Episode 3269: Books of the Bible - Haggai

The Book of Haggai
“HAG-eye”
Sharon: The Book of Haggai is one of the shortest books in the Bible it has only 2 chapters.
• Chapter 1: A call to rebuild the Temple “Consider your ways.”
• Chapter 2: Encouragement, blessing, and the Messianic promise — “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former.
Before we get started lets start with prayer.
Opening Prayer (Sharon)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Lord, You promised that the glory of the new temple would surpass the old. Help us to see Christ as the true temple, and to recognize Your presence dwelling with us in the Holy Eucharist. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Haggai 1: “Consider Your Ways”
We’re beginning a new journey through the short but powerful book of Haggai. Though only two chapters long, its message is timeless: God must come first.
Haggai prophesied around 520 B.C., after the Jewish people returned from exile in Babylon. They had begun rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, but when opposition came, they stopped. Years passed, and life went on. They built houses for themselves, cultivated their fields, and tried to restore their livelihoods but the temple, the dwelling place of God, remained in ruins.”
Walt (Co-Host):
And into that situation, God sends Haggai. His message isn’t polite, it’s direct. God says: ‘This people saith, The time is not yet come, the time for building the house of the Lord. … Is it time for you to dwell in ceiled houses, and this house lie desolate?’ That’s from Haggai Chapter 1, verses 2 and 4.
The people made excuses. They said it wasn’t the right time. But in truth, they had chosen their own comfort over God’s glory.

Scripture Reading (Sharon)
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts: This people saith, The time is not yet come, the time for building the house of the Lord. And the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying: Is it time for you to dwell in ceiled houses, and this house lie desolate? … Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.”
(Haggai 1:2–4, 7,)
Commentary and Dialogue
Sharon:
God’s words are piercing: ‘Consider your ways.’ He points out that they’ve been busy with their own affairs, but frustrated. ‘You have sowed much, and brought in little: you have eaten, but have not had enough.’ Everything they touched was fruitless because they neglected the worship of God.
Walt:
It’s a divine lesson: when we put ourselves first and God last, life becomes empty. St. Jerome commented that Haggai’s message is for every age when the house of God is neglected, spiritual famine sets in. The people were working hard, but without blessing. Only when they restored God’s temple would their lives bear fruit.
Sharon:
And it’s striking: the temple was the center of worship, the place of God’s presence. To neglect it was to say, ‘Lord, You are not our priority.’ Isn’t that the same danger we face today?
Walt:
Absolutely. We see it when Catholics put everything ahead of God sports, careers, entertainment while Mass attendance declines, and parishes fall into ruin. We see it when families invest in luxuries but neglect prayer, the Rosary, or confession.
Haggai reminds us: if God is not first, nothing else satisfies. The Lord says: ‘You looked for much, and behold it came to little: and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because my house is desolate, and you run every man to his own house.’”
Patristic and Theological Insight
Sharon:
The Fathers often interpreted this spiritually. St. Augustine saw in Haggai a lesson about the soul as God’s temple. If we fill our lives with earthly things but leave our soul barren of prayer and grace, we are like those who paneled their houses but left God’s house in ruins.
Walt:
And in the New Testament, St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16: ‘Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’ When we neglect prayer, the sacraments, and virtue, we neglect God’s temple our very selves.
Spiritual Application
Sharon:
This is such a powerful call to examine our own lives. Where have I built paneled houses for myself careers, comforts, projects while neglecting the temple of my soul? Where have I delayed God’s work with excuses: ‘It’s not the right time, I’ll get serious later’?
Walt:
And it’s not just personal. Haggai speaks to communities too. Parishes that focus on fundraising dinners, social programs, or politics but neglect reverence at Mass and true catechesis are repeating the same mistake. God’s house must come first.
Reflection Question (Sharon)
Friends, take a moment to reflect: In what ways do I put my own comfort before God’s glory? Where is He asking me today to ‘consider my ways’?

