Latest revision as of 21:07, 3 June 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: It is God who brings glory, nothing else.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: We must realize that we ultimately serve God and if we keep God at the center then we won’t be disappointed.

Introduction: Memory verse: Haggai 2:9

Image: Reflecting on yesteryear is so common but "back in my days" is a dangerous path.

The other day Emily and I were talking about our days in school and I caught myself saying something like, "back when we were in school they would have never let us..." Once I realized what I had said I thought, oh no, I can't believe I did that. But it is a temptation we face as we grow, a temptation to focus on what used to be and not realize that our focus should be on Christ.

Need: We need to keep our focus on God not some perception of past glory.

Preview: We can get caught up in a focus on the wonder of how things used to be and lose strength in the midst of frustration and disappointment but in reality, the problem is our focus. We need to remember that it is God that brings glory to anything.

Text:Haggai 2:1-9

Setting the Stage:

We are in the middle of the book of Haggai so let's take some time to recall

Recall that after Solomon reigned the nation of Israel split. The temple was located in the nation of Judah to the south.

The northern nation of Israel fell to the Assyrian empire in 722 BC

In 586 BC Babylon invaded the southern nation of Judah and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem beginning a period of exile.

In 539 Cyrus made an edict that the Jews could return from exile and rebuild their Temple.

Two years later the foundations of the temple were laid as described in Ezra 3:8-13

However, 16 years later, spiritual apathy had set in and the temple was uncompleted. God commissioned the prophet Haggai to challenge the apathy that had set in.

The book of Haggai is a report on four messages delivered to the people by the prophet Haggai.

Body

Everyone is susceptible to a little yesteryear-itis (2:1-3).

Large projects inevitably hit snags and snags can bring frustration and disappointment (1).

This prophecy was given on October 17, 520 BC. Haggai's first prophecy had come on August 29, 520 BC.

So a month and a half has passed since the first prophecy and nearly a month since the start of the rebuilding of the temple again.

What's more, this was the busiest ministry month for the people.

Feast of Trumpets

Day of Atonement

Feast of Tabernacles

October 17th was the penultimate day of the Feast of Tabernacles in 520 BC.

If anybody was tired of trying to worship in a broken temple and frustrated with a lack of progress, this would have been the time to see that frustration.

I imagine the task of removing years of rubble was a challenge.

I imagine the realization of how much work had to be done brought frustration.

I imagine the excitement of building a new temple was giving way to disappointment at the work involved.

Large projects affect people at all levels (2).

Zerubbabel was the royal figure in the line of David and he needed encouragement.

He led a group of exiles back to Judah (Ezra 2:2; Neh 7:7; 12:1). ^[1]

Aided by Joshua, he “set out to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem” (Ezra 5:2 NRSV). ^[2]

Along with the elders of the community, he determined that the temple’s reconstruction would be a Judaean affair (Ezra 4:2–3). ^[3]

Despite all that he had done and the authority he had, Zerubbabel needed encouragement.

Joshua was the High priest and he needed encouragement.

Joshua had led the people in reestablishing the sacrificial in Ezra 3:2

Despite his relationship with God and reinstitution of the sacrificial system, Joshua needed encouragement.

Frustrations and disappointments discussed in secret were brought into the light (3).

It would be great if we had no frustrations or disappointments but that may not be the case.

The right answer is not to turn a problem into gossip.

God called the people to task saying "make the comparison, then realize it is not the right focus."

God told Haggai to ask three questions to surface the people’s unfavorable comparison: Who of you … saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? These questions are essentially rhetorical, causing the people to face openly the fact that their temple was not going to be as splendid as Solomon’s. Implied is the fact that some of those present, perhaps even Haggai himself, had seen the glories of the Solomonic edifice prior to its destruction 66 years before (in 586 B.C.). ^[4]

I think that God is trying to bring this into the open so that He can remind the people that they are focusing on the wrong thing.

Image: Our construction project

Here we are 10 months into construction. We have hit snags and these snags have caused some delays. We have had victories. We could focus on the wins, we could focus on the losses. But in both cases, our focus is not on God! We need to focus on the God who has given wins and the God who has brought us through losses.

Remember, it is not about the building, it is about the God who is giving us the building.

MTR: Take a second and ask yourself where have you allowed your focus on yester-year to take your eyes off of God?

Frustration and disappointment should be confronted with strength and faith (2:4-5).

People at all levels must confront frustration and disappointment with strength (4a).

Notice that the command for the political leader, the religious leader, and the people is the same. Be strong!.

The Hebrew word חֲזַ֣ק (hazack->Be strong) sort of has the idea of hardening oneself for a big task.

In fact, David, back when Solomon built the original temple, commanded his son to be strong in 1 Chronicles 29:10.

