Building God's House, Not Ours

In the Old Testament, God made a promise to David that his son would sit on his throne and build the Temple. Solomon built the amazingly beautiful and costly Temple, which was a visible sign of God’s presence with Israel and the true place of worship, setting Israel apart from the rest of the world as God’s people. But when Israel began to worship idols and forsook their covenant with God, he brought punishment just as he had promised (Deuteronomy 28). Babylon conquered Judah in 586 B.C. The city was burned, the Temple was destroyed, and the people were carried away into exile to Babylon. Just as God had promised 150 years before his birth, Cyrus and his Medo-Persian Empire came in and defeated the Babylonians (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-6). Cyrus gave a decree that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple (and even put it on Cyrus’ bill)! "Imagine the joy and hope that flooded the hearts of the Jews as they saw God’s word come to pass before their eyes, and began to dream about their generation seeing the Temple rebuilt!" (Geraty) Now they could once again have God’s presence with them and worship him at the Temple as the chosen people of God!

In 536 B.C. thousands of Jews “made the 900 mile trip from Babylon to Jerusalem” (Dever) “They immediately rebuilt the altar and laid the foundations of the Temple (Ezra 3); then they stopped the work as they built their homes and worked their farms” (Fee and Stuart). There had been some persecution from the people of the land, and the discouraged people of God stopped building the visible sign of God’s presence with them; the thing that set them apart from the nations as God’s people (Ezra 4:4; 23)! The years passed (18!) as the people quit on God to focus on themselves. There was no worship going on, none of the appointed festivals God had commanded them to observe…no priority of God! They had forsaken their pursuit and enjoyment of the glory of God, having “abandoned the place where God’s glory was seen” (T.Anyabwile). During these years of neglecting God, the people experienced drought and lack of crops. Until one day God sent a couple of prophets with a fresh word from the Lord! Ezra tells the story of Haggai and Zechariah coming to preach to the people (Ezra 5:1-2). Haggai’s name means “festive” – a living reminder of the neglected festival celebrations and worship of God (Geraty).

Building God’s House, Not Ours

Let's look at God's message to his people, preached by Haggai (found in Haggai chapter 1):
1. Is it time for comfort or obedience? (1:3-4, 9b). “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? …My house…lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house” (4, 9b). God asks “Is it time for your comfort now, or your obedience now?” Is it time for God’s people to live for themselves; for their comfort, their kingdom – while there is unfinished work for the Lord?

How relevant for God’s people in the new covenant of Christ! Is it time for us to have our best life now, while the work remains unfinished – or to lose our lives for the Lord and his mission and have our best life later, with him in heaven? Is it time for us to coast or get to work? Is it time for us to prioritize our families and houses and plans…or God’s family, God’s house and God’s plan?

At the heart, this is a question of PRIORITIES. Putting God first. “It is idolatry to put our agenda over God’s” (T. Anyabwile). Sometimes we don’t think about the exceeding sinfulness of not putting God first; the God who was here before we were born and who will be here long after we are gone; The God who simply IS, whose name is “I AM”; The God from whom we borrow every breath and receive everything we have – on whom our very life is dependent! The God who is worthy in his character of all praise and glory in the universe – how arrogant and sinful for us to prioritize ourselves above him!

• We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4