Haggai

Give Careful Thought To Your Ways

'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."
Haggai 2:9

In last week's study in Habakkuk, much of the discussion really boiled down to "Can we trust God to do his
part?" Can we trust His justice; Can we trust His discipline; Can we trust His presence through trials? Haggai
brings up another question... "Can God trust US to do our part?' He has work for us to do. There's a lot to do,
important work that needs to be done... and God has appointed us, His people to do it? Can He rely on us? Are
we dependable to get the work done?

Looking around at Christianity in America, looking at my own life, for that matter, it makes me cringe to think
that we're it. If the job is going to get done, it's up to us to do it. The problem is we seem to be soooo unreliable.
It's so easy for us to find something, anything to distract us from what we should be doing. We make sure we
make it to church every Sunday, unless something else comes up. We just don't have time for too much
'Christian stuff.' We're too busy making a living; too busy raising kids; too busy with social activities; we're just
too busy!

We have a case of Spiritual ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) We do get fired up at times and are ready to dive
in and do what it takes, but it's not long before our zeal fades and we're right back to living the way we always
have. Good intentions but short on 'sticktoitiveness' We're not the first generation to be diagnosed with Spiritual
ADD, though. It happens. It happened in Haggai time and he had a prescription. Unfortunately, you can't pop a
pill for it. The medication that Haggai recommends is to "Give careful thought to your ways."

Obadiah foretold the impending Babylonian conquest and subsequent exile. Now, the exile is ended and the
Jews were allowed to go back to their land and rebuild. There was plenty to be done. The Babylonian army had
left Judah in ruins. Jerusalem was a pile of rubble and the temple was completely destroyed.

Less than 50,000 of the Jewish exiles decided to take up the task. Countless thousands opted to remain in
Babylon. They were comfortable there. They had homes there. They had jobs there. they were busy with their
lives. They couldn't be expected to leave everything to live in a pile of rubble.

But, those few were willing to leave their comfort as well as friends and family; take on hardships, exhausting
labor, and unknown danger. These people were special, for sure. These weren't the corrupt, idolatrous people
who went into exile. For them, the Lord's discipline had done it's job. They were committed the their God.
They're people who are willing and eager to do God's work. I'd like to compare these people to us here at
Bethany. By and large, I feel that the people here are committed believers. I think we, as a group really want to
serve God as best we can. But, like the Jewish remnant, sometimes we can get sidetracked. Sometimes we have
to stop and think about what we're doing and why we're doing it.
Give Careful Thought To Your Ways...
...Your Priorities
Surprised to see an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium, a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sitting
nearby. "It was my husband's," the woman explained, "But he died." "I'm very sorry," said the man. "Yet I'm
really surprised that another relative, or friend, didn't jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him."
"Beats me," she said. "They all insisted on going to the funeral."

Sometimes we just have our priorities out of whack. I think that's probably an issue with all of us, at one time or
another. There's work to be done but if we don't get our priorities straight, it's not going to get done.
It's easy enough to lose our priorities. Just ask the returning Jews. they left Babylon with one task in mind, to
rebuild God's temple and restore his Glory to Jerusalem. Yet, life got in the way. It's been 14 years since a brick
was added to the temple. So far, all that was there was the foundation.

According to Ezra 4, the rebuilding initially was brought to a halt when Samaritans began opposing the work
because the Jews wouldn't allow them to be a part. But, that was 14 years ago. Why haven't the Jews gotten
back to the task?

It's Time To Get Busy 1:1-6

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to
be built.'" Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to
be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

"It's not time yet." They weren't refusing to do the work. They didn't argue that they didn't need to get busy with
building the temple. But, it's just not the right time. I know I need to start tithing, and I will - as soon as I get
some of these bills paid off. I plan on serving in the church more, but work has me real busy right now. Maybe
when I retire. Bible study? Sure, that would be great... maybe when things settle down around here I'll be able
to fit it into my schedule a little better. It's not time yet.

