It’s Time To Build The Lord’s House
Scripture Reference: Haggai 1:1-15
INTRODUCTION
In 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar invaded and overthrew Jerusalem. The city was raised to the ground and the temple was completely destroyed. God’s people were taken into Babylon as captives and there they remained for seventy years.
The exile was God’s judgment upon the people for their sins. It was a time of great sorrow for God’s people. Times when they felt cut off from God and could no longer worship him as they had formerly done.
Their mood is summed up in Psalm 137:
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs…they said “sing us one of the songs of Zion” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?”
However although God punished them by means of the exile, he did not abandon them. He had promised that their captivity would not be permanent but would last for seventy years after which time they would be able to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple, offer sacrifices once again and restore Jerusalem.
About 50 years later Cyrus, the Persian, took Babylon, and brought the Babylonian Empire to an end.
The next year (538 B.C.) he allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. All of this was owing to the sovereign hand of God fulfilling the prophecies of Jeremiah (Ezra 1:1).
Among the returning exiles were (probably) the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Ezra 5:1,2 sums up for us what these two contemporaries accomplished:
But there were prophets in Jerusalem and Judah at that time--Haggai, and Zechariah (the son of Iddo)--who brought messages from the God of Israel to Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel) and Jeshua (son of Jozadak), encouraging them to begin building again! So they did and the prophets helped them.
So Haggai and Zechariah were sent by God to assist in the rebuilding of the temple. This work was begun, according to Haggai 1:15, on the 24th day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of Darius, which in our dating is September 21, 520 B.C.
So you can see that about 18 years went by between the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the temple. This delay is what brings forth the message of Haggai.
Haggai is one of the shortest books of the Bible and is included in that body of Biblical literature that is known as the Minor Prophets.
He is one of the prophets of the Restoration, the other two being Zechariah and Malachi and what we mean by that is he ministered to the people of God after their return from exile in Babylon.
As such he was one of the last prophetic voices to be heard before the coming of Christ. Unlike most of the prophets Haggai had the joy of seeing his ministry produce positive results among the people of God.
The way Haggai motivates the Jews to build the temple of God has a powerful application to our own efforts to build the house of God both spiritually and physically for 2002.
I want to focus mainly on the message Haggai delivers in 1:1-15. But since the book is small, we can get a quick overview of the two chapters to see how all of it fits together.
The book is clearly divided into four distinct messages from the Lord, each of which is precisely dated.
The first message, delivered by Haggai to Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the priest, is dated (according to 1:1) in the second year of Darius (king of Persia), the first day of the sixth month (August 29, 520 B.C.). This message extends to the end of chapter 1.
The second message is found in 2:1-9 and is dated (2:1) on the 21st day of the seventh month (October 17, 520 B.C.) and deals with the discouragement that comes from trying to rebuild the temple – the physical building.
The Key Verses:
3. ``Who among you can remember the Temple as it was before? How glorious it was! In comparison, it is nothing now, is it? 4. But take courage, O Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people; take courage and work, for `I am with you,’ says the Lord Almighty.
The third message is found in 2:10-19 and is dated (2:10) on the 24th day of the ninth month (December 18, 520 B.C.) and it addresses the disobedience that comes from trying to rebuild the temple – the spiritual building.
The Key Verses:
11. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12. ``If one of you is carrying a holy sacrifice in his robes, and happens to brush against some bread or wine or meat, will it too become holy?’’ ``No,”’ the priests replied. ``Holiness does not pass to other things that way.’’
13. Then Haggai asked, ``But if someone touches a dead person, and so becomes ceremonially impure, and then brushes against something, does it become contaminated?’’ And the priests answered, ``Yes.’’ 14. Haggai then made his meaning clear. ``You people,’’ he said (speaking for the Lord), ``were contaminating your sacrifices by living with selfish attitudes and evil hearts--and not only your sacrifices, but everything else that you did as a `service’ to me.
Finally, the fourth message comes in 2:20-23 on the same day as the third one and it emphasizes God power to shake the wicked but choose the righteous.
TRANSITION
Have you ever said something along these lines, “I am going to give myself whole heartedly to God after I finished this semester of school”, or “I want to read my Bible more but I always have too much stuff /homework to do.”
“I want to come to Bible study but I have to work on Wednesday’s, the Lord understands.” “God has blessed me with a new job, but right now I am working six days a week and Sunday is the only day I can sleep in so I won’t be in church.”
“Pastor, I would serve but I’m just so busy with grandchildren, redoing the house, working extra hours.”
“I am working two jobs to pay my bills and I’m just so tired at the beginning and end of the day.”
“I know I should be doing more for God, but nobody’s called me and asked me to help out anywhere.”
If you have ever made any of those statements or something close to it, then you will have some idea of the situation in postexilic Judah.
I. GOD’S WORK DELAYED (1- 4)
The first message from Haggai to the ruling politician, the religious priest and the returned people addresses the unfinished house of God. For eighteen years God’s work was delayed.
What happened that made these people whom God had delivered to stop making Him a priority? What happened that caused these Jews charged with helping to build the house of God to put down their shovels, spades, and spreaders?
What occurred with their hands that led them to neglect the work of the one who held their purpose and plan in His hands?
My brothers and sisters, I believe whatever it was that affected their hands started in their head and their heart.
1:2. Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.(KJV)
1:2. ``Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding my Temple?’’ asks the Lord.(LVB)
Haggai begins his message by quoting a popular expression of the people, saying it was not time to build the temple. Though propelled by the hostile opposition of their neighbors (Ezra 4:1–5,24) and the lack of economic prosperity (cf. vv. 9–11), the roots of their reluctance lay ultimately in their selfish indifference to the Lord.
It would seem like a legitimate reason because timing is everything. It would seem to be a legitimate reason except for what God reveals about their motives for not rebuilding His house.
Let’s pickup the text at verse four which declares:
4. Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?(KJV)
3. His reply to them is this: ``Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins? (LVB)
Question: Is God against them building up their homes? Answer: No
Question: Is God against them because they spent more time building their homes and invested little or no time building up his house? Answer: Yes
Question: Is God against folks maintaining a living, developing a career, having nice things? Answer: No
Question: Is God against folks who spend all of their energy maintaining a living, developing a career, obtaining nice things, but leave no room for God’s will, word, or work? Answer: Yes
Listen, God’s displeasure is noted in His reference to them as “This people (vs. 2)” and not “My people.” They wanted their wealth for themselves, not a temple to worship.
Get the picture? They started out working on God’s house, but stopped. In the early days there was enthusiasm. They were out of slavery; they were no longer strangers in a foreign land. They were free from their past.
For seventy years they were on lock down in Babylon for sin and rebellion. Now when they have a chance to invest in the place that would remind them that God was their deliverer, their redeemer, and their forgiver.
The place that would remind them that God was the center of worship, prayer, and sacrifice.
The place that would remind them that God would be the source of their strength, hope, and peace.
The place that would remind them that God’s glory is revealed in the people’s praise, in the people’s singing, and the people’s corporate fellowship.
They wanted decorated homes but a raggedy church. They wanted themselves to look good, but God to look bad.
Hear what God is saying through the prophet, “Well, it’s amazing that you think it is time for me to work in helping you to build your house but you don’t have time to build mine"
The work of God had lagged because they were all wrapped up in their own affairs. They have put God’s work second and their own needs first.
God’s house in ruin, their house in riches;
God’s house, neglected, their house erected;
God’s house, not remembered, their house not forgotten
God’s house, second class, their house first class
God’s house, the leftovers, their house running over. Get the picture?
God’s work delayed, now look at God’s workers disciplined…
II. GOD’S WORKERS DISCIPLINED (vv. 5-11)
5. Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.(KJV)
Or
5. Look at the result: (LVB)
In other words here are the results of your indifference towards my house. Here’s what will happen when you are first and I come second.
6. You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely enough to eat or drink, and not enough clothes to keep you warm. Your income disappears, as though you were putting it into pockets filled with holes! (LVB)
Haggai painted a vivid picture of their economic and social distress because they left God out. When you leave God out of the equation he may still bless you with the stuff but you won’t be able to enjoy it.
You’ll have a degree, but can’t find a job. You’ll get a raise, but still be broke. Buy a house but can’t afford to eat. Got your child, but now he’s wearing you out.
You’ve left home, but you are two months behind in your bills. You’ve got your mate, but now you’ve gone from honeymoon to bitter pills.
You’ve gotten the job you want, but no promotion. Move into the neighborhood you’ve always wanted but hardly see it in the daytime.
