Archives by: Gary Hoag

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.

And if you are looking for a place to give to do that, support GTP here.

“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.” Haggai 2:6-9

“There is a long tradition going back to the patristic period that interprets ‘the desire of all nations’ to refer to Messiah. While there is arguably a strong hope expressed in the prophets for a future Davidic king, the Hebrew syntax does not support this interpretation here. The verb ‘will come’ is plural but the singular verb would be expected if ‘the desire of all nations’ is an individual. Furthermore, the immediate context suggests it refers to the wealth of all the nations that will be collected when Yahweh shakes them. In this case it is what the nations desire (wealth) that ‘will come’ and ‘fill this house with glory’. Other prophets express the hope for the wealth and riches of the nations to be given to God’s people (cf. Isaiah 60:5, 11; 61:6; 66:12, 20; Zechariah 14:14).”

Anthony R. Petterson in Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (AOTCS 25; Downers Grove; IVP, 2015) 70.

Read today’s Scripture again and notice the warning from the Lord Almighty. What will happen in a little while?

God desires that His people rebuild His house and He will shake the earth to fill it with wealth. Petterson explains that the Lord proclaims that ‘the desire of all nations’, that is, silver and gold, will come to it. God will make it happen.

While this related to God’s people in ancient times, think about the application for us today. Will we be among those people who give generously to God, or among those God shakes to make it happen?

It reminds me of the rich fool. He was blessed and kept it for himself so the Lord shook him. He could have joyfully distributed but instead he was relieved of his duties. Each of us will give an account for our stewardship.

Start giving generously to God now or be shaken later. Each steward must make that decision for himself/herself. What will you decide?

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ Haggai 2:1-5

“The rationale for the encouragement indicated by the clause that introduces the formula “I am with you.” thus the whole text offering encouragement is: be strong and work because Yahweh of hosts is with you. The exhortation is similar to the use of the formula elsewhere in its focus on alleviating people’s fears or providing reassurance of deliverance in the face of adversity.”

Mignon R. Jacobs in The Books of Haggai and Malachi (NICOT; Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 2017) 80.

Three times the group coordinating the rebuilding project receive the exhortation to be strong. Remember the context. They had cared for themselves but forgotten God’s house. So why be exhorted repeatedly to be strong?

It’s easy for us to pivot toward generosity and selfless service as a one-time act but not as a lifestyle. They needed to follow through. They needed to get the job done. The structure seemed like “nothing” to onlookers.

The same is true for us in modernity. God says to give careful thought to our ways and we do it for a day or a week or a month, then we revert. God wanted them to finish well, and He wants that for us today. We can, because He is with us.

That means He will empower our efforts and enrich us for generosity. He will help us do the work that He has called us to do. Fear comes into view as the limiting factor. He answers that with the promise of His presence.

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. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 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, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. Haggai 1:12-15

“How God met them in a way of mercy. The same prophet that brought them the reproof brought them a very comforting encouraging word (v. 13): Then spoke Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, in the Lord’s message, in his name, and as from him, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. That is all he has to say, and that is enough; as that word of Christ to his disciples is (Mt. 28:20), “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. I am with you, that is, I will forgive your neglects hitherto, and they shall not be remembered against you; I will remove the judgments you have been under for those neglects, and will appear for you, as I have in them appeared against you. I am with you to protect you against your enemies that bear ill-will to your work, and to prosper you, and to give you success in it—with you to strengthen your hands, and bless the work of them, without which blessing those labour in vain that build.” Note, those that work for God have God with them; and, if he be for us, who can be against us? If he be with us, what difficulty can stand before us?”

Matthew Henry in Haggai 1 – Matthew Henry Bible Commentary.

Notice the progression in only 15 verses.

God alerted the people that they had paneled their own houses but forgotten about His house. They had not used properly all God supplied. So, though Haggai, the prophet, God called them repeatedly to give careful thought to their ways.

Now we see them obey and get to work on God’s house.

We must do the same today. This refers not so much to pouring the resources we steward into a physical building but rather in to God’s building, God’s people. God wants us to use what we have to shift from building a fancy house to building His global Church.

What part will you play?

Even as they marked the day, we can make it today. For me, I have my GTP quarterly board meeting today. We will make decisions that shape the future. We hear the “with you” posture of our God calling us to bold faith as we use His resources to build His Church.

If you want a place to give to build the global Church, make it GTP!

