The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken! (Haggai 2:9 NLT)
The following is a worship profile of the Old Testament prophet, Haggai, from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House. This is a great study bible for all those who want to learn more about biblical worship.
Haggai
After the Exile, God's people returned to Jerusalem, although they were officially still under Persian rule. After a time, the people began to suffer hardship, and the prophet Haggai diagnosed the cause of their problem: Their economic poverty was a reflection of their spiritual poverty. The Temple-rebuilding project had been left half-finished, while the people turned to building their own fine houses (Hag. 1:9). So Haggai roused the people from their indifference, and the rebuilding of the Temple was resumed. For this effort of worship
renewal, Haggai promised the people hope and blessing.
Haggai the Worshiper
Haggai recognized that the people needed to reorganize their priorities, placing the worship of the Lord first. (Hag. 1:2-11).
God promised that His glory would return to the Temple and that He would dwell with his people, bringing them peace (Hag. 2:7-9).
Learning from Haggai
Haggai reminds us that our first priority should be our worship of God, which then determines the priority of all other things. Jesus underscored this when he promised that the Lord "will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern" (Matt. 6:33).
Haggai reminds us that true greatness comes from the glory that the Lord bestows on us (Hag. 2:7-9).
Following the Example
Haggai was not content to let God's people go about their own affairs, leaving the Temple to lie in ruins. Instead, he forced them to rethink their priorities in light of their worship of the Lord. Today we often fight an uphill battle against spiritual apathy. Many people attend church but ignore God in much of their daily life. Like Haggai , we must encourage these people to worship God in all areas of life, making his Kingdom our first priority that determines all other priorities.