Priorities-2

PRIORITIES—II—Haggai 1:1-15

Attention:

Teen Inmate Priorities:

Two teenagers were arrested, & upon arriving at the jail facility, the officer told them they could each make one phone call.

Several minutes after their phone calls, a man showed up & asked for the new prisoners by name.

“I assume you're their lawyer?” the officer asked.

“No,” came the reply. “I'm just here to deliver the pizza they ordered.”

•Instead of securing the help they really needed, they ordered pizza!

WE Need:

Priorities in our sphere of influence(land).

Priorities in God’s people.

Priorities upon 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 & 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—A prioritized relationship with God properly assesses...

PERSONAL MOTIVATION(:4-5)

Explanation:(:4-5)Driver/Impetus/Stimulus

:4—“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, & this temple to lie in ruins?””

:5—“Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!””

Attempt to lessen accountability to God by avoiding His people.

:4—“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, & this temple to lie in ruins?””

Upon returning to Jerusalem, the people had fallen victim to misplaced priorities. They obviously set self over YHWH.

“Paneled” “refers to an overlay of some kind” “definitely wood”, but it may be plaster.”—EBC Thus, God problem with the people is that they had chosen to not just establish their own “houses”, but to adorn(“paneled”) them, while minimizing or neglecting the LORD’s house(“temple”)!

Prioritizing their physical homes above that of the national/corporate center for recognition of YHWH’s presence & guidance, was a result of the people’s aloofness from God. Rather than establishing the “Lord’s house” first, they had chosen to establish their own houses(:4, 9).

That same mentality is what compelled Jesus to state in Mat. 6:33—“But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness & all these things shall be added to you.” The priority of any child of God should be to first establish a center for corporate worship & work in the Lord, prior to establishing any personal attachment to an area or location or house design or school system, etc. God must be “glorified”(:8) ‘above’ all else. And in order for God to be glorified, He must take priority in every area of our lives.

“Many Christians are like those ancient Hebrews[some 2500 yrs ago], “somehow convincing themselves that economy in constructing church buildings is all-important while at the same time sparing no expense in acquiring their personal luxuries.”—Robert L. Alden in EBC[EBC]

“Time”—te `eth—Noun Fem.—1) Time—1a) Time(of an event), 1b) Time (usual), 1c) Experiences, fortunes, 1d) Occurrence, occasion. Strong—Time, especially(adverb with preposition)--Now, when, etc.

“You”—hta at-taw' OR (shortened)--ta at-taw’, OR--ta 'ath, feminine(irregular) sometimes, yta at-tee'--plural masculine, Mta at-tem' feminine, Nta at-ten' OR--hnta at-tay'naw OR--hnta at-tane’-naw—Personal Pronoun—1) You(second person sing. masc.). Strong— Thou & thee, or plural--Ye & you; a primitive pronoun of the second person. Used 11X.

“Dwell”—bvy yaw-shab’—Qal Infinitive—1) To dwell, remain, sit, abide—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To sit, sit down, 1a2) To be set, 1a3) To remain, stay, 1a4) To dwell, have one's abode; 1b) (Niphal) To be inhabited; 1c) (Piel) To set, place; 1d) (Hiphil)--1d1) To cause to sit, 1d2) To cause to abide, set, 1d3) To cause to dwell, 1d4) To cause(cities) to be inhabited, 1d5) To marry(give an dwelling to); 1e) (Hophal)--1e1) To be inhabited, 1e2) To make to dwell. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To sit down(specifically--As judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication--To dwell, to remain; causatively--To settle, to marry.

“Paneled/Cieled(line with plaster or paneling)”—Npo saw-fan’—Qal Participle Passive—1) To cover, cover in, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To cover in, panel, 1a2) Covered, panelled(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To hide by covering; specifically--To roof(passive participle as noun, a roof) or wainscot; figuratively--To reserve. Used 6X.

“Houses”2X(See :8; :2, 9—“house”; also--tyb bah’-yith,-below)—tyb bah’-yith—Noun Masc.—1) House—1a) House, dwelling habitation, 1b) Shelter or abode of animals, 1c) Human bodies (figuratively), 1d) Of Sheol, 1e) Of abode of light & darkness, 1f) Of land of Ephraim; 2) Place; 3) Receptacle; 4) Home, house as containing a family; 5) Household, family—5a) Those belonging to the same household, 5b) Family of descendants, descendants as organized body; 6) Household affairs; 7) Inwards(metaphorically); 8) (TWOT)--Temple. Adverb—9) On the inside. Preposition—10) Within. Strong—A house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.).

“This”—hz zeh—Demonstrative Pronoun—1) This, this one, here, which, this...that, the one...the other, another, such—1a) (alone)—1a1) This one, 1a2) This...that, the one...the other, another, 1b) (appositive to substantive)—1b1) This; 1c) (as predicate)--1c1) This, such, 1d) (enclitically)--1d1) Then, 1d2) Who, whom, 1d3) How now, what now, 1d4) What now, 1d5) Wherefore now, 1d6) Behold here, 1d7) Just now, 1d8) Now, now already; 1e) (poetry)--1e1) Wherein, which, those who; 1f) (with prefixes)--1f1) In this(place) here, then, 1f2) On these conditions, herewith, thus provided, by, through this, for this cause, in this matter, 1f3) Thus & thus, 1f4) As follows, things such as these, accordingly, to that effect, in like manner, thus & thus, 1f5) From here, hence, on one side...on the other side, 1f6) On this account, 1f7) In spite of this, which, whence, how. Strong—a primitive word; the masculine demonstrative pronoun--This or that.