There are times when God’s people need a strong word to awaken them to the tasks they are supposed to be doing. It is easy for the church to lose focus, put God’s priorities for them on the backburner, and go about doing whatever they desire. And in those times it’s the Lord’s grace to speak a strong word to his people to awaken them. Haggai 1 is such a word from the Lord.

The message of the prophet is delivered around 520 BC, nearly seventy years after the Babylonians had conquered Judah and taken most of the Israelites captive in 587 BC. After the Babylonians conquered Judah, they didn’t remain a world power forever. Rather, by 539 BC the Babylonians themselves were conquered by the Persians, under Cyrus. And shortly thereafter Cyrus determined that the Jews could go back to Jerusalem and worship their God.

The crowd that returned was relatively small, however, for the generation led into captivity had died off, and their children had grown up in Babylon. It was their home, where they lived, where they were raising their families. But about 50,000 did return, however, and instantly set up an altar to the Lord and began building up the city again. Then they began to rebuild the temple.

Soon, however, they found that there was opposition, their houses were still in ruin, and the pressures were great to ignore the temple and work on their own homes and building up the rest of their society. Therefore, that is exactly what they did. They stopped the rebuilding of the temple about 536 BC, and when Haggai comes to address them, it has been nearly fifteen years since construction on the temple had stopped. Therefore, Haggai calls them to return to working on the temple, so that they might return to worshiping the Lord.

In bringing this message to God’s people, I think we will find that Haggai is a helpful reminder to us as well, calling us to look at what be our priorities as believers and calling us to repentance over our sin. Therefore, this morning I want us to hear the call of the prophet, see where we have sin, and joyfully repent for our sin so that God might be honored and glorified among us.

Looking at the first four verses of the book we are reminded that …

Laboring for the building up of the church must be our priority focus (1-4)

The book begins with this call, “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: \"Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.\" Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, \"Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (1-4).

Now, again, it might not seem like a big deal to us if we don’t consider what rebuilding the temple meant. If we simply think of it as a nice-looking building in the middle of town we might think, “The people were right. ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’” After all, why would you focus on building nice buildings in town when your houses aren’t even in good shape? It makes sense that you would want to make sure your houses are in good shape first.

However, when we understand that the temple was the dwelling place of God’s presence it means much more. And that’s exactly what it was. When God told Moses in Exodus 33 that the Israelites’ judgment for making the golden calf would be that the tabernacle would not be placed in the midst of the people, Moses pleaded with him to put his presence in their midst. He didn’t even want to enter the Promised Land if it meant God’s presence wasn’t among them. In Moses’ mind, you could have every blessing imaginable, but if you didn’t have God’s presence, you might as well have nothing.

These people, however, by not rebuilding the temple were saying that they did not care whether God’s presence was among them. They did not care about God being glorified in their midst. Their priorities were constructing a nice life for themselves.

And this is a good word for us – not because we need to rebuild the temple. It was destroyed around 70AD and the New Testament makes clear that there is no longer a need for a temple with the coming of Christ. It’s a good word for us, however, in reminding us that our priority as believers must be found in building up God’s church so that he takes pleasure in it and is glorified through it.

Now, I say building up the church instead of building up the temple because it becomes clear in the New Testament that God’s people are a spiritual temple. In the New Testament the church is called “the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16), a spiritual temple (Eph. 2:21), and a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). No longer is God’s presence dwelling in some temple, but his presence dwells in and among his people. It is through his church that he is glorified (Eph. 3:20-21).

Therefore, even as the prophet questions the people in the Old Testament about devoting themselves to building up their lives instead of building up God’s temple, the question should come to us in the following: “Is it right for you to pour more energy into building up your life and your life’s comforts than in building up God’s people?”

I don’t think the Israelites would have said, “God, we do not want to please you or seek you being glorified,” but that’s what they were saying through their actions. And I don’t think any of us would say that either. However, if we’re not laboring to invest ourselves in God’s people so that they become more like Christ and God is honored through them, then that is indeed what we are saying. Simply consider the excuses we declare in our own minds as to why we do not sacrifice of ourselves for the good of others in the body of Christ. Probably without exception it is so that your personal life might be a little easier. It’s as if we’ve declared we want to be a follower of the one who died for his church while caring very little for that same church.

Therefore, let us this morning hear the question of the prophet. Is what stands in the way of us investing in God’s people something we’re willing to stand before the Lord and declare our priority? Or will we hear on that final day something eerily equivalent to, “Is it right for you to live in your nice houses and labor for your nice life while my people were not built up from any sacrificial labors on your part?” Let us answer that question this morning, and I think we will see that for believers our priority must be in building up God’s people, investing in their lives so that they will be more like Christ and God will be glorified in them.

Going on through this first chapter we also are reminded that not only are God’s commands right, but they are also for our good. In verses 5-6 we see that …

Only in laboring for God’s glory will God allow the believer to find satisfaction (5-6)

In verses 5-6, Haggai points out that while God’s people are neglecting this great work for other things, they are really finding no satisfaction in those things. He declares, “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes” (5-6).

Haggai tells them to consider their ways. He wants them to stop and examine their lives for a second. He points out not that they have no food or drink or clothes or money. He simply points out that it’s not doing all that they hoped it would. Their harvest is not all they hoped it would be. They’re food is not making them full. Their drink is not quenching their thirst. Their money is not going as far as it should – as if they’re putting it into a bag with holes. Simply, everything they’re pursuing is not bringing about what they would hope. God is showing them that these pursuits are meaningless apart from investing in the building up of the temple.

