Thru the Bible: Haggai

Haggai is one of two prophets in particular who were used of God to help steer the Jewish returnee’s from Babylonian exile to devotion to God. He understood judgment in a way which the Jewish people did not. God is merciful and kind in His judgments, but sometimes His people need an actual human voice to hear, rather than scripture to remember.

The players in this book are familiar to us from Ezra, Nehemiah, Ezekiel…etc. Of note were Haggai, Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the priest and King Darius I all in the time period including the end of the 6th century B.C..

These people had returned to Judah with the stated intention of helping to rebuilt the Temple by the order and permission of Cyrus the Great. However, upon returning to their former estates, they got so caught up in restoring their homes and lives that they forgot the temple. THAT is the primary focus of Haggai’s prophecies.

The lineage of Jesus through Zerubbabel is also a major contribution to our understanding how Jesus was able to be the fulfillment of continuing David’s reign, after Jeconiah’s progeny had been denied future access by God through the prophet Jeremiah.

This is a very small but pivotal book!