“Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.” Haggai 2:18-19 NLT
I have spent about zero amount of time trying to understand Haggai. So little that I had to go to my favorite Bible summary guys – The Bible Project. Haggai’s book is a short read, but plays a critical role in understanding Israel’s response (and ours today) after coming out a massive 70 year timeout from God. The exiles returned to a devastated city, laid waste by the mighty Babylonian armies, raiders and opportunists. The small amount of people who stayed in Jerusalem must have lived in constant terror that their land, crops and homes would regularly, randomly be attacked. But the main attraction, the grand and glorious Solomon Temple had been stripped and leveled. The prophets that wrote about rebuilding Jerusalem, mainly focused on the temple, the wall, then the community.
Haggai points out that the people began by focusing on their own homes first. He words likely shifted their priorities correctly – to put God first. Build God’s house, then yours. However, in the process there was a different problem. After all they had been through, they were still playing religious games with God by practicing idolatry even while rebuilding the second temple. The generational conflict of memories was also noted. The older survivors of the captivity remembered the grand splendor of their beloved temple and mourned at the reduced size and quality of materials in the new temple. But those who were young, had no knowledge or experience with the original temple and they rejoiced at building this new one.
Haggai pointed out the glaring reality of the condition of the people’s hearts. Why would it matter? Why would it matter if funders, planners, building managers and laborers had clean hearts? It’s just another building project, isn’t it? No, it wasn’t. Haggai challenged the priests with a little Defilement Quiz. “If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’” The priests replied, “No.” Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?” And the priests answered, “Yes.” Ding-ding-ding, they were correct!
Haggai brings the object lesson/quiz home. If you are unclean, it makes everything you touch unclean. If your hearts aren’t right, you’re just building a dirty temple, a defiled house of God. His challenge was this. Our choices matter! The matters of the heart become important when doing or working with the things of God, especially the people of God. Obedience is always priority in and over any spiritual responsibilities. All actions, behaviors and practices should lead with humility, not arrogance, not grumbling, not comparison, and certainly not division. This makes Haggai’s book of extreme importance, both then and still today.
Prayer
Dad,
I am reminded, challenged and convicted by these ancient words given to ancient people long ago. Too often I have done what you asked, working on the things of God, or pastoring the people of God, only to do it with a bad attitude, a grumbling rather than a grateful heart. Haggai’s words are still true today! You want more than just the physical effort, you want my heart to be right and completely, cleanly, invested in the work you have asked me to do. My motives may not have been mixed with idolatry, but they were certainly mixed with dirty discontentment. Forgive me and help me to move forward in obedience, in humility and a pure heart,