'sixteen years after the decree of Cyrus' and occupied a period of about four

months.  The prophecy is fourfold.

The prophecy given on the first day of the sixth month (1:1 -11).

The prophecy given on the twenty -first day of the seventh month

(2:1 -9).

The prophecy given on the twenty -fourth day of the ninth month

(2:10 -19).

The prophecy given on the twenty -fourth day of the ninth month

(2:20 -23).

The name Haggai means 'My Feast', and the feasts of the Lord are linked

with the house of the Lord, worship being the prime reason for the Temple.

Zerubbabel, the name of the governor of Judah at this time, means

'Scattered, or Sown in Babylon'.  He was of the seed royal, and is usually

called 'The son of Shealtiel, or Salathiel' (Ezra 3:2,8; Hag. 1:1).  In 1

Chronicles 3:19 he is called the son of Pedaiah, who was the brother of

Salathiel (1 Chron. 3:17).  The name Salathiel comes in both of the

genealogies of Christ as given in Matthew and Luke, for at the repudiation of

Jeconiah the succession passed from the line of Solomon to the line of Nathan

his brother.  It appears that Matthew gives the strict line of relationship

whereas Luke gives the legal line, which would include sons by 'adoption',

even as it includes Joseph in the genealogy of Mary, whose genealogy is given

by Luke.  While living at Babylon, Zerubbabel, who bore the name of

Sheshbazzar (Ezra 5:16), was made governor and laid the foundation of the

house of God in Jerusalem.  Sixteen years previous to the opening prophecy of

Haggai, Cyrus the king of Persia had made the proclamation recorded in Ezra

1:2 -4, which charged the people of God to go up to Jerusalem and to build

the temple which had been destroyed.  The third chapter of Ezra records the

beginning of the work under Joshua and Zerubbabel.  At the laying of the

foundation of the house of the Lord most of the people 'shouted with a great

shout', but many of the older men, who had seen the glories of the first

house, mingled tears with their rejoicing (Ezra 3:10 -13).

Sixteen years after this, the temple was still unfinished, and chapter

4 of Ezra supplies part of the reason for the long delay.  The adversaries of

Judah came to Zerubbabel with offers of help, saying 'Let us build with you:

for we seek your God, as ye do: and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days

of Esar -haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither' (Ezra 4:2).  These

were Samaritans, and the refusal of their offer by Zerubbabel, finds an echo

in the Samaritan's question, recorded in John 4:20.  Upon being refused, the

people of the land began a campaign which ended in a command by the Persian

King for the work to cease.  'So it ceased unto the second year of the reign

of Darius king of Persia.  Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and

Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and

Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel' (Ezra 4:24; 5:1), and once more

under Zerubbabel and Joshua the work of rebuilding began.  When Haggai arose

to speak to the people, he makes no reference to the opposition of the

Samaritans, or to the edict of the king, but rather charges the returned

exiles with self -seeking and indolence.  It is, alas, too easy to shield

oneself behind opposition, prophetic forecasts and the like, but these do not

in any sense alter our responsibility.  The people had allowed the opposition

of their enemies to provide a substitute for the command of the Lord.  They