All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:16–17

If you have been studying the Bible for some time now, you’ve likely come across this passage. You may even have it memorized in your desire to know and love God through His Word. But what happens when you get to a minor prophet like Haggai? It can be a challenge to understand how this short book is profitable, equipping you for “every good work.” 

It may have been a while since you last read Haggai—or perhaps this is the first time you have ever read this short book. Finding it may have even required a trip to the table of contents at the front of your Bible. And yet, tucked in this short book of only thirty-eight verses, is truth that teaches us who God is and how we should live in light of that truth. 

If you have ever wondered if God is with you, if you have ever wondered if God will keep His promises, if you have ever felt like life has not turned out the way you hoped—the book of Haggai is for you. In it, you will be reminded that God is with you, that He always keeps His promises even when we don’t understand, and that He is our hope no matter how our circumstances have turned out. Haggai emphasizes the need for the temple, but the message is so much greater than the importance of a physical structure. The message of Haggai is not simply to put God first but to live every moment of our lives with the presence of God at the center. He is not just first among many priorities—God is the foundation, the source, the wellspring, and the goal of our entire lives.

As we begin to think about the book of Haggai, it is helpful for us to remember what has happened in the Old Testament up until this point. Scripture began in Genesis 1 as God made the world and everything in it. But by Genesis 3, sin entered the world with the Fall. Though the consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden was death, God made a promise that a Redeemer would come. They didn’t know when or how, but God promised them that His plan, which was set before the ages began, would come to pass. 

In Genesis 12, we are introduced to a man named Abraham, with whom God made a covenant, promising him that He would make Abraham into a great nation and that all nations would find blessing in his offspring. Eventually, his descendants, the people of Israel, found themselves enslaved in Egypt, but God faithfully delivered them and made a covenant with the Israelites. Within this covenant, God promised His people blessings for their obedience and consequences for their disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). Eventually God made a covenant to Israel’s greatest king, David, that an eternal king would come through David’s line—one who would sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:8–16). God’s faithfulness to His people is present on every page of the Old Testament. 

However, despite God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, His people rebelled against His gracious hand (2 Kings 24:2–4, 20) and experienced the consequences He warned them about. As a result of their sin, the Babylonians conquered them, destroyed their temple (the place where they were supposed to worship God), and carried them off into captivity (2 Chronicles 36:15–20). The nation that had been promised blessing and God’s very presence had chosen exile instead. But still, God was faithful. He promised that a remnant would return to their homeland after the Exile and that the promise of the coming Messiah—the eternal King—would still come about (Jeremiah 29:10–14, 33:15–17).

We pick up in the book of Haggai at the end of that long exile and captivity. God had promised that a remnant would return, and King Cyrus allowed the people to do just that in 538 BC for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. To these returned exiles, God called Haggai to prophesy. 

The book of Haggai may be short, but it is packed with a significant message to the returned remnant. The people had become apathetic about rebuilding the temple, seeking after material wealth and success. While many of the Minor Prophets focus on the people’s lack of justice for the oppressed, Haggai focuses on how the people’s excess, misplaced priorities, and sin had led them to demonstrate a lack of justice toward God Himself. The people were not giving God what He deserved. Haggai calls them to look to God. He calls them to rebuild the temple. He calls them to take their focus off of themselves and to fix their gaze on the Covenant God.

The book of Haggai is a call not only to put God first but also to keep Him central to every part of life.

Though this book consists of just two chapters and spans just thirty-eight verses, it is overflowing with a message for the people of Haggai’s day—and it is a message from which we, too, can learn so much. The book instills in us the matchless worth of the Word of the Lord. Over and over, we see that phrase in the book. God’s Word is what changes us, and that is just as true for us today as it was for those in Haggai’s day. Other themes include the temple, the apathy of the people, God’s covenant faithfulness, and God’s sovereignty. There is also a great emphasis on both Messianic hope and the future restoration of all things—when God makes all things new. The message is not only that God will make all things right in the future but also that God is already at work now.

Throughout the book, we see three key people: Haggai, Joshua, and Zerubbabel. In them, we see the roles of prophet, priest, and king displayed. And ultimately, we are pointed to Jesus, who is our great Prophet, Priest, and King.

This book is not ultimately about Haggai or the people of God—this is a book about Jesus. It is a book that points us to His faithfulness and His worthiness of our worship. It points us to the One who would fulfill the covenant and every promise of God. In these two chapters, we are reminded of who God is and how He pursues us despite our unfaithfulness. The book of Haggai is a call to worship and a reminder that God has not forgotten His promises. He is faithful, and He calls His people to be faithful.

As God’s people today, we read the words of Haggai and see that our own situation is quite similar to the time in which Haggai prophesied. Our culture and even the Church are often apathetic to the holiness of God. We so often forget who He is and what He has called us to. It is easy to go through life without being constantly aware of how God is at work today. But may you read the words of Haggai and be reminded of the God who is pursuing you even now.

Additional Resources for Seeking God:

Haggai		Eden to Eternity | Chronological Year-Long Digital Bible Study | Bundle		Clinging to the Cross - Lent Bible Study		Be With Jesus
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