things rst Not long after God led the Jews out of exile back to Jerusalem, the people became self-satis ed and began to neglect the things of the Lord They were building houses for themselves, but hardly a soul was grieved that the Temple-building project, discontinued fourteen years earlier, was yet at a standstill To such a stagnant situation, Haggai was sent with God’s message I BACKGROUND (Scan the book of Haggai before proceeding with this study of background.) A THE MAN HAGGAI Very little is known of the prophet Haggai His name appears in two verses outside of his own book: Ezra 5:1; 6:14 Read these verses Name The name Haggai means “festal” or “festive.” The root of the word Haggai has the literal meaning of celebration Read Samuel 30:16, where the Hebrew word is translated “dancing.” What ever led Haggai’s parents to this name, it was well chosen, for, as one writer has observed, “Haggai was one of the few prophets who had the inexpressible pleasure of seeing the fruits of his message ripen before his very eyes.”4 Home Haggai was probably born in Babylon during the captivity years We know nothing about his family He was among the rst contingent of Jews returning to Jerusalem, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, in 536 B.C (Ezra 2:2) Ministry The prophet Haggai is often referred to as “The Successful Prophet.” No prophet saw a faster response to his message than did Haggai Also, he has been called “the prophet who said it with bricks.” This is because the main subject of his message was the completion of the Temple structure Haggai and Zechariah were companions in the prophetic ministry (Ezra 5:1; 6:14) How was the principle of co-working practiced in New Testament times? (Cf Mark 6:7.) What are the advantages of a dual witness? B THE BOOK OF HAGGAI Date The book of Haggai clearly dates itself: “second year of Darius the king,” (1:1), which was 520 B.C All four messages recorded in the book bear the same date, as to year Historical setting As mentioned earlier, the Temple project is the focal issue of the book of Haggai The story of that project, in the early years, is tragic To fully appreciate the prophet’s burden, the following sequence of events, predating his writing, should be learned (Read the Bible references, and locate some of the dates on Chart 57.) 586 B.C Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed by the Babylonian invaders 539 B.C Fall of Babylon The Persian Empire, ruled by King Cyrus, becomes the world power The Jews in exile are not subject to Cyrus 538 B.C God moves Cyrus to issue a decree permitting and encouraging the Jews to return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-4) 536 B.C First return of Jews under Zerubbabel Read Ezra 1:5—2:70 and Nehemiah 12 The total number of returnees: about fifty thousand (see Ezra 2:64-67) 536-535 B.C Altar of burnt offerings built at Jerusalem, on the site of the Temple ruins Feast of Tabernacles kept Sacrifices observed (Ezra 3:1-6) Foundations of the Temple laid (Ezra ... 5:1; 6:14) How was the principle of co-working practiced in New Testament times? (Cf Mark 6:7.) What are the advantages of a dual witness? B THE BOOK OF HAGGAI Date The book of Haggai clearly... project is the focal issue of the book of Haggai The story of that project, in the early years, is tragic To fully appreciate the prophet’s burden, the following sequence of events, predating his... been called ? ?the prophet who said it with bricks.” This is because the main subject of his message was the completion of the Temple structure Haggai and Zechariah were companions in the prophetic