In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth
month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son
of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:
This is
what the Lord Almighty
says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
Then the
word of the Lord came
through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you
yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a
ruin?” Haggai 1:1-4
After
Babylon defeated Judah and moved many of the Jews into a seventy year Jewish
exile in Babylon, the Persians later defeated the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to
return to Jerusalem. Their first job was
to rebuild the temple.
Haggai was
the prophet who spoke to Zerubbabel (the builder/contractor/governor) and Joshua (the
high priest) encouraging them to start the building process.
Haggai
asked the people to examine whether it was right that they lived in
houses while God had no house to dwell in.
God asked them if they wondered why things weren’t going so well with
them, such as their crops not growing.
He said he was withholding the blessing until they got their priorities
right.
This motivated them (verses
1:12-15) and they began building the foundation of the temple then moved to the
altar.
Then Joshua son of
Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel
son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of
Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written
in the Law of Moses the man of God. Ezra
3:2
God,
pleased with the work, gave Zerubbabel authority, calling him a “signet ring,”
which kings used to give permission and sign off on documents. It was a high honor.
The book
of Haggai was a series of four messages during a seven month period (the second
month of the year then the seventh month and twice in the ninth month of the second year of Darius
reign) in the year 520 BC.