The Call to Repent and Rebuild
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The Persian government ruled over the people of Israel. After approximately 50,000 Israelites returned home, there was urgent concern for the temple and immediate effort made to rebuild it. The foundation was quickly rebuilt, and the people of Israel rightly celebrated this accomplishment (Ezra 3:8-13). However, in response to their building success, their Samaritan neighbors contrived to slow down their work and were successful in frustrating the progress of the temple. They succeeded, in part, by appealing to the governing authorities (Ezra 4:1-5,24).
The project lay dormant for 16 years, from 536 BC until two years after Darius became King of the Persian Empire. In 520 BC Haggai began to prophesy among the people of God. He pled with them to get over their apathy and to delay their obedience no longer. His pleas were successful and the nation of Israel repented, obeyed God, and began to rebuild the temple.
This book is the story of God’s people, and in many ways it’s the same story that we see of God’s people throughout all of Scripture. God has designed the world to work in a specific way. When the people of God disobey him by sinning, humanity is not able to flourish as God intended. This lack of human flourishing can be made right if the people repent and obey Him. The prophet, then, is God’s good gift to the people, calling them to repentance and obedience and sharing with them the hope of God’s blessing.