BOB – Haggai

by Stephen Rodgers

HAGGAI IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“Jews returning from exile need to rebuild God’s temple.”

TITLE

Like nearly all the other prophetic books, the name of the book bears the name of the prophet who was responsible for its contents (Hag. 1:1).

Per the MSB:

Because his name means “festal one,” it is suggested that Haggai was born on a feast day. Haggai is the second shortest book in the OT (Obadiah is shorter) and is quoted by the NT once (cf. Heb. 12:26).

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

Apart from his name and title, we know nothing of Haggai, and his lineage and tribal origin remain a mystery. He is however mentioned twice by Ezra (Ezra 5:1; 6:14), both time in connection with Zechariah (another post-exilic prophet). No other person in the OT has his name, although some of the other names are similar (Gen. 46:16; Num. 26:15; 2 Sam. 3:4; 1 Chr. 6:30).

Constable notes one erroneous claim regarding Haggai:

Some editions of the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate versions of the Book of Psalms attribute authorship of some of the Psalms to Haggai and or Zechariah (i.e., Ps. 111—112, 125—126, 137—138, and 145—149). There is no other evidence that either prophet wrote any of these psalms. The reason for the connection appears to have been the close association that these prophets had with the temple where these psalms were sung.

The original audience would have been the Jews who returned to Jerusalem in 537 BC, but had neglected to restore the temple in that time.

DATE

Haggai is actually the most precisely-dated of all the prophetic books, recounting prophecy that he received between August 29 and December 18, 520 BC. However, that does not mean that Haggai then wrote the book during that same time.  Constable theorizes that he wrote the book after receiving the prophecy (which, to put it mildly, makes sense) but before the temple was completed in 516/515 BC:

Probably Haggai wrote the book between 520 and 515 B.C., the year the returnees completed the temple. Lack of reference to the completion of the temple, while not a strong argument for this view, seems reasonable since mention of the completion of the temple would have finished off the book nicely.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Haggai is one of the post-exilic prophets (the others being Zechariah and Malachi) who wrote after the remnant had returned from exile in Babylon (you might want to review Ezra and Nehemiah if this doesn’t ring a bell). They arrived in 538 BC, and began to rebuild the temple in 536 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest (Ezra 3:2). However, opposition from their neighbors and indifference from the Jews themselves caused the work to be abandoned until 520 BC.

Enter Haggai, who comes on the scene and instructs the people to 1) finish rebuilding the temple, and 2) get their priorities straight. He pointed out that as the people of God, they should be more concerned with His glory and desires than with their own, a message we would do well to heed in our own day.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two main themes that pervade the book of Haggai:

  • Priorities. The people had neglected the rebuilding of God’s temple while focusing on constructing beautiful homes for themselves (Hag. 1:2-4, 9). Haggai instructed them that God’s temple and work were to be their top priority.
  • Obedience. There are consequences for disobeying God (Hag. 1:6, 11; 2:16-17). But when God’s people follow Him (1:12), He graciously  provides the enthusiasm (Hag. 1:4), strength (Hag. 2:4-5), and resources (Hag. 2:8) to do His will.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

There are no significant interpretive issues with Haggai that I am aware of.

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

Although the book of Haggai falls within the general category of prophecy, it is not a typical prophetic book. It is written in prose instead of the customary poetry. Although there are predictions of promised blessing, there are no oracles of judgment in the usual sense. Instead, God simply calls the nation’s attention to its low ebb, as though judgment had already occurred. There are also intermittent golden-age visions, as well as a narrative episode (Hag. 1:12–15). By means of a specific instance (the rebuilding of the temple), the book of Haggai is a relevant and timeless book on the need to put God’s work first in one’s life. For the prophet’s society, rebuilding the temple would be the visible sign of the people’s determination to put God first.

OBJECTIONS

There are no significant objections to Haggai that I am aware of.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Haggai 1:4
  • Haggai 2:4

DID YOU KNOW?

  • A garmet that came into contact with consecrated meat (meat set apart for sacrifice) became “holy” (Lev. 6:27), but could not pass that “holiness” on to a third object. Ceremonial uncleanliness was transmitted much more easily that cleanliness, since anything touched by an unclean person became unclean (Hag. 2:12-13).
  • A signet was a kind of seal or stamp which functioned as a signature. It could be used as a pledge or guarantee of full payment of a debt (Hag. 2:23).

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Haggai”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Haggai”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • NET Bible, Haggai
  • NIV Study Bible, Haggai
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Haggai”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Haggai”
  • Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook