INTRODUCTION

On any given Sunday, the

gathers at the

Reveal Answer

to do

Reveal Answer

.

When we say that we want to build the church, but what do we mean by that?

Haggai’s name is derived from the Hebrew verbal root, which means “to make a

to a special place.”

Haggai is about the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish people returned from exile in Babylon… and really get settled in.

HAGGAI: Building the House of God

Haggai 1:1 In the second year of King

, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to

Reveal Answer

son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to

Reveal Answer

son of Jozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to

Reveal Answer

the LORD’s house.’” 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the

Reveal Answer

Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a

Reveal Answer

?” 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.6 You have planted much, but 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

Reveal Answer

, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

The people couldn’t speak against the

of building the temple, so they spoke against its

Reveal Answer

.

The plural wording actually implies that many of them were building their

“summer” homes already.

In the Bible we read that God will bless His people if they are

in keeping the covenant He has with them.

Jer. 29:10 *This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. *

Things should be good. Why aren’t they good? What were they doing wrong?

Haggai 1:7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Haggai asks God’s people to consider what

their life was headed, and if they really wanted it to continue that way.

You don’t have to be a

genius to realize that as far as God was concerned they were still in

Reveal Answer

. Why? Is it possible that procrastinating to rebuild the

Reveal Answer

was THAT BIG a deal?

Haggai 1:12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.

The people and their leaders could be

. They cared more for being right with God than for being right about their opinions, priorities, and choices.

Haggai:13 Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

All that the people needed to move forward was this Word from God – “I am with you”. From this truth flowed the energy, the passion, the drive to move forward.

In the second year of King Darius, 1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

*Ezra 3:12-13 * But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.

They had resolved to obey, but now they looked at their work and

if it was good enough for God…

Haggai 2:6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

The hearts and the

that rebuild this temple are obedient to Him. That’s all He needs.

Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’” The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” 14 Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

Whether the people were getting discouraged or simply needed a reminder of why they were rebuilding the temple, God sent a message about their

state with Him.

A sick child cannot catch health from contact with a healthy child; but the healthy child can become sick from a sick child. The principle of

really only works one way.

Writer Joyce Baldwin said: *“The ruined

of the Temple was like a dead body decaying in Jerusalem and making everything contaminated.” *

Haggai 2:15 “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”

Though it was awkward to be reminded of their mistake, God gave them the gift of

.

Haggai 2:20 The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23 “‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

In the ancestry of

, Zerubbabel was the last person to be in both the line of Mary (the

Reveal Answer

lineage of Jesus – Luke 3:27) and Joseph (the

Reveal Answer

lineage of Jesus through Joseph – Matthew 1:12).

OBSERVATIONS

1. The people invested in what they thought were good things, but they did not get the

   Reveal Answer
   they expected. They also could not put their finger on the problem. They could not see the glaring omission in their devotion clearly enough to deal with it head on.

2. Haggai’s message revealed that awkward oversight on their behalf. They were doing some things for God, yes, and expecting the covenant blessings, yes, but they were also neglecting what God clearly wanted them to do, rebuild the Temple – the primary symbol of His presence among them.

3. The good news is that when they had their mistake pointed out to them, they owned it, and set about to correct it, and it wasn’t too late. It wasn’t too late to experience God’s blessings. It wasn’t too late for their devotion to God to line up with God’s plans. It wasn’t too late for the fabled harvest to happen.

4. We also observe that after they started, they got discouraged as they realized that the new temple would not be as grand as the old.

APPLICATION

Now we might make the mistake of thinking that to apply this in our time is to build up,

, and expand this building, this temple. That if we are having troubles and want blessings instead, we need to put more time and money into this

Reveal Answer

. And make no mistake the obvious neglect of this building would send a message to our neighbours about our priorities. But remember what the Temple was to the people. It was the best opportunity at that time to offer sacrifice, worship, and experience the presence of God. Of course, in our time, it is clear that we go to Jesus to experience forgiveness from sins, and that we experience God best through Jesus.
Matthew 11:27, Jesus said:* “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” *
So for us, the first question is not “are we making this building a high enough priority”, but are we making our__ connection__ to Jesus our highest priority.

And second, are we talking care of his house? Hebrews 3:6 says: “Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” Catch that?

are his house. So, are we taking care of one another?

To sum up the very relevant message of Haggai, it is not too late to openly declare our

to God, and to authentically love and care for one another. God’s

Reveal Answer

awaits those who say yes, regardless of what building and what time and what language they gather in.