Rebuild

 

    Haggai was a prophet in Judah roughly 500 years before Jesus' birth.  He served under the governor, Zerubbabel, and the hight priest, Joshua.  It was his job to advise them according to God's Word.  He was very direct and couragous because he would force people out of their comfort zone.  That typically makes people uncomfortable and when people get uncomfortable they normally get ugly.

    The time had not come to rebuild God's house.  It was time for the people to rebuild themselves.  They laid in ruin and it was time to change that.  They were commanded to be careful with their thoughts and behavior.

    The people have been busy.  They have worked hard.  However, where they put their energy was wasteful.  They would not yield much fruit from their effort.  They were a consumerism culture which means they were never satisfied with what they had.  Nothing was enough to make them happy or to make them comfortable.  They wasted their wages on things that don't matter.  

    The theme feels familiar.  We need to think carefully about how we live our lives.  We need to invest in our eternal home more than what we invest in the here and now.  We need to be happy and grateful foe what we have instead of complain about what we do not possess.  In all you do, do it humbly and with worship in your heart.  

    Do not expect a lot, that way when you do recieve blessings it is always a happy surprise.  Your heart will always be ready to glorify God with what He has provided.  It is a very different look than the culture that we live in.  The other option is to live in lies and pride that lead to ruin.  It is sneaky, so it is easy not to see it happening until you are deep within it.  

    Haggai gave God's message as God intended it to be given.  He was faithful and because of that it touched the hearts of Zerubbabel and Joshua.  They chose to obey God's Word.  They had Haggai spread the message carefully, so that the people feared God in a healthy way: God was with them.  That meant that He is alive, watching, and listening.  

    The Holy Spirit entered Zerubbabel and Joshua.  God's people had the Holy Spirit among them in a way that is normal now, but didn't happen then.  They did the work that God commanded.  They worked on themselves, then rebuilt His home.  Here they spared no expense because they loved and served Him happily.    

Haggai 1