Page 109 - Divinity_F5

Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

Activity 7.1 also the rebuilding of the temple. Upon
their return, they found the temple in
Use the library and other sources to ruins. The work of rebuilding the temple
study the concept of responsibility.
began, but it stopped long ago due to
resistance and discouragement from the
Exercise 7.1
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people of the land (Ezra 4:4). It is in this
1. Suggest some situations which situation of an abandoned temple that
demonstrate people’s responsibility Haggai is prophesying.
in our modern world.
2. How has the biblical teaching on One should note that the people Haggai is
responsibility motivated you to act delivering his prophecy are coming from
responsibly? exile. They were new to Jerusalem and
dealing with social and economic issues.

The books of Haggai and Zechariah This, coupled with the discouragement
Haggai from the people of the land, may have
Haggai is among the minor prophets aggravated the situation. However, the
based in Jerusalem after the Babylonian temple lay in ruins. The word of God
exile. The name Haggai means festal, then came to Haggai, the prophet, “Is it
cheerful or joyful. As we shall see, the time for you yourselves to dwell in your
name can be related to some aspects of panelled houses while this house lies in
the message of his book. Haggai and ruins”? (Hag. 1: 4). The exiles slacked
Zechariah, whom we shall discuss later, in rebuilding the temple, but they seem
were contemporaries. The knowledge to have been active in decorating their
we have about Haggai is mainly built on houses. The word of God came through
his prophecy since, apart from the brief Prophet Haggai, challenging them to
mention of the prophet in Ezra (5:1; consider their ways. Their neglect of
6:14), little is known about the prophet the temple had terrible consequences,
elsewhere. manifested in poor harvests, a lack of
satisfaction in eating and drinking, and
The context of the writing of the book of a lack of clothing and wages (Hag. 1:
Haggai is the slackening in rebuilding the 2-6). We now turn to the structure of the
temple. This is the same context referred book of Haggai.
to in the books of Ezra 4:14–6:15 and
Zechariah (1:1&7). The Babylonians The main components of the book of
destroyed the temple and took the Haggai are instructions for rebuilding
people into exile. The decree issued by the temple, the response of the people,
King Cyrus of Persia provided not only God’s promise of blessing and the future
for the return of some of the exiles but of leadership in Jerusalem. The structure

100 Form Five Student’s Book