Haggai 1:1-11--The Command to Rebuild the Temple

Haggai 1:1-11
English Standard Version

The Command to Rebuild the Temple
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

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Today, we start the book of Haggai, a prophet after the exiles had returned to Jerusalem.  The book gives a specific date of "The second year of Darius the king" which tells us the date of the book is 520 B.C.  Haggai is going to prophesy to these exiles who have returned.  The people desire to rebuild the Temple, but the LORD wants a renewed covenant and renewed relationship.  He doesn't just want them going through the motions, but He wants them to have changed hearts and lives.

Zerubbabel is the political leader of the people during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (he's the heir to the throne, but will not take the throne as king--instead he is the "governor" of the region).  Joshua the high priest is the religious leader.  The LORD wants Haggai to prophesy to these two leaders in particular.  The people want to delay rebuilding the Temple and work on rebuilding their homes and the walls around their city first so that they have places to live and safety from those who might try to take advantage of the situation and attack them while they are weak.

The thing is, they didn't just want to build lean-tos and shanties or make tents for themselves as temporary dwellings.  They were building mansions and what would be called palaces with the wealth that was given to them to rebuild the Temple.  The LORD asks, "Is it time for you to build paneled houses for yourselves while [My] house lies in ruins?" The people were to understand the answer to that question to be, "No," but that is exactly what they had been doing.

The LORD tells them this is why they have sown much, but harvested little.  The Land is not going to be fruitful for them like it was in the past until they return to a proper relationship with the LORD and the covenant is renewed.  The fruitfulness of that Land has always been a miracle of God.  Naturally, the Land is very inhospitable to farming, but the LORD makes life come forth from the wilderness so that all can see how He cares for His people.

The people think nothing of sacrificing their first and beset to the LORD in thanks for what He has provided to them.  Instead they try to take everything they can for themselves to fill their bellies and prevent anyone else from getting any of what they think should belong to them.  This is why they are never satisfied with what they have.  They clothe themselves with fine clothes, but they are never feel warm and comfortable.  The LORD has a way of making this kind of covetous discontentment work its way out so that people's needs are being met, but they are not satisfied or comfortable.  They try to hang onto their money by not giving their tithes and offerings, but the LORD keep them from being able to hold onto that thing they trying to gain security from.  It is like their money bags have holes in the bottom so that whatever they put in the top just comes out the bottom.  I don't know if you ever experienced this, but emergency after emergency and crisis after crisis keep you from being able to hang onto the little that you have because things haven't even been as fruitful or productive.  You are left turning to the LORD to say, "Okay, I see I was depending on job security and wealth security, and there was security in none of those things that I was looking to.  I find my hope, rest, and security in You alone."

The LORD calls Zerubbabel and Joshua to call the people together to start the work of building the Temple.  They are to gather the wood to build His house and to use for making the required sacrifices so that the LORD might be glorified.  Until they do this, the LORD will not bless their harvests and He will withhold the dew of heaven (associated with the abundance of the blessings of His covenant) and the produce of the Land.  That all will change as soon as the Temple is rebuilt and the people return to the LORD.  The Land is in drought right now just like the hearts of the people.  Their hearts are dry and desolate, and the Land is picturing that for them (there is this relationship in the Old Testament that the LORD uses the condition of the Land to show the people the condition of their hearts).  Once their hearts are changed and the covenant is renewed, the LORD is willing and able to pour out His abundant blessings on them once again, but blessings without changed hearts would be catastrophic to them because they would be on their way to Hell warm, well-fed, housed, and comfortable.  Their neediness drives them to the One who supplies all their needs and redeems and restores them and forgives their sins and gives them eternal life.
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They will not have wine or oil (things that they were known for that made them rich and were their main exports) until they first build the house of the LORD and with this, they focus on giving their tithes and offerings--the first and best, not the leftovers and afterthoughts--to the LORD.

We just sang this song at church yesterday--it puts Psalm 62 to words.  I think it's a good companion to this text.