Sermon text: Haggai 1:1-11
The book of Haggai sits at a striking crossroads in Israel’s history, and understanding what led to this moment matters. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into northern Israel and southern Judah. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians around 722 BC, while the southern kingdom held on for roughly another century before Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian forces conquered Judah in multiple invasions between 605 and 587 BC, ultimately destroying Solomon’s temple and carrying the population into 70 years of captivity, just as had been prophesied.