Intro:
1. “Pressures, demands, expectations, and tasks push in from all sides and assault our schedules. Do this! Be there! Finish that! Call them! It seems as though everyone wants something from us…Soon there is little left to give, as we run out of energy and time.
We find ourselves rushing through life, attending to the necessary, the immediate, and the urgent. Too often, the important is left in the dust. Our problem is not the volume of demands…but values – what is truly important to us.
Our values and priorities are reflected in how we use our resources – time, money, strength, and talent. Often our actions belie our words. We say God is number one, but then we relegate to him to a lesser number on our “to do” lists.
In 586 BC, the armies of Babylon had destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem – God’s house, the symbol of his presence with them. In 538 BC, King Cyrus decreed that Jews could return to their beloved city and rebuilt the Temple…But then they forgot their purpose and lost their priorities, as opposition and apathy brought the word to a standstill (Ezra. 4:4-5)…
The people were more concerned with their own needs than with doing God’s will and, as a result, they suffered. Then Haggai calls them to action, “Think it over,” says the Lord Almighty.” [Application Bible]
2. When the things of God get put on the back burner, we can expect things in our life to go wrong!
3. Deity is to be our Priority.
Who…the prophet Haggai.
What…preached four sermons.
Where…to the people in Judah.
When…in 520 BC.
Why…urging them to complete the rebuilding of the Temple.
Times: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are the three last chronological prophets in the OT history as well as the last three books in the sequence of arrangement exile. Haggai is dated about 520 BC and is contemporary with Zechariah.
Target: Haggai targeted the approximately 50,000 Jews (Ezra 2:64,65) who returned to the land after the exile. The people responded quickly to the exhortations of Haggai – faster than any other prophet had seen. Haggai and Zechariah were both cheerleaders stimulating the people to finish building their Temple.
Theme and Traits: The theme of Haggai is: Consider your priorities – put God first. In a series of sermons he calls upon the people to build the Temple.
Text: 1:4-6, no text is more needful for Americans – living in the lap of luxury, in spite of the tough days we are living in, just compare us to how many others live in this world, and yet, with all we have we are never satisfied. God’s people were then “living in paneled houses” while God’s house remained unfinished (1:4). “You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (1:6). How about you?”
Haggai 1:1-6 (NKJV)
1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
2 "Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: 'This people says, "The time has not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built." ' "
3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?"
5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways!
6 "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
I. First, the Prophet. 1:1
In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month – August 29th 520 BC, using our modern calendar. [As we have already established Darius, was a Persian King who ruled from 522-486 BC].
the word of the LORD came – “The specific indication that the word of the LORD came occurs four times [1:1; 2:1, 10b, 20]…the word did not originate in the mind of the prophet, but occurred, manifested itself, and thus received and communicated by the prophet…In Haggai the word of the Lord is synonymous with what he said, with his voice (1:12). The prophet was “the messenger” who mediated and communicated the word of God which he had received. There is no difference between the word of God and the message of the prophet.”
We have the same authority as long as we preach God’s written Word! 2 Tim. 3:16-17
by Haggai the prophet – “His name is based upon the Hebrew word hag [‘festival”] and means “my feast” or “my festival.” It may indicate that he was born on a feast day, but we cannot be certain. We do not even know who his father was; he is merely referred to as “the prophet.” (Hag. 1:1/ Ezra 5:1)
to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying – these people we have already looked at in our study in Ezra.
II. Furthermore, the need to stop the Procrastination. 1:2
Thus speaks the LORD of hosts – this is one of Haggai favorite titles for God – 1:5,7,9,14; 2:4,6,7,8,9,11,23.
It is either taken in the sense of (1) YHWH Sebaot, Lord of Hosts, speaking of God’s control over armies, whether angelic or human (I Sam.17:45/Psa.24:7-10); (2) sebaot is explained not as a genitive but as an apposition of the name of the Lord, with the intensive plural denoting the comprehensive scope of God’s might. He is “Lord Almighty” who has all powers in heaven and on earth at his disposal.