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 1:10-11

“We are dependent upon God for everything, and sometimes He makes use of the ordinary laws of nature to be a chastisement to those who forget Him. If we will not be reminded of Him by His mercies, we shall be reminded by His judgments; and if, as stewards, we do not make a proper use of that which He entrusts to us, He can easily take it all away.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible.

As I soak in the words of Haggai in light of God’s desire for us to serve as generous stewards, it seems that He will work through the forces of nature, if necessary, to get our attention.

In fear and reverence of His power, let us humble ourselves and be reminded by His mercies so we don’t have to be jolted by His judgments. Let us consider the “proper use” of all we have.

Wealth is not to be stored on earth but in heaven. Riches are not to be stockpiled for ourselves but enjoyed and shared with others. Possessions are not owned for personal purposes, but stewarded for God’s purposes.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Consider what you have and how you might need to change to make a proper use of all that you have. Follow His leading in humility and generosity.

“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.” Haggai 1:9

“The people had little to show in proportion to the investment of time, energy, and capital… this may refer to the bulk of the grain harvest kept by the worshipper after the first-fruits sacrifices had been made… the context favors the notion of disappointment among the people in the harvest yields that they brought to their own homes. The ambiguity may be intentional, indicating God’s disdain for their sacrificial worship given the ruined condition of the temple precinct, as well as the disappointing reality of how quickly the scanty harvest disappeared when the people brought their portion of crops home.”

Andrew E. Hill in Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: An Introduction and Commentary (TOTC; Downers Grove: IVP, 2012) 68.

God saw what His people did with the first-fruits. He also sees what we do.

In this text, God expresses disdain and His people experience disappointment because they kept for themselves what God desired for them to return to Him. While times change, circumstances remain the same.

In the days of Haggai (and today), God’s people tend to keep for themselves what belongs to God, and in the process, they (or we) do not experience the anticipated return. What’s the lesson for those who desire to grow in generosity?

Make God’s priorities your first priorities with all He supplies! He sees and will honor your faithful distribution of His resources and provide unfathomable returns rather than disappointment.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. Haggai 1:7-8

“Once again the prophet calls attention to the fact that it is the Lord who is speaking through the prophetic message. And once again he urges the people to consider their ways. The implication is that proper reflection on their past course of action should lead to a change of behavior for the future.

Now the people are urged to go up to the mountain to secure the necessary timber for construction… It is timber that is emphasized, since the stone also needed for the project was readily available in the immediate environs of Jerusalem… As a result of their efforts, the Lord assures them, He will take pleasure in the rebuilt structure and will be glorified in it.”

Richard A. Taylor in Haggai, Malachi: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (NAC 21; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2004) 128-129.

Give and Take. God’s people are to give careful thought amending their ways, and in turn, God promises to take pleasure in their work. This again is not the kind of giving most of us think about.

We tend to think that giving more is better. God wants us to give careful thought to living differently and to take action to show He is our top priority. In this case they were to go get timber.

What might you need to go get to do whatever God is calling you to do? And how might you put to work what you go get to advance His purposes? The good news is that He promises to take pleasure in your actions.

With Haggai, let us “give careful thought to our ways” and know that when we do, the Lord will move us to action and we can rest assured that He will be pleased. What are we waiting for?

Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 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.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.” Haggai 1:3-7

“Haggai is subtly calling the people to share the priorities of David and Solomon. If David felt guilty about living in a “house” before God’s “house” was completed and if Solomon provided a “paneled” house for God before himself, how can they live in paneled homes before the temple was rebuilt? With this rhetorical question still ringing in their ears, the people are now called to consider deeply another issue. The phrase “give careful thought to your ways” is unique to Haggai (1:5, 7, 2:15, 18) and calls for deep reflection over past behavior and experience. This identical phrase is repeated in 1:7 and creates and envelope around the exposure of past experiences.

Verse 6 outlines what the prophet calls the people to consider deeply. The cadence of this verse in the Hebrew text produces a powerful effect beginning with the main verb “you have planted much” and then followed by staccato bursts of infinitives that are captured by the translation, “eaten, but there is no satiety; drunk, but there is no quenching; dressed, but there is no warmth.” the initial scenario refers to the foundation of the economy, which then has an impact on all else in life materially: hunger, thirst, clothing, and wages.”

Mark J. Boda in Haggai, Zechariah (NIVAC; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004) 90.

