Haggai 1:5-The Lord Commands the Remnant of Judah to Examine Carefully Their Ways

Haggai 1:1 On the first day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second year, the Lord spoke this message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak. 2 The Lord who rules over all says this: “These people have said, ‘The time for rebuilding the Lord’s temple has not yet come.’” 3 So the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai as follows: 4 “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses while my temple is in ruins? 5 Here then is what the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing.’” (NET)

In Haggai 1:5, the Lord through the prophet Haggai issues a command directed at Zerubbabel, governor of the remnant of Judah and Joshua, the high priest and ultimately the remnant of Judah.

This command is an inference from the rhetorical question in Haggai 1:4, which is posed by the Lord through Haggai to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah and Joshua the high priest and ultimately remnant of Judah.

This rhetorical question demands an emphatic negative response.

The Lord asks, “Is it time for each one of you, yes each and every one of you to live in your richly paneled homes while on the other hand, this temple is in a state of disrepair?”

The command in Haggai 1:5 requires that each and every citizens of the remnant of Judah examine carefully their hearts with regards to their ways.

The obvious implication of this statement is that the remnant of Judah was totally and completely wrong to not complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple when they themselves lived in richly paneled homes.

In other words, this statement is designed to get them to reconsider their attitude towards the rebuilding of this temple and thus their priorities.

H. J. Austel writes “Haggai asks the people to give careful thought to the consequences of their misplaced priorities. This same admonition is given five times in the book (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18 [twice]) and is designed to shake the people out of their complacency.”[1]

As was the case in Haggai 1:2, the God of Israel here in Haggai 1:5 describes Himself as “the Lord ruling over the armies.”

The term “armies” (ṣābāʾ) pertains in this context to a military congregation as a large fighting or combat unit.

The word denotes a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land.

These armies refer to both human and angelic armies because we are speaking in the context of God.

Therefore, this expression “the Lord ruling over the armies” is speaking of the God of Israel’s sovereignty over all creation and every creation, both human and angelic beings.

The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction.

As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills (cf. Ps. 66:7; Is. 40:15, 17; Dan. 2:19-23; Acts 17:22-34; Col. 2:8-9; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim. 6:13-16).

Now, in Haggai 1:2 and 5, the expression “the Lord ruling over the armies” would be a reminder to this remnant of Judah that the God of Israel was in control and not the human rulers on the earth who might be hindering this rebuilding project or preventing them from performing this task.

If the God of Israel is the Lord ruling over the angelic and human armies, then this remnant has no excuse for not rebuilding the Lord’s temple.

If the God of Israel wants this remnant to rebuild His temple, they should waste no time in doing so since no one will be able to stop this task from being accomplished if God is sovereign and ruling over human and angelic armies and rulers.

In Haggai 1:5, the noun lēbāb, “hearts” denotes that aspect of the soul of each person belonging to the remnant of Judah, which circulates their thoughts or mental activity and is where their frame of reference and memory center resides.

It is also the place where their vocabulary and the classification of his thoughts reside as well as the conscience where his norms and standards reside.

It is where their thoughts circulated and was the place where their subconscious resided where various categories of things that shock or impress from adversity, sin, failure or disappointment are located.

Also, it contains their volition, which they used to make their decisions to oppose their God.

Therefore, the Lord is requiring in Haggai 1:5 that each individual belonging to the remnant of Judah examine carefully their conscience and decision making.

Notice that when the Lord issues this command in Haggai 1:5, He is requiring immediate action on the part of the citizens of the remnant of Judah which is indicated by the use of the adverb of time ʿǎt·tā(h), “now.”

This word is emphasizing the present circumstances of the remnant of Judah when they received this message from the Lord through the prophet Haggai.

Haggai 1:1 identifies the specific date of this first message from the Lord.

When the Lord commands this remnant to examine carefully their hearts “about what you are doing,” he is emphasizing the manner in which they lived their lives and specifically their decision making.

The implication is that they must examine their priorities.

In other words, the reason why this remnant never completed the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple was because of wrong priorities meaning that with them doing the Lord’s will did not take precedent over what they wanted in life.

Or, we could say is that what they wanted came first in their priorities followed by what the Lord wanted.

So, these verses make clear that the reason why the rebuilding the Lord’s temple was not completed was not because of the enemies of the remnant of Judah or any nation, but rather it was they did not have their priorities right.

M. R. Jacobs writes “In Hag 1:5, 7, ʿal-darkêkem, ‘on your ways,’ refers to the people’s life course or pattern, including but not limited to behaviors and their consequences. Potentially, a life course includes convictions or beliefs that lead to and sustain the behavior patterns.[2] This concept is illustrated in Jer 2:33; 4:18; 7:3, 5; 18:11; 22:21.[3] It is also used of the law to direct the people’s way (Josh 1:8; cf. Ps 37:5; 119:15). When used of God, it connotes the divine will or the law and is often contrasted with human ways (Isa 55:8–9; 63:17; Pss 25:4; 27:11; 51:13; 67:2; 77:13; 86:11). Other texts manifesting the perspective that the people are judged and punished because of their ways are directly relevant to understanding Hag 1:5, 7 (Ezek 7:3–4, 8–9; 18:30; 24:14; 33:20). The people are asked to reflect on their ways because of the connection between their life course (especially their convictions and ensuing actions) and their present circumstances.”[4]

The theme of the book of Haggai is one which the church can readily make application here in the twenty-first century, namely priorities.

The Lord and in particular obedience to the Lord was not the number one priority for the remnant of Judah upon their return from exile.

This was demonstrated by their complete failure to complete the task of rebuilding the temple, which would serve as the place in the nation to worship the Lord.

Haggai 1:5 is paralleled or corresponds to Haggai 1:7 because of the chiastic structure Haggai 1:4-9.

This also indicates that the emphasis of Haggai 1:4-11 is Haggai 1:8 in which the Lord commands the remnant of Judah to complete the rebuilding the temple by procuring lumber for the project.

Therefore, the chiastic structure of Haggai 1:4-9 reveals that this command in Haggai 1:5 parallels Haggai 1:7: kō ʾāmar yĕhwâ ṣĕbāʾôt śîmû lĕbabkem ʿal-darkêkem (כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת שִׂ֥ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֖ם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶֽם), “Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Pay close attention to these things also.” (NET)

[1] Austel, H. J. (1995). Haggai. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 683). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

[2] H. W. Wolff (Haggai, 43) defines derek as people’s goal and their success in achieving it—that is, “how they fare.” He uses K. Koch, “דרך,” ThWAT 2:307. Meyers and Meyers (Haggai, Zechariah 1–8, 24–25) speak of welfare. Against Meyers and Meyers, Kessler (Haggai, 131) sees derek as used here to mean the “results that accrued from their choices.” Cf. Verhoef, Haggai and Malachi, 60.

[3] See also Ezek 7:3–4, 8–9; 18:30; Job 4:6; 22:3; cf. Ps 91:11.

[4] Jacobs, M. R. (2017). The Books of Haggai and Malachi. (E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, & R. L. Hubbard Jr., Eds.) (pp. 48–49). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.