The book of Haggai takes place in the post-exilic Hebrew community. After decades of exile and subordination under the Babylonians, the people of Israel are wondering where the promises of God are. Particularly, the much beloved promise to David that his throne would endure forever, was becoming continually obscure as the people were scattered in a land not their, own ruled by a king not their own. The original promise to Abraham that they would be a “great nation” that would bless all other nations was becoming more of a memory than destiny. But as the prophet Jeremiah had foretold God’s people, Babylon did not rule over the oppressed people forever. The Persians eventually came and overtook the longstanding world power of Babylon and a new chapter in Israel’s history was about to begin. Ezra tells us, “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom…The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him and let him go to Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:1-3). And just like that the promises of God don’t seem that far off! The remnant of Israel scattered abroad is now headed back to Jerusalem. Their story isn’t over. God has not abandoned them.

But by the time of Haggai, a few years had passed since the glorious decree of Cyrus, king Darius had risen to power, and the people in Jerusalem had made little progress. The people are dragging their feet. This is where Haggai comes in. He speaks a message from the LORD to the people: “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Hag 1:4). Apparently, the people had the strength to get their own houses built and settled into, but the temple of God was nowhere close to “worship-ready”. The people who once longed to reestablish the glory of the God in His temple in Jerusalem and reclaim their identity as God’s chosen people, are now content to settle down in Jerusalem, build themselves luxurious homes, eat, drink, and be merry with little consideration of the temple that still lies in ruin (1:5-9). The initial excitement of returning to the land of promise has worn off and the people have found themselves prioritizing their everyday lives over the larger redemptive project God intends to accomplish in Jerusalem. The glimmer of hope was enough to get them to “up and move” back to their beloved city, but it was not enough to inspire long term devotion.

It is beneficial for us to consider who exactly these people were in Jerusalem. We normally think of the prophets as speaking to the wicked, wayward people in Israel. They spoke a message of fire and brimstone, warning the rebellious bunch of their coming condemnation and destruction. But it would not be fair to categorize Haggai’s audience as such. This is the remnant of God’s people. It is those who were not judged in the destruction of Jerusalem many years ago. In some sense, it is proper for us to consider this group of people as the “faithful few” that made it out of the severe judgment God imposed upon his people. They are those who come from families that repented at the message of the prophets and who remained true to Yahweh despite the pervasive idolatry that surrounded them. These are not irreverent rebels. These people represent what is left of God’s people. They are those who endured exile, waiting on God’s promises of restoration. Though they did not persist long in their efforts when they returned to Jerusalem, these people have indeed waited patiently. They have endured much. They are weary. And you can see how motivation is low after the decades of exile. In a lot of ways, the people Haggai speaks to are just like you and me. They do not reject God. They have generally sought to be faithful to his commands and his ways but are weary. They are struggling to keep up the motivation after years of endurance. They are sliding into complacency and begin to neglect the grand plans of God and settle for simple, comfortable lives. Sound relatable?

So, what was Haggai’s message to a weary people, who have seen and embraced the salvation of God but are losing focus in the day to day devotion? God asks them to evaluate how they think life is going for them: “Consider your ways. 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” (1:5-6). In other words, God is asking them to evaluate whether complacency in the call of God is as restful as they think it is. They may be weary and tired of being God’s chosen vessels to bring salvation to the earth, but has taking leave of their spiritual duties really granted them the life they were hoping for? Apparently not. Apparently, they still work hard and don’t get enough in return. They eat and drink but aren’t satisfied. They earn a living, but it feels like their bank accounts have holes in the bottom of them, the money never lasts long. Still sound relatable?

Haggai wants the people to realize that the solution to their burnout is not to relieve themselves of their religious responsibilities. Not only is it a sin against God, but it does not even help the problem! They are still burnt out. They are still tired. They are still unsatisfied! So, what must they do instead? They must “consider their ways” again and then “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” (1:7-8). Don’t take a break from building the temple, that won’t cure the weariness! Instead, stop “busying yourselves” (verse 9) with your own lives and get to work on God’s house so that He may be pleased. Stepping back from the call of God never actually gives us the refreshment we need from a long life of hard work and disappointments. Living into the call of God is what makes a long life of hard work and disappointments worth it at all.

Indeed, Haggai does not leave the people without a note of encouragement. They quickly respond in obedience and begin work again on the temple (1:12-15). Soon the short book of Haggai ends on a rather obscure note: “I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declare the LORD of hosts” (2:23). What does this mean? Zerubbabel is the governor of the people who have returned to Jerusalem, but he is also something even more: he is in the Davidic kingly line. The promise to David that someone in his line would always be on the throne suddenly doesn’t seem so far away! Zerubbabel will be made like a “signet ring” of the LORD. A signet ring was a stone carved with a representation of the king. It was used to authenticate documents or decrees on clay tablets by pressing the ring into the clay, a role equivalent to that of a signature today. To say that Zerubbabel would be God’s signet ring was to insinuate that he would function as an authoritative king on behalf of Yahweh. David’s line is not gone. The promise is not forgotten. And the once weary people, after their obedience, are granted another glimmer of hope concerning the plan of God. Sure enough, we can find Zerubbabel’s name in Jesus’ genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew. Don’t give up when the call of God gets long and weary. Consider your ways. And when you obey and live into the call of God even when it’s long and hard, be on the lookout for glimmers of hope. For your God longs to encourage you to keep going along the way.