You can eat any food you want, but still not be satisfied. Go anywhere you want but don’t have the time.
Too many of us keep God on the fringes of our lives, accessible if we have a need, but far enough away that he doesn’t interfere with our own private agendas.
The more you marginalize God, the worse things get. The net result is a downward spiral that pulls you further and further away from God.
Listen to the rest of story;
7. ``Think it over,’’ says the Lord Almighty. ``Consider how you have acted, and what has happened as a result!
8. Then go up into the mountains and bring down timber, and rebuild my Temple, and I will be pleased with it and appear there in my glory,’’ says the Lord.
9. ``You hope for much but get so little. And when you bring it home, I blow it away--it doesn’t last at all. Why? Because my Temple lies in ruins and you don’t care. Your only concern is your own fine homes.
10. That is why I am holding back the rains from heaven and giving you such scant crops.
11. In fact, I have called for a drought upon the land, yes, and in the highlands, too; a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olives and all your other crops, a drought to starve both you and all your cattle, and ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.’’
Because the Jews were zealous to pursue their own interests, the prophet drew a contrast between the one who eagerly ran to care for “his own house,” while disregarding God’s house (“My house”).
Economic catastrophe, resulting from God’s withholding of the summer dew, was the price for their disobedience (cf. Deut. 7:13).
Grain, wine, and oil were the primary crops of the land. Cattle, also, languished because of the absence of spiritual health (cf. Joel 1:18–20).
They had violated the cardinal law. The had forsaken the divine order of the commandments where God was always first. So God was sending them a wake up call.
The people were frustrated. The reason they are all frustrated is that they have tried to make their own lives comfortable while neglecting the temple of God.
So they lived in perpetual frustration and discontentment. Nothing satisfied. We can’t pass over this lesson easily. It’s for us, too.
If you devote yourself to sowing and eating and drinking and clothing yourselves and earning wages but neglect your ministry in the body of Christ (the temple of God, 1 Cor. 3:16,17), you will live in constant frustration.
If you spend your time and energy seeking comfort and security from the world and do not spend yourself for the glory of God every pleasure will leave its sour aftertaste of depression and guilt and frustration.
The text reads, “Consider your ways”, look at the results of your more and more squeezing God out your finances, your family, your friends, your faith.
God’s work was delayed, God’s workers were disciplined, now God’s workers are deployed.
III. GOD’S WORKERS DEPLOYED (vv. 12-15)
12. Then Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), the governor of Judah, and Joshua (son of Josedech), the High Priest, and the few people remaining in the land obeyed Haggai’s message from the Lord their God; they began to worship him in earnest.
Did you see that? Haggai the prophet spoke the word of God. Haggai the preacher proclaimed the truth and the politician (governor), the High Priest, and people repented, obeyed, and began to worship God in earnest.
The exiles that returned from Babylon took the message to heart. Realizing that the words of the prophet were from the Lord, they “obeyed” and “feared,” knowing that God was present.
You may be saying preacher, “What do I do, I know that I am guilty before God?” I am ashamed when I considered all the excuses for not serving the Lord.
Hear the message of the preacher, repent, obey God, and worship in earnest. This is a new year and I know my God to be a God of the second chance.
Oppressed by hostilities from without and famine from within, the Lord responded to their genuine repentance and obedience, assuring them of His presence with them.
This should have evoked a memory of God’s Word to Joshua and the returning people centuries before (cf. Josh. 1:5).
The Lord energized the leaders and the people through His Word to carry on the work of rebuilding the temple. God had sovereignly moved in the heart of Cyrus 16 years earlier (cf. 2 Chr. 36:22,23; Ezra 1:1–3).
The people’s response of repentance and obedience allowed God’s Spirit to energize them for the task.
Then in verses 12-15 Haggai reports that Zerubbabel and Joshua and the people obey and begin to work on the temple, on the 24th day of the sixth month.
So, after 18 years of neglect and frustration, the people begin to learn their lesson: seek the kingdom first and all these other things will be added" (Matthew 6:33).
CONCLUSION
When we put God at the center of everything we do, he provides energizing food for our souls and gives spirit-enriching meaning to our daily existence.
I am excited because when they had a change of heart…the Bible reads that God said, “I am with you.”
When you turn towards the Lord with a whole – He will be with you…
