CHAPTER 1

Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1: 2-11

The date was around August 520 B.C. The children ofIsrael had been delivered from Babylonian captivity for almostsome twenty years. The rebuilding process had gone prettywell. They were working on rebuilding a nation from scratch.As the years passed, slowly but surely, Jerusalem came back tolife again. Homes were built, stores were opened, commerceestablished, fields planted, crops harvested and life began toresemble something of a normal pattern. There was really onlyone major problem. According to this passage, the economiccondition was tough! People were working hard but still notgetting ahead. They were in better positions and had morepossessions than they did during the period of exile but yetsomething was still missing. In the context of this passage,you will discover that the people were experiencing perpetualfrustration and discontentment. They were freed frombondage, they had possessions and positions, but yet, theywere still looking for satisfaction. They were still searching forcontentment.

It is this group of people that Haggai is speaking to in thispassage. He is directly addressing their lack of commitmentand their mixed up priorities. Let me make sure that I am clearbecause I don't want you to get the wrong idea. The peopleof Jerusalem were committed and they had priorities butthey were committed to the wrong things and their prioritieswere way out of line! This is the very reason why Haggai theprophet of God shows up and says, "Consider your ways!" Heis challenging them to consider their ways because they werecommitted to rebuilding and reconstructing everything exceptthe temple of God.

History tells us that the temple had been destroyed andthe wall had been knocked down by the Babaloylians. Thereturnees immediately set out to rebuild the temple in about356 B.C. Ezra Chapter 3 gives details of a great celebrationthat takes place during the laying of the foundation.

The only problem was, this laying of the foundation causedtoo much of a celebration for the enemies of the children ofIsrael, the Samaritans. They quickly became the oppositionto them rebuilding the temple and, with persistence the Jewsfinally stopped the building process and never got startedagain. That is, at least not the building of the temple of God.They did, however, start rebuilding their own homes! It is nowsome 16 years later and the temple of God is still not rebuilt,but the people of God are now living in lavish plush homes.

It is with this in mind that Haggai, the prophet of theLord, comes on the scene and he begins to preach the first offive sermons. He is clearly challenging the people to reconsidertheir level of commitment, and to reorder their priorities! Pleasemake note that these were not anti-prosperity sermons. Thesewere not sermons against the people having a plush house, andlavish furnishings. They were, however, sermons to call thepeople to a consecrated conscience about their commitmentsand their priorities to the God that enabled them to have thosenice and paneled homes in the first place.

Thus the real tension of this passage is not about the actualbuilding of the temple. That is really just a surface symptom.That is only an external sign of the real internal problem. Thereal tension of this passage is about a nation of people that havebeen blessed by God, but have forgotten about the God whohas blessed them! It is about a people who are more concernedabout what they have been blessed with than they are with theGod who has blessed them!

Their lack of commitment and poor priority placementbecomes evident as a result of the fact that the temple of Godhas not yet been completed. I think that I need to suggest thatthis issue of neglect is a monumental issue to God. We mustnot think that we can neglect the things of God and get awaywith it. God is not pleased when we neglect Him or the thingsthat represent Him!

There are a couple of things that you must remember aswe approach this passage. First of all, you must remember thatin the Old Testament the temple represents the place whereGod dwells with His people. It represented God's presence onearth. Their lack of commitment and priority to the templewould suggest that the Jews really didn't care much about theirGod. This would also send a message to the Jewish generationsto come that God really didn't matter! What they were teachingthe generation to come is that it is okay for you to place otherthings in front of God, especially your own concerns, your ownaspirations and dreams! Haggai the prophet is saying to thepeople of Israel that they better be careful with their attitudeand their actions, and that they need to "consider their ways"!

Secondly, we must understand that God takes covenantrelationships very serious. You must realize that to be incovenant relationship with God is not just about the benefitsand the blessings of the relationship. It is also about making surethat you are in compliance with the covenant agreement, for ifyou are not in compliance then there will be consequences!

I am often amazed at how many of us want to hold Godaccountable for what He has promised to do for us, but notmany of us want to be held accountable, not even from GodHimself, about what we have promised to do for Him! If wewant God to be accountable and hold up His end of the deal,then we must also be accountable and keep our end of thecovenant!

This is exactly what the prophet is telling the people herein this text. He is reminding them that they are covenantpeople, and they cannot just act any kind of way. The reasonthat they are in the current situation that they are in is becauseGod will do whatever He has to do to get His people backon track, and back into His will. According to the passage wewill discover later on that God is the source of their problem.Because they have not given God His rightful place, He hascaused this economic downturn in their lives. Again, pleasehear me! God will do whatever He has to do to get His peopleto turn back to Him! This is exactly what is going on in thispassage! God is doing what needs to be done in order to getHis covenant people back into right relationship with Him,and as He is doing it, He sends the prophet Haggai to help thepeople understand what is taking place.

The first warning for the people comes in chapter 1verse 2.He is warning the people against the sin of procrastination.

Procrastination

Haggai 1:2 (KJV) Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts,saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time thatthe LORD'S house should be built. (MsgB) A Message fromGOD-of-the-Angel-Armies: "The people...