“The sovereign LORD [New English Translation] emphasizes the majestic sovereignty of the Lord, an especially important concept in the postexilic world of great human empires and rules.”
Saying: “This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built – the Message Bible:
Haggai 1:2 (MSG)
2 A Message from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies: "The people procrastinate. They say this isn't the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of GOD."
Boice, “Apparently the people had not only ceased work on the temple, they had also done what many Christians who become lazy in the Lord’s work also do. They had begun to make excuses. This is a clue to underlying guilt. If there is no wrongdoing, there is no need to make excuses. But here there was guilt, and excuses were being made. The people said, “The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.” (v.2).
How many times have you heard that? [“I believe in the local church and the need to have a pastor teaching God’s word, but I have no extra money to support the church with tithe’s and offerings.] I’m flattered that you think my gifts and talents are needed, but I just don’t have time to serve now, perhaps someday when I retire.”
III. Thirdly, thus the mixed up Priorities. 3-4
Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “It is time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?
Haggai 1:3-4 (MSG)
3 Shortly after that, GOD said more and Haggai spoke it:
4 "How is it that it's the 'right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, GOD's Temple, is in ruins?"
“The early pioneers had thrown up rough houses to shield themselves from the elements, then turned their attention to the temple. They immediately cleared away the rubble and laid the foundation, but when the work was halted by a court order, they meekly gave in. Most of the people, born and bred in Babylon, had grown up surrounded by a sophisticated civilization. They were accustomed to the arts, sciences, and refinements of a cultured people. In the promise land the were suddenly reduced to a primitive lifestyle…It is no wonder that as soon as possible they abandoned their volunteer work on the temple and devoted their time to improving their own living conditions. With more than a touch of sarcasm Haggai turned their own argument against them and said in effect, “Is it time for you to dwell in ornate houses while God’s house is a heap of rubble?” Haggai’s point was well made. Their sense of values was all wrong.” [Phillips]
Haggai 1:4 (NIV)
4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
“Haggai does not waste any time; he gets right to the point of his message: The people are making excuses and neglecting God’s house. But it is time to get to work and finish the house of God. He points out their selfishness: they had built their own houses, but they said it was not time to build God’s house. In other words, they were putting self ahead of the Lord.
Some of the Jews even had “ceiled houses,” which would be luxuries in that day. This sin is with us today, putting our desires ahead of the will of the Lord. How easy it is to make excuses for not doing God’s work!
The weather is too bad to go visiting or to attend church, but not too bad for a hunting trip or a shopping spree. People will sit through a double header baseball game and never complain, yet they start to fidget if a church service runs five minutes over time.” [Wiesbe]
“Ours is the “me” generation. Remember Narcissus? He was that mythological Greek character who fell in love with his own reflection. To be narcissistic is to be totally and utterly absorbed with oneself. Our whole generation is becoming increasing infatuated with its own image…
Clearly, they needed shelter. They needed a base from which to work. God is not denying them that at all. What he is objecting to is their unbelievable extravagance. They are simply heaping upon themselves one luxury after another.
God is happy for them to have somewhere to be warm and sheltered a place to race their families. But now they must get on with building the house of the Lord. They are so intent on personal extravagance that they haven’t even stated God’s house. It is overgrown with weeds. They say, “We will get around to building the Temple when the right time comes. The reality of the situation is this: God has told them the way to do it, but they had made an end run around what God says.” I Cor. 9:3-14/ I Tim. 5:17-18
America is in the midst of a building boom. Houses are springing up like mushrooms, with price tags unimaginable to past generations. No longer is a house purchased simply for shelter; it is a major luxury investment as a hedge against inflation and taxes. People spare no expense, time, or effort to provide their families with the right houses in the proper neighborhoods; it’s the American dream…
More often than not, Christians find themselves caught up in a similar lifestyle. Drained mentally, physically, and financially by their progressive lifestyles, Christians have little time, interest, or energy for the Lord’s work…
In 502 BC, the people of Jerusalem were living a materialistic lifestyle with little interests in spiritual things or financial help for God’s work…So Haggai pinpointed the reasons for Judah’s procrastination. The prophet revealed three sins of the people:
