Haggai - Think Carefully About Your Ways
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Background
Background
In 538 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia allowed the exile Jews to return to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel about 50,000 Jews left Babylon and went back to Israel and two years later 536 B.C. construction on the temple began. After two years and much opposition to the rebuilding effort, all work stopped. No work would be done for the next 14 years. In the fourteenth year of the halted work Haggai was sent to speak to the people. Haggai means “festive” or “Festival”. Haggai was similar to those to whom he spoke - he was one who returned to Israel from captivity and he was a contemporary to Zechariah and he ministered about 15 years after Daniel. We know little of his personal life - no father listed, no hometown.
The book of Haggai is the second shortest book of only 38 verses. 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). The calendar they used at that time was a bit different to ours. However it is quite easy to correlate the dates – and we get the following. The second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month = 29th August 520 B.C.
The twenty fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius = 18th December 520 B.C. That is 112 days. 16 weeks. The theme for the book is the call that Haggai gives from God for the people to “Think Carefully About Their Ways”.
5 Now, the Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways:
7 The Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways.
15 “Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple,
18 From this day on, think carefully; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; think carefully.
Wrong Priorities
Wrong Priorities
Introduction
Introduction
A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters
returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.
"Where's Harry?" he was asked.
"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."
"You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"
"Well," said the hunter, "I figured no one was going to steal Harry."
I heard a joke about a young successful lawyer who was parking his BMW on the side of a busy street and when he opened his door a car came by at the same time and took his door off his car. He stood there looking down at his BMW and said, "Oh, no! My car! My car!"
A man, who had stopped to help, said, "Mister, you have just lost your left arm, and you’re crying about your car?"
The young man looked down and said, "Oh no, my Rolex!
It’s so easy to see when someone else’s priorities are out of order. It’s not quite so easy to see it in your own life. Let’s be honest with ourselves. We all struggle with our priorities from time to time. Every day we make decisions, and those decisions flow out of what we consider most important.
What you love and value - is your priority
That concept of love and value affecting priorities makes sense to most of us. However, we who say we love and value God very often give God what we have left over in time and resources. Sure, we will worship God—as long as nothing else is going on. Sure we will give our time and money to God—if we happen to have any leftover from spending it on other things. God’s children need a constant reminder to prioritize God. When God is not a priority our priorities are wrong.
Know this. We’re not the first generation to struggle with our priorities. The people living in Jerusalem in 520 B.C. faced—and failed in—the same problem. And God sent them a message they desperately needed. And we who live in the 21 st century need it just as much today.
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
2 “The Lord of Armies says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” 3 The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” 5 Now, the Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways:
6 You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to be happy. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” 7 The Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways.
8 Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10 So on your account, the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops. 11 I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, fresh oil, and whatever the ground yields, on people and animals, and on all that your hands produce.”
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people: “I am with you—this is the Lord’s declaration.”
14 The Lord roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of the Lord of Armies, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
Wrong Priorities Must Be Confronted
Wrong Priorities Must Be Confronted
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “The Lord of Armies says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”
3 The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
The dating method of the prophecy of Haggai is a stark reminder that Haggai’s ministry is during “the times of the Gentiles”. This is the prophetic time period we are in today as well, as Israel has no king of her own. This first message of Haggai was given after the exiles had been back in Jerusalem for 18 years and the work of rebuilding the temple had been left and laid idle for the last 14 years. The work had started gloriously as recorded in the book of Ezra. The foundation for the temple had been laid and the altar had been rebuilt.
10 When the builders had laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple, the priests, dressed in their robes and holding trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph, holding cymbals, took their positions to praise the Lord, as King David of Israel had instructed.
11 They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For he is good; his faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s house had been laid.
After two years the work stopped. Overtaken with discouragement and soon derailed by a lack of focus. It is in this place and context that the LORD through Haggai spoke to confront the people and their priorities. This message if you note was to both the political leader and the religious leader of the day. Haggai starts off with The LORD of Armies says this — modern day equivalent of “Thus sayeth the LORD”. Establishing the command and authority of the message as being the word of the LORD and not Haggai’s soap box. Also among the governor and the high priest it reminds them that not all voices and messages are equal. This is especially important to remember today. With everyone having a platform to get their voice out we must remember not all voices are equal. There is one voice that MUST stand out and that is the voice and message of the LORD. Those who teach would do well to remember it is not our job to share opinions, but to proclaim the LORD’s word and message. The LORD’s message was to challenge the people’s hearts and priorities.
“These people say the time has not yet come for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt. Literally it is not a suitable time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt. They may not have said this out loud, but it was declared loudly through their actions - or rather inaction on completing the temple. Many reasons why the work to rebuild the temple was hard:
The land was desolate after 70 years of neglect
The work itself was hard
Lack of resources (money and manpower)
Hostile enemies (Samaritans) resisting the work
Tough Farming - weeds, crop failures and droughts
Memory of easier times in Babylon
Many reason for hard work but no reason to abandon the work. They in the difficulty spiritualized their excuse “the time had not yet come”. They werent against the IDEA of rebuilding just its TIMING. Its hard and difficult because God must not want us to do it - at least not at this time. Oh, they didn’t deny God. They just trivialized Him. "It’s not time yet to rebuild the Lord’s house," they said. They were guilty of procrastination. They weren’t against serving God. They’d serve God—just not yet. Many today live the same way “I will serve you God but not yet, its not time now”
“I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else” Benjamin Franklin
This excuse of God’s timing is laid bare in the next two verses which describes their wrong priorities. The people said “The time has not come yet for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt”, but God says “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house (My house) is in ruins?” God through Haggai spoke a rebuke to the people about their wrong priority. They built THEIR own house while neglecting His house! Their priority was ME first and God next… maybe. They didnt just make a roof over their head either. The houses are described as paneled and refers to luxurious paneling and spacious layouts of houses. The problem isnt that God’s people lived in paneled houses either but that they would live in such extravagant comfort and luxury while the temple was in ruins. The problem was simply wrong priorities.
1. The people said its not time to do what God wanted. But the fact of the matter is this...
2. They made it the time to do what they wanted. God challenged the people’s pretext with this question, "You say it’s not the right time to rebuild My house. What makes it the right time for you to be living in your fancy houses?"
There’s nothing wrong with fixing up your house. There is something wrong, however, when we put self-interest above the Lord’s will, when we pour our time, money, and energy into our agenda and neglect the Lord’s agenda.
The founder of McDonald's, Ray Krock, was asked by a reporter what he believed in. "I believe in God, my family and McDonald's," he said. Then he added, "When I get to the office, I reverse the order."
What are the priorities that govern your life know that they are not what you say they are but your priorities are shown by what you choose to do.
In Haggai’s day, the people didn’t seem to have time to do what God wanted, but they made time to do what they wanted. Our priorities become wrong when we say its not time for God but we give plenty of time for ourselves
• “We can’t get much done at the temple, and I’m tired of living in a wreck. Time to start the remodel at home”
• “God wants me to give attention to things at home—home comes first”
• “I would fund more construction at the temple but all my money is tied up with my home renovation”
• I’m not living extravagantly—look at the other houses in my neighborhood! Look at the chariots in their driveway!
• “Someone should get to work on the temple. I hope someone steps up to the job—I’ve got to finish paneling my living room”
• “The temple hasn’t been open for business for well more than 50 years—a little while longer won’t matter”
• “This isn’t the right time—later will be better”
• “The altar is there and we can at least sacrifice to the Lord. We’re getting by”
After the kids are grown, after I retire, after we reach or get or do - then it will be time
According to Haggai, wrong priorities need to be confronted.
This issue is not whether people have nice homes or work hard at their jobs… the issue is whether the nice home or the good job detracts from other equally or more important priorities.
No time and no money for God’s house while one has plenty of time and money for other things are wrong priorities. No time for one’s family when one has plenty of time to work are wrong priorities. Being willing to give one’s right arm for a Rolex watch is a wrong priority.
So what is important to us? What occupies our time and our money? What do we think about when we aren’t thinking about anything? Who and what are we neglecting? Who and what need to be prioritized in our lives?
Wrong Priorities Will Not Be Blessed
Wrong Priorities Will Not Be Blessed
5 Now, the Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways: 6 You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to be happy. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.”
7 The Lord of Armies says this: “Think carefully about your ways. 8 Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10 So on your account, the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops. 11 I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, fresh oil, and whatever the ground yields, on people and animals, and on all that your hands produce.”
Haggai then brings the correction from the LORD for the people to stop and think carefully about their ways. This phrase “think carefully” is the theme of Haggai’s book and messages. It comes from a Hebrew figure of speech which literally means “put your heart on your roads”. Haggai is asking God’s people to think carefully about what direction their life is headed and if that is the road they want to continue down and the destination that they want to reach.
