PRIORITIES—III—Haggai 1:1-15
Attention:
Priorities:
Hurricane Dorian Devastated the Bahamas in August of 2019.
Below is an actual picture of our TV screen showing just how Floridians are Preparing for the threat of Hurricane Dorian.
Synopsis: The Weather Channel host is speaking to their man live on location on the east coast of Florida. He is centered in the screen & standing on the beach, with a stern look in his eye. His forehead is wrinkled with concern for those living in Dorian's projected path as he verbally describes the ensuing hurricane preparations. The ticker at the bottom of the screen says in capital letters, "FLORIDIANS PREPARE FOR HURRICANE DORIAN."
However, the live feed of the beach behind the ‘live feed’ shows that the beach is actually full of beachgoers in their bathing suits, some stretched out on blankets getting tanned...Others under beach umbrellas reading books or sleeping...Kids are building sandcastles...Some are in the water swimming...Some are walking down the beach at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to pick up a shell or two, as they lazily meander along.
!What a picture of contrasting opinions & priorities!
?What Are Your Priorities?
?Is God your FIRST priority?
WE Need:
God’s Priorities in our Land or sphere of influence.
God’s Priorities among God’s people.
Prioritize a Return to God.
•Perhaps you have spent some time away from God.
•Perhaps you have withheld an area of your life from God.
•Perhaps you don’t know what to do next...Lonely, Fearful, Unsettled, Living with the results of your poor choices. Perhaps you feel trapped.
Haggai exhorted those returning from exile to prioritize their relationship with God.
God’s people must prioritize their relationship with God.
How must God’s people prioritize their relationship with God?
3 assessments securing a proper relationship with God.
We’ve already found that, •A prioritized relationship with God properly assesses...
1. The TIME(:1-2)
2. The WORD(:1, 3)
3. PERSONAL MOTIVATION(:4-5)
4—A prioritized relationship with God properly assesses...
SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES(:6-7)
Explanation:(:6-7)
:6—“You have sown much, & 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.”
:7—“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!
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:6—“You have sown much, & 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.”
The truths stated here highlight the utter futility of vain self-effort. When willingly separated from YHWH, God’s people labor uselessly as do the lost of this world.
•’Civil religiosity’ is a dead end which leads one to utter failure...YHWH God is not at our/man’s beck-&-call. Rather the obverse/converse is absolutely true!...Man is rightly at God’s beck-&-call. Mankind is uniquely accountable to God regardless of whether any singular man or group of them admits it or not!
•Satisfaction with civil compliance only, makes one beholden to man’s manifold ways/means of acceptance, rather than God’s singular way/means.
Mat. 11:28-30—““Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.””
“Nothing has prospered with you while you neglected your duty to God.” By “keeping their money to themselves”, returning Israel “thought to escape poverty by not building” YHWH’s house/temple.—JFB
•Such considerations beg a springboard into the importance of titheing. The tithe(tenth) is the minimal guideline to which every Christian should be dedicated. Whatever your income might be, one tenth of it should be set aside, off the top, for use in the upkeep of church’s meeting house(repairs, electricity, water, taxes, etc.), as well as for the income of the paid personnel who depend upon the church for their livelihood(1Cor. 9:7-14).
1Cor. 9:7-14—“Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard & does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock & does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, & he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, & those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”
God’s people, who separate themselves from God:
•Though expending much effort in sowing their crops, they produce only a “little.” They will not & cannot not produce the potential which YHWH would supply to the seed!
•Though they are able to “eat”, there is never “enough” to satisfy their hunger. They eke along minimally.
•Though they are able to provide for themselves “drink”(implied wine production) to enjoy in their misery(cf.-Prov. 31:4-7), it is so minimal &/or watered-down that it provides no pleasure. “Filled”(rkv) indicates inebriation & drunkenness.
Prov. 31:4-7—“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink & forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink & forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.”
Eph. 5:18—“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”
•Though they are able to “clothe” themselves, that clothing is inadequate to keep them “warm” when it is cold.
•Though a person finds employment that “earns wages”, those wages disappear as soon as they are grasped. There is so little to ‘go around’ that it is as if their “wages” are protected in “a bag with holes.” Why do we get flustered & ‘bent-out-of-shape’ when the economy is allowed to be driven by liars & deniers of God?
We witness people every day who are in the same predicament as the returning exiles.
‘Church frequenters’ & even God’s people, who disregard love for the Lord, & likewise disparage a love for His way”(:5, 7)...even though the true church is in their midst!
Such people live in the spiritual squalor & neglect brought upon them thru self-love, self-ability, self-achievement, self-attainment, self-earning, etc. God & His way are openly & freely offered to them every week & day of their miserable little lives.
They may be members of a local church & even of our church. But they are adamantly more interested in their own comfort & in doing things their own way, than in receiving direction for their doing, from YHWH God!
The futility of what the people bring upon themselves thru sin, is reiterated by history, the prophets, Jesus, the apostles, & by anyone who ministers in the name of Jesus!
:6 describes those ‘people of God’ who live in the wretchedness of self-attainment.
•Those who are wretched, in Haggai’s context, includes ‘many’ who are the returnees to the land.
•Likewise, those who are wretched, in today’s context, includes ‘many’ of those who are ‘positioned people’ or ‘movers & shakers’ in local churches...including pastors, deacons, committee heads & congregational members, etc..
•Those who are wretched, in today’s context, includes ‘many’ of those who are non-committal casual attenders to our church gatherings! They don’t want to get involved in the workings of the church, because they are lacking an amicable relationship with Almighty God that they wished they had thru Christ Jesus.
•Such sin—separation from God—only serves up dissatisfaction in life, even when clothed with religious garb!
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Mere ‘observable piety’(rule keeping), nets nothing but the praise of men, that is, it nets nothing that is beneficial! Why?...because those ‘priorities’ are messed up, confused, & lack proper order!
Mat. 23:1-15, 23-28—“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes & to His disciples, saying: “The scribes & the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe & do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, & do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, & lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.[these require more of others than they require of themselves] But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad & enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, & to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, & you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, & for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land & sea to win one proselyte, & when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”.....“Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint & anise & cummin, & have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice & mercy & faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat & swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup & dish, but inside they are full of extortion & self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup & dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones & all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy & lawlessness.”
“Sown”—erz zaw-rah’—Qal Perfect—1) To sow, scatter seed—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To sow, 1a2) Producing, yielding seed; 1b) (Niphal)--1b1) To be sown, 1b2) To become pregnant, be made pregnant; 1c) (Pual)--To be sown; 1d) (Hiphil)--To produce seed, yield seed. Strong—To sow; figuratively--To disseminate, plant, fructify; a primitive root.
“Much”(See :9)—hbr raw-baw’—Hiphil(causative) Infinitive—1) Be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To become many, become numerous, multiply(of people, animals, things), 1a2) To be or grow great; 1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To make much, make many, have many—1c1a) To multiply, increase, 1c1b) To make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly, 1c1c) To increase greatly or exceedingly, 1c2) To make great, enlarge, do much; 2) (Qal) To shoot. Strong—a primitive root; To increase(in whatever respect).
“Bring in/Harvested”(See :8, 9; :2, 14—“came”)—awb bow’—Hiphil(causative) Infinitive—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack(enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go; 1b) (Hiphil)--1b1) To lead in, 1b2) To carry in, 1b3) To bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon, 1b4) To bring to pass. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
“Little”(See :9)—jem meh-at' -OR- jem meh-awt’—Substantive—1) Littleness, few, a little, fewness—1a) Little, small, littleness, fewness, too little, yet a little, 1b) Like a little, within a little, almost, just, hardly, shortly, little worth. Strong—A little or few(often adverbial or comparative).?From—jem maw-at'—1) to be or become small, be few, be diminished. Strong—properly--To pare off, i.e. Lessen; intransitively--To be(or causatively--To make) small or few(or figuratively--Ineffective); a primitive root.
“Eat”—lka aw-kal’—Qal Infinitive—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To eat(human subject), 1a2) To eat, devour(of beasts & birds), 1a3) To devour, consume(of fire), 1a4) To devour, slay(of sword), 1a5) To devour, consume, destroy(inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought), 1a6) To devour(of oppression); 1b) (Niphal)—1b1) To be eaten(by men), 1b2) To be devoured, consumed(of fire), 1b3) To be wasted, destroyed(of flesh); 1c) (Pual)—1c1) To cause to eat, feed with, 1c2) To cause to devour; 1d) (Hiphil)—1d1) To feed, 1d2) To cause to eat; 1e) (Piel)—1e1) Consume. Strong—a primitive root; To eat(literally or figuratively).
“Not”2X -&- “No one/None””—Nya ah’-yin—Substantive--Noun, Negative, OR--Adverb(w/preposition)—1) Noun--Nothing, not, nought 1a) Negative--Nothing, nought, 1b) Not, 1c) To have not(of possession). Adverb--1d) Without(w/prep), 1e) For lack of. Strong—as if from a primitive root meaning--To be nothing or not exist; A non-entity; generally used as a negative particle.
“Enough”—hebs sob-aw’—Noun Fem.—1) Satisfaction, satiety, one's fill. Strong—Satiety. Used 6X.?Feminine of—ebs so'-bah—satisfaction(of food or [figuratively] joy).?From—ebs saw-bah'; OR--ebs saw-bay'-ah—To sate, i.e. Fill to satisfaction(literally or figuratively).
“Drink”—htv shaw-thaw’—Qal Infinitive—1) To drink—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To drink—1a1a) Of drinking cup of God's wrath, of slaughter, of wicked deeds(fig), 1a2) To feast; 1b) (Niphal)--To be drunk. Strong—a primitive root; To imbibe(literally or figuratively).
“Filled With Drink”—rkv shaw-kar’—Qal Infinitive—1) To be or become drunk or drunken, be intoxicated—1a) (Qal)--To become drunken; 1b) (Piel)--To make drunken, cause to be drunk; 1c) (Hiphil)--To cause to be drunk; 1d) (Hithpael)--To make oneself drunk. Strong—To become tipsy; in a qualified sense--To satiate with a stimulating drink, or figuratively--Influence. Used 19X.
“Clothe”—vbl law-bash' OR--vbl law-bash’—Qal Infinitive—1) To dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To put on clothes, be clothed, wear, 1a2) To put on, be clothed with(figuratively); 1b) (Pual)--To be fully clothed; 1c) (Hiphil)--To clothe, array with, dress. Strong—properly--Wrap around, i.e. by implication--To put on a garment or clothe(oneself, or another) literally or figuratively; a primitive root.
“Warm”—Mx khom—Noun Masc.—1) Heat, hot. Strong—Heat. Used 14X.?From—Mmx khaw-mam'—To be hot(literally or figuratively); a primitive root.
“Earns Wages”2X—rks saw-kar' OR(by permutation)--rkosaw-kar'(Ezr 4:5)—Hitpael(reflexive/reciprocal) Participle—1) To hire—1a) (Qal)--To hire; 1b) (Niphal)--To hire oneself out; 1c) (Hithpael)--To earn wages. Strong—To hire; a primitive root[apparently akin(by prosthesis) to hrk kaw-raw’--through the idea of temporary purchase; compare--rkvshaw-kar']. Used 21X.
“Bag/Purse”—rwru tser-or' OR(shorter)--rru tser-or’—Noun Masc.—1) Bundle, parcel, pouch, bag(as packed); 2) Pebble. Strong—A parcel(as packed up); also--A kernel or particle(as if a package). Used 11X.
“Holes”—bqn naw-kab’—Qal Participle(unbroken continuity) Passive—1) To pierce, perforate, bore, appoint—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To pierce, bore, 1a2) To prick off, designate; 1b) (Niphal)--To be pricked off, be designated, be specified; 2) (Qal)--To curse, blaspheme. Strong—To puncture, literally(to perforate, with more or less violence), or figuratively--To specify, designate, libel; a primitive root. Used 25X.
:7—“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!
“Thus”—as a result of the maladies described in :6.
The eternally existing(YHWH) God, Who authoritatively & imperatively commands all “the hosts” of heaven.
“Consider” is literally -=- ‘Set your heart’[bbl wmys]—:5 above uses the same phrase.
God’s “ways” are to be the focus of our “heart’s” desire!
•True righteousness arises from a committed “heart.” The “way” each of us lives our individual lives, says everything about our relationship to & with the true, living, & eternal God!
Rom. 10:1-4—“Brethren, my heart’s desire & prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, & seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Again(cf.-:5)—Any of our personal &/or conjoined “ways” that we live out & which we maintain, must be properly weighed & deeply pondered, within the light & crucible of God’s desire.
Does the ‘peace of God’ reign in your accomplishments?(Col. 3:15)...Or is it rather the disquieting acknowledgment, that God has been left out of ‘your’ equation?
Col. 3:15—“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful.”
“Thus”—hk koh—Adverb Demonstrative—1) Thus, here, in this manner—1a) Thus, so, 1b) Here, here & there, 1c) Until now, until now...until then, meanwhile. Strong—properly--Like this, i.e. by implication of manner--Thus(or so); also, of place--Here(or hither); or of time--Now. Used 25X.?From the prefix of—k—&—awh huw’; of which the feminine(beyond the Pentateuch) is ayh hiy’; a primitive word, The third person pronoun singular--He(she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also intensively--Self, or (especially with the article)--The same; sometimes(as demonstrative)--This or that; occasionally(instead of copula)--As or are.
“Says”—rma aw-mar’—Qal Perfect—1) To say, speak, utter—1a) (Qal)-To say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend. Strong—a primitive root; To say(used with great latitude).
“The LORD”—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—Noun Proper Deity—Jehovah = “the existing One”—1) The proper name of the one true God—1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of ynda Ad-o-noy.’ Strong—from hyh[To exist, be, become, come to pass]; (the)Self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
“Hosts”—abu tsaw-baw' OR--(fem.)habu tseb-aw-aw’—Noun Masc.—1) That which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host—1a) Army, host—1a1) Host(of organized army), 1a2) Host(of angels), 1a3) Of sun, moon, & stars, 1a4) Of whole creation, 1b) War, warfare, service, go out to war, 1c) Service. Strong—A mass of persons(or figuratively--things), especially--Regiments organized for war(an army); by implication--A campaign, literally or figuratively(specifically--Hardship, worship).?From—abu tsaw-baw'; a primitive root; To mass(an army or servants).
“Consider/Give Careful Thought”—Mws soowm OR--Mys seeym—Qal Imperative—1) To put, place, set, appoint, make—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay(violent) hands on, 1a2) To set, direct, direct toward—1a2a) To extend(compassion)(figuratively), 1a3) To set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix, 1a4) To set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix, 1a5) To make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give. Strong—a primitive root; To put(used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, & elliptically).?*-+-[untranslated]“Heart”—bbl lay-bawb’—Noun Masc.—1) Inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding—1a) Inner part, midst—1a1) Midst(of things), 1a2) Heart(of man), 1a3) Soul, heart(of man), 1a4) Mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, 1a5) Inclination, resolution, determination(of will), 1a6) Conscience, 1a7) Heart(of moral character), 1a8) As seat of appetites, 1a9) As seat of emotions & passions 1a10) as seat of courage. Strong—The heart(as the most interior organ); used also like bl[the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will & even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything].
“Ways”—Krd deh’-rek—Noun Masc.—1) Way, road, distance, journey, manner—1a) Road, way, path, 1b) Journey, 1c) Direction, 1d) Manner, habit, way, 1e) Of course of life (figuratively), 1f) Of moral character(figuratively). Strong—A road(as trodden); figuratively--A course of life or mode of action, often adverb.
Argumentation:
Mat. 6:19-21—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Lk. 12:32-34—““Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have & give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Js. 5:1-8—“Come now, you rich, weep & howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, & your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold & silver are corroded, & their corrosion will be a witness against you & will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; & the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure & luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early & latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Php. 2:1-5—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
•You/I always have a personal preference in any matter, but in & by Christ Jesus—thru the Holy Spirit— my deference to others is a serious contender against my/those preferences.
Illustration:
Today’s(March 2020) Corona Virus(COVID-19) precautions & fears carry actual weight/We must act accordingly!—We must neither pretentiously get ‘holier than thou’, nor should we give into fear/Properly Assessing the SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES
Negative example:
Suppose you are on a Cruise ship/The people in the Engine Room notice that there is an unusual influx of seawater into the Engine Compartment thru one of the intakes—Something has gone wrong & seawater is quickly beginning to fill the ship’s engine room/They report to the Chief Engineer, who records it but rather than check into the leak further, decides to do nothing about it until they reach the next port-of-call/Doing so will easily sink the ship!/Im-properly Assessing the SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES
Positive Example:
Suppose you are on the same Cruise ship, with the same leak, reported & recorded, BUT this time, the Chief Engineer assigns a disaster crew to assess & address the problem immediately/They are easily able to contain the problem & repair it completely!/Properly Assessing the SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES
Application:
?Have you prioritized God by properly assessing the SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES?
?Is your Relationship with God properly Prioritized?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Floridian's laughable ‘preparation’ for the threat of 2019’s hurricane Dorian.
Action:
A prioritized relationship with God properly assesses...
4. SURROUNDINGS/CIRCUMSTANCES(:6-7)
1. The TIME(:1-2)
2. The WORD(:1, 3)
3. PERSONAL MOTIVATION(:4-5)
Pt# 4-only! Presented 03/15/2020am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
