The Prophet Haggai and His Message. 

        Though it is not explicitly stated, it is fairly universally assumed that Haggai was one of those that had returned from Babylonia. The section 2:10-14 is so technical in its outlook that it is generally agreed that Haggai must either have been a priest or have belonged at least to the Temple circles. It may be that the non-mention of the name of his father points to the latter as shewing his family not to be of great importance.

        It has been suggested by some that Haggai is rather pedestrian and that his message appeals to self-interest. Certainly his language cannot be compared with some of his predecessors; it is rhythmic prose not poetry, but it seems well wedded to the message.

        As we showed above Haggai was speaking to men who had made great sacrifices for God, whose chief purpose was to serve God more perfectly. When God did not respond to the sanguine hopes with which they had returned, when they found themselves faced with great material problems and hampered in rebuilding by being refused the promised govern­ment aid, they naturally tended to ask whether they had mis­understood the will of Jehovah, and to suggest that the time for rebuilding had not yet come. Lack of faith and self-interest combined to create a plausible mask for their motives which deceived the majority.

        Haggai pointed out first of all that their material distress had not been as great as they had persuaded themselves, for they had been able to “del,” i.e. line with wood, their own houses (1:4). In the hills of Judaea stone is cheap, wood is a luxury. Then with the same simple, stern logic shown by Amos, he pointed out (1:5f) that they had not received even the minimum they might have expected, if they had been doing God’s will. There could be only one logical reason — the neglect of the Temple (1:9ff).

        The promise of immediate material blessing (2:15-19) is in no sense a bribe. It is part of Haggai’s spiritual logic. Once a God-fearing people was doing God’s will there could be only one result.

        It may very well be this sense of spiritual logic rather than of revelation, though there are passages of prophetic revelation in the book, that caused Haggai to use the phrase “the word of Jehovah came by Haggai the prophet” (1:1, 3; 2:1, 10) instead of to Haggai as one would expect (cf. Jer. 1:2; Ezek. 1:3; Hos. 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Zech. 1:1, etc.). When it is a matter purely of revelation (2:20-23) then the usual formula is used (2:20).

        The book is divided into four dated messages covering a period of little more than three months.