Consider what you have been doing "You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." Most of us spend very little time thinking about our lives. We bounce from paycheck to paycheck. We try to keep our heads above water. According to Haggai, we need to consider why are we up to our necks in the first place?
Give careful thought to your ways, Haggai said. Think about what you’ve been doing, he told his people. You’ve been planting, eating, and earning money. And what do you have to show for it?
Here’s what they had. Their agriculture failed—"you’ve sown much, but bring in little." The bottom dropped out of their economy—"you eat and drink, but never have enough; you put on clothes, but aren’t warm." Inflation spiraled out of sight because of famine and scarcity of goods—"you earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." It kind of reminds me of the bumper sticker, "My take home pay won’t take me home."
When our priorities are wrong nothing will satisfy us, nothing fills the space that is reserved for God in our lives except when we put Him first. Their wrong priorities are fruitless and their selfish and self-centered living had not brought any economic stability. Their abundant planting brought meager harvest. All their efforts availed nothing because they had not put the LORD first!
1. When you neglect God, you never have enough. Never. It’s impossible to fail to give God His rightful place in your life without severe consequences. On the other hand...
2. When you put God first, you have all you need. Not all you want. God isn’t a Genie in a bottle, but He is our Shepherd. As David confessed, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Ps 23:1)."
Dear friends, here’s the first step for correcting wrong priorities. Think about what you’ve been doing. Take time for some soul-searching reflection.
Interestingly, God pointed out, it was because of their wrong priorities that God was withholding his blessing. In verse 10
10 So on your account, the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops.
I am not saying that whenever life gets difficult it is a sign that our priorities are wrong and that God is withholding his blessing. But God made no bones about pointing out that it was because their priorities were out of whack, he would not bless their lives.
Think carefully about what God wants you to do (7-8). "This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Think carefully about your ways. 8 Go up into the hills and bring down lumber and build the house, and I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD. The LORD having rebuked them on what have done now challenges them on what they should do. BUILD the HOUSE! God calls them to work for the end purpose of His pleasure and glory. Right priorities come when we are more concerned with pleasing Him than with pleasing ourselves.
What priorities does God want us to have? Here are two key ones that must top the list...
1. Obeying God’s will. For Haggai’s people that meant, go get lumber and start building! That was God’s will. They knew it, but weren’t doing it.
2. Living for God’s pleasure and glory. "Build my house...so I will be honored."
How about in your life? Is there anything God has made clear He wants you to do that you’re not doing? Our priorities are right, when it is our delight to obey God’s will. And it will be our passion to live for God’s honor
Think carefully about what God is doing to get your attention here’s what He did in 5th Century B.C.:
9 “You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10 So on your account, the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops. 11 I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, fresh oil, and whatever the ground yields, on people and animals, and on all that your hands produce.”
It’s true. God can do—and does do—some powerful things to get our attention
1. He can make life hard. He can send a famine, as He did in Haggai’s day. He can also send a pink slip. Or a physical ailment. Or a relationship fallout. If you’re having problems in your life, it’s because your priorities are out of whack? No, I’m not suggesting that. I am suggesting that God can do lots of things to get our attention, and if He is, we need to listen. In Israel’s case, He held back rain, and gave them poor crops and vineyards. Simply put, He made life hard for them. Know this. When God makes life hard...
2. He does it for His glory and our good. God disciplines His children He will not let us coast along and ignore Him, not if we’re His. That wouldn’t be in our best interest. No good parent sees his child heading for disaster, and stands idly bye. They take action. And so does God. He always does what He does for His honor and our good.
Wrong Priorities Must Be Changed
Wrong Priorities Must Be Changed
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people: “I am with you—this is the Lord’s declaration.”
14 The Lord roused the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of the Lord of Armies, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
We see that not only did they become aware of their wrong priorities through Haggai’s message, they also heard and received what the correct priorities need to be, and then we see that they put them into practice. We see two things that true and genuine change involve.
1. It involves our actions - We don’t change merely by making vague, fuzzy, emotional commitments. We change by taking concrete action. Like the Jews did. They "obeyed" the Lord—all of them did. From the governor to the high priest to the regular common people, none were exempted, they obeyed and started building.
Putting this into perspective. The first temple four and a half centuries earlier, was built under the kingship of Solomon it took seven years to finish it—through taxation and forced labor. Haggai’s proposal, in essence, was to rebuild the temple with what amounted to voluntary labor. But the people accepted the challenge. A priority change will affect our actions.
2. It involves our hearts - They not only obeyed, but they feared. The people feared the Lord.
Where does change come from?
