Haggai reflections

Reflections on Haggai:

We read the two chapters of Haggai and we learn of God's disquiet, of his observations ; his chosen people are home in Israel again after their long exile. The relatively  benevolent Persian king Darius reigns and they are free to build their  temple at Jerusalem once more. It's in ruins and they begin to rebuild it. But they are half-hearted, they build slowly and without quality for they are focused not on the temple of their God but on the problems and desires of their lives.

Well I remember the flush of enthusiasm with which I embraced the word of God as a young man. My heart overflowed with love for him and I felt buoyed daily by the delight of the Holy Spirit working through me in reaching out to others. They were heady times, I had just been baptised and the bible felt like a firebrand  in my hand, inspiring me to take the word of God to those in darkness. My faith was strong and God's power was before me, shining as the sun. All was as it should be.

Then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, my focus drifted onto my needs and the needs of those close to me. My faith was still strong and my church attendance satisfactory, but my daily living was all about my family, my friends and me. I had evolved into someone who acknowledged God but, without realising it, I  had quietly pushed him away. Just like the people of Israel in Haggai's time, I respected my God but was not putting him first any longer in my affairs.

Hg 1:9  "...because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house."

Yes, we naturally gravitate to feathering our own nests, isn't this human nature? Look after one's own interests first, make sure we are ok, planning, executing, busying ourselves with our personal little goals, our home improvements, our family affairs, our temporary accumulations. Nothing intrinsically wrong with this , but, should we not first and foremost satisfy the needs of our loving God? Let's work for him first and prioritise this, before tending to our needs.

Once, deep in our hearts  we  enthusiastically imbibed God’s love. Perhaps, following the joy of baptism and it’s transformation, for example, we felt brim-full of God’s light and, on the crest of a wave, we were out there sharing his love with others. Our mind was a temple where God lived and what a glorious place it was!  We had built his temple in our hearts and he was there enthusing with us every day.

 But things happen in life, we get the stuffing knocked out of us: we feel the pain of loss , suffer disappointments, ridicule, strife and sometimes despair. These real life experiences can affect our relationship with God, and the glorious temple that we have built in our hearts for him begins to look a little bit neglected and run down. Let's acknowledge God’s call for us to rebuild his temple in our hearts....

Hg 1:8 " 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.

So go and find it in yourselves, each and every one of you, go and leave your comfort zones, see, feel and hear the voices of need; help them and by and because of that action build the temple of God in your hearts, making it a strong and beautiful home for him.

Hg 2:6-9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord Almighty.  "The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty. "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house," says the Lord Almighty. "And in this place I will grant peace,"declares the Lord Almighty.

What is desired by all nations will come. Everyone, everywhere wanted mercy, forgiveness of sins, hope, love, peace and a right relationship with God. All those in darkness wanted light, someone  to show the way out of their misery and despair. Well, he came and he shone brightly amongst men. 

Yes, Jesus came and filled the house of God with glory! God said that in his temple he would grant peace. ...well this was indeed given, but only through the great love of his son for us , shown in his sacrifice,  did we get our peace of mind. Only because of his suffering did we, as sinners, become blessed with the gift of salvation.

Hg 2:11-13  This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated? ” The priests answered, “No.”  Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

Consider a glass of water that’s contaminated with bacteria, making it 'unclean'. If you pour this into a bucket of clean, uncontaminated water it would surely contaminate it and the whole would be made unclean. Conversely, if you poured clean water into a bucket of dirty water, well, it wouldn’t make it clean, would it? What does this mean? 

Well, God's people can be made to move away from a right relationship with God by corrupt, unholy influences that contaminate them, so that they come to serve their own personal desires instead of giving first service to God. 

So, please find time to  rebuild God's temple in your heart, to purify your inner self and make this a place where God lives and grants you peace.

Amen.