1. The selfishness – they had time and money to construct their own houses, but not God’s.
2. The people had become indifference to the Temple because they had worshiped without it for 70 years in Babylon.
3. Hostile neighbors had disillusioned them from constructing the Temple. Now they were living in “paneled houses” which indicated luxury…Zerubbabel purchased cedars from Lebanon to construct the Temple (Ezra 3:7). Could it be that this wood was used to decorate the houses of the wealthy rather than to build the Temple?” [David Levy]
IV. Fourthly, Ponder your ways. 1:5-7
Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!” – Four other times the prophet exhorts us to consider our ways (1:7; 2:15,18 twice).
Charles Stanley, “We ought to stop and periodically review our lives in light of God’s Word. Very often this is all it would take to alert us to a dangerous trend or to confirm that we’re heading in the right direction.”
“Take a good long look at your lifestyle” God says, “Consider your priorities. If you take a hard look at what you are doing, what will you discover?” Quite frankly we discover that the Lord doesn’t really rate too high on our lists of priorities.” [Briscoe]
You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts; “Consider your ways!” – We cannot ignore God if we are true believers, and expect God to bless our disobedience! Heb. 12: [This is not true for the lost, Psa. 73]
“The problem came down to this: God’s people assumed that they could put their own financial interest ahead of God’s and still prosper financially. But the Lord had warned against this kind of flawed thinking long before (Prov. 23:4-5)
A similar thing took place in Malachi’s day. When the people failed to bring their tithes and offering, God called it robbery and cursed their investments. He admonished them to “bring all the tithes into the storehouse” so he could open the windows of heaven and pour abundant prosperity upon them (Mal. 3:10). We simply cannot afford short-sighted investment strategies that rob God of His due (2 Cor. 9:6-7).”
The prophet warns that trying to get ahead when leaving God behind will never ultimately work. Mat. 6:24, 33
“I do not know of any passage in the Bible that better describes the feverish yet ineffective activity of our own age. Haggai’s first remark (v.6) is that the people had “planted much” but had “harvested little. They were like the people in our day who take on extra jobs, who work through lunch and stay at the plant to work nights, who are always rushing around to get ahead. Yet little had come of it.
They were running up the escalator two steps at time while it was coming down faster than they were climbing. Not only were they falling behind in their push to get ahead – they were also dissatisfied, even in the midst of their apparent abundance. I do not think this means that there was insufficient food or drink – though the next verses do speak of a drought that affected the fields. The people were eating, after all. They were drinking. They did have clothes to wear. But they were not satisfied by these things and therefore went about with a sense of longing for what was not there’s.
Is this not a picture of our age? More cars, more houses, more furniture, more food, more televisions sets, more games, more vacations. Yet people are wretchedly unsatisfied. What is the cause of this? It is the work of God. God has sent emptiness so that his people might awake from their idolatry and turn back to him (Psa. 106:15).
We save, but our savings dribble away, eaten up by taxes and the progressive devaluation of our currencies through government overspending. What is the solution? It is obedience! It is getting on with what God has given us to do. In our context it is to set spiritual matters first and get on with serving God to the best of our ability.”
[The Minor Prophets Vol. 2, Micah-Malachi]
V. Fifthly, the Purpose of life. 1:8
Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified” says the LORD – This is the very purpose of life! For God to be pleased and glorified. I Cor. 10:31/ Rev. 4:11
There are three imperatives in this passage – Go…Bring wood…Build.
VI. Sixthly, the Principle of the law. 9-11
Haggai 1:9 (NKJV)
9 "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.
