Is Your Life Out of Order? Start Here (Haggai 1-2)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

What do you do when your life is in chaos?

If the pieces of your life are falling apart, the Book of Haggai is a good read. The setting is 520 BC, during the reign of the Persian king Darius I. “The book contains reports of theologically based exhortations to undertake the work of reconstruction and discusses the central role of the Temple in the life of the community.”^[1] It also “consists of four narrative reports about four particular divine communications and their circumstances.”^[2] As the Jewish Study Bible notes,

The four reports are integrated into a tight literary unit. They are kept together by the figure of Haggai, with whom they are explicitly and repeatedly associated, by their common introduction, structure, and even choice of words. Each of the reports provides a kind of snapshot, and all together they address the restoration of the Temple, Judah, and Jerusalem in the Persian period.^[3]

The main message of the Book of Haggai is a call to prioritize rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Haggai urges the people of Judah to focus on restoring the house of God rather than their own personal affairs. He promises that their obedience will lead to divine blessings, prosperity, and God's presence among them. As Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler note, “It is not hard to envision a scene in which the rebuilding of their community was physically and emotionally exhausting.”^[4]

These authors go on to state that “By making such a clear commitment to the ongoing worship of God, blessings would flow to the community, and the future existence of the remnant of Israel would be secure. The temple was to serve as the center point to give the former exiles a new way of understanding themselves in a changed world.^[5]

Walls were important, but worship was even more important, and Haggai takes God’s words recorded in Haggai 1:8 very seriously: “Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified.” Is it hard? Yes, but it’s critically important. Because God knew how difficult this task would be, three times he used the phrase “Be strong” to encourage the people—echoing earlier commands he had given to Joshua and the nation of Israel. Like Nehemiah, the people were not to be distracted and were to remain focused on their mission.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Lord, I praise you for your steadfast love and desire to dwell among your people. Thank you for your faithfulness in guiding us back to you and for the promises of blessings and restoration. Your glory fills the earth, and your presence brings us hope and strength.

Release | I release my distractions and personal ambitions that have taken priority over your will. I let go of any fear or doubt that hinders me from fully committing to your work. Help me to surrender my plans and trust in your divine guidance and timing.

Ask | I ask for your wisdom and strength to prioritize your kingdom and to rebuild what has been neglected in my spiritual life. Empower me to seek your presence and to honor you with my actions and decisions. Grant me the courage to obey your call and to trust in your promises of provision and blessing.

Yield | I yield my heart to your will, committing to put you first in all areas of my life. I surrender to your purpose, trusting that you will bring greater glory and blessing as I follow your lead. May my life be a testament to your goodness and faithfulness, bringing honor to your name.

A Challenge to Act Like Christ