Today, we start a new three week series on the book of Haggai.
I should really start, by explaining something about the background of Haggai. Give you something to set it in the context of Israel's history. But I just don't want to. I'll just say this: Haggai prophesied to God's people, after they had returned from exile, and before the temple was rebuilt.
Verses 1-6:
(1) In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zurubbavel son of Shaltiel, governor of Judah, and to Yehoshua son of Yehotsadak the high priest, saying,
(2) "Thus said Yahweh of Armies, saying,
"This people has said,
'The time has not yet come-- the time for the house of Yahweh to be built,"
(3) and the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
(4) "The time is it for you, yourselves, to dwell in your paneled houses,
while this house is in ruins?"
(5) And so then, Thus Yahweh of Armies has said,
"Set your heart/mind on your roads/ways:
(6) You have sown much,
and you have brought in little.
Eating,
and there is no abundance/satisfaction.
Drinking,
and there is no merriment/drunkenness.
Wearing clothes,
and there isn't warmth for him,
and the one earning wages, earns wages to a bag with holes."
Imagine yourself as part of a group of God's people, returning to the land of Israel after having been exiled by the Babylonians. You return to a land shattered by war-- ruined. The first time God gave Israel the promised land, he promised them houses that they hadn't built, vineyards that they hadn't planted. He promised them a land of milk and honey.
This time, God's people came to land where everything had to be rebuilt. What do you need to survive-- to thrive?
You need food. Clothing. Shelter.
The Israelites had been working hard on this. But nothing was going like it should. They knew life would be hard-- but it didn't need to be this hard, right? When I eat, I want to eat until I'm full. I want to stop eating because I've had enough-- not because the table is empty. If I drank, I'd want to stop drinking after a beer or two-- when I'm happy from the alcohol. I've had enough. Not because there isn't another beer in the fridge. When I dress, and have to work outside, I want to have enough layers that I can stay warm. Or reasonably so. Because being cold is miserable. And when I work like a dog for my money, I want to be able to look at my bank account, and see that it was for something. I'm better off financially for having worked.
Am I asking for very much in all of this? We are talking about the very basics of human existence. We are talking about the things that my Father in heaven knows I need. And the Judeans Haggai is speaking to, don't have enough of any of these things. It's just constant shortages-- like you're looking at your bank account every week, and thinking, "There's still 3 more days until payday."
So that's the situation. Those are the objective facts. Now, the question is, why does life look like this for God's people? What's the solution? The people look at this, and they say, "Now is not the time to rebuild Yahweh's house-- his temple. We need to simply focus on trying to survive. When things get better-- when life is not such a struggle-- we can work on Yahweh's house."
Haggai, as Yahweh's prophet, draws their attention to this same set of facts, and comes to a completely different conclusion. You are sowing much, and harvesting little, why? Because Yahweh isn't blessing you. Yahweh is making life hard for you. He refuses to bless you materially, when all you are doing is focusing on yourself.
Let's reread verse 4:
(4) "The time is it for you, yourselves, to dwell in your paneled houses,
while this house is in ruins?"
Yahweh is not being difficult here. His expectation wasn't that they would build His house first, and then work on their own houses. But they weren't content with modest houses-- with having something to give them shelter from the elements. They wanted nice houses-- paneled in wood so they wouldn't have to look at the mud and the plaster. And even that wouldn't be a problem, except that they were doing this at a time when they'd done nothing to rebuild Yahweh's house. And now they've settled down in life. They think they are done. They think there's nothing left to do.
So Haggai opens here by telling them to consider their ways. Look at your lives, and think about how difficult life has been for you. You can hardly survive. No sooner do you save a little money, than you lose it to this or that. If Haggai was prophesying today, he'd say, "Look at your houses falling apart. Your car repair bills. Your health bills. Look at the maxed out credit cards, and the constant anxiety about where the next meal is coming from. The worry when an unknown number calls you-- hoping it's not a creditor. Why is all this happening? It's because you're focused on yourself, while God's house is in ruins. This is God's judgment on you. This is God trying to get your attention.
So what's the solution? What does Haggai offer to the people? He continues, in verse 7-11:
(7) Thus Yahweh of Armies has said,
"Set your heart on your roads/ways."
(8) Go up to the mountain to gather wood,
and build the house,
and I shall be pleased with it,
and I shall be glorified," Yahweh said.
(9) Expecting much,
and LOOK! A little ,
and when you gathered to the house,
I blew on it , because of what? --utterance of Yahweh.
Because of my house, that it is in ruins,
while you are rushing/running, each man to his house.
(10) Because of these things, over/concerning you the heavens have withheld dew,
while the earth has withheld its crops,
(11) and I have called for ruins/drought on the land and on the mountains and on the garden and on the new
wine and on the olive oil and on all that the earth brings forth and on the human and on the cattle and on
all the toil of the hands,
Yahweh has been systematically calling for ruin on every part of their life. He's left nothing out. But all of that will change, if they work on God's house. Rebuilt it, and God will be pleased, and God will be glorified.
