Jexit - Judah Comes Home
God is With Us - Always
Haggai
The last time we focussed on the returned exiles we discovered that they were in a bit of a rut in their spiritual lives.
The sacrifices had started to happen as the alter was in place. But there was no temple building as the temple foundation was being worked on.
But then enemies had come and frustrated their efforts of the Jews. “Why are you doing this? You shouldn’t be doing this.”
So, for 16 years nothing happened on the building because the people were distracted from serving the Lord.
We called this situation the Post Spiritual High Syndrome.
They are stuck in a rut.
So how do they get out of this rut?
Go to Ezra 5:1-2 which tells us what God did to get the people out of the rut.
1 Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
Wouldn’t that be great.
You’re in a spiritual rut then God sends not one, but two, prophets to come and knock on your door and say, “we are the prophets of God to get you out of this rut.”
Basically they say “Right Yahweh has told me to tell you that it is time for you to stop moping around. There is a job to do. Get up and do it! … Thus says the Lord!””
Now that is not exactly what they said - but it is actually pretty close.
We know this is the case because the two prophets mentioned in Ezra 5:1-2 have left us with a testimony of their words … they are the third and second last books of the Old Testament - Haggai and Zechariah.
So we have a record of these prophets … not just that they existed, but also what they said.
Most of what is written in Haggai and Zechariah is spoken in 520BC.
Which is the second year after King Darius comes to the throne in Persia.
Which is at the end of the time of this rut.
And it is the messages of Haggai and Zechariah which get the building project going again.
Haggai and Zechariah are important prophets who speak an important message to the exiles who have come out of Babylon. So, as part of the Jexit Series, we will spend a few weeks looking at the words of these prophets. Starting with Haggai.
As we look at Haggai let’s recognise it isn’t a well-known book.
For one thing it only has 2 chapters ... 38 verses in all. That is 0.002% of the whole of the Old Testament. That would be like taking a tablespoon of water out of a bucket filled with water. So you can see why it is easy to overlook.
But not only that. The book of Haggai only talks about a very small slice of history. We know this because some very specific dates are mentioned.
• The first date is the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month (Hag.1:1).
• The last date is the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius (Hag.2:10).
When we convert that to fit with our modern calendar we get the following.
- the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month = 21st September 520BC.
- the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius = 18th December 520BC
So the slice of history covered is 112 days. 16 weeks. You can see why it is easy to overlook Haggai at times.
However, despite how small it is, the main issue that Haggai is dealing with is an issue we are now familiar with.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
Haggai 1:2-4
Haggai has specifically come to deal with this rut.
The returned exiles are frustrated, drained and distracted. Everyone was saying it. The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.
It was convenient.
It was easy.
It was the wrong priority.
Everyone was saying it ... it must be true. But God is not saying it … so it isn’t true.
And God rearranges the priorities. This is what the LORD Almighty says.
The world may tell us how they think we should act ... how we should organise our priorities. But ultimately it is the Lord Almighty who decides what actually happens.
Sure, there were enemies who were frustrating the process.
But now the Lord Almighty is speaking. And He is asking a very important question:-
Is your priority for Me … or is your priority for yourself.
That is a good way to get the people out of a spiritual rut.
It was this question that was being asked of the people on the day of Haggai. It is a question that continues to be asked of each one of us now. Is your priority for Me … or is your priority for yourself.
When adversity comes who gets priority … us or God?
When sacrifices need to be made who gets priority … us or God?
When we need to balance our time who gets priority … us or God?
When the world is trying to the world distracting us who gets priority … us or God?
When it comes to the crunch who gets priority … us or God?
Is your priority for Me … or is your priority for yourself.
That is the main question.
Which means that the rebuilding of the temple is not the primary issue. The issue isn’t “I want a better house than you!”. The primary issue here is one of relationship. The temple is that which connects God to his people.”
The issue isn’t “my temple is in ruins”. The issue is, “our relationship is in ruins.”
Through the temple God is brought close ... without the temple God is kept at a distance.
The same happens today, except it is Jesus who brings us close … without Jesus we are kept at arms’ length.
Through the temple God determines the agenda ... without the temple God doesn’t get a say.
