The book of Haggai is a record of the messages of the prophet Haggai. As with most prophets, Haggai’s message focused on current events for the people of Israel.
Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah, and his prophetic mission was to encourage the reconstruction of the temple by the returning exiles.
Haggai focused on the importance of the temple to the Jews, urging them to make it’s reconstruction a priority. He also criticized materialism and self-centeredness, advocating a timeless message of making God the people’s priority and focus.
Haggai is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter.
(Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)
Dig into the intriguing lives and ministries of the Bible’s twelve minor prophets in Peter DeHaan’s book Dear Theophilus, Minor Prophets: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