I have decided to turn our attention to Haggai for a while. His name means festive or festival. Think Holy day. He wants God’s people to get to work at rebuilding God’s house and opens his oracle with this charge.

My word for the year is “share” and Boda keenly notes that Haggai wants the people to “share the priorities” of David and Solomon. They appear only to care about their own homes while God’s house is a shambles.

Thought this took place around 520 B.C. or over 2,500 years ago, the proclivity or patterns of people remain the same. We tend not to squander money on stuff rather than allocated it toward God’s priorities.

So rather than you tell me what to do or me tell you what to do, let’s sit and soak for five minutes in the charge that bookends the message: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

What needs to change in how you allocate your time, energy, and how you spend money? These decisions impact all of life for you and for those around you: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

Those who choose to share the priorities of David and Solomon and give careful thought to their ways will undoubtedly grow in Christian generosity.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

“I have moved through anguish to freedom, through depression to peace, through despair to hope. It certainly was a time of purification for me. My heart, ever questioning my goodness, value, and worth, has become anchored in a deeper love and thus less dependent on the praise and blame of those around me. It also has grown into a greater ability to give love without always expecting love in return.

None of this happened suddenly. In truth, the weeks and months following my self-imposed exile were so difficult that I wondered at first if anything had changed at all. I tiptoed around my community, always afraid of getting caught again in the old emotional traps.

But gradually, hardly perceptibly, I discovered that I was no longer the person who had left the community in despair. I discovered this not so much in myself but in those who, instead of being embarrassed by what I had gone through, gave me their confidence and trust.

Most of all, I found new confidence in myself through the gradual renewal of the friendship that had triggered my anguish. Never had I dared to believe that this broken relationship could be healed. But as I kept claiming for myself the truth of my freedom as a child of God, endowed with an abundance of love, my obsessive needs melted away and a true mutuality became possible.

This does not mean that there are no longer tensions or conflicts, or that moments of desolation, fear, anger, jealousy, or resentment are completely absent. There is hardly a day without some dark clouds drifting by. But today I recognize them for what they are without putting my head in them!

I have also learned to catch the darkness early, not to allow sadness to grow into depression or let a sense of being rejected develop into a feeling of abandonment. Even in the renewed and deepened friendship, I feel the freedom to point to the little clouds and ask for help in letting them pass by.

What once seemed such a curse has become a blessing. All the agony that threatened to destroy my life now seems like the fertile ground for greater trust, stronger hope, and deeper love.

I am not a young man anymore. Still, I may have quite a few years left to live. Can I live them gracefully and joyfully, continuing to profit from what I learned in my exile? I certainly desire to do so. During my months of anguish, I often wondered if God is real or just a product of my imagination.

I now know that while I felt completely abandoned, God didn’t leave me alone. Many friends and family members have died during the past eight years, and my own death is not so far away. But I have heard the inner voice of love, deeper and stronger than ever. I want to keep trusting in that voice and be led by it beyond the boundaries of my short life, to where God is all in all.”

Henri Nouwen in The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (New York: Image, 1998) 116-118.

This long post marks the conclusion of this book. I also serves as the last in a series of posts that I will do from Henri Nouwen’s writings, at least for now.

Suffering produces hope. We must lean into it. We must give love without expecting anything in return. This adds depth to our generosity in unfathomable ways.

I hope you have been as touchd by this Henri Nouwen exploration as much as I have. I am not sure where I will go starting tomorrow but I am deeper and stronger.

Perhaps you have experienced sadness or loss, hardship or crisis? If so, take heart. Find the blessing in it, and listen for the inner voice of love.

It’s the Spirit which gives us hope and transforms us in the process. It God’s generous gift that accompanies hard times, the last place we’d expect to find it.

All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. John 17:10

“The root choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most need. Your self-rejecting emotions might say, “It isn’t going to work. I’m still suffering the same anguish I did six months ago. I will probably fall back into the old depressive patterns of acting and reacting. I haven’t really changed.” And on and on. It is hard not to listen to these voices. Still, you know that these are not God’s voice. God says to you, “I love you, I am with you, I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands. All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God.”

Henri Nouwen in The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom (New York: Image, 1998) 113.

Did any of those self-rejecting emotions sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve heard such voices?

Sit and soak in what God says about you.

“I love you, I am with you, I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands. All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God.”

Because our God is generous, He will give us what you need most. All we have to do is trust.

God help us trust so we can mirror His generosity and give others what they need most.