The reality is that a monumental task is going to take a monumental effort and if you don't go into the task prepared for such an effort you may find yourself unprepared.

Real strength and faith motivate action (4b).

The issue we need to face is that the true measure of strength and faith is action.

This is the idea behind James 2:26 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

A claim of faith in the absence of action should be met with suspicion!

I don't really like starting tasks that I won't be able to finish

(this doesn't mean I finish everything just that if I don't think I can I tend not to start...)

In general, I don't really make a public running goal until halfway through the year, just so I can make sure I can do it.

I guess that is slightly better than never starting because you are afraid you won't finish.

However, we can take strength to work because we can have confidence that God is in the work, and God does not fail.

Even if the results turn out different than we expected, God does not fail.

In short, Take Strength because God is with you do not fear because God has been faithful in the past as we will see in verse 5.

Ultimately, our strength comes from God and our faith is in His faithfulness (5).

The reference to Egypt is a reminder to the people that their struggle to complete God's task is nothing new.

After leaving Egypt, while receiving the law at Mt. Sinai, the people worship a Golden Calf, yet God remained faithful.

Throughout Israel's history they failed yet God remained faithful.

The point is that we do not need to fear because of the very presence of God.

Image: Grit is important but it is nothing new

Ecclesiastes 1:9 states "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

I first came across the term grit while looking at graduation rates at the university.

It seems the term became popular around 2016 with the publication of a book on the concept of "grit"

One psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals"

A lot of academia is about taking a concept and developing a term to describe it. In fact, grit is nothing new. Here in Haggai God calls on the leaders and people to have grit. He says,

be strong. i.e. persevere

I am with you -> have faith -> look at the long-term goals.

MTR: Determine to confront frustration and disappointment with strength and faith.

The truth is that our unchanging God is the only real source of glory (2:6-9)

Don't settle for anything less than God's glory (6-7a).

Sometimes God tells us to wait, here he tells the people "in a little while."

When we wait, we must take care not to settle! Don't settle for less than what God has for you!

The reality is that God is far greater than we often realize.

The act of shaking is probably not literal shaking but rather an indescribable response of the cosmos to the greatness of God.

Haggai records the use of Merismus (a type of figure of speech in which the parts are meant to cover the whole) to express God's total greatness.

Shake the heavens and the Earth (and everything in-between)

The sea and the dry land (and any other part of the earth)

God wants His people to know that His direct intervention in creation is immanent!

Recognize that it is God who brings glory not a physical object (7b-8).

Solomon's temple was magnificent as evidenced in these notes from Dick on 2 chronicles 3

600 talents (~23 tons) of fine gold used (v. 8), Decorative gold nails used (v. 9)

Temple curtain: blue, purple, and crimson yarn with fine linen; cherubim motif (v. 14), Two great pillars at front of temple: “Jachin” and “Boaz” (vv. 15–17) Pillars were ~53 ft tall

However, all the wealth in the world is God's and it pales in comparison to God's glory.

God wanted his people to realize that it was not the Gold that made the temple important it was God himself!

Ultimately, the ultimate display of God's glory is in His grace and mercy (9).

Okay you say but the temple of Solomon housed the Ark of the Covenant the seat of God!

Nevertheless, something better was to come, just over 500 years later, God Himself in the flesh, Jesus would walk this temple!

Something that no temple could do was bring peace between God and man. The temple was marked by a veil or separation, the veil was there because sin permanently separates sinners from God.

Matthew 27:51 tells us the temple veil was torn in two when Jesus died. Peace, that only God could bring, is far more valuable than all the riches.

Image: Trying to recreate something special without special people.

Galactic Battlegrounds

In college Emily and I were married and Friday nights we would have my brothers and a bunch of friends over to the house for large LAN Star Wars Galactica BattleGrounds parties. If you know what that is, welcome to the nerd club, if not just understand it is very nerdy. We would play long into the night until we had such large armies that the computers would start to crash. Later in life, I have gotten out the game and tried to play it by myself and guess what, it is not nearly as much fun. What I have come to realize is that the game itself was not actually where all the fun was located. The fun came from the act of being with friends. The same holds true for God. We need to be careful, God's glory is not this building! No, God brings glory to his building. The real source of glory is God. Let's keep that front and center.

MTR: Let's celebrate together, not because we are finished, not because it is beautiful but because God is in it!

1. ↑ David B. Schreiner, “Zerubbabel, Son of Shealtiel,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
2. ↑ David B. Schreiner, “Zerubbabel, Son of Shealtiel,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
3. ↑ David B. Schreiner, “Zerubbabel, Son of Shealtiel,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
4. ↑ F. Duane Lindsey, “Haggai,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1541.