Our background photo today shows a road which, at some point in the past, was almost completed. Only a little bit more was left. But the surrounding neighbors did not want the road to be completed. The surrounding neighbors petitioned the government for the project to be stopped. And as a result, the project was stopped … the road left uncompleted.
A gate was put in place; a sign was posted: “Not a Thru Street.”
A similar situation occurred to God’s people, the Jews, who had just returned to their homeland after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Upon their return, they immediately began construction rebuilding God’s Temple. The surrounding neighbors, however, did not want the Temple to be rebuilt.
Just like the road-situation in our background photo, the surrounding neighbors sent a petition to the government for the project to be stopped. Ezra 4:6-23 gives the fascinating account of this. The result: “Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” – Ezra 4:24
And so we come to the book of Haggai. Upon opening the book we are immediately met with the same date: “In the second year of King Darius … the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai …” – Haggai 1:1
Sixteen years had passed.
The project to rebuild God’s Temple had been stopped and “gated off” for sixteen long years.
What had been going on in those sixteen years?
The people had moved on with life. They had built lovely homes for themselves (Haggai 1:4). They had been earning an income, planting & harvesting (Haggai 1:6). They had settled into the day-to-day routine of life. And in the process, they had forgotten all about God. They had forgotten all about God’s Temple.
How often do we do the same thing? Life is so busy! Work demands weigh heavy! It seems like it’s just about all we can do to keep up with the routine of day-to day life. And in the process, we too forget all about God.
Just like the people to whom Haggai wrote, we too wonder why, no matter how hard we work, we never seem to have enough to make “ends meet.” We wonder why we are discontent. We wonder why our life feels so hollow and empty. (Haggai 1:6; Haggai 1:9-11)
The book of Haggai is God calling His people out of the “rut of routine” and back into relationship with Him.
God is telling the people: Life is not about the house you live in. Life is not about the possessions you have or the wealth you accumulate. None of that will satisfy. None of that will make you happy if you don’t first have a relationship with your God.
God’s message, through His prophet Haggai, is: Finish the job! Rebuild the Temple … so that you can be in relationship with your God!
The book of Haggai is strikingly unique in that the people listened! The people obeyed! “The whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.” – Haggai 1:12
The book of Haggai closes with God encouraging His people:
Take courage!
I will bless you!
I have chosen you!
“’Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” – Haggai 2:4
Jesus Christ in Haggai
It was prophesied in Haggai 2:9 that the Messiah [Jesus Christ] would visit this 2nd Temple which the people were rebuilding. (This happened! – Luke 2:27-32; Matthew 21:9-15; Luke 19:45-48)
It was prophesied in Haggai 2:9 that Messiah [Jesus] would be our Peace. This happened! Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, He has made us at peace with God. (Ephesians 2:14)
The future glorious kingdom of Jesus is prophesied in Haggai 2:6-9, when Jesus will “shake the earth” to forever remove the wicked, and bring about worldwide peace. (Haggai 2:21-22; see also Hebrews 12:26-28)