Closing Exhortation (Walt)
Haggai’s message is not despair, but hope. When the people listened and began rebuilding, God promised them blessing: ‘From this day I will bless you.’ Obedience brings fruitfulness. When we put God first, everything else finds its place.”
Haggai 2:1–9: “The Glory of This Latter House”
Sharon (Host):
In Chapter 1, we heard God’s challenge to the people: ‘Consider your ways.’ They had built their own homes while leaving His temple in ruins. When they obeyed and began rebuilding, God promised to bless them.
But as the work went on, some became discouraged. They remembered the grandeur of Solomon’s temple and compared it to this new, modest structure. Their hearts sank.
Walt (Co-Host):
That’s when God spoke again through Haggai. His message? Do not fear. Though the temple looks small, its glory will surpass the former. Why? Because the true glory is not in the gold or the stone, but in God’s presence.

Scripture Reading (Walt)
“Who is left among you, that saw this house in its first glory? and how do you see it now? is it not in comparison of it as nothing in your eyes? Yet now take courage, O Zorobabel, saith the Lord: and take courage, O Joshua the high priest, the son of Josedec: and take courage, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord of hosts: and perform: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. … Great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place I will give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
(Haggai 2:3–4, 9,)
Commentary and Dialogue
Sharon:
God begins with a question: Who remembers the first temple? And He acknowledges their feelings compared to Solomon’s splendor, this looks like nothing. Isn’t that striking? God doesn’t dismiss their disappointment, He meets it.
Walt:
Yes. But then He tells them: ‘Take courage … for I am with you.’ The measure of glory is not human eyes, but divine presence. The temple’s greatness is that God dwells there.
Sharon:
And then comes the astonishing promise: ‘The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.’ How could that be? This new temple was smaller, poorer, less beautiful. But God was pointing to something far greater.
Walt:
Exactly. The Fathers explain that this prophecy is fulfilled in Christ. The Incarnate Word, greater than the temple, would walk in that very house. He would teach there, heal there, and cleanse it with zeal. The glory of Solomon’s temple was gold and cedar. The glory of the second temple was God Himself made flesh.
Patristic and Theological Insight
Sharon:
St. Cyril of Alexandria wrote that Christ Himself sanctified the temple by His presence. That’s what made its glory surpass the former. And even more, Christ gives us a temple not made by hands His Body, the Church, and above all, the Holy Eucharist.
Walt:
Yes, and this takes us to the heart of Catholic life. The Eucharist is our true temple. Here Christ dwells, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In every tabernacle, in every humble parish church, the glory surpasses Solomon’s temple. Because here is Emmanuel, God with us.
Spiritual Application
Sharon:
This speaks to us today. Many Catholics look around and feel discouraged. They see churches closing, liturgy treated carelessly, sacred beauty lost. Like Israel, they mourn what has been diminished.
But God says: ‘Take courage … for I am with you.’ If Christ is in the Eucharist, if His Real Presence remains, then the true glory is greater than anything Solomon ever built.
Walt:
And it also challenges us to ask: Where do we find peace? God says: ‘In this place I will give peace.’ True peace doesn’t come from wealth or aesthetics alone, but from Christ Himself. Even in a poor chapel, if the Eucharist is present, peace surpasses the world.
Reflection Question (Sharon)
Do I measure the glory of God’s house by human standards size, wealth, beauty or by His presence in the Eucharist? Do I truly believe that even the humblest tabernacle contains a glory greater than Solomon’s temple?
Closing Exhortation (Walt)
Folks, God’s word through Haggai still speaks. Do not be discouraged by appearances. The true glory of God’s temple is His presence, and He is with us. Take courage.
Haggai 2:10–23: “From This Day I Will Bless You”
In Chapter 1, God called His people to ‘consider their ways’ and rebuild His temple. In Chapter 2, He encouraged them not to despair, promising that the glory of the latter house would surpass the former.
Now, as we come to the end of Haggai, God speaks words of blessing. He tells the people: from this day forward, because you have obeyed, I will bless you. And He gives a promise to Zorobabel, the governor of Judah, a promise that reaches all the way forward to Christ Himself.
Walt (Co-Host):
Yes, This is a chapter of hope, covenant, and Messianic expectation. The temple is rebuilt, the people have turned back, and God reassures them: obedience brings blessing. And the signet ring promise to Zorobabel points us directly to Jesus Christ, the true chosen King.

Scripture Reading (Sharon)
“From this day I will bless you. … Speak to Zorobabel the governor of Juda, saying: I will move both heaven and earth. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and will destroy the strength of the kingdom of the Gentiles: and I will overthrow the chariot, and him that rideth therein: and the horse and the rider shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, I will take thee, O Zorobabel my servant, the son of Salathiel, saith the Lord: and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.”
(Haggai 2:19, 21–23,)
Walt:
Notice how the tone has shifted. Back in Chapter 1, God rebuked them: ‘Consider your ways.’ Now He says: ‘From this day I will bless you.’ That’s the fruit of repentance and obedience.
Sharon:
Yes. When they neglected God’s temple, their harvests failed, their food and drink left them unsatisfied. But now, because they obeyed and rebuilt, He promises abundance. It’s a reminder that God’s blessings are tied to fidelity.
Walt:
And then comes the prophecy to Zorobabel. God says: ‘I will make thee as a signet, for I have chosen thee.’ In the ancient world, a signet ring was the king’s seal, the mark of authority and covenant. God is saying: Zorobabel, you are My chosen servant.
Sharon:
But here’s the beauty Zorobabel was in the royal line of David, and in Matthew’s Gospel, he appears in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:12). This prophecy points forward to Jesus, the true Son of David, the ultimate Chosen One.
Walt:
St. Jerome commented that the signet ring imagery signifies Christ as the seal of the Father the visible image of the invisible God. The Fathers saw this as Messianic: Zorobabel foreshadows Christ, in whom the covenant is sealed forever.
Patristic and Theological Insight
Sharon:
St. Augustine wrote in City of God that earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but the kingdom of Christ endures forever. That’s exactly what God says here: ‘I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms.’ Earthly powers collapse, but God’s chosen King remains.
Walt:
And Haggai closes on that note of hope. History is unstable wars, empires, chariots and riders all fall. But God’s choice is firm. His covenant stands. And for us, that choice is Christ, our King.
Spiritual Application
Sharon:
So what does this mean for us today? First, it means blessing flows from obedience. When we put God first in our homes, parishes, and personal lives He blesses us. Not always with wealth or comfort, but with spiritual fruit: peace, joy, perseverance.
Walt:
And second, it means our hope is not in earthly kingdoms. Politics rise and fall. Nations come and go. But Christ the King remains. He is God’s signet ring, the chosen one who seals us with His covenant in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.
Reflection Question (Sharon)
Friends, take this to prayer: Do I trust that obedience to God will bring blessing, even when it costs me something? And do I cling more to earthly kingdoms, or to Christ the King, God’s true and eternal signet?

Closing Exhortation (Walt)
Haggai began with rebuke and ends with blessing. He began with neglect of God’s house and ends with the promise of God’s chosen King. For us, the lesson is clear: when we put God first, He blesses us and in Christ, His covenant never fails.
Closing Prayer for the Haggai Series (Sharon)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O Lord of Hosts, You spoke through the prophet Haggai to call Your people from complacency to zeal, from neglect to fidelity. You taught them and us to consider our ways, to place Your house above our own comfort, and to trust that Your presence is our true glory.
 Grant that we may be faithful builders of Your kingdom:
 living temples of the Holy Ghost in purity and obedience,
 joyful adorers of Christ in the Holy Eucharist,
 and courageous witnesses who put Your will before our own.
Bless us, Lord, as You blessed Your people when they obeyed. Seal us with Christ, the true Son of David, Your eternal signet, and keep us steadfast until the day when we rejoice with You forever in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Through the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Prophets and Mother of the Church, we make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Next Book:
Zechariah