So the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai as follows: “Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses while my temple is in ruins? Here then is what the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.’ Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Pay close attention to these things also. Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build the temple. Then I will be pleased and honored,’ says the Lord. (Haggai 1:3-8 — New English Translation)
Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship, was completely destroyed by the Babylonians approximately six centuries before the birth of Jesus, and many of the people were taken as captives to Babylon. When the Persians defeated the Babylonians, the Hebrew people were allowed to return to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. They began to rebuild the Temple that had lain in ruins for more than seventy years, but around the time of Haggai the prophet, the work of rebuilding was not going well. The people were busy with their own houses, improving them, making them beautiful—and had forgotten about God's house. The temple was still in ruins, and clearly, God and His house were not important to them.
What happened as a result? They were cursed. God did not curse them, but their lazy attitude toward Him allowed the devil to come in and do it. No matter what they did—sow seed in their fields, eat, drink, put on clothes, earn money—they would not see the results they expected, feel satisfied, or benefit from their hard work. Their purses, wallets, and bank accounts had holes in them, their stomachs were never satisfied no matter how much they ate, they were always left with the feeling that they were working hard but getting nowhere. The solution that God offered was for them to start putting Him and His house in first place: “Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build the temple. Then I will be pleased and honored.” This would remove the curse, and cause them to be blessed again.
Is this happening today? Are churches in your city lying in ruins? Do people feel the way that the people in the time of Haggai felt… dissatisfied, empty, wondering why they work so hard? The answer is, yes.
We will never experience life as it is meant to be until we put God and His house in the rightful place. When we are not concerned about the millions of spiritually lost people in the world, then God’s house lies in ruins. When we do not find pleasure in giving offerings, tithes, and even sacrifices to God, but have no problem spending what we have on ourselves, we are treating Him in the exact same way as the Hebrews in the time of Haggai. When we do not help the church to grow, and simply ignore the suffering people around us — co-workers, bosses, neighbors, friends, family members, strangers, our own children — our church lies in ruins, because God wants His house to be full.
The lesson for us is plain: comfort cannot be our main goal in life; real life consists of sacrificing our lives and money to help the lost people of the world.
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