Book of Haggai bible study

            Here is the book of Haggai, only two chapters, but has powerful messages nevertheless. It was written just after Darius took charge in power, and Haggai was made a prophet of the Lord to the governor of Judah at that time. The messages reprove, chasten, and punish the Israelis for failing to build God’s houses but building their own, so the Lord asks the people to consider and build His and there are warning messages

For more on this time period of the rebuilding of the temple and all of the drama involved in the process, even a little on Haggai the prophet, I am giving a link to the bible study on the book of Ezra here

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/book-of-ezra-bible-study/10200741573395275

In Haggai chapter 1 Haggai gives the word of the Lord to reconsider and build His house, for He is punishing them for not doing that in various ways, for the Lord was mad because they worked on their own houses and neglected His. The people do turn from that and work on His as a result of the punishment

(Hagai 1:1)  In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

(Haggai 1:2)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD."

(Hagai 1:3)  Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet,

(Haggai 1:4)  "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?

(Haggai 1:5)  Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.

(Haggai 1:6)  You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

(Haggai 1:7)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.

(Haggai 1:8)  Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.

(Haggai 1:9)  You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

(Haggai 1:10)  Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.

(Haggai 1:11)  And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."

(Haggai 1:12)  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.

(Haggai 1:13)  Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, "I am with you, declares the LORD."

(Haggai 1:14)  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,

(Haggai 1:15)  on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

In Haggai chapter 2 even though His house is still nothing, the Lord promises to be with the children of Israel, promises to share the nations and that the latter glory will be greater than the former glory and there are other prophecies and chastisements some of the prophecies are end times related

(Haggai 2:1)  In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet,

(Haggai 2:2)  "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,

(Haggai 2:3)  'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

(Haggai 2:4)  Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,

(Haggai 2:5)  according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

(Haggai 2:6)  For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

(Haggai 2:7)  And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.

(Haggai 2:8)  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

(Haggai 2:9)  The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'"

(Haggai 2:10)  On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet,

(Haggai 2:11)  "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:

(Haggai 2:12)  'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No."

(Haggai 2:13)  Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."

(Haggai 2:14)  Then Haggai answered and said, "So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.

(Haggai 2:15)  Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD,

(Haggai 2:16)  how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.

(Haggai 2:17)  I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD.

(Haggai 2:18)  Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider:

(Haggai 2:19)  Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you."

(Haggai 2:20)  The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,

(Haggai 2:21)  "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,

(Haggai 2:22)  and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.

(Haggai 2:23)  On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts."

Haggai was a prophet also with a good message reminding people to put the Lord first which the exiles did not do, building their own houses ahead of the temple. The Lord indeed did punish them for doing so, using Haggai to chastise the people as well, which got them to reconsider and build His house at last. God then promised to be with the people as He is with us. This book contains even some end times prophecies concerning when the Lord will shake the nations one time again and others. God would eventually though send His son Jesus to the earth and He willingly and lovingly died for all of our sins, so then God could offer us His unspeakable gift of mercy and grace and eternal life and what is most important to God, a relationship restored with mankind that sin had separated. Now through the atonement on the cross, the love relationship can be restored. There is nothing that can compare with a relationship with Jesus, either, nothing even comes remotely close indeed at all. I am now including a prayer which will invite Jesus into your heart and then this love relationship with the Lord can start up, or you can also use this prayer to come back to the love relationship if it has been separated for any reason. God is merciful and welcomes back all who are willing to repent and turn to Him. Please then pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours