HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1211
HAGG AI 1
page 841
Key verses in Haggai
1:9 “You hoped for rich harvests,
but they were poor. And when you
brought your harvest home, I blew it
away. Why? Because my house lies
in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies, while all of you are busy
building your own fine houses.”
1:13-14 Then Haggai, the Lord’s
messenger, gave the people this
message from the Lord: “I am
with you, says the Lord!” So the
Lord sparked the enthusiasm of
Zerubbabel . . . and the enthusiasm
of Jeshua . . . and the enthusiasm of
the whole remnant of God’s people.
They began to work on the house
of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies.
to work, for I am with you, says
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My
Spirit remains among you, just as
I promised when you came out of
Egypt. So do not be afraid.’“
2:9 “The future glory of this
Temple will be greater than its
2:4- 5 “‘But now the Lord says:
past glory, says the Lord of
Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong,
Heaven’s Armies. And in this place
Jeshua . . . Be strong, all you people I will bring peace. I, the Lord of
still left in the land. And now get
Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
A Call to Rebuild the Temple
On August 29* of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through
the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua* son of
Jehozadak, the high priest.
2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet
come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’”
3 Then the Lord sent this message through the
prophet Haggai: 4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? 5 This
is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look
at what’s happening to you! 6 You have planted
much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on
clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go
up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild
my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be
honored, says the Lord. 9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought
your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because
my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies, while all of you are busy building your
own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the
heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces
no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your
fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and
grapes and olive trees and all your other crops,
a drought to starve you and your livestock and to
ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”
1
Obedience to God’s Call
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua
son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole
1:1a Hebrew On the first day of the sixth month, of the ancient
Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of dates in Haggai can be
cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and
related accurately to our modern calendar. This event occurred
on August 29, 520 b.c. 1:1b Hebrew Joshua, a variant spelling
of Jeshua; also in 1:12, 14.
• Excuses
HA G G A I 1:2-4
The returned exiles never said that
rebuilding the Temple wasn’t important.
They just protested that it wasn’t the
right time for it yet. But God condemned
them for taking care of themselves while
allowing the Temple to remain a pile of
rubble. The issue wasn’t timing; it was
priority. We often use the same excuse,
claiming that it doesn’t feel like the right
time to start the practice of daily Bible
study, to begin tithing, to share the
gospel with a non-Christian friend. Yet
few of us would say it doesn’t feel like the
right time to pick up our paychecks! Any
excuse for neglecting our basic Christian
duty is merely a cloak for a fearful spirit,
a complacent attitude, or a hard heart.
• Hope
HA G G A I 1:9
The people had their priorities fixed on
selfish ends. They were building beautiful
houses while God’s house lay in ruins.
But in spite of all their material wealth,
it seemed to them that their hopes were
resulting in nothing. Even when we are
affluent, we sometimes feel that we can
never earn enough, that we get more and
more behind, and that even what we have
comes to nothing. Are we honoring God
with what we have, keeping our priorities
straight? Our hopes for a satisfying life
will remain unfulfilled as long as we
believe that money and possessions will
make us happier than the benefits that
come from living by God’s priorities.