The same happens today when we know Jesus He sets the right agenda for our lives … without Jesus we are hopelessly lost.
Through the temple God is with us ... without the temple God is at arm’s length.
Today is Jesus is the Immanuel … He is God with us.
Jesus comes to show that God didn’t want to keep us at a distance. God has a plan, a masterful plan that involves our eternal destiny.
Through Jesus, especially through His death and resurrection, we are given a visual picture of the lengths God has gone to in order to remove the distance between Him and ourselves. God wants His home to be our home
So don’t look at the Old Testament and think that because the temple is gone all of the stuff to do with the temple is irrelevant.
What the temple is for the Jews, Jesus is for us … because the primary issue is one of relationship.
Remember what happened when Jesus died?
The temple is torn in two.
Not because the temple is not relevant.
But because Jesus becomes what the temple was.
Relationship.
That is what God does. Right though history this has been His focus - that we get to experience the benefits of being in a full relationship with Him.
That was the message Haggai was giving to the people.
Then, in response to the message, they have an ah-ha moment?
Look at Haggai 1:12-15
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
Haggai forst spoken on the first day of the sixth month.
So it only takes 24 days for the message to get through … and suddenly everyone is ready to go.
24 days to break a mindset that had been around for 16 years.
Because everyone saw the truth.
“I am with you” declares the Lord
Isn’t that all we really need? God walking beside us. God giving us strength. God protecting us.
Energised by God in every aspect of life.
The task may still be great.
The responsibilities will still be there.
The drains in life will still take place.
But when the might Creator says, “I am with you because you have the right priorities” – when that happens what is going to stop you?
… …
It would be nice to say that nothing stopped them. That they built the temple with vigour and everyone was so excited.
But that is far from what happened.
They are not just in a rut … they are in a habit.
So more words are needed. Look at Haggai 2:1-3.
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?
So it’s been 7 weeks since Haggai delivered his first message to the people.
And it’s been 4 weeks since the people had actually recommitted themselves to the task.
50,000 people recognised their neglect of the Lord’s house, and their neglect of a relationship with Him. No more excuses. No more misplaced priorities. Everyone gets back into the task with enthusiasm.
That was 4 weeks ago. Today, on the twenty first day of the seventh month everyone is standing around with their hands on the hips, huffing and sighing and ready to give up. Why the change in mood?
Part of the mood change can be attributed to the huge task at hand.
This is a description, found in Psalm 74:4-8, of what happened when Jerusalem was overtaken by the Babylonians.
4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
6 They smashed all the carved panelling with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
Absolute destruction. Everything is just a mess.
They don’t just wipe out the people.
They want to wipe out the God.
Sure, the foundation has been laid, but all over there is just charred rocks. And the ruins have been sitting there for 67 years so that doesn’t help either. So it is a huge job to make things happen.
But – something which also wasn’t helping – all these really old people walking around going, “I remember what the temple used to look like … this is pathetic”.
The young people think they have been doing a great job, than it is just like a cold shower.
Everything was better in the old days.
Sometimes old people say that because they are old and they forget what it was really like.
But when it comes to the temple they are right. Here is how many people worked on the first temple.
Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working. (2 Chronicles 2:17-18).
There are three times the amount of workers working on the first temple then there are people who have returned. The combine workforce is three times the effort of all the people who returned.
Altogether, even with all those workers, Solomon’s temple took 7 years to build.
And that doesn’t include the fact that David collected all the materials before-hand.
Compare that to the temple being built in the day of Haggai. It’s nothing.
So after a month of enthusiastic work, they felt like dropping the hammers and packing it in. They were just so discouraged. Is it worth it?
Is it worth it?
That’s a question we have asked a few times in our lives isn’t it.
Is what I am doing worth it?
Have I made a contribution.
Have I done something of value?
We try and make an impact for God.
We make the sacrifices in our time, in our family even.
We want so desperately for people to know Jesus.
Yet …
Is it worth it … for the outcome we see?
We set out with enthusiasm to spread the Gospel. But few seem willing to listen. And those who listen have too many difficult questions.
It’s a battle – especially in our modern religious culture. If people don’t like our message about sin … they just go to another church.
Is it worth it?
And nostalgia doesn’t help does it. A longing for the way it used to be. Everything was better in the old days. People were more committed. There were much less distractions. If only we could recapture the early days.
