Sermon Tone Analysis

/Thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts.

And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts/.[1]

Israel had been severely disciplined because they had forgotten God.

Before the captivity, they had been scrupulous in observing all the ceremonies prescribed, but their religion had been reduced to mere form without substance.

Despite repeated warnings from the prophets, the nation had rejected God and descended into the impossible position of attempting to manipulate God for their own ends.

Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of a ruthless enemy and sent them into captivity.

After seventy years, a remnant returned to the land, but everything lay in ruins.

The Temple that had once been the pride of the nation was destroyed.

The land was inhospitable; the fields lay fallow throughout the seventy years of captivity.

The cities lay in ruins.

Though the people returned to the land intent on again serving the Lord, life got in the way and worship became secondary to “making a living.”.

You see, God had commanded the people of Israel to rebuild the ruined Temple so that worship of the Living God would again be observed in the land.

The survivors had returned from Babylonian captivity, resettled in the land, began again to grow crops and conduct commerce, and yet, the Temple was not built.

Though the foundation for the Temple was laid more than fifteen years before Haggai spoke, nothing further had been done.

Despite every excuse, the best that could be said was that people were disobedient to God’s command.

Worship was not a priority.

Worship was tolerated so long as it consisted of mere form, but truly meeting God—meeting that changed the worshipper—was neither sought nor allowed  This, then, is where the message begins.

Worship Challenges our Priorities — Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins [*Haggai 1:4*]?

Following Babylonian captivity, Israel had returned to the land under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra.

The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, and plans to rebuild the Temple of God were drafted.

The first thing the people did when they returned to the land was to take an offering toward the costs associated with rebuilding the Temple.

They wanted to worship God, and the evidence that they wanted to worship is witnessed by the offering.

The offering provided 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments [see *Ezra 3:5*].

This was almost 1,000 pounds of gold and three tons of silver.

Gold prices today approach $500 per ounce, which means that the people contributed gold worth more than $7,500,000 US.  Silver sold at $8.13 US per ounce in this week past, meaning that the donations in silver amounted to over $13,000,000 US.

All this was donated freely, because the people wanted to worship the Lord.

Masons and carpenters were hired; cedar logs from Lebanon were purchased [*Ezra 3:7*].

Two years after arriving in the land, the day finally arrived came when the foundation for the restored Temple was laid [*Ezra 3:10*].

What fanfare and great rejoicing marked the occasion!

Now, more than fifteen years had passed since that momentous and promising time when the foundation had been laid.

In the intervening years, the people had prospered, and their lifestyles reflected relative ease.

Though the people of God had once dedicated themselves to rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, after the foundation was laid, nothing further had been done.

The people were not opposed to rebuilding the Temple—it simply was not a priority for them.

In their view, it was not time to rebuild [*Haggai 1:2*].

They felt they could fit God into their lives instead of arranging their lives around God.

What was at issue was not a physical building, but rather it was nothing less than acceptable worship of the True and Living God at stake.

Worship is far more than singing songs; it is reflected in all that we do.

The Prophet was consumed with a burning desire to place first things first.

Lovers of God burn with desire for their priorities to reflect God’s presence; and those who are consumed by “self” discover that their own priorities are at odds with those of the True and Living God.

How different the people’s attitude in Haggai’s day from that displayed by David in *2 Samuel 7:2*: See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.

In this context, I cannot help but be struck by Paul’s identification of the Gospel as being of first importance [*1 Corinthians 15:3*].

The people had plenty of time and plenty of money to provide for their own luxury, but they had neither time nor money for worship of the Living God.

It is not that they no longer worshipped, for Jeshua and Zerubbabel had built the altar of the Lord where the people presented burnt offerings [see *Ezra 3:2, 3*].

Throughout the intervening years, we would properly assume that the prescribed offerings were offered to the Lord.

However, the condemnation of the Apostle to the Gentiles could be applied to the people.

They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ [*Philippians 2:21*].

We’ve all heard the excuses that indicate it isn’t the right time to serve the Lord.

People that make such excuses are not unbelievers.

At one time, these people were zealous for Christ, eager to serve Him and keen to worship Him.

However, life happened—they married, children came along, the need to acquire possessions, purchasing and furnishing a house, buying automobiles, and paying for dance lessons or hockey equipment.

Somehow, the work of God slid and was no longer a priority.

“Yes,” we say, “I believe we should tell others about the Lord Jesus, but I am so busy that I don’t have time to speak with my neighbours.

Besides, this business of speaking to my colleagues at work, or to my neighbours, or to my friends or family members, is delicate business.

It could cost me a relationship and jeopardise future witness opportunities.

I just don’t think it is the right time to tell others about Jesus.”

“I do believe in missions, but with the economy the way it is, I simply can’t expand my giving to missionary causes.

I really oppose expanding missionary giving now.

This is not the time to add to our missions’ budget for the church.”

“I really do believe it is important to plan for growth in the church, but how will we pay for another staff member?

We really can’t afford another building at the present time.

I would be glad to give more to add more staff and to build a new building, but I have so many family obligations that I cannot give any more to the work of the Lord.

This is not the time for me to be giving more to the work.”

“I’m really flattered that you think that I can serve God through giving my time and my talent to His work, but I really don’t have time now.

I’m too busy.

The kids need me to take them to their games, and I really, really need some time for myself…  Perhaps later, when the pressures of my job let up, or when I retire, I will find time for serving God.

This is not the time for me to take on more tasks.”

If this is not the right time to tell our neighbours and family about Jesus, when will be the right time?

If this is not the right time to expand our missionary outreach, when will be the right time?

If this is not the right time to grow the church, expanding this work through adding staff, when will be the right time?

If this is not the right time to serve God, when will be the right time?

God challenged His people to consider their ways [*Haggai 1:5, 7*].

That is a shocking challenge, and one that could be readily applied to our own lives.

Look at what you do, at what you have, at what is happening in your life, and consider your ways.

The people were working harder than ever, and yet they had less to show for their labour.

They ate the bountiful produce yielded by the soil of the land, and yet they were hungry.

They drank the fine wine produced from their vineyards, and yet they were never filled.

They clothed themselves in splendid finery, and yet they were cold.

The people earned more than ever before, but it was gone before they got home.

Inflation and taxes ate up what they thought they had, and the incessant demand on their time ensured that they had no rest.

The people were busy, so busy that they had no relationship with one another, not even in their own families.

Home was a place to meet briefly for a hurried push to rush out the door to the next appointment.

The people had bigger paycheques than ever, and their lavishly furnished and beautifully decorated houses were filled with “things,” and they felt empty and they were unfulfilled.

Can we imagine any rebuke more poignant, more pointed, than that delivered in *Haggai 1:9*?

You looked for much, and behold, it came to little.

And when you brought it home, I blew it away.

Why?

declares the Lord of hosts.

Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Though the verses following speak of a drought, what the people were really experiencing was dissatisfaction.

They had more of everything than they had ever had before, and yet they were empty and dissatisfied.

There was a sense of longing, an unidentified yearning for an unknown something that was clearly missing.

God had sent emptiness so His people would awaken from their idolatry and return to Him, just as the Psalmist says in *Psalm 106:15*: he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.[2]

It always works that way, doesn’t it?

We think we know what we want, and when we get it, the thing means so very little.

Amnon wanted Tamar, but when he had forced himself on her, he hated her more than he had thought he loved her [*2 Samuel 13:15*].

We live in a consumer oriented society.

Almost unconsciously we adopt the philosophy that the one who dies with the most toys wins.