HAGGAI
Week 1: Introducing Haggai
The Big Idea: The reconstruction of the temple was about more than prioritizing a building. It was about restoring faith in God and his plan for the people of faith.
STUDY GUIDE
Foundation Bible University: Growing Strong in Faith
Why Go Deeper?
1. Maturing in Faith.
• Move Beyond the Basics.
Hebrews 6:1-2.
6 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
• Growing Up is Healthy.
Don’t Get Stuck in Baby Mode
• Warning About Falling Away.
Hebrews 6:4-6.
4 For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.• Keep Moving Forward.
Living a Life that Matters
• Bearing Fruit.
Hebrews 6:7-8.
7 For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.
• God Blesses Our Growth.
Historical Background
Timeline:
605 BC: Babylon (King Nebuchadnezzar) takes Judah - Daniel is taken to Babylon
586 BC: Jerusalem (including the Temple) is Destroyed
605 BC - 539/538 BC: Daniel’s ministry in exile
539 BC: Babylon falls to King Cyrus of Persia who issues a decree for Jews to return to and rebuild Jerusalem (including the Temple)
536 BC: The foundation of the Temple is laid, but construction soon stops due to opposition.
520/521 BC: Haggai & Zechariah prophesy, urging the people to restart the rebuilding. Construction on 2nd Temple restarts. (Here we have Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah)
515 BC: 2nd Temple is Complete
Destruction of the Temple by King Nebuchadnezzar:
Jeremiah 25:11-12
This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. 12 When the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, and I will make it a ruin forever.
King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and called for the Jewish people’s return to Jerusalem.:
Ezra 1:1-4
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing: 2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”
Who was Haggai?
The Meaning of his Name:
• Hebrew word חַגַּי (Chaggai), which is derived from the root word חַג (chag), meaning “festival” or “feast.”
Haggai is often understood to mean
Historical Context of his Ministry:
• His primary focus was to encourage the
Haggai’s Ministry
His Prophetic Role:
• emphasized immediate obedience to God’s call.
Emphasis on Rebuilding the Temple:
• refocus commitment to God.
Impact and Response:
• spiritual revival and renewed sense of purpose.
Partnership with Zechariah:
• Haggai and Zechariah motivated the people of Judah to finish rebuilding the Temple.
Ezra 5:1-2 (ESV)
“Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.”
Haggai’s Legacy:
• practical and direct prophet
• concise and effective message
• resulted in immediate action.
• prophecies carry a messianic aspect