Receiving the correction and command from the LORD - even though it came from someone else.
The LORD’s power - the people’s spirits were roused (awakened, startled or agitated and moved) by the LORD.
16 years of slouching reordered in a matter of 23 days. It may seem like an impossible giant to change priorities especially after spending 16 years following the wrong ones. With the LORD’s help however the ship can be righted and turned back around. They feared the LORD more than their own discomfort, and were encouraged by an assurance of His presence.
Conclusion
Conclusion
1. Take time to think. Give careful thought to your ways.
In a Berlin art gallery there’s a painting by German painter Adolf Menzel (1815-1905). It’s only partially
finished. Apparently, Menzel intended to show Fredrick the Great speaking with some of his generals, and so he painted the generals and the background and left king until last. Then he sketched the outline of Fredrick in charcoal. And then he died. He died prior to finishing the painting, leaving behind a picture full of other things, yet with a partially sketched king.
Sadly, that’s what a lot of people do, too. They come to end of life without ever having put the King, Jesus Christ, into his proper place, at center stage. Notice here they werent saying the LORD’s house shouldnt be built, they were simply saying because there was difficulty this wasnt the time to do it. We will get to it, we will do it sometime - maybe soon - but not now.
One of the attacks of the enemy is to make us think we have all the time in the world to get things in order. Next month, next year, after you buy your house, fix your house, get your car, fix your car, develop your career, finish your career, have your family, raise your family - then you can engage and serve where the LORD is calling you.
Answer these two questions...
Þ Is the Lord first in my life? Is Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord? Are you sure? Give careful thought.
Þ Is the Lord’s will more important than mine? Think. Is it? Was it apparent in the decisions you made at work this past week? How about at school, young people? Have you been doing what the Lord wants you to do with your time, money, and energy? If not, confess it to the Lord. Then...
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
the story of the time management expert who was speaking to a group of business students. He pulled out a large, wide-mouth jar and filled it with fist-sized rocks. When he couldn’t put any more in, he asked, “Is this jar full?”
The class responded, “Yes.” He said, “Really?” Then he pulled out a bucket of gravel and poured it in, shaking it down through the cracks. Then he asked, “Is the jar full?”
The students were onto him, so they said, “No.” “Good,” he replied. He dumped in a bucket of sand. Once more he asked, “Is the jar full?” “No,” they shouted. Again he said, “Good.” He poured in a pitcher of water until the jar was full to the brim.
Then he asked, “What is the point of the illustration?” One student ventured, “No matter how full your schedule, if you try hard, you can always fit more in.”
“No,” the speaker replied, “that is not the point. The point is, if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” (First Things First, by Stephen Covey, Roger & Rebecca Merrill [Simon & Schuster], pp. 88-89.)
What should your “big rocks” be? God and His house! Put them into your life first!
3. Take steps to change. Don’t wait. In just three weeks, the Jews reordered their priorities. Granted, it would take them the next three and one-half years to finish the task of rebuilding the temple—which they dedicated on March 12, 516 B.C. But it all started the day they got their priorities back in line. It all started when they took concrete steps to change. We must do the same.
Tim Sanders—former chief solutions officer at Yahoo! and author of Love Is the Killer App—shares the following thought about establishing priorities:
Take your life and all the things that you think are important, and put them in one of three categories. These three categories are represented by three items: glass, metal, and rubber.
The things that are made of rubber, when you drop them, will bounce back. Nothing really happens when these kinds of things get dropped.
Things that are made of metal, when they get dropped, create a lot of noise. But you can recover from the drop. You miss a meeting at work, you can get the cliff notes. Or if you forget to balance your checkbook and lose track of how much you have in your account, and the bank notifies you that you have been spending more than you have—that’s going to create a little bit of noise in your life, but you can recover from it.
Then there are things made of glass. And when you drop one of these, it will shatter into pieces and never be the same. Even though you can piece it back together, it will still be missing some pieces. It certainly won’t look the same, and I doubt that you could actually fill it up with water, because the consequences of it be being broken will forever affect how it’s used.
The thing is, you’re the only person who knows what those things are that you can’t afford to drop. More than likely, they have a lot to do with your relationships. Your marriage, your family, and your friends.
How is it that we may begin to anticipate God’s renewed blessing in our lives? We begin by honoring God first in all things. Our relationship with God and with the people we love are precious and to be prioritized.
Augustine of Hippo “Christ is not valued at all, unless he is valued above all!”