I blew it away – the imagery here teaches that man’s achievement are so fragile and temporal that a mere breath from God can destroy them (Ezk. 22:30, 21 and Isa. 40:7).
Under grace you get loving chastisement, but under Law they got just judgment, Israel was seeing the effect of the disobedience – Lev.26:19-20/Deut.28:15-68
Haggai 1:10-11 (NKJV)
10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.
11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."
In the dry season (April-October) morning dew, often heavy in Palestine, was essential to the growth of summer crops. So the absence of dew was devastating. The drought, brought about by God, affected the three basic crops of Palestine—the grain, the new wine, and the oil (from olive trees)—as well as whatever else the ground produced (cf. 2:16-17, 19). The absence of rain and dew indicates God’s curse on the land and its people because of their disobedience to the covenant (cf. Lev. 26:19-20; Deut. 28:22-24). This in turn deprived men and cattle of food provisions. The labor of the people’s hands in the fields would all be for naught. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.
VII. Seventhly, the Proper response. 1:12
A. Obedience. 12a
Haggai 1:12 (NKJV)
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him…”
“They gave heed, that is, obeyed, the word of the Lord conveyed to them by Haggai. In gender and number with the first and nearest subject. Sama “to hear,” constructed with beqol, “the voice,” has the meaning “to heed a request” (Gen. 30:6), or “to hear” in the sense of “to obey” (Gen.22:18). The leaders and people therefore listened with attention, interest and submission; they responded favorably to the prophetic message and acknowledged the validity and purport of it.” [New International Commentary on OT]
B. Reverence.
…and the people feared the presence of the LORD – to fear means:
1. Means Reverence (Ex. 14:31).
2. Means Avoidance of sin (Ex. 20:20)
3. Means Adherence to God (Gen. 22:12)
4. Means Assurance of blessings.
What a thrill to preach and actually have people respond!
Seldom has a sermon had such immediate practical impact (though Haggai realized that it was the Lord's doing, Haggai 1:14). Only 23 days elapsed between the events recorded in Haggai 1:1 and those recorded in Haggai 1:15. Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.
VIII. Therefore, the manifested Presence of the Lord. 1:13-2:5
A. His presence is Stated. 13
Haggai 1:13 (NKJV)
13 Then Haggai, the LORD'S messenger, spoke the LORD'S message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the LORD."
This is the essence encouragement:
• Issac and Jacob (Gen. 26:3; 28:15)
• Moses in delivering Israel (Ex. 4:12)
• Joshua leading Israel to Canaan (Josh. 1:5)
• Jeremiah at his call (Jer. 1:8)
• Israel during times of tribulation (Isa. 43:1)
• The disciples at their commission (Mt. 28:19-20)
• Paul in going to Corinth (Ac. 18:10)
B. Related to the Spirit.
Haggai 1:14-15 (NKJV)
14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
Sept. 21, 520 BC
“Here was an appeal not just to the conscience intellect, emotions, and will. It was an appeal to the spirit by the Spirit. As a result of this Holy Spirit revival, “they came and did work in the house of the Lord.” We can use all the reasoning and psychology we want on people, but it is the Holy Spirit who, by working in the human spirit, revives the work of God’s house.”
C. God’s presence always Speaks. 2:1-3
Haggai 2:1-2 (NKJV)
1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying:
2 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:
Today we have more then just one prophet, we have all the message of the prophets in God’s written Word! God’s Presence always stirs us up and speaks to us in His Word.
Just as when they laid the temple, the older people were not happy with the comparison of this temple with Solomon’s Temple…The Lord who knows the heart saw their inner disappointment, which cause an outward disappointment.
“God’s people were rebuilding the temple and kind of whining because it was nothing compared to Solomon’s temple…God here told them “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine.” (2:8). In other words, He isn’t impressed with fancy…Men always get too caught up in buildings and memories.”
