Verse 1
'In the second year of Darius the King' - The book is set in the 2nd year of Darius the King. That allows the dating to be quite accurate and gives us clear indications about the conditions in the land at that time.
The book deals with the situation post-exile. The people had not heeded the Lord's warnings and had gone into exile for 70 years. But, in fulfilment of his promise, after 70 years the exile ended and the people returned (see Ezra ch.1-3).
At first the work went well: the altar was set-up and the foundation of the temple laid. But then the work ceased and, at the time the book was written, had been ceased for some 16 years. It is into that situation that Haggai brings the word of the the Lord.
'on the first day of the sixth month' - the first day of a month was to be a celebration day (see Num 28:11-15) and if the people observed it, they no doubt had gathered in Jerusalem at the site of the temple.
The Lord is going to speak to his people about the state of the temple with the greatest visual aid in front of them! They would usually have brought offerings with them and the Lord will later on in this chapter use the absence of produce as a silence that spoke volumes about their lives before him.
'the word of the Lord came...' - this phrase & others like it are found between 25 and 29 times in this short book. This was no man-inspired attempt to get the people working again; God was speaking, clearly, powerfully and unmistakably.
This was the first direct word from the Lord since the return from exile - a momentous time for the people. What would he say to them?
'throught the prophet Haggai' - God's word via a man. We know next to nothing about Haggai but in a sense that's helpful because it means we focus on the message, not the channel. It may be that he himself had known the former temple (2:3) and had therefore experienced the exile.
'the word of the Lord came...to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and to Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the High Priest' - It came firstly to the leaders of the community and only then to the people at large. Those in leadership have a particular responsibility to listen to God and to lead the people by example.
Verse 2
'This is what the Lord Almighty says...' - that name for God (Lord of Hosts) is used 14 times in this short book which means it is of significance to us. It is a name which highlights the awesome power and sovereignty of God. He is King of heaven above and King of all the earth too. No power is like his, no power can equal his; he alone is the Lord.
The name was frequently used after the exile. For a people who were weakened, despised, subjugated, it held great encouragement: our God reigns! But it also challenges them (& us): if you know the Lord is Almighty then live as if you do & trust him daily!
'These people say, "The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built"' - this is the people's conclusion about the work. The Lord calls them 'this people' not 'my people' which is a real rebuke to them. They weren't acting like his people; they were not seeking first his glory.
Why had they drawn such a conclusion?
- They had been opposed and perpetual opposition can wear us down. They had grown weary in well doing; they were discouraged. It's easy to see why they stopped.
- They had given in to the temptation to read providence from their perspective, not God's. Yet he had given them clear indications that he was with them: the amazing decree of Cyrus for them to return and build the temple; the provisions that were given to them as they returned, expressly for the rebuilding of the temple. But because of all that stood against them, they reached a different conclusion.
We, too, experience opposition and are liable to the same temptations as these people. We need to pray for grace to persevere, to receive God's word as it stands. We need the spirit that says "What he says, we will do; where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust & obey".
