Haggai 1 Footnotes

1:1-15 To acknowledge the Lord as God has implications for ordinary decisions of life. It is to live before One who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and who has an agenda. He has a plan that impinges on the details of our lives. The people who had returned from Babylon through God’s grace and leadership soon tried to put him at the edge of their awareness. They had their own agenda, building comfortable homes for themselves while God’s house lay in ruins (v. 4). Through Haggai’s preaching, the people were moved to respond to the Lord’s command to build his house for his glory.

1:5-8 For the prophets before the Babylonian exile, the major issues were the people’s tendency to worship false gods and the social injustice that created severe inequalities between rich and poor. For prophets whose message was focused on the postexilic Judean community, the issue was different. The great need was the restoration of the institutions of Israelite worship centering in the sanctuary. Ezekiel drew up a blueprint for the restored temple and its ceremonies (Ezk 40–47); Malachi called for the purification of the priesthood (Mal 3:1-4) and faithfulness in the tithe (Mal 3:8-10). Zechariah, likewise, was concerned with the honor of the priesthood (Zch 3:1-5). Haggai also turned to this emphasis on worship. It was because the people had neglected their responsibilities, including the rebuilding of the Lord’s house, that their efforts to prosper came to nothing. His message was a precursor to Jesus’s teaching, “you will be measured by the same measure you use” (Mt 7:2). One cannot open the hand to receive while clutching what he already has.