The older we get, the more we seem to think that yesterday was the best, and nothing today can compare. “Those were the good old days!” No way! These are the days for us right now. God is not nostalgic, and we shouldn’t be either.
I hear people talking about “back in the tent days” or “back in the Jesus movement.” I don’t want to look back. Those were great times, but these are great times too. Ultimately, it will all burn; and we will be in the presence of the Lord. Those will be the days! Lets look forward, not backward.” [Chuck Smith]
D. God’s presence always Strengthens. 4
Haggai 2:4 (NKJV)
4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the LORD; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the LORD, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the LORD of hosts.
Three times it commands them to be strong – this can only be done as we are strengthen by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Be strong and work – we can only be strong enough to work when we are empowered by God (Jn. 15:5/Phil. 4:13)…David gave the same exhortation (I Chron. 28:20), and Joshua received similar words (Josh. 1:6-7, 9, 18)
E. God’s presence always Settles us down. 2:5
Haggai 2:5 (NKJV)
5 'According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'
Faith and fear don’t mix! 2 Tim. 1:7/Heb. 13:5-6
IX. Ninthly, we have the Prophecy. 2-6-9, 20-23
A. A whole lot of Shaking going on. 6-7a, 20-22
1. He will shake Nature.
Haggai 2:6 (NKJV)
6 "For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
2. He will shake all Nations.
Haggai 2:7 (NKJV)
7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.
MacArthur, “The text looks to the cataclysm in the universe described in Rev. 6-19, the subjugation of the nations by the Messiah, and the setting up of His kingdom which will never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44; 7:27/ Zech. 14:16-21/ Mat. 25:32/ Lu.21:26/ Heb. 12:26/
Rev. 19:19-21).
‘The desire of all nations’ is either (1) The messiah, Jesus who some 500 years later would enter this Temple, one renovated by Herod, or (2) it could refer to the wealth that would flow into the Temple.” I prefer that this is referring to the Messiah. The nations may not know it, but it is Jesus Christ who they really desire.
B. The Shekinah glory. 7b-9a
Haggai 2:7-9 (NKJV)
7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.
8 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts."
“The new temple had little or nothing of these – and no shekinah glory…But this second temple would one day have a glory that was denied Solomon’s. It would have Christ! It was to the second temple that He was brought as a baby to be offered to God. It was there that as a boy He sat in the midst of the doctors. It was there that He sat and taught and revealed things hidden from the foundation of the world. It was that temple that the money-changers defiled and Jesus cleansed, claiming that it was His Fathers house. He was the Word made flesh, of whom Jesus wrote, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father (Jn.1:14).
The silver is Mine and the gold is mine – Solomon’s temple was encased in gold, but what need did God have for gold? All the gold of the earth was His. The presence or absence of gold was wholly immaterial to God. After all Zerubbabel’s temple was extensively rebuilt, enlarged, and embellished by Herod. He was a wicked man whose whole life was a scandal and a crime.” [Phillips]
C. The Serenity.
And in this place I will give peace, says the LORD of host – v. 9b
This peace will come to the temple when the Prince of Peace comes again (Isa.9:6), at which time peace with flow from Jerusalem to the whole wide world (Isa. 66:12).
D. The Signet ring. 23
Haggai 2:23 (NKJV)
23 'In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the LORD, 'and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says the LORD of hosts."
“The prophet did not say this day but that day, Zerubbabel is not called here “governor” as previously (1:1,14; 2:2,21), but My servant – a title often used of the Messiah (Isa.42:1-12; 49:; 52:13-15; 53:1-12). Zerubbabel was in the line of David and thus in the seed line of the Messiah (Mt.1:12-13), thus I believe this passage is symbolically taken to refer not to Zerubbabel but the Messiah Himself!”
