Haggai 1

Right Priorities

Pray

Intro

√ Haggai ~ the book

In the year 538 B.C., Cyrus, the king of Persia, signed a decree allowing the Jews to return from Babylon to the Israel and he commissioned Ezra to rebuild the temple.

So, about 50,000 of the Jews returned with Ezra.

Cyrus gave them many of the gold and silver vessels that had been taken years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar to use in the Temple once it was rebuilt.

He also gave them gifts of gold for the express purpose of rebuilding the temple and to re-establish themselves in the land.

But, it wasn’t an easy task!

They started the rebuilding of the temple in 536 B.C. and almost immediately there arose opposition from the non-Jewish people in the area.

First of all, the Samaritans came down. They were people who had been brought into the land by the Assyrians after the nation of Israel had been driven out.

Over time they intermarried with the Jewish people living in the area of the northern kingdom and adopted the Jewish religion along with their own religions.

They worshipped God, as the Scriptures said, but they actually served their own idols, so that they were not really committed fully to the Lord.

But when Ezra and the Jewish people came back to begin rebuilding the temple, they came and offered their help, which was rejected because they were not of full Jewish lineage.

That caused them to turn against Ezra, Zerubbabel, and those that were building the temple.

So they began to threaten the work and sent letters back to the Persian government, saying…

“these people have been rebellious people; look at the history books: you’ll discover that as soon as they have a temple again, these people will be rebelling against the government of Persia;”

As a result of their letter the Persian government issued a decree stopping the work on the Temple about 534 B.C.

Brings us to the time of Haggai’s ministry, about 14 years after the Jews had stopped rebuilding the Temple, 520 B.C.

√ Haggai ~ the prophet

This is the second shortest book in the Old Testament, shorter only than Obadiah.

But, Haggai had an intense message!

Actually he delivered 4 messages to the Jewish remnant living in Judah over a period of 4 months.

His purpose and message were simple…

…to get the Jews back to the work that God had called them to ~ the rebuilding of His Temple!

They’d started off with great enthusiasm 14 years before, clearing the rubble, laying the foundation and building an altar…

…but then stopped the work out of fear of their enemies.

It was Haggai’s job (along with Zechariah) to get the job going and to get it completed!

Ap. The work of God

Anything you do for the Kingdom of God will be met with opposition!

Start a church

Build a church

Launch a new ministry

They all usually start off with a lot of fanfare, hope and enthusiasm but watch out because the enemy will raise up opposition and the work will stall out!

People get distracted

Workers burn out

Money runs out

That’s when we need a man like Haggai to light the fire under us and get the work going again!

This little book reminds us that when the work of God is neglected…

…the preaching of God’s word will get it going again!

May this little book light a fire under our congregation so that we will get the work that God has given us to do done!

Priorities (vs. 1-4)

Hag. 1:1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, (August 29, 520 B.C.) the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

Hag. 1:2 “Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: “This people says, ‘The time has not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.” ’ ”

Hag. 1:3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Hag. 1:4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”

√ Priorities

The remnant of Jewish captives that had returned to Jerusalem had come with the intent of putting God first in their lives!

They were committed to rebuilding the Temple, worshipping God as He had directed through the Law and making Him the center of their national conscience.

But, as we see from Haggai’s message the people had drifted from their commitment and allowed the business of life to push God from the top of their priorities!

Rather than build God’s house they were spending all their time and resources building their own homes and making their own lives more comfortable.

So, Haggai asks…

“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” ~ vs. 4

The answer is obvious, “no”!

That is, it wasn’t time to think of their own homes when they hadn’t taken care of God’s House.

If they wanted God to bless them and their homes then they would need to make Him and His House a priority!

√ Seek first the Kingdom

If Haggai had the opportunity to walk with Jesus during His earthly ministry he could have quoted Matthew 6:33…

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

The point is that since the beginning of human existence God has always deserved first place in our lives!

He gave us life

He keeps us living

He provides for all our needs

Therefore He should reign supreme in our hearts and desires.

Ap. Is God first in your life?

Does He receive the best that you have to give of your time, talent and treasure?

Or do you only give God what’s left over?

There are a million reasons not to serve the Lord, or not to participate in a local church…

…but none of them are good reasons!

As we’ll see in the following verses when we rob God of His due we’re only robbing ourselves!

Adversities (vs. 5-11)

Hag. 1:5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!

Hag. 1:6 “You have sown much, and bring in little;

You eat, but do not have enough;

You drink, but you are not filled with drink;

You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;

And he who earns wages,

Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

Hag. 1:7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!

Hag. 1:8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD.

Hag. 1:9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.

Hag. 1:10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.

Hag. 1:11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

√ Adversities

Because the people had neglected God and the work that He called them to He removed His blessing on their lives so that…

Their crops did not produce

Their herds and flocks did not grow

The rain did not come

Their labor was in vain

They were never satisfied with the little they had

The people knew better because God had promised that if they put Him first in their lives then they could count on His provision and protection.

But, if they put themselves first then they would lose the blessings of God.

The rebuke of Haggai wasn’t new information, he was just reminding them of the covenant that they had made with God.

Ap. Consider your ways

If you find yourself faced with a financial crisis, or your dissatisfied with life, or it seems like you can never get ahead…

…it’s a good time to do a heart-check and see if your priorities are right.

How’s your relationship with God?

How’s your devotional life?

Are you serving the Lord?

Are you investing in His work?

Can I just say if God doesn’t have first place in your life, your time, talents and you budget you’re not going to be blessed.

Ex. How the Lord taught us the importance of tithing

Ministries (vs. 12-15)

Hag. 1:12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, 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 presence of the LORD.

Hag. 1:13 Then Haggai, the LORD’S messenger, spoke the LORD’S message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the LORD.”

Hag. 1:14 So 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,

Hag. 1:15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.

√ Ministries

God’s work at the time of Haggai was to rebuild the Temple.

God could have done it without the help of man!

After all He did create the universe so we know that if He wanted to He could have built Himself a new Temple.

But, that’s not the way that God works, rather, He invites people to get involved in His projects so that we can share in the work and the reward of ministry.

Unfortunately people often get distracted and drawn away from ministry by their own selfish desires.

Such was the case when Haggai was sent to light a fire under the people of Judah.

As Haggai faithfully preached the word to the people notice that the word of God stirred up the spirit of the people in Judah to do the work of God…

“So 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.” ~ vs. 14

The truth revealed is that even the motivation to serve the Lord comes from Him!

He imparts both a calling and the motivation to fulfill that calling through His word.

Reminding us of one more reason to spend regular time studying His word, and being taught His word!

Ap. His word and His work

People often wrongly think that ministry is something that pastors do.

The reality is that all of God’s people are called to join the work of ministry.

The pastor’s job is primarily to proclaim God’s word to the people, much like Haggai did…

…and then watch as God’s word stirs people to get involved and do the work of the ministry!

Eph. 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Eph. 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

I should be pretty obvious that just as Haggai couldn’t finish the Temple by himself…

…neither can a pastor do all the work required to make a church function properly!

The question then is to what ministry has God called you to be involved?

There’s a lot of work to be done, have you made His work a priority in your life?

Close

√ Right priorities

I understand that we live in probably the busiest time in history!

There are a lot of distractions that keep us from the important things in life.

I’d like to challenge you to get involved and help us get this house of the Lord finished!