4 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Haggai

The book of Haggai is a tiny prophetic book nestled between Zephaniah and Zechariah in the Old Testament. God had pointed messages for His people some of which still apply to us today.

Who Wrote the Book of Haggai?

Table of Contents

The prophet Haggai has been accredited with the authorship of the book of Haggai.

Who was Haggai?

Not much is known about the prophet Haggai. He was the first prophet to speak to the Israelites after they had returned from captivity. His first message came on a New Moon which should have been a feast day (Haggai 1:1).

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for Haggai is Chaggay, (pronounced khag-gah’-ee) meaning festive. Chaggay comes from the root word chag, (pronounced khag) which means a festival, or (solemn) feast (day).

What is the book of Haggai about in the Bible?

The book of Haggai contains the four prophesies that had been given to the Israelites after they returned from captivity by the prophet Haggai. The Israelites had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple but had encountered opposition and stopped (Ezra 1-4).

Instead, they had built their own houses and planted crops. The Lord wanted them to know He was not happy with their actions (Haggai 1:4-11).

The book of Haggai contains the chastisement for their unfaithfulness in rebuilding the temple but it also contains encouragement. God commanded them to do the work and reminded them that He was with them (Haggai 1:13). Though they had not done what they were supposed to do, God renewed His covenant with them and promised to bless them (Haggai 2:4-19).

What is the main theme of the book of Haggai?

There are several themes in the book of Haggai such as:

The importance of being faithful and keeping the promises we make to God.
God is faithful even when we are not.
God’s people need to persevere in the face of adversity.

However, I believe the main theme in the book of Haggai is the importance of completing the work that God has assigned to us. When God gives us a task, things are going to get rough because the devil doesn’t want us to accomplish God’s will. But we must push through. We must overcome the obstacles in order to do what God says.

What does the book of Haggai deals with?

The book of Haggai deals with the people’s unfaithfulness in rebuilding the temple and the hardship they experienced as a result. It is a reminder that God is ultimately in control and that we need to turn to Him in our troubles instead of trying to go our own way.

What is the key verse in Haggai?

The verse that best summarizes the main idea of the book Haggai is this,

‘Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the LORD; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the LORD, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:4 NKJV).

The Lord encourages His people to be strong, reminds them that He is always with them, and tells them to get to work. He speaks to the men responsible for their spiritual and civil needs and spoke life and power to them. God knew if the leaders were encouraged, they would in turn encourage the people.

Other good choices for a key verse would be Haggai 1:5 or Haggai 1:7. In both verses, we’ll find these words,

Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

The word “consider” appears several times in the book showing how important it is for God’s people to think about what they’re doing.

Lessons from the Book of Haggai

There are many lessons to be gleaned from the book of Haggai but these four stood out for me.

1. God is always with us (Haggai 1:13, 2:4-5). Even though His people had not obeyed Him, He had not abandoned them or left them alone.

2. The trials and tribulations in our lives are an invitation and an opportunity to turn to God (Haggai 2:17). What do you do when you experience trials? Do you complain? Do you tell all your family members and friends? Or do you turn to God? Haggai reminds us we need to turn to God when we experience difficulties.

3. God blesses us not because we deserve it but because He chooses to (Haggai 2:19). Every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17). The only thing we deserve is death (Romans 6:23) but instead, we receive mercy, love, grace, and goodness. He gives us everything we need.

4. The Lord keeps His promises. When He says He will do something, He does it (Haggai 2:5, 23). He may not do it in the timing we expect it or in the way we would have chosen but His timing is always perfect.

Book of Haggai Bible Study

The book of Haggai, though short, offers many nuggets of advice and gives us a glimpse into the history of Israel. If you’d like to go deeper into this little book, The Book of Haggai Bible Study Workbook is now available on Amazon. This self-guided Bible study workbook may be just what you need to go deeper in the book of Haggai.