FTC Preaching Guide: Haggai

Cole Feix

Introduction

Only a small minority of Israel returned to the Promised Land after 70 years of exile. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, issued an edict allowing all the Jews to return home (Ezra 1:1– 3; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23). Led by Zerubbabel, about 40,000 Israelites embarked to reconstruct the Temple and resettle the land, but their efforts were quickly thwarted. Shortly after, the prophet Ezra brought another small group back to Jerusalem, followed by Nehemiah in 444 BC.

Regional powers offered fierce opposition to the work, discouraging them through insults, false counsel, and a false appeal to King Artaxerxes (Ezra 4). The feelings of hopelessness eventually led to indifference among the people, as they became busy rebuilding their own houses rather than the house of the Lord (Hag. 1:4). The Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai and declared a message to be given to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judea, and Joshua, the High Priest.

Following in the footsteps of earlier prophets, Haggai rebuked the people and called them to turn their hearts back to the Lord. He revealed that while they were busy reclaiming the life they had lost in exile, the Lord himself was hindering their efforts because of their lack of zeal for his house (1:9–11). One of the central messages of Haggai is the importance of worshiping God with heart, soul, and mind, a theme that runs through the whole Bible. When the people
responded to the message and began building the temple again, they were disappointed with the final product. Haggai tells us that some of the exiles saw the new temple as “nothing” compared with the splendor and grandeur of the first temple built by Solomon (Hag. 2:3). Some of those standing there had seen the former temple in all its glory before its destruction. In their disappointment, God reminded them that it was His presence that made the temple glorious (Haggai 2:4), and He promised that one day all the riches of the former temple would be returned tenfold in the future Messianic Kingdom.

Preaching Outlines

ESV Expository Commentary

  • Rebuild the Lord’s House (1:1–1:15)
  • The Coming Glory of the Temple (2:1–9)
  • Restoring the Foundations (2:10–23)

Sinclair Ferguson

  • Not Yet Time?: Haggai’s Call to Rebuild—Haggai 1:1 (August 29, 520 B.C.)
  • A Word from the Lord: The Call to Action—Haggai 1:1–2
  • Consider Your Ways: The Consequences of Neglect—Haggai 1:3–11
  • Obedience and God’s Presence—Haggai 1:12–15
  • Be Strong and Work: Encouragement for the Task—Haggai 2:1–5
  • The Glory of the New Temple—Haggai 2:6–9
  • From This Day On: Blessing Promised—Haggai 2:10–19
  • God’s Chosen Signet—Haggai 2:20–23

Problem Passages

The Case of Uncleanliness (2:10–19)

Sandwiched between depictions of the future glory of the rebuilt Temple and the restoration of Jerusalem’s prosperity, Haggai teaches a strange parable centered on Old Testament purity laws. This is a difficult text because it involves a detailed knowledge of the Law. First, Haggai asks about a sacrifice carried in the fold of a garment. As described in Leviticus 6:25–27, when a meat offering is made to the Lord, the meat becomes holy, and anything that touches it is also considered holy. The point of the first scenario is that holiness cannot be transmitted to a third degree. Second, he asks them about touching a dead body, which would have made someone ritually unclean, according to Numbers 19:11. Unlike the meat, the dead body can transmit uncleanness to a third degree (Numbers 19:22). Through this analogy to the purity laws, God is showing the people something important about their spiritual condition. Being in the land and
living in the Holy Place that God has chosen can not make them holy. But on the contrary, the uncleanliness of the “dead” corpse of the temple in their midst has spread uncleanness through the community in their spiritual aparthy. They are as lifeless as the temple! There are multiple implications we can draw from this story that help us make sense of why it was included in the text:

The Need to Actively Pursue Holiness

When we look at the riddle posed to the Priests, the emphasis is on the process of something holy becoming unclean, according to the directives given in the Law. A piece of sacrificial meat that has been deemed holy can become unclean via contact with other unclean foods. Likewise, if someone comes in contact with a dead body and touches one of these foods, then the touched food is rendered unclean, and it must not be eaten. Haggai likens this same property to the worship of the people; they wish to be made holy and yet refuse to cleanse themselves of their wickedness. Unholiness is contagious, but holiness is not.

The Affirmation of the Priestly Office

While this application may be subtle, it is worth noting. When Haggai receives this revelation, God commands him to pose these two questions to the Priests. According to Moses’ direction, the Priests were commanded not only to facilitate the liturgical rites and rituals of the Temple, but also to teach the people Torah (Leviticus 10:11). When God’s people lack proper instruction, guidance, and discipline, they suffer greatly. Those who have been entrusted by God to teach his Word must be ready to assume this weighty responsibility.

The Blessings of Obedience

After applying the parable in v. 14, Haggai calls on the people to consider their past. It was because of disobedience that Israel was conquered, destroyed, and exiled. After 70 years, God had miraculously and mercifully brought the people back to the land, but they were still struggling to follow God fully, as they left the temple in ruins for years. In v. 16–19, God reveals that all of the people’s efforts to prosper would amount to nothing as long as they failed to worship the Lord.

The Immeasurable Mercy of God

We cannot miss the overwhelming kindness of God in this section. In v. 19, there is a promise of blessing. Despite the constant rebellion of Israel – the idol worship, the spiritual adultery, the forgetfulness of their hearts—God still promises to bless. Once the people return to the Lord and walk in his ways, then all the curses will be reversed. God had every right to exact justice against his people for their sin, but instead, he chose to forgive their disobedience and restore
them to the land.

Key Themes and Motifs

  • Rebuilding – When the first wave of exiles returned to Jerusalem in 548 B.C., the first order of business was to rebuild the temple. However, construction quickly stalled due to opposition from the regional powers and from their own spiritual apathy. We learn from Haggai’s rebuke of the people that they paid more attention to rebuilding their homes, recovering their own material wealth, than to the house of God, which remained in ruins. And as the Lord made clear through the prophet in v. 19, blessing would not come to the people until they rebuilt the temple and reinvigorated their hearts for worship.
  • Blessing – One of the major themes in Haggai is the idea of blessing. The lack of blessing, which in this case involved the fruitlessness of the land and Israel’s efforts, was the direct result of a lack of covenant faithfulness (1:7-11). Multiple times in Haggai’s prophecy, God promised to bless Israel if she would return to her faithful husbandman (2:9, 19). This idea of blessing as a result of covenant faithfulness is prevalent throughout the Old Testament, especially in Deuteronomy. True blessing and prosperity come when our lives are aligned with the will of God.
  • The Presence of God – Among the exiles who had returned, there were some who could remember the glory and splendor of Solomon’s temple. When they looked upon the shabby second temple, many of them wept. But God spoke through Haggai and said that this smaller temple will be ever greater (2:9). How could that be when world leaders had come from all over to view the grandeur of the former temple? It would be greater because God’s presence would dwell there. We see this in the coming of Christ and the eschatological hope that God’s presence will fill the New Heavens and the New Earth.
  • Vision of the Past – A part of Haggai’s strategy to awaken the people from apathy was to remind them of their covenant heritage. In 2:5, the memories of the Exodus are recalled, and the covenant that God made with his delivered people (Ex. 29:45) is remembered. This covenant promise culminates in God dwelling among his people, the greatest consolation Israel could receive. In the same way that their God was with them in their flight from slavery, so he would be with them now as they enter a new era in their history.
  • The Reversal of the World Order – Multiple times in Haggai, God announces to Israel that he will reverse their misfortunes and turn the tables on the current world powers (2:6-7, 21-22). Israel, for years, had been at the mercy of the surrounding nations, as they were attacked and conquered by one sovereign after another. Those days were numbered, as God promised to “shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land” (2:21-22). As in Solomon’s reign, the nations will once again bring all their riches to Jerusalem as an act of respect and homage to God. Although Israel might seem insignificant among the nations, once God dwells among his people, they will be the light of the world.
  • The Continuity of God’s Promise – The book of Haggai is a declaration that God will keep all of his covenant promises. In this book, we see God affirming the covenant he made with David in 2 Samuel 7. One of the key leaders in this book is Zerubbabel, who happens to be of the Davidic line. While this small detail could be missed, it carries with it profound implications. God is keeping his word to his servant David, that one of his line will remain on the throne, forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16).

Helpful Commentaries and Resources

  • Craig Bartholomew and Heath Thomas, The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction, IVP Academic, 2023.
  • Andrew E. Hill, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 2012.
  • Michael P. V. Barrett, TGC Commentary on Haggai, 2023.
  • Michael Stead, Haggai in ESV Expository Commentary Daniel-Malachi, 2018.
  • Robert Fyall – The Message of Ezra and Haggai: Building for God, The Bible Speaks Today, 2010.
  • Pieter A. Verhoef – The Books of Haggai and Malachi, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT), 1987.
  • Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 2009.
  • Alan Fuhr and Gary Yates, The Message of the Twelve: Hearing the Voice of the Minor Prophets, B&H Academic, 2016.

How to Preach Christ from Haggai

Many laypeople and even pastors might struggle to find the Christ connection in the book of Haggai. It addresses a specific era of Israel’s history, which presents certain challenges for application. Despite this, the heart of this little book is the indwelling presence of God. It shines in the grand mosaic of the biblical storyline: God will dwell with his people again. In Haggai, God promises to once again shake the nations and dwell once again with his people, after they purify their hearts in worship (2:4-5). The glory of God returned to Israel in the most inconspicuous way: a child born in obscurity. Through the incarnation of the Son, God dwelt with his people bodily (John 1:14) and through him, by way of his death and resurrection, God will live with his people forever (Rev. 21:3). This is the great hope of the Christian; by the salvation accomplished through Christ, we will dwell in glory unspeakable with our God forever and ever.

Why you Should Preach this Book

Pastors should preach Haggai because it offers a glimpse into an obscure yet fascinating period in Israel’s history. The era between the first and second temples presents Israel in a different light than during the wilderness or monarchy years. In many ways, this period is the direct backdrop for the world in the first century. Jesus’ Jerusalem is unexplainable without books like Haggai.

The emphasis on holiness and pure, undefiled worship in this little book is a much-needed message today. In our society today, the greatest threat to Christian fidelity is not invasion from world powers and foreign opposition, but the inward spiritual apathy that can so easily creep into our hearts. When we become too comfortable with where we are in our faith, we will inevitably experience drift. Haggai reminds us that anything short of whole-hearted devotion to God falls short of the life we have in Christ.

Cole Feix

Cole Feix is the president of So We Speak Media in Oklahoma City and a PhD student at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.