CALL TO WORK!

CALL TO WORK!

HAGGAI CH2:1-9

Ch1:1 - 1st day of the six month - 29th Aug 520 BC

Ch1:15 - 24th day of the six month - 21st Sept 520 BC

Ch2:1 - 21st day of the seventh month - 17th Oct 520 BC

Ch2:10 - 24th day of the ninth month - 18th Dec 520 BC

Ch2:20 - 24th day of the ninth month - 18th Dec 520 BC

ILLUSTRATION

Sometimes when we are asked by God to do something for him, we can start off

with great joy, excitement and expectation, but soon into what we have been

asked to do our mood can change from joy, to one of despair and

discouragement. Usually this will occur when we compare what we are doing

to what someone else is doing or has done. And usually, we look at ours and

see theirs, and think, ours is a shambles compared to theirs and we stop doing

what we were asked to do!

Situations like this get us down emotionally, and we find ourselves thinking that our efforts are useless, leaving thinking that we might as well give up!

Brothers, our ministry, church, and calling from God….

“सातौँ महिनाको एक्‍काईसौँ दिनमा परमप्रभुको यो वचन हाग्‍गै अगमवक्ताद्वारा आयो: “शालतिएलको छोरो यहूदाको राज्‍यपाल यरुबाबेल, यहोसादाकको छोरो प्रधान पूजाहारी यहोशू र बाँकी रहेका प्रजालाई अब यसो भन्‌। तिनीहरूलाई सोध्‌, ‘तिमीहरूमध्‍ये अब यहाँ को बाँकी छ, जसले यो भवनको अघिको महिमा देखेको थियो? अहिले तिमीहरूलाई यो कस्‍तो देखिन्‍छ? के तिमीहरूको नजरमा यो त केही पनि होइन जस्‍तो लाग्‍छ?’ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘तर अब हे यरुबाबेल, साहस गर्, र हे यहोसादाकको छोरो प्रधान पूजाहारी यहोशू, साहस गर्‌।’ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘देशका सबै प्रजा हो, साहस गर, काम सुरु गर। किनकि म तिमीहरूका साथमा छु’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। “तिमीहरू मिश्रदेशबाट निस्‍केर आउँदा मैले तिमीहरूसँग गरेको प्रतिज्ञा यही हो, अनि मेरो आत्‍मा तिमीहरूका साथमा रहेकै छ। तिमीहरू नडराओ’।

“सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु यसो भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘अब थोरै बेरपछि म फेरि आकाश, पृथ्‍वी, समुद्र र सुक्‍खा जमिनलाई हल्‍लाउनेछु। म सबै जाति-जातिहरूलाई हल्‍लाउनेछु, र इच्‍छा भएका सबै जाति-जातिका मानिसहरू आउनेछन्, र म यस भवनलाई महिमाले परिपूर्ण पारिदिनेछु’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘चाँदी मेरै हो, र सुन पनि मेरै हो’ भनी परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘यस भवनका पछिको महिमा अघिको भन्‍दा अझ बढ्‌ता हुनेछ’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘अनि यस ठाउँमा म शान्‍ति प्रदान गर्नेछु,’ सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु घोषणा गर्नुहुन्‍छ।””

‭‭हाग्‍गै‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

RE-CAP!

“THE LORD ALMIGHTY” - Meaning “Lord of Hosts”, presents the

Lord as the one who has complete authority and control over all powers that

exist!!!!!

The above phrase appears 14 times in 38 verses! - Ch1:2, Ch1:5,

Ch1:7, Ch1:9, Ch1:14, Ch2:4, Ch2:6, Ch2:7, Ch2:8, Ch2:9, Ch2:9, Ch2:11,

Ch2:23 + Ch2:23.

5 IMPORTANT DATES!

Haggai has already delivered two messages from God, focusing on “A call to

build” (Ch1:1-11), and “A call to encourage” (Ch1:12-15), so surely, God's

people would just get on with the task at hand, surely everything will now be

okay! Nope!!! Just because God had spoken, it didn't mean that all was now

going to be okay!! Not all the problems immediately vanished!!

The people had to contend with their own memories of how splendid the first

Temple had been and how lacking in splendour the replacement would be. It's

been a time of celebration and remembrance (Feast of Booths/Tabernacles, end

of bringing in the Harvest and living in man made tents, Leviticus Ch23:32-35

+ Deuteronomy Ch16:13-15), and from there the story moves on to the

realisation of how poor the current Temple ruins look, compared to 1 Kings

Ch 6:21-22! “सोलोमनले मन्‍दिरको भित्री भाग कञ्‍चन सुनले ढाके, र सुनले मोहोरिएको भित्री पवित्रस्‍थानको सामुन्‍ने तिनले सुनका सिक्रीहरू झुण्‍ड्याएर बढ़ाए। यसरी तिनले भित्री भाग जम्‍मै सुनले मोहोरे। भित्री पवित्रस्‍थानमा भएको वेदी पनि तिनले सुनले मोहोरे।” ‭‭१ राजाहरू‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

