Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
The verse marks what follows as the word of the Lord given through Haggai the prophet. It confronted the returned exiles for dwelling in finished and ceiled houses while the Lord's house lay waste and in ruins, excusing themselves that the time to rebuild had not yet come and running each to his own house with zeal for self and indifference toward God. Their putting of self-interest first to escape poverty brought upon them the very want they feared, in sowing much and reaping little, eating and drinking without satisfaction, clothing without warmth, wages kept as in a bag with holes, and drought upon land, crops, cattle, men, and all the labor of their hands. It calls them to consider their ways carefully and to go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house, that God may take pleasure in it and be glorified. Building a house for the Lord is therefore to be made the first consideration rather than the last, with His service put first, His institutions faithfully supported from the means entrusted to His people, and His house kept free from neglect and debt by united sacrifice.
Message and Its Setting
Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, introducing what follows as the Lord's own message delivered through Haggai. That message was addressed to the returned exiles and confronted their neglect of the temple while they cared for their own houses. It challenged their claim that the time had not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house while they themselves dwelt in finished and ceiled houses and left His house waste and in ruins.
They ran every man to his own house, feeling concern for their own buildings while unconcerned for the Lord's building. They had become passive and had done little, having lost the burning zeal they once had for the restoration of His house. Their neglect came from serving self and putting their own interests first, neglecting the temple from a desire to escape poverty at the sacrifice of the best interests of God's cause. That very neglect brought upon them what they feared, so that nothing prospered and they were brought to actual want.
The message thus explains poor harvests and want as the consequence and punishment for leaving God's house waste and unfinished. They sowed much and brought in little, ate without having enough, drank without being filled, clothed themselves without warmth, and earned wages only to put them into a bag with holes. They looked for much and it came to little, for heaven was stayed from dew and earth was stayed from fruit, and drought was called upon the land and mountains, upon corn and wine and oil, upon what the ground brought forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the labor of hands. The message calls them to consider their ways carefully and to go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house, that God may take pleasure in it and be glorified.
Building and Supporting God's Work
Building a house for the Lord must be made the first consideration, not left as the last consideration or delayed until last, so that God is honored and His service comes first. The rebuke is that the Lord's house is left as the last while attention is given to people's own homes.
With chapter 1 and chapter 2 comes direction to proceed with building the meeting house. The lesson is to provide an adequate, fitting place of worship rather than meeting in a place too small and unsuitable for bowing before God, a place where His people can worship Him humbly and in good order. Doing this work first on the school grounds would have shown reverence for God and met His approval. The message calls attention to the need to build the Lord's house, rebukes living in finished homes while the house lies waste, and urges considering of ways as applied to building a house of worship.
In this application the time had come to build the Lord's house, applied to building a meetinghouse in Cooranbong. The challenge to the claim that it was not yet time to rebuild while living in finished houses calls to consider ways and build. The work is to be moved forward in faith rather than waiting for the means to be secured first.
The first chapter is called to bear on supporting and restoring God's work and institutions through faithful use of the resources entrusted to His people. Those who realize the nearness of the Lord's coming are to act their faith, show interest when one of God's instrumentalities is languishing or in peril, be one in mind and heart with the heavenly intelligences, and unitedly take of the Lord's own substance to lift the burdens resting on His institutions, with the Lord cooperating with them. A shortage of means in the treasury can result from work God cannot approve, including selfishly taking available funds for one's own institution and acting contrary to God's word.
The verse brings a direct rebuke when God's people neglect building and maintaining His house while giving priority to their own interests. It applies to churches burdened with debt through wrong management from beginning to end, borrowing, and too little sacrifice. God is dishonored when His people leave His house indebted, whether they think much of themselves and their own selfish interests and neglect to arise and build or they build on hired money and fail to give donations to free church buildings from debt. It calls for duty and sacrifice year by year to lessen the debt, instead of letting interest swallow the means that should pay the principal, for interest then consumes money that could reduce the principal.
