Slices
Prepare
‘Now none but Christ can satisfy, none other name for me’ (hymn lyrics, anonymous). Is this your experience? Give thanks that Jesus meets all our needs.
Bible passage
A call to build the house of the Lord
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘These people say, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.”’
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured,’ says the Lord. 9 ‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labour of your hands.’
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: ‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
Explore
Journalist Victoria Lambert created the 30-day decluttering challenge. Throw out one item on day one, two things on day two… 30 days later you’ve given away, sold or recycled 465 unneeded items. It’s about clarifying priorities.
That challenge faced those returning from exile in Babylon: ‘Give careful thought to your ways’ (vs 5,7). Stop and examine your priorities: the clutter in your lives is impeding your worship. Your homes look great (v 4), but take a look at my house. It’s in ruins (v 4). The people’s work on rebuilding the Temple had stalled for 16 years. The right time to put the Lord first never seemed to materialise (v 2). Don’t wait to cover all the bases before moving into action.
The consequence of their wrong choices was dissatisfaction, not contentment (vs 6,9–11). Jesus says: ‘Seek the kingdom first’ (Matthew 6:25–34), because focusing on anything else cannot nurture us, but only disappoint. Wrong priorities only bring anxiety. Meantime we miss the blessings God intends for us. The allocation of our money, time and effort needs to be guided by the question: What will bring pleasure and honour to the Lord (v 8)?
Respond
The people felt dismayed (‘feared’, v 12) when they heard the Word of the Lord, instantly recognising their error. Is there any immediate action you should take in response to God’s Word?
Deeper Bible study
‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above.’1 On what is your heart set?
Life was difficult for the returned exiles in Jerusalem. There were food shortages and economic depression. Then Haggai demanded that they put everything else aside and return to rebuilding the Temple. What sense did that make? When they had returned, 18 years earlier, that had been their top priority. They had made a start, but opposition had brought the work to a halt. They probably thought of it as a temporary postponement. However, as time went on the need to build their own homes, tend their fields and earn a living pushed it down the priority order and the work was never resumed. The sense behind Haggai’s demand is indicated by verses 8–11. The hardships they faced came from God. God’s actions were not arbitrary but an implementation of the curses attached to the covenant Israel had freely made with God.2 The Temple was at the heart of the covenant relationship. It was here that God had promised to be present and meet with his people. By neglecting its ruined state they were showing their disregard for the covenant and dishonouring God. By putting their need to earn a living before rebuilding it, they had entered a vicious circle as the covenant curses came into effect. We Christians live under a new covenant: Jesus warns us that we cannot serve both God and money,3 but must trust our heavenly Father and ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness’ – relying on him to meet our daily needs.4
The people had learnt from the disaster of the Exile. Now, unlike their forebears who rejected the warnings of earlier prophets, they responded positively to Haggai’s challenge. In response, God promised them his presence and power as they got on with the work. We have similar promises under the new covenant.5
Reflect prayerfully on your current priorities in life. Is there some way in which your relationship with God is suffering from neglect and needs to be rebuilt?
1 Col 3:1 2 Deut 28:1–6,15–24 3 Matt 6:24 4 Matt 6:33,34 5 Matt 28:18–20; John 15:4,5; Phil 2:12,13
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 22,23; Psalms 120–122
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray that many churches will be inspired and excited to use the new Wonder Zone holiday club resources to show children how science and faith complement one another, and how God is alive and at work in the world around them.
