What is the historical context to Haggai 1?

The year was 520 BC. God’s people were back from exile. The Babylonians had been conquered by the Persians. But the enthusiasm in Judah was now all but gone. Eighteen years earlier, in 538 BC the Persian emperor Cyrus decreed for the Jewish exiles to return home and rebuild their cities and their temple (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2–3;Ezra 6:3–5). Cyrus instructed the people of his own kingdom to supply the Jews with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:4). This is much like what the Egyptians gave to Israel at the exodus many years ago (Exodus 12:35–36). And Cyrus also promised Judah that he would subsidize the building of the temple from the royal treasury (Ezra 6:4).

So in 537 BC, the first wave of exiles, stockpiled with treasures, and excited to establish a new community of God’s people, returned to Judah. They would rebuild the Lord’s temple and the Lord would restore his presence among them. Filled with enthusiasm, optimism, and great energy, that first wave of returned exiles got to work. They built an altar on the ruins of the temple and began offering sacrifices again (Ezra 3:1–7); and in the second year they made a start on the new temple, laying its foundation (Ezra 3:8–10).

But before long, they faced bitter resistance to their work, mainly from the Samaritans and Persian officials in the area. The Samaritans were a mixed breed—part Jewish, part pagan. So they mixed the worship of God with paganism. But they asked to help with the rebuilding of the temple. Their request was denied by the Jewish leaders because of their contempt for the Samaritans’ mixed worship.

So the Samaritans and Persian officials in the area tried to sabotage the building project. They discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia (Ezra 4:4–5). This was strong opposition from their enemies. And this was on top of some wearying comparisons and loud weeping from those who had seen the first temple and its glory (Ezra 3:12–13). There was no more enthusiasm for temple rebuilding.

Before long, work on the temple came to a grinding halt (Ezra 4:24). And nothing happened, for sixteen years. The temple still stood in ruins. Overgrown with weeds. And the returned exiles had settled into spiritual complacency. Their vision of a renewed temple as the centre of worship—long faded. Their sense of responsibility for restoring the Lord’s house—withered.