Haggai Introduction

Haggai reiterated the relationship between material blessing and proper worship of the Lord (2:10-19). Holiness cannot be transferred from one object to another, but uncleanness can. When the people neglected the temple, their disobedience was transferred to the sacrifices they brought to the altar (see Ezr 3:3). The Lord could not accept those sacrifices, so their land had been plagued rather than blessed. Now that they were obeying the Lord’s prompting to rebuild the temple, they could expect that the Lord would accept their offerings and once again bless their land (Hg 2:18-19).

As Haggai dealt with the coming material blessings on Judah, he looked ahead to a time when the Lord would “fill this house with glory” (2:7). At that time the “glory of this house” would be “greater than the first” (2:9). This prophecy points to the coming of the Messiah, whose presence in the temple would represent the glory or the presence of the Lord.

Haggai stressed the messianic theme with the Lord’s promise to make Zerubbabel “like my signet ring” when heaven and earth are shaken and the kingdoms of the earth overthrown (2:21-23). Zerubbabel, as a descendant of David, symbolized the continuation of the line of David even though he was no more than “governor of Judah,” not a king. That line would continue down to the Messiah himself, Jesus Christ. God would accomplish everything: the shaking, the overthrow, and the elevating of Zerubbabel. In this sense Zerubbabel prefigured the Messiah.

An important lesson from Haggai is that the Lord should always take first priority in life. We cannot expect that he will hear our prayers and bless us if we do not make obedience to him of first importance.

Also, there is continuity in the way the Lord works with his people throughout history. We can be confident of his abiding presence because he has always been present with his people. He has not forgotten his promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

Another principle from Haggai is that we can know that history is working toward the goal of the messianic kingdom. Christians await the second coming of Christ to usher in that kingdom, guaranteed to them by the promise of the Lord himself (1Co 15:20-28; 1Th 5:9-11).