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Haggai
Introduction: The book of Haggai is the 37th book of the Bible. It is also the tenth part of ‘the book of the twelve’ (twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament). He is the first of three post-exile prophets, the other two are Zechariah and Malachi. The book of Haggai only has two chapters, and 38 verses, making it the second shortest book of the Old Testament (Obadiah being the shortest).
After 70 years of exile, the Southern Kingdom of Israel as a result of the proclamations of Cyrus the Persian, was allowed to return from Babylon to her homeland. The return of the exiles to Judah was carried in three waves. The first wave, where Haggai was, was carried in the year 538 B.C. under the civil leadership of King’s David offspring Zerubbabel, and the spiritual guidance of Joshua the High-Priest.
Haggai 1:1
‘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:’
In first verse in the Book of Haggai, we can find the exact date when Haggai’s ministry began. Darius the first, was the king of Persia in years 522-486 B.C. therefore we know that Haggai’s ministry began in year 520 B.C.
Haggai in other books of the Bible: There are few references in other books of the Bible about prophet Haggai. Most of them we can see in the book of Ezra, where in chapter 5:1, and chapter 6:14 we read about Haggai’s ministry. Prophet Haggai was also referenced in the New Testament (Heb. 12:26).
Ezra 4:24
‘The work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped.’
When Judah returned to their land in 538B.C. they were tasked by God to restore the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. However, the opposition against this work was so intense that the Jews ceased work two years later. For 16 years, from 536 B.C. to 520 B.C (
‘until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia’ Ezra 4:24.) work on rebuilding was halted.
Ezra 5:1 ‘
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.’ 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
Ezra 6:14
‘And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.’ (Year 516 B.C.)
Background: The name Haggai means ‘festive’, from the Hebrew word
חָגַג (
chagag). The parents of Haggai, who lived as exiles in Babylonia, waited for fulfilment of God’s promise that He spoke through prophet Jeremiah and other Old Testament prophets, that once 70 years of the punishment of Judah’s exile in Babylonia pass, God will bring His elect back to Jerusalem who will rebuild the destroyed temple, and renew the worship of God and the celebration of God’s feasts. Jerusalem, as we know, was God’s chosen place for worship and celebration of feasts, meaning that God’s people could not worship anywhere else. God’s chosen people were commanded by God where they will worship, when and how.
God’s people couldn’t worship God and celebrate His feasts for 70 years. We know from the recent pandemic and not being able to go to Church for 3 months, how much we missed worshipping and praising God with our assembly in our Church, as we were stuck home for health reasons. Doing Sunday service online for 3 months just was not the same as meeting together but imagine not being able to go to Church for 70 years. In 70 A.D. God however took away Israel’s worship not for 70 years, but for the whole Church age, currently 1952 years. Although the Jews are meeting in synagogues today, they are not capable of true worship and celebration of God’s feasts, including sacrifices, as God has taken these things away from them. What they are doing in synagogues today is only a poor shadow of the former things that God commanded.
The Jews then were not able to fully worship God for 70 years during the exile period. Why was this the case? Was this just a coincidence? No, it was God’s punishment for Judah’s disobedience.
Why did God send Judah to exile?
About 200 years before Haggai, the prophet Isaiah was ministering in Israel.
Isaiah 1:10 ‘
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!’
God here addresses Israel, and He calls them disgracefully people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why?
Isaiah 1:11 “
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands. I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.
When God punishes His people, we should ask ourselves why. And why does He allow these things to happen? We have to realise that God does not always like the assembly of His people, as God is not always glorified among them. The closer is the age of Church near it’s end, the more lawlessness and unrighteousness increases among those who call themselves God’s people and belonging to Christ. We should therefore ask ourselves whether our worship of God and our assemblies truly glorify God the way He wants us to glorify Him. God does not need us, God is merciful, and when He calls us to Him, it is not because He needs anything from us, but because He does so from His perfect love and judgement. Let’s not think that because we bring something to God, He is required to accept it. Let’s remember the sacrifices that were brought by Cain and Abel. God is worthy of all of our love and praise. How do we approach God? How much respect do we give Him in everything that we do and in our Churches? How do we today give glory to God? By living by His Word and Commandments, by denying ourselves, and fulfilling His will. Because if we do not live righteously before Him, its irrelevant how many people come to our Church, even if we have the most beautiful praises and songs, but if we do not live Godly lives, God will not accept these things. Do we come to the Church to seek and worship God or because of other people? Do we come to our Churches with hearts on fire for God, or do we come there mechanically, just for the sake of it, and once the Sunday service stops, we forget about God?