So that's Haggai's initial message. How will Israel's leaders, and people, respond? If a prophet came to you-- farmers-- and told you that, how would you respond? Would you admit your sin? Or would you tell Haggai that he's being ridiculous?
What makes a farmer successful? Is it based on things like rainfall, and sunshine, and picking the right seed, and trade wars with China? Or does it depend on whether or not God is providing for you?
Verse 12:
(12) And Zerubbavel son of Shaltiel obeyed, with Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, the voice of Yahweh their God/Elohim and the words of Haggai the prophet,
just as Yahweh their God/Elohim had sent him,
and the people feared before the face/presence of Yahweh,
(13) and Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke with the message of Yahweh to the people, saying,
"I am with you." --utterance of Yahweh,
(14) and Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbavel son of Shaltiel governor of Judah, and the spirit of Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people,
and they came/gathered,
and they did work on the house of Yahweh of Armies their Elohim/God (15) on the 24th day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
How did the leaders and the people respond?
(1) They obeyed the voice of Yahweh and Haggai his prophet (verse 12).
(2) They feared before the presence/face of Yahweh (verse 13).
There are times in your life when you've come face to face with your own sin, and you are appalled at how you've been acting toward God and others. And in that moment, you are scared. You realize that God is probably angry with you. You realize that God, up until now, has maybe been acting toward you out of patience. He hasn't given you what you deserve. He's been giving you a chance to repent. But fearing God, in that moment, is not a bad thing. It's a good thing.
The people, confronted with the words of Yahweh's prophet, fear. They can look at their lives, and Yahweh's ruined house-- and they know, they've sinned. All they've thought about is themselves.
So they repent. They obey the voice of Yahweh and his prophet. They fear God. They do well here.
And when they obey Yahweh, and fear Him, how does Yahweh respond? Yahweh gives them the greatest of all promises in verse 13:
(13) and Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke with the message of Yahweh to the people, saying,
"I am with you." --utterance of Yahweh,
What you most need in life, above all else, is for God to be with you. To have God be with you-- and to know that He is with you-- is the greatest of all possible blessings. And this blessing-- to have God with you-- is the blessing that leads to all other blessings.
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As we think how this text relates to us, let's start by asking a single question:
Why does God want, so badly, for the Israelites to rebuild his temple?
In earlier (preexilic) prophets, God talks about how much He hates their worship at the temple (Isaiah 1:10-20).
God considered it a burden. He was tired of putting up with it.
But in Haggai, rebuilding the temple is really important to him. Why? We read this, as evangelicals, and it maybe does nothing for us. We think of the temple, and of sacrifice, as being legalistic. Of being connected to weird things like Leviticus.
But God wants, very badly, for the Israelites to rebuild his temple. Why?
The temple is important to God, because God wants to dwell with his people. He wants a home in which to live, among his people's homes. He wants to live in community with them.
Probably, you've heard your whole life how God is "omnipresent." A big word that means that God is everywhere.
And this is usually understood to mean that God is equally in all places at all times.
But this isn't actually biblical. Was God in the Garden of Eden at all places, at all times, equally? Or did the Presence of Yahweh seek out Adam and Eve after they sinned? Is God fully present at all times, in all places, like He was at Mt. Sinai? Did his glory manifest itself everywhere as it did at the temple? (1 Kings 8). The answer is no.
Throughout the Bible, God is more accessible, more present, closer, in some places than others. And his presence was tied to specific places. In the wilderness, after the people's escape from Egypt, God lived among his people in the tabernacle. That was his home. Later, God placed his Name in the temple. If you, as part of God's people, prayed to God, you prayed toward the temple. That was the place where God heard prayers, in a way He didn't elsewhere.
Let's read from 1 Kings 8:22-53 (NRSV?):
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23 He said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 24 the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. 25 Therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, ‘There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.’ 26 Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! 28 Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O LORD my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive.
31 “If someone sins against a neighbor and is given an oath to swear, and comes and swears before your altar in this house, 32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing their conduct on their own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding them according to their righteousness.
33 “When your people Israel, having sinned against you, are defeated before an enemy but turn again to you, confess your name, pray and plead with you in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them again to the land that you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish[a] them, 36 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and grant rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.
37 “If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in any[b] of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there is; 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea there is from any individual or from all your people Israel, all knowing the afflictions of their own hearts so that they stretch out their hands toward this house; 39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know—according to all their ways, for only you know what is in every human heart— 40 so that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors.
41 “Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42 —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, 43 then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.
44 “If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.
46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47 yet if they come to their senses in the land to which they have been taken captive, and repent, and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned, and have done wrong; we have acted wickedly’; 48 if they repent with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies, who took them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their ancestors, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name; 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, maintain their cause 50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you; and grant them compassion in the sight of their captors, so that they may have compassion on them 51 (for they are your people and heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron-smelter). 52 Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant, and to the plea of your people Israel, listening to them whenever they call to you. 53 For you have separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your heritage, just as you promised through Moses, your servant, when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”
So how important is the temple? The temple was the place where Yahweh's glory dwelled. The temple was the place where Yahweh placed his Name. The temple was the place toward which all of God's people were to direct their prayers. When people prayed toward the temple, to Yahweh's Name, Solomon asks that God would hear those prayers from heaven.
