Being an effective leader requires careful thought that leads to wisdom. Read Haggai 2:10-19.

The Hebrews that returned from exile in Babylon with the mission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem were struggling in their day-to-day life to have success with their crops. Three times in today’s Scripture Haggai recommends the leaders give careful thought to their situation. When they stopped construction on the temple and focused on their own needs they were lacking in both food and wine. When they stopped giving careful thought to God’s priorities they forfeited the wisdom they needed to find God’s blessing.

Leaders must at times use exhortation to help their teammates become the people God designed them to be. Read Haggai 2:10-14.

After 70 years of Babylonian exile, God has allowed a contingent of Jews to return to Jerusalem to inhabit the land and re-construct the temple destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B. C. The construction began with great enthusiasm but had stopped. Through His prophet Haggai, God exhorted the civil and religious authorities to stop continually working on their houses and vineyards and once again begin construction on the temple. Haggai pointed out that, by removing activity that honored God’s first priority, the people had deprived themselves of God’s blessing on the project.

A leader’s perspective can either make them slave to the immediate or keep them on track toward the ultimate. Read Haggai 2:6-9.

King Solomon had overseen construction of a temple designed to honor the One True God. That temple was destroyed in 586 B. C. by the Babylonians. The temple Solomon built was so magnificent that most of the known world was in awe of the structure. When the Hebrews returned to the land after the Babylonian exile, God charged them with building a new temple on the site where Solomon had built the original temple. The temple construction started under the leadership of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the priest. It did not take long for the people to realize the foundation laid for this new temple was much smaller than the foundation of the temple built in Solomon’s day.

Wise leaders don’t confuse activity with accomplishment. Read Haggai 1:5-11.

Haggai served as prophet to the Hebrews who had returned from exile after 70 years in Babylon. These returnees were charged by God to rebuild the temple so they had a place to worship and focus on Him as they started their more routine lives. Initially they made a great start on the temple project; however, when they came under some intense pressure to stop the construction from some local tribes who had political clout with those who had released them from captivity, the construction ground to a halt.

Leaders must not only know the priorities, they must take actions to accomplish them. Read Haggai 1:1-11.

The Jewish people were back in their homeland after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. Their return fulfilled the prophecies of both Jeremiah and Daniel. Zerubbabel was their governor, Joshua was their High Priest, and in the year 520 B.C. Haggai became the first prophet to the returned exiles. God sent the people back to Jerusalem with the priority to re-build the temple. Upon their arrival, they laid the foundation and began the work on the sanctuary but there was soon interference from their neighbors who had claimed the land while the Jews were captive in Babylon. The work on the temple eventually stopped.