Then and Now (Sept. 25, 2022) Haggai 1.15b-2.9

I would like everyone that can to grab a pew bible. Now, please turn to the most unused portion of, I believe, any bible: the table of contents. In this unused portion you will notice that there are two units of the bible: The Old and the New Testament. Please look at the unit known as the Old Testament and look toward the end of it. After a book named Zephaniah, you will find a book named Haggai, the third from last book of the Old Testament. It is part of what some people call a “table of contents book” meaning that one must look at the table of contents to find it. For some, they memorized all the books in order and know just where to find Haggai. However, just because one can find Haggai does not mean one knows what is going on here. This is a book that has only two chapters. But those two chapters are packed with the word of the Lord to the returned exiles to the land of Judah.

It helps to know a little about what is happening here first. Haggai is known as a post exilic prophet, meaning that the message found here takes place after the return from exile. In fact, it takes place about 20 years after the initial return Babylon when the Persians permitted the Jews to head back to the homeland of Judah and to rebuild Jerusalem. Those who returned found quite a job ahead of them. Difficulty in the return was exacerbated by the fact that the land had been destroyed with the invasion and destruction of the Babylonians and had become overgrown without the careful tending that has occurred before the exile. There had been an earlier return in 536 BCE when some had taken the emperor Cyrus' offer to return home. They had begun to rebuild the Temple but had been opposed by many in the area around Judah. This led to the temple never being completed by this first group. With the ascension of Darius in 522 BCE there was a new group that had returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel (grandson of Jehoiachin and therefore decedent of David) as governor and Joshua, the high priest. It is to this group that Haggai is speaking with his message.

The temple is still in ruins when Haggai begins his ministry. The people have turned to more practical matters of building homes for themselves, homes with fancy paneling and nice touches that make them more palatable in which to live in a land that still bears the marks of destruction.

But Haggai will have none of this. As stated before he sees the temple in ruins with only a foundation that shows that the people began to rebuild. And remember, this was about 20 years before. During this time nothing has been done to the temple and the people have gotten discouraged.

And why would they not be discouraged? The work on the temple would have been arduous. There would be the rubble of the first temple to clear out and then the hauling of the building supplies to the site. There would be the checking of the foundations to make sure they were still sound. Then there would be the beginning of the construction.

But the people see this work to be done and they see the foundations that are laid and they begin to despair. This temple would not be like the temple that was destroyed 66 years ago. For one thing, it would be smaller than the one Solomon had built. For another, the vessels that were in the old temple, the gold, the silver, the bronze, remained in Babylon and would not return until later. Also, the city was still in a state of rebuilding. What possible optimism could be found in all of this?

Haggai calls Zerubbabel, Joshua and all the people together to hear his message. He has begun by calling the people to rebuild the temple and they have responded by clearing the area and bringing the supplies. Now Haggai continues with a word that would have stung those listening. He says, “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?”[1] His first question is to those who might have seen the temple in all its glory before the exile. This was probably a very tiny group, if there were any. The exile and the destruction of the temple took place 66 years before. If there are any who were there and saw the Temple before the Exile, they would be well up in years and have seen the Temple most likely as children. They would also have great respect among the people and what they said or thought would carry great weight. If they have issues with the Temple construction, those issues will become the community's issues. And boy, do they have issues.

There is no way that the Temple is going to be anywhere near the way it was before. In the "glory days" the Temple would have been a magnificent building to see and that is what these people are saying. But one must remember that they have only just been working on the Temple for a few weeks. Most likely the work done had been clearing rubble and debris and bringing in supplies that have not yet been used. It would look like nothing was being done on a building that would be nothing. But there is another aspect to this. This is not just a physical building. It is argued that the community could have used the foundations that were most likely still there and even some of the major walls that would have been left standing. Is this such a big issue that those gathered will throw a fit about how the building is not “majestic enough”? No, the issue is that the Temple represented a time when it and Jerusalem were the central point of the Davidic line. Here was where the political, religious, cultural, etc. life of the kingdom revolved. Here was where the glory of God had been. The people know that this period is not even remotely close to being now. They know that they were allowed to return only through the “goodness” of the Persian ruler. They know that the chances of them being an independent state once again are so small that they do not even bother trying to figure out the chances. And this depression and low spirits spreads from those who are the elders to affect all in the community.

Haggai asks them if what they see is as nothing. The response would be a resounding yes. This was not what the temple was to be. What could the people now do to make it what it once was, if that were possible?

Haggai begins with a word of encouragement. He begins with “Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord”[2] Those listening, those whom Haggai calls out, are to have courage or rather “be strong.” They are to buck up and take a stand.

The word of the LORD continues with, “work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.”[3] The people are to get to work and not worry about the grandness, or lack thereof of the temple. And why is that? Because they have the LORD with them. The one who brought them out of Egypt, the one who brought them back from exile keeps the promises made when they were in slavery. The LORD’s spirit abides with them and because of this they are not to fear what is to come nor how it is to be done. God is still with them and God will take care of the details.

In fact, God says that the nations will be shaken and that the treasures that they are looking for to adorn the temple will flow in. The silver and gold will come from all around them. This comes from the one who is called the LORD of hosts or of the armies. This is a designation that means that the LORD oversees all that goes on in this world. The Lord wants to make this point so certain that the title is given to the people four times in the message of Haggai.

Based on this call, the people get to work and build the temple. They go through the effort because they know that God will be with them.

Today is our homecoming celebration. It has been 74 years since this church was brought into being. 74 years of ministry to the town of Pilot Mountain. And they have been good years.

Yet there is a troubling trend. We see how things have changed and wish that we could have the “good times” again. The times when this sanctuary was full for two services and when we were a force to be reckoned with in ministry in the area. We look at our old directories and think about how good it would be to be back in those times. We are like those in Judah who looked at the temple and thought it was not like it used to be.

There is some good in looking back. We can see the good that was done and that we had a presence in the community. We can see what God did through this church. But there is also the danger of traveling down what a friend of mine names “amnesia lane.” We tend to forget the troubles that were there, the times when things were not so good. And we can get stuck in the past. Lynn Japinga says this about looking back at the past: “Sometimes we look back because the past seems so much better. We were younger, happier, and more attractive (I would add that many of us were thinner as well). We might be overwhelmed with the noise and the chaos of our current lives and look back longingly at what seemed to be a simpler and happier time.

It is also possible to look back on the past and be paralyzed by it…We cannot move on. We cannot see how God might be working in a new way. We cannot see how God might bring grace and healing. We cannot allow ourselves to hope. We are locked into the past and we cannot move, just as Lot’s wife could not move after she became a pillar of salt.”[4]

But there is good news in all of this. Though we can only sometimes see what brings discouragement, we are given encouragement from God. Haggai told the people of Judah that God said, “My spirit abides among you; do not fear.”[5]When Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and the people were told to be courageous or strong it was the same thing that the other Joshua had been told when leading the people into the Promised Land. He was afraid of what lay ahead and of being able to lead the people as Moses did. But God met him and told him to be courageous because God was with him.

God is saying the same thing to us today. God is saying that though things may look bleak and we are discouraged by what we see, we are to take heart. God’s spirit still dwells with us and always will. God will take charge of the situation. Our task is to get to work. What that entails us being the church. We are called to love one another and to be a light to our neighbors. We are called to go out and work among those whom God loves. We are called to work so that others may see us and want to know more about who we are.

This homecoming let us look back to the past and see all the good things there. But let us not dwell there. We live in the present and look to the future. Let us dive into the work God has called us to do and like those to whom Haggai spoke let us be courageous never doubting who is with us and who will guide us. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [4]Japinga, Lynn. From Widows to Warriors: Women’s Stories from the Old Testament. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville. 2020. 20. [5] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print.