The Book of Haggai and the Command to Consider Ways
The prophet Haggai, whose name means "festive" or "solemnity" [5], delivered a divine command to the post-exilic Jewish community: "Consider your ways" [1, 2]. This exhortation appears prominently in the book of Haggai, which consists of two brief chapters detailing four prophetic messages aimed at encouraging the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple [3]. Haggai was one of the first prophets to minister after the return from Babylonian captivity, beginning his work approximately sixteen years after the initial return, following a period where temple reconstruction had ceased due to opposition [4].
The command to "consider your ways" (Hebrew: śîmû libbekhem ʿal darkhêkhem) is not merely a call for superficial reflection but a deep introspection into one's actions and their consequences [7, 8]. The phrase literally translates to "set your heart on your ways" [7, 8]. For the ancient Hebrews, the "heart" was understood as the center of thought, emotion, and will, meaning this command required careful thought, feeling, and a decision to act differently [8]. John Gill, a Baptist commentator, emphasizes that this repeated exhortation in Haggai 1:5 and 1:7 underscores its importance and the necessity of such conduct [6].
The context of this command in Haggai is directly linked to the people's failure to prioritize the rebuilding of the temple. The prophet highlights a stark contrast between the people's diligence in building their own paneled houses and their neglect of God's house [8]. As a result of this misplaced priority, they experienced economic hardship: they sowed much but harvested little, ate but were not satisfied, drank but remained thirsty, clothed themselves but were not warm, and earned wages only to put them into a bag with holes [8]. The command to "consider your ways" thus urges them to recognize the direct connection between their spiritual apathy and their material struggles [8].
This concept of "considering one's ways" resonates with broader biblical wisdom literature. In Proverbs, the instruction to "ponder the path of thy feet" (Proverbs 4:26) similarly calls for careful evaluation of one's life choices [9]. Rashi, a medieval Jewish commentator, interprets this Proverbial command as weighing "the loss of a commandment against its reward and the reward of a sin against its loss," suggesting that such careful consideration leads to established ways [10]. The Psalmist also reflects on this theme, stating, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies" (Psalm 119:59) [11]. This indicates that reflection on one's conduct should lead to a change in direction, aligning one's life with God's commands [11].
In Haggai, the command is immediately followed by a specific directive: "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house" (Haggai 1:8). This shows that considering their ways was not meant to be a purely intellectual exercise but a catalyst for concrete action [6]. The "mountain" could refer to Lebanon, from which cedars were traditionally sourced for temple building, or Mount Moriah, the site of the temple itself [6]. The prophet's message is clear: the people's current ways have led to divine displeasure and hardship, and a change in their priorities, demonstrated by actively rebuilding the temple, is required to restore God's favor [8].
The book of Haggai records the positive effect of this prophetic message. Following Haggai's first address, the people, including Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, "obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God" and began the work on the house of Yahweh of Armies [3]. This immediate response underscores the power of the command to "consider your ways" when coupled with a clear call to action. The subsequent prophecies in Haggai continue to encourage the people, promising God's presence and future glory for the rebuilt temple, even surpassing the former temple's splendor [3]. This demonstrates that the act of considering one's ways, when it leads to obedience, can transform a community's circumstances and renew their relationship with God.
Sources
- Haggai “Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. -- Haggai 1:5”
- Haggai “This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. -- Haggai 1:7”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Haggai, Book of — Consists of two brief, comprehensive chapters. The object of the prophet was generally to urge the people to proceed with the rebuilding of the temple. Chapter first comprehends the first address (2-11) and its effects (12-15). Chapter second contains, (1.) The second prophecy (1-9), which was delivered a month after the first. (2.) The third prophecy (10-19), delivered two months and three days after the second; and (3.) The fourth prophecy (20-23), delivered on the same day as the third. These discourses are referred to in Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Heb. 12:”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Haggai — Festive, one of the twelve so-called minor prophets. He was the first of the three (Zechariah, his contemporary, and Malachi, who was about one hundred years later, being the other two) whose ministry belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon. Scarcely anything is known of his personal history. He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. He began his ministry about sixteen years after the Return. The work of rebuilding the temple had been put a stop to through the intrigues of”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Haggai — feast; solemnity”
- Haggai (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Haggai 1:7: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways. What they have been; what has been the consequence of them; and to what the above things are to be ascribed. This exhortation is repeated, to impress it the more upon their minds; and to denote the importance of it, and the necessity of such a conduct; See Gill on Hag 1:5. . Haggai 1:8 hag 1:8 hag 1:8 hag 1:8Go up to the mountain,.... Or, "that mountain" (u); pointing either to Lebanon, to cut down cedars, and bring them from thence for the building of the temple; or Mount Moriah, on which the temple was to be built;”
- Haggai (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Haggai 1:5: Consider your ways--literally, "Set your heart" on your ways. The plural implies, Consider both what ye have done (actively, Lam 3:40) and what ye have suffered (passively) [JEROME]. Ponder earnestly whether ye have gained by seeking self at the sacrifice of God.”
- Haggai (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Haggai 1:5: 1:5 Look at what’s happening to you (literally Set your heart on these matters): For the Hebrews, the heart is the place where thinking, feeling, and willing all occur. So this command (also 1:7; 2:15, 18) calls upon the people to think carefully and draw the proper conclusions about the connection between what’s happening to them (drought and poverty, 1:6) and their failure to restore proper worship of the Lord (1:8-9).”
- Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 4:26: Ponder the path of thy feet,.... Consider well what path it is, whether right or wrong; or weigh it in the balances of thought, as Aben Ezra; or rather in the balances of the word, and see whether it agrees with that or not. The Septuagint version is, "make straight paths for thy feet"; to which the author of the epistle to the Hebrews seems to have respect, Heb 12:13; and let all thy walls be established; so as to walk on steadily, constantly, uniformly, and not be easily moved out of the ways of religion and truth. Or, "let all thy ways be prepared", or "directe”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Proverbs 4:26: Weigh the path of your feet Weigh your way: the loss of a commandment against its reward and the reward of a sin against its loss, and then all your ways will be established.”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 119:57: I thought on my ways,.... What they were, whether right or wrong; whither they led, what would be the consequences of walking in them: the Septuagint and Arabic versions read, "thy ways"; no doubt the psalmist thought of both; of his own ways, in which he had walked; and of God's ways, which he directed him to walk in: and, considering the superior pleasure and profit of the latter, he preferred them to the former. The Targum is, "I thought to mend my ways", or "make them good". Hence he took the following step: and turned my feet unto thy testimonies; betook hims”