J. Campell White, who was the secretary of the Laymen’s Missionary Movement declared in 1909, “Most men are not satisfied with the permanent output of their lives. Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his followers except the adoption of Christ's purpose toward the world he came to redeem. Fame, pleasure and riches are but husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding joy of working with God for the fulfillment of his eternal plans. The men who are putting everything into Christ's undertaking are getting out of life its sweetest and most priceless rewards.”¹ Indeed, I think we will find that to be true. So, again, ask yourself, “Are my pursuits really bringing about all that I hope? If not, it’s because the pursuit of such things is meaningless for God’s people if they are not investing in the church.

Also, we can see that …

God may frustrate our pursuits to bring about our repentance (7-11)

In verses 7-11, Haggai points out not only that the people are not satisfied but that God is intentionally frustrating their pursuits. He declares, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 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. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.\"

Again, God tells them to stop and consider what they are doing. He commands them again to build the temple. Then he points out that what they are doing and laboring for is not taking place because God is against their efforts. He is intentionally withholding the dew so that their crops don’t grow. He’s intentionally allowing their goods to be destroyed. And it’s because they have neglected the temple and he is getting their attention.

It appears from this text that at times God will get our attention by frustrating our attempts to bring about the necessities of life, money, food, clothes, etc. Sometimes he will get our attention by stopping the blessing of such things so that we might stop, consider our ways, and repent. I’m not saying this is the case every time there is struggle in our lives, for God uses suffering throughout our lives to mold us. However, this text clearly shows us that God might bring about suffering and a lack of blessing because he wants to get our attention and bring about repentance.

Just recently I had been wrestling over whether to give money to a certain brother or sister in the church who had need, and I had decided that now was probably not the best time. Then as I sat at my computer working on my checkbook, I began to see that all of the sudden my budget seemed insufficient to cover all of the expenses we were having come into our lives. I couldn’t understand it. It’s like all of the sudden it was costing us about four times as much to live for a couple of months than it had for any previous two months. Therefore, I stopped and prayed and instantly I began to consider the need of this other one in the body of Christ. So, I talked to Lili and together we decided we would give, even out of our own need. And within only a few days it seemed my checkbook had done a turnaround.

Now, I say that not to support the health-and-wealth gospel. You know that’s not my teaching. We’re promised suffering in this life. It is certain. Nor am I saying that every ounce of suffering is so that we might repent. But I bring that up to point out that God was using that to make me stop and consider my ways. And in that time I was reminded that the call to a believer is to sow bountifully, for the one who sows sparingly reaps sparingly and the one who sows bountifully reaps bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6), for God loves a cheerful giver.

So, maybe today you need to consider your ways. Is God doing something to get your attention so that he might bring about repentance? Pause long enough to see if he might bring to mind Scripture or point to certain sin you’re ignoring. Maybe the sin is that you aren’t really investing in your brothers and sisters here. You’re doing much to construct your own life and very little to pour into others so that they might be Christ-like. Allow these things in your life to have their full effect. Consider your ways, for God at times uses frustrations in our lives to bring about our repentance. And if you indeed see that that may be the case, then …

Our response must be to repent and obey (12)

This is the response we find among the Israelites. In verse 12 we read, “Then Zerubbabel the son of She-altiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.”

Isn’t that refreshing? It’s easy in life to fret over our struggles with sin or the difficulty of giving up my time, money, or ease of life to build up others. It seems so hard and can be so burdening. But the response is really simple. Let’s simply see what God demands, repent of disobeying him, and obey him. That’s what the Israelites did in response to Haggai’s word, and it’s what we must do in response to the word today.

But let’s end with an encouraging reminder as we might still feel overwhelmed at the apparent difficulty of obedience.

God will aid us in our obedience (13-15)

If someone does something wrong against you and then realizes it’s wrong and repents, isn’t it tempting to respond by saying (or at least thinking), “That’s right you were wrong. It’s about time you get this right. You never should have been doing that in the first place?” And if anyone would have grounds to respond that way, it would be God in this text. Israel knew better, and they had neglected the temple for fifteen years.

But note God’s response after their repentance. We read it in verse 13: “Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, \"I am with you, declares the Lord.\" God doesn’t come along to drive them into the ground or to punish them further. He speaks to let them know that he is with them in their attempt at obedience. And God’s response is the same to you. As you’re sitting there thinking, “Alright, God, I repent. I’ll obey, but this is hard for me. I know my weaknesses and my struggles.” God says to us, “I am with you.” He doesn’t send us off to difficult tasks alone. He charges us with obedience only to remind us that he will be with us in the task, even as Jesus has charged us to go to all nations making disciples while reminding us that he is with us even to the end of the world.

And we are also reminded in the closing verses of this chapter that God will give us the strength to obey. We read in verses 14-15, “And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”

They had responded the way they did because God had moved their hearts. And they were able to complete the work because God enabled them. Therefore, this morning, realize that if you desire to repent and obey, it is because God is stirring your spirit. And if he has stirred your spirit to repent, he will indeed enable you to obey. Therefore, as you come to the table, be reminded of God’s grace not simply in dealing with our sins but in enabling us to obey.

May we this morning consider our ways, repent if necessary, and walk forward in faith that God will strengthen us for obedience. After all, what more could he say to strengthen us for obedience that that which he reminds us of as we come to the table? If he did not spare his own Son, how will he not freely give us all things in him? Amen.

¹Quoted by John Piper in Desiring God, http://www.desiringgod.org/dg/id172.htm.

A CALL TO BUILD THE TEMPLE