September 20

Haggai 1-2 (biblegateway.com)

A Call to Rebuild and Renew

After years of opposition and delay in the rebuilding of the temple, God raised up prophets like Haggai to call His people back to faithfulness and to remind them that His presence among them was more important than their comfort or excuses.

The book of Haggai opens with a direct challenge to the returned exiles. In Haggai 1, the prophet rebukes the people for neglecting God’s house while focusing on their own. Their misplaced priorities resulted in dissatisfaction and a lack of blessing. Yet, when the people respond in obedience, God stirs their hearts and promises His presence with them. In Haggai 2, the prophet offers encouragement, reminding the people that although the new temple might not match the splendor of Solomon’s, God’s glory would fill it in greater measure. Haggai assures them that the future glory of this house would surpass the former, pointing forward to God’s ultimate plan of salvation and the presence of Christ Himself.

Context

The book of Haggai may be short, with only two chapters, but its message carries incredible weight for God’s people in every generation. Written around 520 B.C., it speaks directly to the returned exiles in Jerusalem, a people who had been brought back from Babylon by God’s mercy and given the opportunity to rebuild the temple. At first, their enthusiasm was high. They laid the foundation and offered sacrifices, but as the years passed, opposition from enemies and discouragement within themselves caused the work to stall. Instead of pressing on with God’s calling, the people turned inward, focusing on their own houses, crops, and comfort.

Into this moment of spiritual neglect, God raised up Haggai, the prophet, to stir their hearts. While we don’t know many personal details about him, the way he is presented in Scripture shows that he was a faithful messenger of the Lord. His ministry was brief, covering just a few months in 520 B.C. during the reign of Darius I, but it was remarkably effective. Haggai’s words carried such weight and authority that the leaders, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, listened and led the people in obedience. His prophecy worked hand in hand with that of Zechariah, and together their voices helped spark a spiritual renewal and the completion of the second temple.

Haggai’s message was both convicting and hopeful, calling the people to “consider their ways” (Hag. 1:5) and to put the Lord’s house first. Yet alongside this challenge came a promise: God’s presence would be with them, and His glory would one day fill the temple in a way greater than they could imagine.

Haggai reminds us that spiritual drift is easy, but God’s Word is given to redirect us. The message of this little book confronts our tendency to prioritize ourselves and invites us to see that true satisfaction, strength, and peace are found when God takes His rightful place at the center of our lives.

Haggai 1: A Call to Rebuild the House of the Lord

The book opens by setting the scene historically. “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month” (v. 1). This places the prophecy in 520 B.C., about sixteen years after the first return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Though they had started to rebuild the temple when they first arrived, opposition and discouragement had halted the work. Now the prophet Haggai is sent by the Lord to stir up the people again. He delivers God’s word to two key leaders: Zerubbabel, the governor from David’s line, and Joshua the high priest.

The people had been saying, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord” (v. 2). In other words, they excused their neglect of the temple by claiming it wasn’t the right season. This reveals a spiritual problem, which is procrastination in obedience. Instead of putting God’s house first, they had delayed His work indefinitely.

Through the prophet, the Lord confronts this excuse with a piercing question: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (v. 3–4). The people had managed to finish and beautify their own homes, but left God’s temple abandoned. This highlights a misordering of priorities, as they were putting their own comfort above God’s glory.

The Lord then tells them to “consider your ways” (v. 5). This phrase, repeated throughout the book, calls them to stop and reflect on the consequences of their choices. God reminds them of the futility they’ve experienced: “You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes” (v. 6). Their labor had been unfruitful and unsatisfying because their priorities were misplaced.

Again, the Lord urges them, “Consider your ways” (v. 7). This is a merciful warning. God tells them exactly what to do: “Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified” (v. 8). The purpose of rebuilding the temple was not simply to have a building, but to restore God’s rightful place of honor among His people.

The Lord explains further why their efforts had been so unproductive: “You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away” (v. 9). God Himself had frustrated their work, not out of cruelty but to turn them back to Him. Because His house lay in ruins while each person busied themselves with their own, He withheld blessing. He even says, “Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce” (v. 10). The drought was no accident; it was a divine response meant to wake them up. God “called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors” (v. 11). Their physical struggles were a spiritual signal: life would not flourish until God was given His rightful place.

The good news is that the people responded. “Then Zerubbabel … and Joshua … with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet” (v. 12). Unlike some earlier generations who resisted the prophets, this time they listened. Their obedience was accompanied by reverent fear, as they recognized God had spoken to them.

God immediately gave them encouragement: “I am with you, declares the Lord” (v. 13). This short promise was exactly what they needed to move forward. Obedience was not something they had to attempt in their own strength; God Himself would be with them.

Finally, “the Lord stirred up the spirit” of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the remnant of the people (v. 14). This shows God’s gracious work within them, enabling and motivating their obedience. They “came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (v. 14). The chapter ends with a date marker: “on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king” (v. 15). Within three weeks of the first message, the people had mobilized and begun the work.

Haggai 1 reminds us of the danger of misplaced priorities. The people had returned from exile, but instead of rebuilding the house of the Lord, they busied themselves with their own houses and comforts. As a result, they experienced frustration and emptiness, working hard but never satisfied because God’s glory was being neglected. This is a sobering reminder that when we put our own pursuits above God’s calling, even our best efforts leave us empty. The Lord calls His people to “consider their ways,” to pause and measure their hearts against His will, and to remember that true blessing flows from obedience and devotion to Him.

Haggai 2: The Glory of God’s House

The chapter begins by dating another message: “In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month” (v. 1). This was less than a month after work on the temple had resumed. The people had obeyed, but discouragement soon set in. Compared with Solomon’s temple, their efforts seemed weak and unimpressive. God sent Haggai again to speak to Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people (v. 2).

God asked a piercing question: “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?” (v. 3). Some among them had seen Solomon’s temple before it was destroyed. By comparison, this new structure looked insignificant. The people felt their work was small and unworthy, but God did not dismiss their feelings; He acknowledged them.

Instead of leaving them in despair, God gave encouragement. He told Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people, “Be strong … Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts” (v. 4). Strength was not to come from their own resources, but from God’s presence. He reminded them of His covenant promises made when they came out of Egypt, adding, “My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (v. 5). The same God who brought them out of slavery and guided them in the wilderness was still among them.

Then God lifted their vision beyond what they could see with their eyes. He declared, “Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory” (v. 6–7). The “shaking” pointed to God’s power to reorder the world and bring nations under His authority. The temple’s glory would not depend on human craftsmanship but on God’s presence and provision.

God further reminded them, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts” (v. 8). Their lack of resources was no obstacle to Him. Everything in creation already belonged to Him. He promised that “the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former … and in this place I will give peace” (v. 9). Though the second temple would never match Solomon’s in material splendor, it would surpass it in significance, because one day the Messiah Himself would enter it. True glory is not in architecture, but in God’s presence.

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Haggai received another word from the Lord, this time addressing purity (v. 10). God told him to ask the priests a question about the law. If someone carried holy meat in the fold of his garment, and that garment touched bread or wine or other food, would it make them holy? The priests answered correctly: “No” (v. 12). Holiness is not transferred by contact. But when Haggai asked if someone unclean by contact with a dead body touched food, would it become unclean, the priests answered: “It does become unclean” (v. 13). Impurity spreads more easily than holiness.

Haggai then applied this truth to the people: “So it is with this people … and so with every work of their hands” (v. 14). Because they had neglected God’s house, their sacrifices and offerings were tainted. Their outward worship could not cancel the impurity of disobedience. God reminded them of the consequences they had faced: “When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten … I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail” (v. 16–17). Yet even in this discipline, they had not turned fully to Him.

Now God called them to reflect: “Consider from this day onward” (v. 18). The very day they laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple again was to mark a turning point. Though their fields had yielded nothing yet, God promised change. “From this day on, I will bless you” (v. 19). Obedience opened the door for His favor to return.

On that same day, the word of the Lord came again, this time directly to Zerubbabel (v. 20). God repeated the promise of shaking the heavens and earth, overthrowing kingdoms, destroying the strength of nations, and bringing down the power of worldly rulers (v. 21–22). This was no small encouragement to a people under Persian rule. God wanted Zerubbabel to know that earthly powers are temporary, but His kingdom will endure.

Finally, God gave Zerubbabel a deeply personal promise: “On that day … I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant … and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you” (v. 23). A signet ring represented authority and ownership, as it bore the king’s seal. Though Zerubbabel never became a great king, his line was preserved, leading directly to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:12-13). God was reaffirming His covenant promise to David’s house and pointing to the coming of the true King whose kingdom cannot be shaken.

Haggai 2 shifts the focus to encouragement and hope. The people, though small and weak in comparison to the former days of Solomon’s temple, were reassured that God’s presence was with them. He promised that the glory of the latter house would be greater than the former, not because of gold or grandeur, but because of His abiding Spirit and the peace He would provide. This chapter reminds us that God is not limited by our weakness, our lack of resources, or the unimpressive appearance of our efforts. His power and presence transform what seems small into something eternal and glorious.

Conclusion

In light of Haggai’s words, we are reminded to pause and honestly consider our ways. Are we pouring our time, energy, and resources into building up our own homes, careers, and personal comforts, while leaving the work of God’s kingdom undone? The people in Haggai’s day discovered that life without God at the center leaves them restless and unsatisfied, and the same is true for us. But God, in His mercy, does not leave us there. He calls us back, urging us to reorder our lives so that His glory comes first. And here is the promise: when we place Him above all else, He meets us with His presence. Even if our efforts feel small or insignificant, God takes what we offer in obedience and makes it glorious.

Haggai pointed to a future day when the glory of God’s house would far surpass the former. That promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who is Himself the true temple, the dwelling place of God with man (John 1:14; 2:19–21). Through Him, God’s Spirit now dwells not in stone buildings but in His people, the living temple of the Lord. This means that the glory we long for is not found in outward splendor but in Christ’s presence among us, and in the unshakable kingdom He is building.

So the challenge before us is clear. Will we keep chasing after what cannot satisfy, or will we put our hands to the work God has called us to do? He assures us that He is with us, and that His Spirit gives strength where we are weak. Christ is the One who turns our small, fragile obedience into something eternal and glorious. Let us rise up, set aside lesser pursuits, and give ourselves fully to the Lord, trusting that in Him we will find peace, purpose, and lasting joy.