Take Two: Haggai 2, Proverbs 21

In this last chapter of the prophesy, we see three revelations/oracles that the Lord gave Haggai. These revelations are all intended to be a Word of encouragement to the people. Remember the context. About a month before, having heard God's Word about the temple that still lay in ruins 16 years after the reconstruction was started, the people responded to the prophet and set themselves to the task of rebuilding. In the midst of doing the task...a number of things "come up" among the people that God addresses through the prophet. There is a "now and later" element to the promises that God makes...which is typical of prophesy.

In Hag 2:1-5, Haggai receives a word that is intended for Zerubbabel (the civil government leader), Joshua (the spiritual leader/priest), and the people. No element of society is excluded. Three questions are asked by God. You can interpret the questions in one of two ways: God is complaining that the work they are doing is lacking in comparison to Solomon's Temple (destroyed in 586 BC); or, God is bringing to the surface something that is in the hearts of the people. The latter is the preferred interpretation.

Hag 2:3, "Who is living that remembers Solomon's temple? Is this one shaping up like that? Does this one pale in comparison?" Perhaps...as God surfaces these questions, he is turning the light on to that which is in the hearts of the people. Perhaps some were working diligently with what they perceived as limited resources and were think or saying among themselves...our very best is falling short of the way things used to be.

Some today are stuck comparing to the past in this way. They remember the days of "bus ministry" and tent revivals and the "sawdust trail." They compare what God is doing in the present with these moments of nostalgia. Somehow...they become disheartened. Why? Because God is doing something new...or is it because God isn't doing something the way "they" prefer?

The people had a real concern. "Will God be pleased with what we do since it is not comparable to what Solomon's work looked like." The answer is an EMPHATIC: YES! How do we know?

God declared three times, "Take courage. I am with you. My Spirit is abiding (present tense). D0 not fear." (Hag 2:4-5). In other words, they were doing what God desired for them to do. He was not comparing them against a previous generation (for the good or bad). He was looking at their heart.

As I said yesterday, God does not need a building to meet in. The temple was a place of meeting demonstrating the commitment of the people and the glory of God to the nations (those outside of God's family). During the Exodus wanderings, this was accomplished in a tent. In Solomon's era, it was a grand temple. Now, in the days following Babylonian captivity and in the Persian Empire...it is the work these people are doing. But the picture does not stop there. There is a foreshadowing of the era/age to come when the glory of God will dwell in a new way. When all of the nations will bring offerings of silver and gold to God (Hag 2:7-9). In that day, the glory of God will shine brighter than ever before. This is a picture of the coming Kingdom of God to be established on earth as it is in heaven.

Hag 2:10-14, God uses two questions of the priest to make a point. "Can something unholy be made holy, simply by "touching" something holy?" Answer- No (Hag 2:11-12). Can something holy be made unholy, by touching something that is unclean?" Answer- Yes (Hag 2:13). This illustrates that God's people must live as holy people. They must separate themselves from the sin in the world that taints them. (The world will not become holy by coming in contact with Christians, but Christians can become unholy by embracing the world.) In Hag 2:15-17, God reminds them that the judgment that had experienced was due to their unholy living. In Hag 2:18-19, God promised that "from this day forward" they will experience blessing. Why? Because they had separated themselves from pursuing the world's systems and values and consecrated themselves to doing the will of God. Because of their obedience, the judgment they had experienced was now to cease...from this day forward.

With Christ, it is the same today. We live (as do all people) separated from God in judgment because we choose sin over the will of God. When we yield our lives to Christ, this judgment is rolled away from us and from this day forward, as long as we remain yielded under His leadership, we experience God's blessings and favor.

Hag 2:20-23 is a Messianic prophesy. God promises that through this people and through Zerubbabel, He will establish this great kingdom of His. It will triumph over all other kingdoms and military powers. And, Zerubbabel will be like a "signet ring," a symbol of the King's authority in doing so.

Proverbs 21:13 is the takeaway today. As I thought of this proverb, it reminded me that we are called to be a giving people. We cannot in clear conscience store up for ourselves treasures on earth while the work of God [the church and mercy ministries/missions] goes unfunded. To do so...is to not recognize the need or to recognize it and close our ears to it. The latter puts us in a place of need (God's righteous judgment) without anyone (God) to provide for us.

NOW...for those following along, I am going to move to Genesis for the next 50 days. Tomorrow is chapter 1. Why? Because I am teaching a class on Genesis at the Baptist College of Florida beginning in January and want to spend some time in devotional reading from the book. Hope you will join me there.

Grace,

Take Two: Haggai 1, Proverbs 20

Haggai is the next book in the Bible for us to look at. It is not the next prophet "chronologically" in Hebrew history. Nahum looked forward to the fall of the Assyrians. The Babylonians became the world power following them. The fall of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) happened and the Jews were taken into captivity in 587 BC, at which time Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple. The Persians came on scene while the Jews were still in captivity. In 538 BC, Cyrus the Persian ordered that the Jews be allowed to return to their homeland under Zerubbabel's leadership.

Work began in 536 BC to rebuild the temple, but was abandoned due to opposition by neighbors and due to the "indifference" of the Jews. (IOW: They did not see rebuilding the temple as a priority.) Around 520 BC, Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by God to stir up the people to finish the task of rebuilding and to reorder their spiritual lives. (Citation: Notes from the MacArthur Study Bible, John A. MacArthur, Editor.)

Haggai 1 explains the thrust of Haggai's ministry. The PEOPLE had abandoned their task of rebuilding the temple sixteen years before stating that the time was not right to rebuild (Hag 1:2). God, through the prophet mocks that and points out the foolishness of their wisdom in the matter. Hag 1:3 is the charge from God, "You labor for your own dwellings, but it is not time for you to rebuild mine."

Five poetic statements are given about the wisdom of their decision (Hag 1:6). You plant much and harvest little. You eat and are not satisfied. You drink and cannot be satisfied. You wear clothes, but they do not satisfy. You store up money but it never accumulates.

Why are their efforts unable to accomplish their goal? Simply: because they were not doing what God had directed and He was preventing them from being satisfied with less than His will for them. Notice Hag 1:9-11. God was preventing them from accomplishing that which they wanted to do...because they forsook what God desired for them to do. They had taken up efforts that were contrary to God.

God's will was that the people would prioritize Him, rebuild the temple, that He may be glorified (Hag 1:7).

The people people heard and obeyed (Hag 1:12). At their obedience, God stated His pleasure by declaring "I am with you."

A couple of observations. First, God did not need a building to dwell in. He does not dwell in buildings or sit on thrones. The building (temple) was the place of meeting between God and His people. It is the place they went to meet with their God. In their failing to rebuild that place FIRST...they showed that God was not of first priority. We do this today. When we prioritize soccer, or football, or any other thing over God, we demonstrate that God is less than first priority. When we spend money on cars, video games, clothes, and homes that are comfortable...without being obedient to tithe our income and sacrificially give beyond that to see our neighbors and the nations reached with the gospel...we demonstrate that God is less than first priority.

God will never be satisfied being a second rate focus in our lives. Anything we try to elevate above Him...will always fail to satisfy. It will fail to meet our needs. He will cause it to fail because He is the Lord our God...a jealous God...not sharing His glory with anyone or anything else.

Some might say to me: "pastor, I am doing all I can. I can't tithe" or "can't come to that event because it takes too much gas." Listen, if you are calling me on a cell phone, or connecting to me via internet service while you sit in front of your cable television as you tell me that...you are fooling yourself. There "might" be people in the world who are so poor that they can't give God what is His...but I have never met them. I watched people scrape to give pennies to God in Africa with joy in their hearts...making only $20 per week. They had no electricity, no running water...but prioritized God.

Some of the same folks tell me they can't send their children to events designed to grow them in their relationship with God...but their children have cell phones, 20 sets of new clothes and are taking dance or drama lessons. Please. That is just a statement of priorities.

The building of the temple was not only about a priority about rebuilding a place to meet with God...it was about demonstrating His glory to the nations. God seemed so powerless to the pagan nations because Babylon had destroyed His temple and captured His people. As the temple lay in ruins...God's Name was treated as "common" or "vain." It is idolatrous to magnify our own names while we allow God's to be seen as common.

Is God your priority? Is He first in your focus with your time, your energy, and your finances. If not, you have established yourself as one opposed to God and He is working to insure that none of your efforts will ever satisfy. At the same time, He is calling to you to turn from your pursuits and seek Him as "most valuable" and "most glorious" so that He can be "with you" and not "against you."

Proverbs 20:13 is the takeaway today. God desires for us to be productive. Our hard work is the source of our sufficiency. This does not speak against our trusting in God. To the contrary. God is the provider of strength, talents, opportunity...all things. What we do with it is up to us. If you lack...and do not work...there is a correlation there you may not be seeing. (Obviously there are some exceptions...follow the principle). We are not to live for "things" but we are also not to be busybodies, lazy, or anything else like it. We are to be diligent...and thus see God's provision for us through the labors of our hands. To Him be the glory in it!

Grace,