The recently returned exiles face hardship in their rebuilding efforts and struggle to remain faithful after so much loss and disappointment. Haggai assures the people that their efforts and faithfulness will be blessed. God will one day build a new Jerusalem and live amidst his people.

Rebuilding Jerusalem

The people of Israel were conquered by Babylon because they broke their covenant with God through idolatry and injustice. The book of Haggai was written 70 years after this prophesied exile and recounts the experience of a small group of Israelites, led by Joshua and Zerubbabel, who returned to rebuild Jerusalem.