Haggai

• The Prophet
• • Probably one of the exiles who returned from Babylon since he supported their activities wholeheartedly
  • Probably a cult prophet at Jerusalem although that is not certain (1:1)
  • Some have suggested Haggai was old (2:3) and of priestly descent (2:10-14), but such conclusions do not necessarily follow from those verses
  • Ministry is from the first day of the sixth month (August 29) to the 24^th day of the ninth month (December 18/19) of the year 520 B.C.E.
• Message of the Book
• • The Temple
  • • Desolation of the Temple and the land
    • • Type of desolation
      • • Temple is in ruins or in very early stage of construction (1:8)
        • Temple also impure and defiled - not a fit place for worship
        • If the Temple, the center of the land, is desolate and impure, the whole land is impure
      • While the Temple is in ruins, some of the people live in richly adorned homes (1:4) - worship is not a high priority
    • Current economic distress of the people is attributed to the desolation and impurity of the Temple (1:5-6,9-11)
    • Promise of presence and blessing
    • • Renewed presence of God
      • • God has chosen to be worshiped through the Temple services - God is not confined to a building but He reveals Himself and localizes Himself at the Temple so that blessings may flow out
        • Once the barriers of desolation and impurity are removed, blessings will once again flow
      • Economic prosperity
      • • God will bless the people with renewed economic prosperity once serious work on the Temple begins (2:15-19) - this promise must be accepted by faith because once work on the Temple begins, it is not obvious that God is blessing - blessing does not come immediately
        • God will shake the nations and bring their wealth into the Temple (2:7-9) - His presence will make shalom ("peace") possible for all
    • Rebuilding is not just to get the material blessings but to restore the relationship between the people and God - perhaps the relationship and the service are the real rewards
  • The new community and the new age
  • • God is preparing to shake the heavens and the earth (2:6,21) and usher in a new age - Haggai apparently believed this new age would be ushered in during his lifetime
    • The "remnant" who rebuild the Temple will receive the promises of the past
    • Zerubbabel
    • • Titles used to describe him (2:23)
      • • "my servant" - designation of authority
        • "signet ring" - honor and distinction - indicates representative function
      • As messiah?
      • • Probably not
        • • Zerubbabel was appointed by the Persians who knew of his Davidic ancestry and probably chose him for that reason - it was a risk but a calculated risk
          • Unlikely the Persians would have allowed the Temple to be rebuilt and financed the rebuilding if they were aware of rumors about political independence
        • Haggai stated that God is the sovereign of the world and Zerubbabel is functioning as a representative of God - this is an honor but also a great responsibility
  • The people's response
  • • The people waver (encouragement and blessing in 2:1-9, warning in 2:10-14)
    • Problem with uncleanness (2:10-14)
    • • If offerings are unclean and unacceptable, then the whole life and condition of the people is unacceptable - worship reflects on the total condition
      • Unclean condition of the Temple will make the people unclean - God's presence does not mean that people are in a proper condition to worship - the people who are called to be the community of the new age can frustrate that new age by their own unclean condition

Artwork from the Bible Picture Library of Photo Art (c) Christian Computer Art, 1994-97