but nothing has been discovered.
1 Kings 9:8
“And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’
Ezra 5:12
‘But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
Haggai 1:9
“You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.
God’s blessings and divine protection had been removed and was now left to destruction.
What did they find after their long journey back home?
A place they had left some 70 years ago because of their own demise. No longer a temple where once God himself filled showing signs of miracles and wonders every day. A house with such intense spiritual connections that made it very clear God was on their side. An amazing place now in utter ruins. Signs of devastation and a city with no walls no temple and nothing but a pile of burnt ash. Disheartening to say the least.
They wept by the rivers from the despair they had brought upon themselves, and God in all his glory even while in exile had his eyes upon them. His promise was served, kept 70 years in isolation. Trying to survive during the waiting season paying for their own mishaps. Now they were being led back to the place they started to begin rebuilding the foundation of yet another temple.
Now, some 66 years later after its destruction, comes the prophet, Haggai, with a message from God to the Jews, who recently returned from exile in Babylon to finish what they had started some 16 years ago.
The completion of the temple had fallen prey to the snare of fear among the people and was, therefore, discontinued.
Instead of carrying out the task and will of God to rebuild a place unlike Solomon’s Temple but rather a temple where God himself would come and reside.