God's house went neglected but there was plenty of time to build themselves nice houses. They've been putting
all their time and money into building nice homes for themselves and God's temple was suffering because of it.
There's nothing wrong in having a nice house or nice stuff... but everything in life tends to be a trade off in
either time, money, or both. When you make one choice, how will it impact another area?

They were there, in Jerusalem for one purpose. they had one task. Sure, there were plenty of things that also
needed to be taken care of - they did need houses to live in; they did need some sort of income; crops needed to
be harvested and some sort of commerce needed to be seen to - but those things were just support for there
purpose for being there- rebuilding the temple.

We all have our God-ordained purpose for being here... and we all have our busy stuff that we have to do to
maintain our lives. But, the problem comes when we get our priorities confused... when the busy stuff becomes
the priority. God's message to us is simply "Give careful thought to your ways" Pay attention to the way you're
doing things. Examine your life. Use some thought.
No Satisfaction 1;5-15

Now, as you think about your life, do you notice something odd? Have you noticed that when your priorities are
out of whack that satisfaction is hard to come by? Your priority becomes getting more and you find that the
more you get, the more you want. In fact, it seems like your efforts are in vain. You work hard at planting, but
you don't seem to harvest that much. You eat, you consume, but you never seem to get your fill. You buy nice
clothes and they just go out of style. You make good wages but it all seems to go down a rat hole. I can't get no
satisfaction!

I'll tell you what, for me there's no Biblical principle that's been proven in a practical sense as much as tithing.
It's been proven over and over in my life to be true. It's not that when I give regularly, I all the sudden more
money comes flooding in. But, the money that I have seems to go farther and fewer of those little emergencies
seem to come up that tend to drain the checkbook.

Life just works better when your priorities are in order. And when they're not, it's noticeable as well. This is not
some obscure O.T. idea. Somebody once said: "Seek ye first... what? and then?... Wouldn't it follow to seek
something else first and maybe those things wouldn't be added? And this is more than just a principle of life -
God is actively involved. He said "What you brought home, I blew it away." He's concerned about our priorities
and He's ready to step in and make sure we get them straight.

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, 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.
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 Jehozadak, 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 in the second year of King Darius.

These definitely were people who wanted to do God's will. Haggai's message got through and they determined
to get their priorities straight and to get to work at the task at hand.
Give Careful Thought To Your Ways...
...Your Perspective

A shoe manufacturer who decided to open the Congo market sent two salesmen to the undeveloped territory.
One salesman cabled back: "Prospect here nil. No one wears shoes." The other salesman reported
enthusiastically, "Market potential terrific! Everyone is barefooted."

Even when we are committed to the task and we more or less have our priorities straight, some times we can
still get discouraged. Obstacles sometimes overwhelm us, there are times when we just get burned out, and
how often do we get discouraged when Results don't come as we expect. Less than 2 months have gone and
discouragement has already set in. They were still on the job, but spirits were low.

Dare Not To Compare 2:1-9

.This is an interesting passage. No mention is made of any grumbling. nothing is said about the people not
working hard. but, God shows up through Haggai as a kind of preemptive strike. He knew what they were
thinking whether or not they even spoke their thoughts. He says: Anybody here remember the old temple, the
one that Solomon built? This one sure doesn't look like much in comparison, does it?

And it's true, this temple - being built by a handful of virtual refugees, most of whom no doubt had any
expertise as engineers or builders, on a shoestring budget can't compare to the one that was funded by David's
conquests and Solomon's vast trade routes. No way could this new temple compare.

So, you're trying to do your best for the Glory of God and yet you recognize that your work pales in comparison
to the past... or it's not nearly as fruitful as what others have done or are doing. How do you feel? We hear about
other churches where they preach the same Gospel but THEY see hundreds of people saved. Have we somehow
failed? Or on a personal level, sometimes I look at other Bible teachers who are really good communicators and
wish I had their skills. Should I give up?

