Looking Back, Moving Forward (Sept. 24, 2023) Haggai 1.15-2.9

This morning is a time of celebration. A time to look back on the past and see how far we have come. A time to gather together and thank God for the grace and goodness God bestowed upon us.

But it is also a time of looking forward. A time to see where we are and can be going. A time to take the grace and goodness that God bestowed upon us and display it to others who do not know. It is a time to not only look forward, but to also move forward.

The prophet Haggai knew what it meant to have people looking back at the past. He is a prophet who falls into what I like to call the Table of Contents books. This means that most people would not be able to find the book without looking at the Table of Contents in the front of their Bible. He is a prophet who spoke to those who returned from exile and therefore is toward the end of what we call the Old Testament. Unlike many of those who came before him and some of his contemporaries, his work is not punctuated with doom and gloom but rather with hope. There are a few times when he speaks a message that people would not want to hear, but overall, the people would be uplifted by the message he brought to them.

So, what was going on that the prophet brought a message from God to the people? The people were 20 years returned to the land of their ancestors. 20 years they were rebuilding their lives (it takes a long time to rebuild a devastated land). And in that time the people had begun to rebuild the Temple. The center of life in the kingdom of Judah when it existed, this building was the place where it was thought that God dwelled. As long as the Temple stood, then nothing would happen to Judah.

But something did happen to Judah. God allowed them to be conquered and taken into exile. They lived for some forty years in a place that was not home. And then a new empire took over and allowed them to return to the land that they called home. Some of those returning were ones who had been taken into exile and now the returned as old people who remembered the glory days when they were an independent kingdom, when the Temple was there and the glory that surrounded it.

it is to these people that Haggai is speaking. He first gives them a harsh message. He tells them that the Lord is upset that they live in paneled houses while the Temple lies in ruins, the foundation barely uncovered. See, they began work to restore the Temple because the king allowed them to do so. But as the work went on, there was opposition to the work and so it was abandoned. Now God is calling them to task. Again, they live in paneled houses while the Temple lies in ruins. This is not necessarily that they are living in luxury, but that they have homes that are finishedwhile work on the Temple is barely started. This is why they are experiencing some troubles; God’s house is in ruins still.

But now Haggai brings a new message to them. Did you notice the date that began the passage was very specific, right down to the day? It was the 21st day of the month of Tishri in the Hebrew calendar. This is significant because it marked the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles and was exactly 440 years after Solomon completed and dedicated the first temple. The Feast of Tabernacles is significant because it was a reminder to the people that they came from a people who lived in Tabernacles or tents. It “…was also the time of covenantal renewal, when the people of Israel recommitted themselves to fulfill the terms of their special relationship with Yahweh.”[1]The people needed some reminding of the special relationship they had with God and that God can and will bring success to their efforts.

And what are their efforts to include? They are to rebuild the Temple. “But, but…well, it just is not going to be the same” the old timers proclaim. They remember the glory of the temple, how it shined in the sunlight, how the vessels gleamed, how the smoke from the sacrifices rose in the air. This temple that was going to be rebuilt could never achieve this. Now, remember that those who are saying this were young children when they were taken into exile; it has been about 67 years now since they last saw the first temple. This would make them about 73 years old. Memories are funny things. Things that seem to have been grand and magnificent at an early age suddenly lose all that when one grows older. The Statler Brothers have a song named Things where they describe how things have changed and look different since they were younger. This is what is happening here. Haggai takes charge and asks this: “Who is there left among you who saw this House in its former splendor? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing to you.”[2]Haggai admits that, yes, it is not much to look at right now. But he continues with this word: “But be strong, O Zerubbabel—says the Lord—be strong, O high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak; be strong, all you people of the land—says the Lord—and act! For I am with you—says the Lord of Hosts. So I promised you when you came out of Egypt, and My spirit is still in your midst. Fear not!”[3]The Lord calls upon the governor, the high priest and the people to not despair but to be strong, or to take courage. When something is repeated as this phrase (be strong) is, one needs to pay attention. God is telling those listening that something is going to happen soon, and they are to stand and look for it. They are to act, to get to work. The temple will not rebuild itself, so now is the time to get busy and work. They are to remember the promise that God took them out of Egypt and that God is still with them in the midst of what seems to be nothing but rubble. God is there. God will see them through. They are not to be afraid.

But what about the temple? God tells them that soon the whole earth will be shaken, the seas and the dry land and that the treasures of the nations will flow to Jerusalem and fill this new temple. The people are told that the splendor of this new temple will outshine the old. The Lord says that they will be given prosperity. The word prosperity is an interesting word here. In Hebrew it is shalom, which has several meanings. It can mean prosperity, success or its most common meaning, peace. God will bring shalom to the people. They will have peace that is beyond any understanding of it. They will prosper and they will succeed. Now is the time to get to work.

So, what does this have to do with us today? We are here to celebrate our church and what God has done through our work. And the work done is commendable. But are we like those who lamented the past glory of the temple? Are we looking back with rose colored glasses at what we had in the past? Or are we looking to the future and what God has in store for us in the next 25 years when we reach 100?

It is ok to look back at the past and see the good things that were done. It is ok to remember when the sanctuary was full to the point that there were two services. What is not ok is to get stuck in the past and miss what is in store for the future. W. Eugene March says that the task of each generation is to take courage in God’s goodness and to work on the behalf of God’s purposes. You may think that the generations sitting here have done their work and now is a time to sit back and take it easy. But God says “Not so! I am not done with you yet. You still have a purpose that will bring glory to my name.” It is time for us to get to work, to get out in our community again, to have a presence. I know that it is hard to imagine and hard to see how we can do this. But March says that God wants “dedication to the task, not nostalgia for the past.”[4] We are called to act, to work for the glory of God. And when we do this God will respond by giving us more than we could have ever hoped for in the past. The work of this church will be grander than what it was in the past. All we must do is trust that God is with us and that we will be given the shalom promised to the people who first heard Haggai speak. Isn’t that good news? Let us go out, moving forward and tell those outside these walls what we know. Amen.

[1] Merrill, Eugene H. “Haggai.” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel–Malachi (Revised Edition). Ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. Vol. 8. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008. 713. Print. [2] Jewish Publication Society. Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Print. [3] Jewish Publication Society. Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Print. [4]March, W. Eugene. Haggai. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary: Ezekiel The Twelve Prophets. Ed. Leander E. Keck. Vol. 5. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015. 843.