The previous article discussed whether God, in the time of the ancient prophet Haggai, sought a rebuilt house or His people’s hearts. Based on what I see elsewhere in Scripture, my vote is more aligned with the latter. However, rebuilding God’s temple was both a symbol for the people to show the state of their hearts, and the rebuilt temple could help the people worship God (since we live in this corporeal world, where tangible places and practices can help us remember the reality of the spiritual world). When God – through Haggai – reminded them, I appreciate that the people fairly quickly started rebuilding God’s temple.
Before going further in the book of Haggai, let’s consider how God’s people were experiencing God’s discipline for (what I believe to be) continuing to put their own selves above worshiping and honoring God.
“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. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 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 labor of your hands.”
Haggai 1:9-11 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/hag.1.9-11.NIV
I wonder if the people were just trying to work harder to grow enough crops (and raise livestock) for themselves “first”, telling themselves that once they could “get ahead”, then they could return to working on rebuilding God’s temple. In the history of the Israelites, though, God had repeatedly provided for them miraculously, and if the people in Haggai’s day would have just trusted Him, He could have provided all of those things and more. Instead, though, maybe the people lacked faith in God, or simply hadn’t been taught that He could provide for all of their needs. (Or, maybe I’m projecting my own forgetfulness of God’s provision upon these Israelites!)
God’s people were experiencing trouble (including a drought) because they weren’t putting God first in their lives. The fact is, sometimes God works through our environment to bring us back to Him. In return for us listening to His good word (or His “corrective circumstances”), putting God first in our lives may very well result not only in things working better for us “logically” (i.e., because we’re following His righteous plan, which is the way that we were created to live), but also in us receiving blessings that God can provide as a reinforcement of us doing the right thing.
Said another way, commentators Hahlen & Ham (p.266) wrote, “In spite of his audience’s claims that they are too poor to build the temple, Haggai asserts that they are poor because they have not rebuilt it.” [italics in original] Striving towards a goal without God often results in not getting results. That is, success – real success – shouldn’t be our reason for serving God, but it is often the result.
Now, in the era of the church, we don’t need a physical temple in order to worship God. As a result, unlike Zerubbabel and Joshua, we might not hear God calling us to rebuild a specific building in Jerusalem. Having said that, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with having a physical place to use for worshiping God, if that’s what God calls us to do. If we do help construct church buildings, though, that should be the result of where our hearts are, and how we want to serve and honor God.
In fact, when a church building is used for ministry almost every day (which my congregations’ main building happens to be), I think that’s a good reminder that it isn’t a building for our own benefit. A building isn’t about Christians showing off, saying, “Look what we did.” Nor do we “buy God’s favor” by building a fancy church building with Christ’s name on it.
Instead, we know who God is and that He doesn’t need anything from us, but He asks for our hearts, our worship, our service, and our commitment to Him, allowing us to maintain a healthy relationship with Him and – by doing so – living the life for which He created us, even while we prepare for the ultimate life with Him for eternity.
Sometimes, in this sinful, broken world, bad things happen to people who are sincerely trying to follow God. The Bible includes plenty of examples of people whose faith was strengthened when God allowed them to go through trials. However, there are other times when God must allow difficult times for us because we have forgotten that, 1) He is sovereign (i.e., in charge), 2) He should be first in our lives, 3) He can provide for our needs (even when we take Sabbath rests) and, 4) He is the source of the most joyous, rewarding life that we can live. So, if you are having a drought yourself, ask God if you have a role to play in getting back to a closer relationship with Him. If so, it will be well worth the time and effort to ask, listen, and obey!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for August 10, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Minor Prophets Volume 2 (Nahum-Malachi), by Mark Allen Hahlen and Clay Alan Ham. © 2006 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 