Week of September 28

When God says to build, He means for us to begin and complete the task! Funny how easily we rationalize things when it comes to fulfilling God’s will. The period of Israel’s exile was complete and about 50,000 people had returned to Judah. They had begun work on laying the foundation for the temple, but had lapsed in their commitment and soon settled back into a daily routine where their focus was on their own lives and livelihoods. “The word of the Lord came. . .” means that God spoke to His prophet Haggai. This short prophetic book is long on meaning and application for our lives today.

The prophet Haggai is unknown to us apart from this brief book, which is one of the three post-exilic prophetic accounts in the Old Testament. There are brief references to the man in Ezra (5:1; 6:14) and an allusion to him in Zechariah (8:9). His name may be derived from a Hebrew word that means “feast.” If the Hebrew letter yod attached to the end of the name is a shortened form of the name “Yahweh” (Jehovah), then his name may mean “Feast of Yahweh.” 

I have focused on the prophet’s name because he, like his name suggests, showed a particular interest in the temple and its place in Judah’s daily life. Haggai had incorporated worship into the entirety of his life. We’ve no doubt heard people say that a certain person’s life revolved around the church, so this helps us to understand how deeply devoted Haggai was to everything related to God. Let’s examine this type of commitment more closely today.

God is to be at the center of our lives. The book itself provides us clear dating for the events that take place, so it is predominantly an historical view of the rebuilding work on the temple. We must not dismiss its importance here, for the temple was central to Haggai’s theology. This building was not worshiped, but it did represent God’s dwelling place on earth. It was considered blasphemous when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the building. The only way to rectify this circumstance was to rebuild it. I find it challenging to read this account because Haggai's commitment to the things of God exposes shortcomings in my own devotion to the Lord. How about you? Therefore, we may draw a key principle for our own spiritual lives from Haggai’s focus. God should always be at the center of our lives because He alone is able to hold all things together in a way that pleases Him.

Ensure that we value God supremely. The Ancient Greeks termed this the summum bonum, meaning the highest or supreme good. All other values derived their meaning from this lofty ideal. Haggai called attention to several core values that the people had allowed to replace the worship of God as the supreme goal and good in their lives. The people had put their own wealth and comfort ahead of the things of God (1:4; NAC). This was evident in that they had let the rebuilding of God’s temple lapse while they turned their focus to the completion of building their own houses. Haggai does not go so far as to link directly their crop failure to their neglect of certain temple rituals, but he does point to the half-hearted commitment the priests and people were demonstrating (2:11-14). They were sloppy in their commitments to God. We may say that their shortsighted worldview (temporal) grieved the Lord. How is this so?

Haggai prophesies that the glory of that present temple would exceed the glory of the one built by Solomon (2:9). He certainly was not talking about the grandeur of the new temple, because it would actually pale in comparison to the previous one. God stated, however, that He would grant peace in that place. These words are not mentioned anywhere in the New Testament, but most scholars take them to refer to the coming of the Messiah (NAC). Even though the second temple was less “sumptuous” than the first one, it would become the site for some of Christ’s ministry. In this sense, it would have a greater glory than the first temple. It follows that the people needed to see the long-term impact of their everyday commitment. Ah! There is our devotional thought for today. Live each day with the coming of Christ in view and we will please the Lord.

One of my most joyful memories of Rwanda was the excitement generated in our village when it was announced that a government official was going to visit. The people were dreadfully poor, but they lined the roadway with freshly cut greenery and even hoed the road so that it looked uniform. I watched as they listened attentively for the sound of approaching vehicles. Every movement was made with renewed energy because a dignitary was promised to arrive soon. How wonderful! 

Here is the spiritual application. Remember that Christ has become our dwelling place, so we do well to show Him our full loyalty (Psalm 90:1; Ephesians 3:17; Revelation 21:3). Our lives are also “temples” of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:13). Therefore, we should not need to be reminded that Jesus dwells in our presence already and that our attitudes and actions are to reflect our devotion, gratitude, and excitement (Matthew 28:20b)!

1. God has blessed us all with places to live and possessions to enjoy. This is good. Most of us, however, know the subtle tug of houses and possessions and how easily they can supplant our supreme commitment to the Lord. Take time to review regularly your calendar and your checkbook. It will help you to see where God and His kingdom rank in your order of priorities. Adjust both accordingly.

2. For Families: Parents can help children grow to love God wholeheartedly by modeling for them a consistent, deep commitment to placing God first in our homes. This might be a wonderful topic of conversation to have with your family after supper one night, while you are still at the table.
 
Pass around notepaper and pencils, and ask your children to make a list, or draw pictures, of the top five things they love most. It can be anything at all. The point is to get them thinking about the most valuable things they cherish. Once they are finished, ask each one to share what they identified as valuable and make a family list.
 
See if God is on the list. Without Him, nothing else we have or love would be possible. All good gifts come from Him. Haggai reminds us that our heart's commitment to God should take first place. When that happens, we will live in His peace. Have a family prayer time, asking Him to draw you to Himself.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock