Those following the two-year Bible reading plan with me will begin reading the book of Haggai tomorrow, December 12. (Link to the Two-Year Bible Reading Plan Bookmarks)

Haggai returned from exile in Babylon along with the remnant of the Jews and was instrumental in motivating the people to rebuild the temple.

Haggai rebuked the people for saying it wasn’t yet time to rebuild the temple while they had time to build their paneled houses. Because of this, God called for drought on the land and on everything it produced, on the people, and on the labor of their hands. Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David and the appointed as governor by the king of Babylon. Zerubbabel and the people obeyed the Lord and began to work on the house of the Lord.

The older people including Haggai were saddened because this temple was going to be much smaller than Solomon’s temple which they remembered from before their exile. But God encouraged them promising a new glory for this house. Haggai cautioned the priests to give careful thought to their actions from this day forward remembering the penalty they previously paid for neglecting God’s temple and putting Him first.

The Lord told Haggai to give a message to Zerubbabel that God would overthrow the foreign kingdoms and that God had chosen Zerubbabel to be as a signet ring for Him.

Image credit: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/jtjm-minor-prophets/