Background: Most of the Minor Prophets had been warning God's people of the coming exile to no avail. Finally, after the exile, God called a remnant of His people back to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding the temple, the walls, and the city. It was a long, tedious process full of frustration and discouragement. It was to this group of people that God sent the likes of Zechariah and Haggai. Haggai in particular gave a series of challenges within a brief period of time to challenge the people to not give up and to obey and trust God's plan. In the opening chapter, he confronts them with the fact that they had focused all their time, energy, and resources on rebuilding their own houses, businesses and farms, only to see them falter and fail. If they were to put God's house and plan first, they would succeed personally as well.
Key Verses: 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
Thoughts: At first, it seemed that the people might not respond, but the two leaders rallied the people and they all came together to do the work. The response of obedience was to fear the Lord. By obeying God they experienced the presence of God, which was what they all needed and really longed for in the first place. Haggai saw initial success in his service for God.
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