I have summoned a drought: The people did not see their situation as a divine judgment on their wrong priorities. Haggai explained it using the curses linked to the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:15–68, especially verses 22–24, 38–40).
Drought (Hebrew khoreb) is a wordplay on “ruins” (Haggai 1:4, 9; Hebrew khareb). Judah’s experiences matched the state of the Lord’s temple they had neglected.