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Book 37 of 66 · Prophets · The Twelve

Haggai

The exiles have come home, and they are busy building nice houses. God’s house still lies in ruins. They work hard and never have enough. The prophet tells them why, and they get to work.

The big idea

In short: put first things first, or you will never have enough. “Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough… and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes” (1:5–6).

The people were not lazy. They were busy with their own houses while God’s house lay in ruins (1:9).

The rule underneath: Law 8 · Enough, and give

Be content with enough; give freely from it.

Keep it: You are free, and others get help.
Break it: Greed is never full, and money starts to own you.

Shows up in: Exodus, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Luke, Philippians

Other rules in this book: God first, Work honestly

Live it: Playbook 06 · How to handle money

5Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.Haggai 1:5-6 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
Four short messages, 2 chapters.
Who wrote it
Haggai the prophet. The book speaks about him in the third person, so an editor probably put the messages together.
When
Four dated messages, all in 520 BC, “the second year of Darius the king” of Persia (1:1).
History
The exiles had returned from Babylon about 538 BC, and work on the temple had stalled. Ezra 5:1 names Haggai and Zechariah as the prophets who got it started again. The temple was finished in 515 BC (Ezra 6:15).
In which Bibles
All of them.
Read it in
About 5 minutes.

What it says

1:1–11 · Consider your ways. The people say it isn’t time to build God’s house. God asks, “Is it time for you… to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?” (1:4). They plant a lot and harvest little. They eat and are still hungry. Their wages go into “a bag with holes” (1:6). Why? “Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house” (1:9).

1:12–15 · They listen. The leaders and people obey. God stirs up their spirit, and they start work (1:14).

2:1–9 · Be strong. The older people remember Solomon’s temple, and the new one looks like nothing (2:3). God says, “be strong… and work: for I am with you” (2:4). “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine” (2:8). The new house will be greater than the old (2:9).

2:10–23 · From this day. A question about what makes things clean or unclean shows that neglect spreads. But from the day they started building, God will bless them (2:19). Zerubbabel the governor is called God’s “signet,” a sign of his promise (2:23).

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:Haggai 2:4 · KJV
Go deeper
  • Original words. “Consider your ways” (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18) is literally “set your heart on your roads,” meaning think hard about where your life is going. “Cieled houses” (1:4) are houses paneled with wood, a sign of comfort.
  • Structure. Four messages, each with an exact date (1:1; 2:1; 2:10; 2:20). The first is a rebuke; the other three are encouragement.
  • How the laws interlock. Law 8 is the pattern: chasing more for yourself leaves you never full (1:6). Law 1 is the fix: put God first (1:8). Law 7 is the response: “work: for I am with you” (2:4).

Hard parts

Is poverty a punishment?

What it says God says he sent drought and poor harvests because the temple lay in ruins (1:9–11).

The rule underneath Enough, and give. Putting yourself first never fills you.

What people added Some readers take this as a general rule: give to God and you will prosper; hold back and you will fail. Others note that Job and Ecclesiastes warn against reading every hardship as punishment, and that this was a specific message to one community at one time. Readers differ.

A building project?

What it says The message is about rebuilding the temple.

The rule underneath God first.

What people added Churches have often used Haggai to raise money for buildings. Others apply it to priorities in general: what you put first shapes everything else. The New Testament describes God’s people themselves as his temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Readers differ.

Translation notes that change meaning

  • 2:7 “the desire of all nations.” The Hebrew most likely means “the treasures of all nations” (see 2:8). Christians have often read it as a title for the Messiah. debated

Where it leads

One thing to do

This week

Consider your ways

Look at your last month of spending. Find your “bag with holes”: where money disappeared with nothing to show for it. Then decide on one thing you will put first next month, before anything else: giving, saving, or someone who needs help. Write it in your journal.

How to read it. Read it in one sitting. Then read Ezra 5–6 for the history.