“The prophecy in Haggai 2:23 is surely Messianic. God’s true “signet” is Christ. He is the One who is the executor of the divine will one earth. He is the One who is coming back to reign. After Zerubbabel, the Jewish nation fell into a decline…eventually the Jews fell into an obscurity that lasted for centuries.
Then God sent His “signet” into the world. He was born of a woman of the royal family of David. The world did not acknowledge God’s “signet” they crucified Him and He returned to heaven – but He’s coming back. “In that day” He will impose all the authority of His throne on this world.”
X. Tenthly, the Problem. 10-19a [meanwhile back at the ranch!]
A. The Cause. 10-14 [Disobedience]
Haggai 2:10-12 (NKJV)
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
11 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying,
12 If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?" ' " Then the priests answered and said, "No."
The principle is certainly true – a person’s holiness cannot make another person holy. I have learned that no matter how desperate a pastor may want revival he cannot make other people want it; Holiness is not contagious – unfortunately either is a prayer life; a love for the Word; or Christianity.
Haggai 2:13 (NKJV)
13 And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean."
Uncleanness on the other hand is very catching! Think of it this way – you cannot give somebody your health; but you can give them a disease!
Then he applies it to the people:
Haggai 2:14 (NKJV)
14 Then Haggai answered and said, " 'So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,' says the LORD, 'and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.
Haggai 2:14 (TLB)
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.
Before they responded to Haggai’s message, when they were still living self-centered lives concerned only about their own houses – during those 15-16 years of rebellions when Temple work had ceased…even though they did offer sacrifices on the altar that they had rebuilt, their sinful hearts contamination those sacrifices…
Disobedience made Judah unclean, which meant that any sacrifice or form of service they rendered was unacceptable to the Lord…
B. The Effect. 15-19a [Discipline]
Haggai 2:15-16 (NKJV)
15 'And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the LORD--
16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
Before they started building the temple, they were under God’s discipline, thus the grain crop had deceased by 50% and juice by 60 %...
Haggai 2:17 (NKJV)
17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,' says the LORD.
Blight [crop disease] and mildew [a fungus that attacked the crops] and hail all divine judgment during their time of rebellion (Deut. 28:22/ I Ki.8:37/ 2 Chron. 6:28/Amos 4:9/
Ex.9:25/Isa. 28:2; 30:30).
Haggai 2:18-19 (NKJV)
18 'Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid--consider it:
19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.' "
Although the people had turned to the Lord the effects of God’s past judgment were still being felt – the consequences of sin can linger even after we have repentance has taken place…
“God asks for our obedience today so that He may bless us tomorrow. God’s blessings for obedience usually does not appear as soon as we obey; He’s not a candy machine. But God works for those who wait for Him.” [Charles Stanley]
XI. Finally, the Promise. 19b
…but from this day I will bless you – what a promise, as soon as we confess and forsake sin, the blessings begin!
Con:
1. Deity is to be our Priority.
2. “Satan is always doing his utmost to stay the work of God. In the case of the Jewish people on their return from capacity he sought to prevent the building of the temple by making every man eager to build his own house, and cared nothing for the house of the Lord. Each family pleaded its own urgent needs. They carried this self-providing to a great extreme, and secured for themselves luxuries, while the foundations of the temple which had been laid years before remained as they were, or became still more thickly covered with rubbish.
The people answered to every exhortation, “The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” A more convenient season was always looming in the future. Just now it was too hot, further on it was too cold; at one time it was the wet season just setting in, and it was of no use to begin after the fair weather required that they should be in their own fields.
Like some in our day, they saw to themselves first, and God’s turn was very long in coming; hence the prophet cried, “Is it time for you to dwell in your paneled housed and this house lie waste? The present times are, in many respects, similar to those of Haggai.
We are not free from the worldliness, which puts self first and God nowhere, else our various enterprises would be more abundantly supplied, with the silver and gold which are the Lords, but which even professing Christians, reserve for themselves.” [Spurgeon]
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthrscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkrado.com/strugglingthruscriptures