The pre-exile prophets were warning God’s people that the Lord will end their feasts, because God had enough of hypocrisy, compromise, sin, things that were in contradiction with His Holy Word. Hosea, for example, who was ministering in years 755-710 B.C. in the times of Isaiah, prophesised the Word of God to His people
‘And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts (Hosea 2:11). Who does God here mean by
her? God’s unfaithful wife, Israel. God has therefore for
her unfaithfulness and adultery (worship of idols and other gods) decided to end all of
her feasts. We know that this prophecy was fulfilled in year 586 B.C.
Isaiah 29:
1 Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. 3 And I will encamp against you all around and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you.
It was the Lord God who brought the king of Babylon, who with his army besieged Jerusalem in such way that the citizens of Jerusalem had nothing to eat and were so hungry, that they killed and ate their own children. Why? For Ariel’s unfaithfulness. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem. The word means the lioness of God. Jerusalem was God’s lioness, but a lioness that was unfaithful, disobedient, neglecting of His word and commandments. If we are not holding to God’s Word, if we are not obedient, our worship and praise of God will be in vain.
However God’s prophets did not only prophesy about God’s punishment, but also about His mercy, forgiveness, and hope. Nahum 1:15 ‘
Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfil your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.’
Nahum ministered in around 697 B.C., so few years after Isaiah, but 150 years before Haggai, so Haggai’s parents must have known about this God’s promise that He spoke through Nahum, that Judah will once again celebrate the feasts of God.
The seven feasts of God
First, we have the 4 spring feasts, which have been already fulfilled by Lord Jesus.
- Pesach (Passover) – celebrated on 14th of Nisan, exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). Points to Lamb of God being sacrificed.
- Hag Ha-Matzot (The Feast of unleavened Bread) – celebrated from 15th – 22nd Nisan. This feast celebrates the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness, when following Passover and Exodus, they ate unleavened bread for 30 days. Points to crucifixion of Jesus and removal and destruction of the sin.
- Ha bikkurim (first fruits) Nisan 17th, thanksgiving to God for the first fruit of Harvest. Points to resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the head of His people; He is resurrected first.
- Hag Shavuot (Pentecost) 6th of Sivan, agricultural festival, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest. Points to the pouring of the Holy Spirit.
Then, we have the 3 autumn feasts, which are yet to be fulfilled by Jesus in the future.
- Rosh Hashanah (feast of trumpets) 1st of Tishri commemorates the creation of the world (new year) and marks the beginning the Days of Awe. Points to the rapture of the Church.
- Yom Kippur (feast of atonement) 10th of Tishri. The feast when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year and brought a sacrifice for the sins of all Israel. Points to Israel repenting of piercing Jesus on the cross (Zechariah 12:10).
- Sukkot (feast of tabernacles) 15th – 22nd Tishri. Sukkot is named after the booths or huts in which Israelites dwelt for 40 years of wandering in the desert. This feast points to the literal millennial reign of Christ here on Earth.
As mentioned before, the name Haggai means festive, and the 7 Feasts were pivotal for Israel in worshipping God every year. But for them to be celebrated the way God commanded them to be celebrated, a Temple must be built. Therefore it is no wonder why God sent Haggai to Jerusalem and commanded them to continue with the rebuilding of the Temple, which was destroyed 70 years earlier as a punishment for Judah’s disobedience, which they have stopped building after two years for various reasons.
We barely got any information about the prophet Haggai in the Bible. We do not know how he lived, who was his wife, what his life circumstances were, the Word of God does not speak about any of these things, meaning, the Word of God does not want us to focus on the prophet’s life, but only about the prophecy he brought. This is in contrast with prophet Jeremiah for example, where the prophet’s life was closely connected with his ministry.
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