On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: “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.” Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.’” Haggai 2:10-19
“To understand truly the times in which they were living, more than a hasty look is needed. Give careful thought, says Haggai, and consider how things were. He is now moving from an unfolding of the situation to a necessary response to it.
Once again the everyday circumstances and amenities of living are a window to the larger purposes of God and the big picture; for what the prophet says here is that these are a direct consequence of the fact that God is Creator and has revealed Himself in His Word. The truth of the unity of life both ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ had been underlined in verse 14, and now here it is spelled out. The building of the temple was related ultimately to the way the Creator had make the universe, and the failure of their material prosperity and the weather conditions were the external signs of the failure of the devotion of their hearts to the Lord.
Any possibility of this being coincidental is ruled out by verse 17: I struck all the world of your hands with blight, mildew, and hail. These events were already a message to those who had read the Torah where such calamities were predicted for failure to obey the covenant (see especially Deuteronomy 28:22). But it needed a prophet to show to that generation, just as Amos had done to an earlier one (Amos 4:9), that God’s words were living and always brought about what they said whether in judgment or in blessing.
We should not ignore the phrase from this day on in verse 18 and repeated in verse 19. God’s Word is no vague and disembodied entity; it comes at precise moments, which can often be specifically dated, and this is common in the prophets, especially in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. A definite and considered response is needed to this word of God or its effect will be lost. Again the failure of the harvest is linked with the failure to continue with the rebuilding of the temple. None of this is obvious on the surface of events; careful thought and determination to act on the prophetic word are vital.
Truly to believe in the biblical doctrine of God as Creator is far more than simply acknowledging the existence of the first cause. That is deism and has no effect on our thinking and living. But the biblical doctrine of a Creator who is intimately involved in His creation and to whom we owe everything we are and have, and who is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27). This has a radical effect on thinking and living and sees the whole of life as of concern and interest to the Lord.”
Robert Fyall in The Message of Ezra & Haggai (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010) 165-166.
This was a long post, so I will be brief.
Three times the Lord calls His people to give careful thought. From this day forward He wanted them to live differently in all aspects of their lives, which often become separated into ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ areas. In return, He promised to bless them.
How does this relate to us in our situations?
Do we acknowledge God for who He is, and yet live a life focused on ourselves, hoping to gain a rich harvest to fulfill our dreams? Or will we give careful thought and use all we are and all we have to advance His purposes?
Give careful thought. The choice is ours.
Let’s chart a new course with actions that show our devotion. Guided by the Spirit, let us “consider how things” have been and how we can take a step today to change howe we use all we are and all we have to build the global church.
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