Haggai is what has been labeled as the first of the restoration prophets, and he has no recorded history. We are told in verse 13 of chapter 1 that he was "... the messenger of the Lord." As is the case with all of the prophets, those listed as major and minor, the message, not the messenger, is of prime importance. God, not God's prophet, dominates the message. Apart from this book, Haggai is mentioned only in the book of Ezra. His name is usually associated with that of his better known and younger contemporary, Zechariah.

In order to appreciate Haggai's message we need to time travel in reverse. We need to go back to the destruction of Solomon's temple. The Bible is quite clear that Solomon's temple was the pride and joy of the Israelite nation. The temple itself was one of the world's…