We only have to look back 15-16 years earlier, when the foundations of the

Temple were laid, to see an example of what the people were currently facing

(Ezra Ch3:10-13)! “जब बनाउनेहरूले परमप्रभुका मन्‍दिरको जग बसाले, तब पूजाहारीहरूले आफ्‍ना पोशाक लगाएर तुरहीका साथमा, र लेवीहरू (अर्थात्‌ आसापका छोराहरू) झ्‍यालीको साथमा इस्राएलका राजा दाऊदले तोकिदिएको रीतअनुसार परमप्रभुको प्रशंसा गर्न आ-आफ्‍ना स्‍थान लिए। तिनीहरूले स्‍तुति गर्दै र परमप्रभुलाई धन्‍यवाद दिँदै यसो भनेर गाए, उहाँ असल हुनुहुन्‍छ, उहाँको करुणा इस्राएलमाथि सदासर्वदै रहिरहन्‍छ।” अनि परमप्रभुका भवनको जग बसालिएको कारण सबै मानिसहरूले ठूलो सोरले परमप्रभुको स्‍तुति गरे। तर अघिको भवन देखेका धेरै जना वृद्ध पूजाहारीहरू, लेवीहरू र परिवारका मुखियाहरू भवनको जग बसालेको देखेर रोए र चर्को सोरले विलाप गरे, र अरू धेरैचाहिँ आनन्‍दले जयजयकार गरे। आनन्‍दले कराएको सोर र रोएको सोर कसैले ठम्‍याउन सकेन, किनभने मानिसहरूले कराएको सोर चर्को थियो। त्‍यो आवाज टाढ़ा-टाढ़ासम्‍म पनि सुनिन्‍थ्‍यो।”

‭‭एज्रा‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

FORMER GLORY! V1-3

“सातौँ महिनाको एक्‍काईसौँ दिनमा परमप्रभुको यो वचन हाग्‍गै अगमवक्ताद्वारा आयो: “शालतिएलको छोरो यहूदाको राज्‍यपाल यरुबाबेल, यहोसादाकको छोरो प्रधान पूजाहारी यहोशू र बाँकी रहेका प्रजालाई अब यसो भन्‌। तिनीहरूलाई सोध्‌, ‘तिमीहरूमध्‍ये अब यहाँ को बाँकी छ, जसले यो भवनको अघिको महिमा देखेको थियो? अहिले तिमीहरूलाई यो कस्‍तो देखिन्‍छ? के तिमीहरूको नजरमा यो त केही पनि होइन जस्‍तो लाग्‍छ?’”

‭‭हाग्‍गै‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

God has a Word for such occasions! He asks the people 3 questions, because

we have a God who knows how we feel! God says he knows that the work

does not compare with a previous work done by a previous people, in a

different set of circumstances! God starts with realism!

PRESNT GLORY! V4-5

“परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘तर अब हे यरुबाबेल, साहस गर्, र हे यहोसादाकको छोरो प्रधान पूजाहारी यहोशू, साहस गर्‌।’ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘देशका सबै प्रजा हो, साहस गर, काम सुरु गर। किनकि म तिमीहरूका साथमा छु’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। “तिमीहरू मिश्रदेशबाट निस्‍केर आउँदा मैले तिमीहरूसँग गरेको प्रतिज्ञा यही हो, अनि मेरो आत्‍मा तिमीहरूका साथमा रहेकै छ। तिमीहरू नडराओ’।”

‭‭हाग्‍गै‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

This realism, is built upon by God as He tells the people 3 times, to be strong!

What will make them strong in the midst of defeat? His presence! Exodus

Ch29:44-45 – MOSES + THE PEOPLE; Deut Ch31:6 – MOSES AND THE

PEOPLE; Jos Ch1:6-7,9 – JOSHUA; Jos Ch10:25 – THE PEOPLE;

You see the Temple always represented the presence of the Lord! As soon as

the original Temple was built by Solomon, what happened? The presence of the

Lord is what happened (2 Chronicles Ch7:1-3)!

FUTURE GLORY! V6-9

““सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु यसो भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ, ‘अब थोरै बेरपछि म फेरि आकाश, पृथ्‍वी, समुद्र र सुक्‍खा जमिनलाई हल्‍लाउनेछु। म सबै जाति-जातिहरूलाई हल्‍लाउनेछु, र इच्‍छा भएका सबै जाति-जातिका मानिसहरू आउनेछन्, र म यस भवनलाई महिमाले परिपूर्ण पारिदिनेछु’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘चाँदी मेरै हो, र सुन पनि मेरै हो’ भनी परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘यस भवनका पछिको महिमा अघिको भन्‍दा अझ बढ्‌ता हुनेछ’ भनी सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु भन्‍नुहुन्‍छ। ‘अनि यस ठाउँमा म शान्‍ति प्रदान गर्नेछु,’ सर्वशक्तिमान्‌ परमप्रभु घोषणा गर्नुहुन्‍छ।””

‭‭हाग्‍गै‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NNRV‬‬

The desired/treasures of all nations refers to what the nations consider valuable

and precious, and so desire it. Jesus was not desired! The nations desire the

silver and gold, and if God thought the value in the Temple was achieved

through the silver and gold, He would use them, because they are His! But the

value is not in the “precious desired metals” the true value is in, and always will

be in, the work and person of Jesus Christ! The peace!

This is the coming of Jesus, and that is why God can say that the latter glory of this house, the Temple, will be greater than the former (The Temple built by Solomon) because Jesus will be the glory that fills the temple! Jesus is the peace because through Him, he removes all the difficulties in the way of approaching God!

APPLICATION

Remember that God has a Word for those of us who are building, but on the

verge of giving up, as we compare what we are doing with what others are

doing or have done! BE STRONG AND WORK!