Haggai 1

Haggai the prophet delivered a message from the LORD to Zerubbabel and Joshua, rebuking the people for neglecting the temple's rebuilding while dwelling in their own finished homes. The LORD declared that their economic hardships, such as poor harvests and lost wages, were a direct consequence of this neglect. Upon hearing the prophet's words, the leaders and the people responded with obedience and began the work on the house of the LORD.

In the second year of King Darius, the prophet Haggai conveyed the word of the LORD to Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua, addressing the people's delay in rebuilding the temple. The LORD challenged their assertion that the time for building His house had not yet come, questioning why they resided in well-appointed dwellings while His sanctuary lay in ruins. He commanded them to consider their unproductive ways, highlighting their lack of prosperity despite their labors, attributing these misfortunes to their neglect of the temple. The LORD instructed them to go to the mountains, gather timber, and build His house, promising His pleasure and glory in return. He revealed that He had brought drought and scarcity upon the land as a consequence of their misplaced priorities. Moved by Haggai's message, Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people demonstrated obedience and fear of the LORD. Subsequently, Haggai delivered a message of divine assurance, stating, "I am with you, saith the LORD." The LORD then stirred the spirits of the leaders and the people, prompting them to commence work on the temple.

The book of Haggai opens in the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, with the prophet Haggai delivering a divine message to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest. The LORD of hosts confronted the people's prevailing sentiment that the appropriate time for rebuilding His house had not yet arrived. Through Haggai, the LORD posed a poignant question, challenging their priorities: "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?" He then urged them to carefully "consider your ways," highlighting the futility of their labors. Despite their efforts, they experienced meager harvests, insufficient food and drink, inadequate clothing, and wages that seemed to vanish as if placed into a "bag with holes." The LORD reiterated the command to reflect on their actions, emphasizing that their material struggles were directly linked to their spiritual negligence. He then issued a clear directive: "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD." The divine explanation for their lack of prosperity was that the LORD Himself had "blown upon" their endeavors because His house remained desolate while each person diligently attended to their own dwelling. Consequently, the heavens withheld dew, and the earth ceased to yield its fruit, as the LORD had called for a drought affecting all agricultural produce, men, and cattle, and every labor of their hands. In response to this powerful divine indictment, Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the entire remnant of the people demonstrated remarkable obedience to the voice of the LORD their God and the words spoken by Haggai. Their fear of the LORD was evident in their actions. Following their commitment, Haggai, as the LORD's messenger, delivered a comforting promise: "I am with you, saith the LORD." This divine assurance served to strengthen their resolve. Finally, the LORD actively "stirred up the spirit" of both Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua, along with the spirit of all the remaining people, leading them to come and commence work on the house of the LORD of hosts on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of Darius's second year.