God says that you may think what you're doing is small potatoes, but if you really are working to please Him
and for His glory, it's a big deal! - "I'll shake heaven and earth!" We just need to be diligent with the task that
He gave us and let Him worry about the results. I have no idea how to shake the universe, no matter how hard I
try. I'll let Him do the shaking.
Give Careful Thought To Your Ways...
...Your Motivation

The Defilement Principle 2;10-14

A couple of months later, here comes old Haggai again. He's not done with them yet. He's got a question for
them. He says consult your priests for a ruling: If I have consecrated food in my pocket and the pocket comes in
contact with other food, does that food now become consecrated? The answer is No. Holiness isn't
communicable.

So, if someone who is unclean because they touched a dead body touches one of those things, is that thing now
unclean? Yes. It's defiled.

Ok, so what's the point? We don't get any background here so it's up to some speculation. But, it seems that
maybe the people assumed that blessing would come as soon as they began working on the temple, like the very
fact that they were in contact with something holy like God's temple would impart holiness to themselves.

It's pretty easy to think that way. Some folks think that showing up in church now and then without any life
change somehow will buy them brownie points. Some folks think that they get some clout with God because
mom and dad were god-fearing believers.

It doesn't work that way though. You don't become Holy by touching something consecrated. But, the opposite
is true - you sure can be defiled by contact with something unholy. Bad company does corrupt good morals. So
why do you do what you do? Are you serving out of love, gratitude and obedience, or are you looking for
holiness through osmosis?

Here Come The Blessings! 2:15-19

God says Have you noticed, since before you started this work, things haven't gone well for you? You haven't
gotten what you expected from your crops. Life has been tough. Why do you suppose that is? Because you
didn't turn to me. You insisted on doing it yourself and so I sent blight, hail, and mold on the work of your
hands. You didn't become holy through osmosis, but you've defiled the work of your hands.

That's they way it was up to this point. But, God is gracious. He obviously thought that they have learned their
lesson and had reformed their ways. He says mark your calendars. This day marks a new beginning - Dec. 18,
520 b.c. to be exact. From this day forward, the curse is lifted. There would be no more food shortage. Let the
blessings begin!
A Word to the Governor 2:20-23
This section is God proclaiming His support and encouragement for Zerubbabel, but by extension, all of God's
leaders, and yet the language goes beyond those times, beyond our day, and hints toward the Day of the Lord.

It's cool that God finishes up by addressing Zerubbabel. Leaders carry a lot of responsibilities and more than
their share of burdens. It's easy for them to get discouraged. A special word of encouragement must have meant
the world to the governor.

God says again that he will shake heaven and earth; that foreign powers will be brought down. That's a good
message for a leader who is no doubt worried about the possibility of another foreign army attacking his
unprotected city.

God also says He'll make Zerubbabel his signet ring. Two points:
1. A signet ring is a sign of a king's authority. It was used as seal to officialize documents. God says that
Zerubbabel carries God's authority in his duties.
2. Since the signet ring was so important, the king never let it out of his sight. It was ALWAYS on his finger or
on a chain around his neck. God is expressing His loving care and protection for Zerubbabel.

I pray that God will extend a word of encouragement for our leaders, here at Bethany. But we can do some
encouragement ourselves. What do you think of your Pastor? What do you think of our Elders?

Building God's Temple Today

Where is God's Temple Today? 1 Corinthians 6:19

Zerubbabel's temple was later renovated and expanded by king Herod. That temple was completely destroyed in
A.D. 70 by the Romans as Jesus predicted. There's nothing left but a retaining wall that supported the temple
foundation that is now known as the Wailing Wall.

So where is the temple today? It's US! God resides within everyone who is a genuine believer. So, if we are to
re-examine our priorities, shouldn't they first and foremost be about building God's temple? Personally, my
primary goal should always be striving to be more like Jesus. That needs to be the number one thing in my life,
beyond my job, my social attachments, my comfort.

Then there's a corporate angle. You are also God's temple. I should be all about building the church... helping it
grow; to add people to the church and also helping it grow strong.