The verse marks what follows as the word of the Lord given through Haggai the prophet. It confronted the returned exiles for dwelling in finished and ceiled houses while the Lord's house lay waste and in ruins, excusing themselves that the time to rebuild had not yet come and running each to his own house with zeal for self and indifference toward God. Their putting of self-interest first to escape poverty brought upon them the very want they feared, in sowing much and reaping little, eating and drinking without satisfaction, clothing without warmth, wages kept as in a bag with holes, and drought upon land, crops, cattle, men, and all the labor of their hands. It calls them to consider their ways carefully and to go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house, that God may take pleasure in it and be glorified. Building a house for the Lord is therefore to be made the first consideration rather than the last, with His service put first, His institutions faithfully supported from the means entrusted to His people, and His house kept free from neglect and debt by united sacrifice.
Message and Its Setting
Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, introducing what follows as the Lord's own message delivered through Haggai. That message was addressed to the returned exiles and confronted their neglect of the temple while they cared for their own houses. It challenged their claim that the time had not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house while they themselves dwelt in finished and ceiled houses and left His house waste and in ruins.
They ran every man to his own house, feeling concern for their own buildings while unconcerned for the Lord's building. They had become passive and had done little, having lost the burning zeal they once had for the restoration of His house. Their neglect came from serving self and putting their own interests first, neglecting the temple from a desire to escape poverty at the sacrifice of the best interests of God's cause. That very neglect brought upon them what they feared, so that nothing prospered and they were brought to actual want.
The message thus explains poor harvests and want as the consequence and punishment for leaving God's house waste and unfinished. They sowed much and brought in little, ate without having enough, drank without being filled, clothed themselves without warmth, and earned wages only to put them into a bag with holes. They looked for much and it came to little, for heaven was stayed from dew and earth was stayed from fruit, and drought was called upon the land and mountains, upon corn and wine and oil, upon what the ground brought forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all the labor of hands. The message calls them to consider their ways carefully and to go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house, that God may take pleasure in it and be glorified.
Building and Supporting God's Work
Building a house for the Lord must be made the first consideration, not left as the last consideration or delayed until last, so that God is honored and His service comes first. The rebuke is that the Lord's house is left as the last while attention is given to people's own homes.
With chapter 1 and chapter 2 comes direction to proceed with building the meeting house. The lesson is to provide an adequate, fitting place of worship rather than meeting in a place too small and unsuitable for bowing before God, a place where His people can worship Him humbly and in good order. Doing this work first on the school grounds would have shown reverence for God and met His approval. The message calls attention to the need to build the Lord's house, rebukes living in finished homes while the house lies waste, and urges considering of ways as applied to building a house of worship.
In this application the time had come to build the Lord's house, applied to building a meetinghouse in Cooranbong. The challenge to the claim that it was not yet time to rebuild while living in finished houses calls to consider ways and build. The work is to be moved forward in faith rather than waiting for the means to be secured first.
The first chapter is called to bear on supporting and restoring God's work and institutions through faithful use of the resources entrusted to His people. Those who realize the nearness of the Lord's coming are to act their faith, show interest when one of God's instrumentalities is languishing or in peril, be one in mind and heart with the heavenly intelligences, and unitedly take of the Lord's own substance to lift the burdens resting on His institutions, with the Lord cooperating with them. A shortage of means in the treasury can result from work God cannot approve, including selfishly taking available funds for one's own institution and acting contrary to God's word.
The verse brings a direct rebuke when God's people neglect building and maintaining His house while giving priority to their own interests. It applies to churches burdened with debt through wrong management from beginning to end, borrowing, and too little sacrifice. God is dishonored when His people leave His house indebted, whether they think much of themselves and their own selfish interests and neglect to arise and build or they build on hired money and fail to give donations to free church buildings from debt. It calls for duty and sacrifice year by year to lessen the debt, instead of letting interest swallow the means that should pay the principal, for interest then consumes money that could reduce the principal.