One of the minor prophets, probably accompanied zerubbabel in the first return of the jew from babylon, b. The prophecy of haggai is very short yet very important because its primary focus is on the end of the age right before the return of jesus christ as king of kings and lord of lords. 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. For i have chosen thee to be the ruler of my people. The book of haggai is only one composition among a rather rich corpus of hebrew literature. Scan haggai for the phrase darius the king and note the different places it is used. However, it provides amazing behind the scenes insight into the events described in ezra. Haggai s message to rebuild the temple was passionate, simple, and straightforward haggai 1. Inductive studies in haggai small group studies with discussion questions the book of haggai is short, containing only two chapters. Haggai with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Haggai means festive or festival and may be an indication that he was born during one or near one of the feasts, perhaps unleavened bread, pentecost or the weeks and tabernacles.
Consider your ways is a daily bible reading study of the book of haggai by deborah h. The book of zechariah sermon by dennis davidson, zechariah. This book is centered around the character sloane and her experience after being one of the chosen ones who defeated the dark one. This final message of the book is addressed to judahs governor, zerubbabel. He believed that the economic distress of the people was caused. The book ends with the prediction of the downfall of kingdoms, with one zerubbabel, governor of judah, as the lords chosen leader. Haggai was upset that people were living in fine houses while gods temple remained. It took a couple of chapters to get an understanding of their world, but you are left with many questions that you have to keep reading to get the answers to.
Those who put first things first are up and doing the right things. If so, he must have been in his 70s during his ministry. O zerubbabel, my servant, the son of shealtiel, saith the lord, and will make thee as a signet. Others believe that his name is related to the celebration of the prophetic hope concerning the temple and the glory of god. Studies in haggai genevan institute for reformed studies. Intro to haggai biblica the international bible society. I will take you, zerubbabel, son of shealtiel, my servant. The global message of haggai i am with you, declares the l ord hag.
Haggai is the tenth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. The historical situation underlying the book of zechariah is identical in time and place to the one which called forth the oracles of haggai. The book of haggai is closely linked with zechariah 18. Then zerubbabel son of shealtiel and joshua son of jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people who had returned from captivity, listened to and obeyed the voice of the lord their god not vaguely or partly, but completely, according to the words of haggai the prophet, since the lord their god had sent him, and the people reverently feared and. Zechariah is a contemporary of haggai and shares his concern for a rebuilt temple and a new messianic age under the leadership of joshua and zerubbabel. The book of haggai is narrative history and prophetic oracle. At the heart of the book of haggai is the prophets urgent insistence that the postexilic jewish community get to the work of rebuilding the temple.
Haggai 12 esv the command to rebuild the temple in. Aggaeus was a hebrew prophet during the building of the second temple in jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible and the author of the book of haggai. The major theme of the book of haggai is the rebuilding of the temple. This is the authority that must be in an effective ministry today. In the book of haggai, the prophet scolded israel for pushing god out of their lives.
In all of life there is a time to talk and a time to act, a time to consider and a time to do. His is a thus saith the lord thirteen times this phrase, or one that is similar, occurs that makes it clear haggai is speaking gods words. He is known for his prophecy in 520 bce, commanding the jews to rebuild the temple. The people responded and the temple was completed in 516 b. Key personalities are haggai, zerubbabel, and joshua. The temple remains in ruins, and no one has attempted to repair it. These events that build the historical background of the book of haggai are described in detail in the book of ezra.
Lord came to zacharias, the son of barachias, the son of addo, the prophet, saying. A third message was delivered on the 24th day of the 9th month in the 2nd year of darius to the priests in israel 2. Because his name means festal one, it is suggested that haggai was born on a feast day. He began to prophesy in the second year of darius hystaspis, b. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the captivity exile in babylon. It is also the most precisely dated among the other books in the old testament. After thousands of years, the book of haggai remains largely unique among the books of old testament prophets for one key reason. Haggai is among the most carefully and precisely dated books in the entire bible. The book must have been compiled shortly thereafter rydelnik 2014. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. Into this setting the prophet haggai stepped, calling on the people to recognize the source of their. No one could mistake whether or not his direction had been followedthe results would. After about 4 or so months, the ministry of haggai was completed. Then i will be pleased with it and be glorified, says the lord haggai 1.
The message of haggai is directly tied to zechariahs prophecy concerning the events that will occur during this same time period. The book of haggai, also known as the book of aggeus, is a book of the hebrew bible or. It was during the reign of darius the great that haggai and zechariah rebuked the people and admonished them to complete the temple. Haggai means festal, which may indicate that the prophet was born during one of the three pilgrimage feasts unleavened bread, pentecost or weeks, and tabernacles. This is where we learn that the work of rebuilding the temple was interrupted for around 14 years but taken up again as a result of the prophetic ministry of haggai and zechariah in the second year of king darius. One of the haggai s concerns was the reinstitution of the liturgical calendar. The book of hebrews boldly proclaims the superiority of jesus christ and christianity over other religions, including judaism. Haggai bible studies for personal or small group study. The prophets haggai and zechariah played an important role in encouraging the jewish people and their leaders zerubbabel, the governor of judah, and the high. The first section of this book deals with israels neglect in rebuilding the temple, instead opting to rebuild their own houses. It is the twentyfifth book in the daily bible reading series by the author. Next go through the book and find and locate the six times the word month is used.
But tell my servant zerubbabel that i, the lord allpowerful, have chosen. In a logical argument, the author demonstrates christs superiority, then adds practical instructions for following jesus. Haggai attributes a recent drought to the peoples refusal to rebuild the temple, which he sees as key to jerusalems glory. 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. Haggai 1 contemporary english version cev rebuild the temple. The book was written by the prophet haggai about 520 bc and is one of the shortest books in the old testament, having only two chapters. Jehovah, therefore, raised up two prophets, haggai and zechariah, so that his name and his house might not be kept in dishonor. The key to applying the book in a gospelcentered way is to see that the temple, like the tabernacle before it, was the visible symbol of god dwelling in the midst of his people, and therefore it foreshadows christ, the one in whom the word became flesh and tabernacled in our midst see john 1. As the book of haggai begins, 15 months have already elapsed since their return. Within this section there are two commands to the people along with a promise of divine help. Book of haggai overview insight for living ministries. Haggai 12 niv a call to build the house of the lord bible.
It comes from the hebrew word used to picture festive, joyous occasions and is a reference to gods festivals and holy days described in both the old and new testaments. Leviticus chapter 23 lists the seven festivals and annual holy days, arranged in order of occurrence throughout each year. The people had returned to the land of israel after seventy years of captivity. One of haggai s concerns was the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem. Then said haggai, if one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean. Gcbi is a one year bible program designed to give students the tools and knowledge required to understand the bible and form a biblical worldview, with the goal of following jesus last command to. Haggais oracles show his concern for the immediate reconstruction of the temple in jerusalem. In their specificity and in their link to the reign of a foreign king darius, the dates underscore gods control over history, as do similar chronological references in zechariah, a prophetic book connected in literary and thematic ways to haggai. The book of haggai has the combination of prophetic oracle and narrative history. Here is my servant, whom i uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. Haggai was one of the prophets from the old testament of the bible. Outline of the book of haggai haggai s work haggai was a prophet of god that prophesied to the jews who had returned to jerusalem from babylon during the year 536 bc i. So haggai told governor zerubbabel and high priest joshua 25 that the lord allpowerful had said to them and to the.
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