Last week we examined the life of Solomon. We discovered that he asked God for wisdom to govern his people but chose not to use it. So we read these sad words concerning the nation of Israel.
1 Kings 11:9-13 “The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.”
After Solomon’s death his son Rehoboam became king. The people pleaded with him to lighten the heavy load his father had placed on them. Remember from last week, Solomon received 25 tons of gold in taxes each year from all the tribes of Israel.
Rehoboam replied, “My father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”
A revolt began to take place in all the tribes except for Judah.
Soon the word came that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt. Jeroboam was an official for Solomon. Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, met him and told him that God had chosen him to be king over all the tribes of Israel except for Judah. When Solomon heard about this he realized that Jeroboam would be the servant that God would give his kingdom to so he attempted to kill him. This forced Jeroboam to flee to Egypt. Upon Solomon’s death he returned. The 10 tribes of Israel proclaimed him their king so Israel was split into the northern and southern kingdoms.
Israel, the northern kingdom, would be ruled by 19 kings, each of them wicked and sinful. Two hundred and nine years after Solomon’s death, the Jews of Israel would be taken from their land into Assyria.
The southern kingdom, Judah, would have 20 kings, eight of which would be obedient to God. Three hundred and forty five years after the death of Solomon the Jews living in Judah would be banished to Babylon.
Twenty-three years before the event took place the prophet Jeremiah warned on this impending doom.
“This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:11)
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the destruction of Judah 102 years before it occurred. He also spoke of one named Cyrus 129 years before he was born who command that Judah be restored 149 years before it happened.
“‘But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
By them, I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’
and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!’
“When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’
they will be dry.
“When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” (Isaiah 44:26-28)
One hundred and two years have passed since Isaiah gave this prophetic word. Babylon has fallen to the Persian Empire. In Cyrus’ first year as king of Persia, it is impressed upon him by God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Among them was the grandson of king Jeconiah. His name was Zerubbabel, a direct descendant of Solomon. He is appointed the governor of Judah and along with the high priest, Jeshua, is responsible to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem.
Ninety-one years have passed since Nehemiah has rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Now the temple works begins. But the people become discouraged over the progress and they allow complacency to settle in. They conclude that they need to be more settled in. Sixteen years pass as the work on the temple stops. So God sends the prophet Haggai with a message of reprimand for them.
Haggai 1:4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?” Everyone received a letter this week about our financial situation. This financial struggle is not something that is exclusive to us. I talk with pastor friends who are experiencing a decline in giving also. Many are seeing a much greater drop in percentage of giving then we are. Many mega churches operate off the financial giving of less than 50% of those who attend. In Haggai, God is asking these people who have been blessed with the opportunity to return to their homeland why their attention has been averted to meeting their own selfish desires while placing his reason for them being there on the back burner. Then He gives them this command.
Haggai 1:8 “Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.”
God is telling them to refocus on why they were allowed to return. They had been going into the hills and bringing down timber. The problem was they were building their own homes with it. Not just simple homes but luxurious homes. God is taking no pleasure in seeing their beautiful homes. God is not impressed with their praise of honor about his blessings on them. His house is not built. Nothing else will please him. In fact they are actually struggling and don’t realize it.
Haggai 1:5-6 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!”
There is nothing in the Bible that indicates that they realize their harvest is lacking. Or that they are hungry. Or that they are thirsty. Or that they are cold. Or that they are poor. In fact, all indications are they are doing well living in luxurious houses.
But God is telling them that if his house were built their life would be so much better. The harvest they have is lacking in comparison to what He desires for them. The fullness they feel is lacking in comparison to the fullness He could give them. The quenching of their thirst that they are experiencing is lacking in what they could experience. The warmth that they know is lacking in the warmth that God desires to bathe them in. The satisfaction of their financial situation is lacking in the wealth He desires for them to have. They are lacking in the complete fullness of life because they have neglected God.
Haggai 1:9 “You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.”
But in the midst of this rebuking of the people God delivered a message of comfort.
Haggai 1:13 “Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: ‘I am with you, says the Lord!’”
The Bible in 2 Timothy 2:13 states, “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”
Even if we are unfaithful, He will continue to provide us with a harvest, supply us with our needs, and allow us to make decisions concerning our finances. He will not abandon us or pour out his retribution on us. Instead, He comforts us by letting us know that no matter what, He is with us. So the people began working on the temple again. But in less than a month discouragement settled in. God found it necessary to address this discouragement by posing this question through Haggai.
Haggai 2:3 ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Temple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all!
Here we get a hint as to why the work stopped in the first place. There are those who were kids when they were taken into captivity. They had seen the splendor of the temple before it was destroyed. Now they are watching the rebuilding of the temple and discouragement settles in.
They realize there would be no Ark of the Covenant. There would be no gold-plated walls. This wooden building would come know where near the splendor of what once was. In fact, in comparison this new temple would be a big fat zero. So the old people wept. The young people became discouraged. In that mindset of discouragement they decided that continuing to put their efforts and the wood that was being provided into the rebuilding of the temple was a waste. It was a waste of their time and their provisions. The wood was best served for their own desires.
How many remember this church in its former splendor, when we had 80 adults and children on a Sunday morning and $10,000 in the bank? Most remember this church at one time having 40 adults and children on a Sunday morning and $8000 in the bank. Now, with your own eyes, you can see where we are. It’s easy to become discouraged. It’s easy to develop a “what’s the use attitude.” But the message for Zerubbabel from God is the same message for us.
Haggai 2:4-5 “But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’”
Be strong God says. We have a tendency to be weak. It’s very difficult to continue in strength when difficulties arise. Moses had to tell Joshua to be strong and stay on the path that God had laid before him. David had to tell Solomon to stay strong and do the work that God had placed before him. Isaiah says that God gives strength to the powerless so they will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. The apostle Paul says to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
We are incapable of facing the discouragements of life in our own power. That is why God declares that we find our strength in him. If we don’t, we find ourselves victims of grumbling and self-pity. Remember what David declared to Goliath as he went out to face him. “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” We must declare the same in facing our discouragements.
God also says, “Do not be afraid.” It is impossible to face our discouragements without having fear. Fear comes from the unknown. What does tomorrow bring? But fear can be controlled by looking beyond our discouragement and focusing on God, the One who does know what tomorrow brings.
I read a quote in a book that made a lot of sense to me. It said, “There is no future, only the now. The future is simply a now that has not happened yet.” When we live in the now our fears and discouragement are lessened. When we allow God to minister in the now his power is seen more prevalent. When we give our problems and discouragements that we are dealing with in the now, He is able to encourage and lift us up.
We are not promised a future. All we have is a now. James wrote “‘Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’”
Solomon wrote in Proverbs, “Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.”
We should make plans for a future. The Bible does not teach against it. But we should never allow our fears and discouragements to dominate our decisions for now based on what the future may hold.
God also says, “Build.” The people had allowed discouragement to stop them from following the vision God had laid before them. God commanded them to get back on track. He commanded them to use their resources for what He desired and to set aside their own selfish desires. They were to set aside their discouragements and concentrate on the task.
The temple seemed insignificant to them. But to God it was very significant. Our small group may seem insignificant to the other churches in the area but to God we are significant.
The temple would be built. It would never be as glorious as the one that Solomon built. Zerubbabel would set the corner stone in the new temple and would be the last recorded leader in the Old Testament. After him there are numerous individuals listed in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that lead to Joseph, the father of Jesus. Neither scriptures nor archaeological studies reveal who these people are. God will go silent for 400 years. When He speaks again it will be to Mary, a virgin, and her husband concerning the birth of their son, Jesus.
So from Adam to Jesus, I hope we have gleamed a picture of the frailty of man and the faithfulness of God.
