34. Haggai

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34. HAGGAI

I. OUTLINE

1. Appeal to Rebuild Temple. 1:1-15.

A. Objections. 1:1-11.

B. People's Response. 1:12-15.

2. Promise of Better Times. 2:1-8.

3. Glory of the Temple. 2:9.

4. Holiness. 2:10-14.

5. Promises of the Lord. 2:15-19.

6. Zerubbabel. 2:20-23.

II. AUTHORSHIP

1. Haggai was a post-exilic prophet, but he did not write the book.

2. Some interested party, from notes supplied by Haggai, wrote the book. All of his work is referred to in the third person.

3. Haggai was probably of a priestly family.

4. He was born in Babylon, and later lived in Jerusalem.

5. He was a contemporary and co-worker of Zechariah.

6. In its present form, the book presents evidence of later editors making changes.

7. Date: About 520 B.C.

III. LOOK AT THE BOOK

1. Notwithstanding what has been said about rebuilding the temple-it was really Haggai who got the job going and finished in four years.

2. Times were bad-there was a shortage of food. There was also inflation. "Wages" were compared to a "bag with holes in it."

3. The best known verse is 2:7 referring to the Messiah as "the desire of all nations." (King James Version)

4. This book is unlike any other in the Old Testament in that it is not a prophet's message first-handed, but rather an account of a prophet's teaching and the results.

5. Haggai was indeed a "minor" prophet. Spiritually regarded, he could be regarded even as a second or third class prophet.

6. But he did arouse the people to rebuild the temple.

7. When Zerubbabel, of David's line, was appointed governor of Palestine, Haggai thought it was evidence that the line of David was to rule the country. But he never became king.

8. Both Haggai and Zechariah were great enemies of the Samaritans. This was the start of the long-lasting bad feelings between the Jews and the Samaritans.

9. In Chapter 1, verse 6, there is a strong suggestion of inflation. "And he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes."

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