The temple was the focal point of God's relationship to his people. It was where they sacrificed. Where they prayed toward. Where they made vows. Where Yahweh was present, in a way He was present nowhere else.
And that temple, in Haggai, lies ruined in the midst of a people who were doing well enough financially to have paneled houses-- at least, before God started making their lives difficult.
So what does God want? God wants to live among a people who are committed to him. Who understand that their success or failure in all they do in life, depends on God.
This brings us, to us. What is it that we want? Lots of the time, those of us who call ourselves God's people live exactly like the people in Haggai. We plant; we harvest; we earn wages. We eat; we drink; we find what little happiness we can in a hard life. We get so caught up in paying the bills, and putting food on the table, that we start to think that we take care of ourselves. We look at the bank statement, and we know, it's all on us. We have income, and expenses, and it's a battle each month to see which one wins.
But mostly what we do, is rush to our homes at the end of the day to rest. We think we are done. We've earned "our" time. We spend whatever we have left, in money and time, on ourselves. And we really don't care about how God's new house-- the church-- is doing.
God knows that you get tired. God knows that there are limits to what you are able to do. And God does not begrudge you your armchair at the end of a long day.
But all too often, the type of rest that we seek is only possible if we have closed our eyes to God and to the world's need. We refuse to look up. We refuse to see God's house-- maybe not in ruins-- but in need of some serious building (1 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:12). We refuse to see the fields ripe for the harvest (Luke 10:2)-- we are surrounded by people who need the freedom that Jesus offers.
Is this you?
The easiest way to tell is through your checkbook. Almost everything else that we do as Christians can be faked.
But there's no way to hide your giving. You are either giving generously to God, or you are tight-fisting it. Let's read from Paul, in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15:
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”[a]
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
You maybe look at your checkbook, and think, there's no way you can give generously. But God's word is united in saying, you are not ultimately responsible for providing for yourself. It's not up to you. God is able to bless you abundantly. Life doesn't have to be such a struggle for you financially. If life is a struggle, it's probably because you are tight-fisted toward God, and God is not giving you his best. There is much more He would like to do for you. But God will only do this for you, if you seek Him and His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33).
And if you've been tight-fisted toward God, and your life is hard, consider whether Haggai's words apply to you. Maybe, God has been refusing to bless you, because you spend all your time and money on yourself, and shut your eyes to God. Maybe, God has been putting holes in your pockets, and making every investment turn sour, and refusing to give you a good harvest, because He knows you only care about yourself. All you can think about, is rushing home to your house, and resting.
If this is you, stop and look at your life. Think about how much of a struggle life is for you. And repent. Revere God. Place your faith in Him. And see what He is able, and willing, to do for you.
Translation:
(1) In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zurubbavel son of Shaltiel, governor of Judah, and to Yehoshua son of Yehotsadak the high priest, saying,
(2) "Thus said Yahweh of Armies, saying,
"This people has said,
'The time has not yet come-- the time for the house of Yahweh to be built,"
(3) and the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,
(4) "The time is it for you, yourselves, to dwell in your paneled houses,
while this house is in ruins?"
(5) And so then, Thus Yahweh of Armies has said,
"Consider in your hearts concerning your roads/ways:
(6) You have sown much,
and you have brought in little.
Eating,
and there is no abundance/satisfaction.
Drinking,
and there is no merriment/drunkenness.
Wearing clothes,
and there isn't warmth for him,
and the one earning wages, earns wages to a bag with holes."
(7) Thus Yahweh of Armies has said,
"Consider in your hearts concerning your roads/ways."
(8) Go up to the mountain to gather wood,
and build the house,
and I shall be pleased with it,
and I shall be glorified," Yahweh said.
(9) Expecting much,
and LOOK! A little ,
and when you gathered to the house,
I blew on it, because of what? --utterance of Yahweh.
Because of my house, that it is in ruins,
while you are rushing/running, each man to his house.
(10) Because of these things, over/concerning you the heavens have withheld dew,
while the earth has withheld its crops,
(11) and I have called for ruins/drought on the land and on the mountains and on the garden and on the new
wine and on the olive oil and on all that the earth brings forth and on the human and on the cattle and on
all the toil of the hands,
(12) And Zerubbavel son of Shaltiel obeyed, with Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, the voice of Yahweh their God/Elohim and the words of Haggai the prophet,
just as Yahweh their God/Elohim had sent him,
and the people feared before the face/presence of Yahweh,
(13) and Haggai the messenger of Yahweh spoke with the message of Yahweh to the people, saying,
"I am with you." --utterance of Yahweh,
(14) and Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbavel son of Shaltiel governor of Judah, and the spirit of Yehoshua son of Yehotzadak the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people,
and they came/gathered,
and they did work on the house of Yahweh of Armies their Elohim/God (15) on the 24th day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