Everyone is asking, what have we done for the last few years?
Why in Australia are only 10% of the population at most Evangelical Christians.
We don’t need to look out to an empty foundation surrounded by rubble to get discouraged. It happens just as easily in all sorts of other contexts.
Is it worth it.
But here is the wonderful truth.
God doesn’t want us to be disheartened and discouraged; God wants to energise us.
But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
Haggai 2:4-5
Does that remind you of another verse?
When Joshua takes the people into the land listen to what God says:-
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)
God wants them to see the truth.
I am with you. God is not standing on the sidelines like a cheer leader. They are saying “we are going to win … go team” Watching the game. Giving encouragement. But not participating. They are not the ones in the dirt, and getting the bruises and sitting in the ice baths.
God wants us to understand that he is with us. On the team.
That is what God says, but then he also backs what he says with action.
How do we know God is with us. Let’s go back to the book of Ezra 5-6
We’re not going to read the whole section but let me give you an overview.
Remember from Ezra 5:1-2 that we have been told of the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah who come to encourage.
Now let’s read Ezra 5:3-6
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 They also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius.
Nothing has been happening for 16 years … then all the actions starts happening. So this causes a problem … “who authorised this?”
So a letter gets to Darius
The letter basically says, “Dear Darius we noticed that the Jews has started building the temple in Judea. They said that you said that this was ok. So we are writing to you to ask if Cyrus did actually say that they were allowed to rebuild the temple.”
Since this is an official letter … and official search is made.
1 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. 2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:
(Ezra 6:1-2)
The scroll affirms the original decree.
That the people could return.
That the temple could be rebuilt.
And even that Cyrus would give back all the temple items which were stolen … and also provide money to rebuild the temple.
… Cyrus did say this.
Then Darius says adds his decree in Ezra 6:8-10
8 Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. 9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.
How do they know God is with them.
God sends Haggai and Zechariah who say, “start rebuilding the temple.”
Then Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai say, “No you have to stop building the temple.”
But the Jews say, “No ask Darius”
The Darius says I will pay for the work and also the sacrifices.
I get excited when I read stuff like that.
God said to these people when they were discouraged that He would organise the future for them.
He says, “I’ve got this.” He shows, “I’ve got this.”
Then God made sure that the future would be organised – and they were blessed beyond measure.
That says that no matter what our future is in God’s hands.
Even though they were in a rut.
Even though they took 16 years to get going.
Even though they quickly got discouraged.
God moved them forward
Despite all this.
Despite your rut.
Despite the spiritual separation.
Despite the lack of focus.
Despite the building of panelled houses at the expense of the temple.
Despite all this God says, “I am still with you.”
Which means we shouldn’t get stuck in the moment and allow that to be the focus – we need to look beyond the moment to what God is doing.
How many times has it happened in the past that we have said, “I don’t know what God’s plan is for me. He doesn’t seem to be helping. I seem to be forgotten.” Then, when we least expect it, God sorts out the plan and God gives us purpose and we are reminded … again … that God is helping us.
Where we move from the moment to moving forward.
I know that sometimes it is easy to look at the moment that we are in and get discouraged.
Maybe on this day you can’t see it.
But you can trust it.
All of us, in one way or another have gone through, or maybe right now are going through, difficult times. We do get shaken. And it feels hopeless and desperate. But there is a future.
I am with you, says the Lord. That is the key purpose of Haggai.
Not because of the temple.
But because of the relationship.
That’s the promise that Haggai speaks, to a people looking for a relationship with God.
It is the same promise that continues to be spoken today.
How do we know?
Because God placed his son into the womb of a virgin Jewish young girl.
Her fiancé was struggling with this situation … and he is going thinking about separating from her.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
He will deal with the stuff that separates us from God. The stuff that puts us in a rut. The stuff which makes us distracted and despondent. He will deal with it all.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means … “God with us”.
God with us
Jesus the fulfilment of the temple where God says, “I am with you.”
Then just to make sure we understand it He comes to this world and he says, “Now I am really with you.”
No matter what you feel … when you have Jesus … when you have Immanuel – God with us – your future is in God’s Hands … always.
Prayer
