It All Belongs to God

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.[1]

Israel had been severely disciplined because they had forgotten God. Before the captivity, they had been scrupulous in observing all the ceremonies prescribed, but their religion had been reduced to mere form without substance. Despite repeated warnings from the prophets, the nation had rejected God and descended into the impossible position of attempting to manipulate God for their own ends. Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of a ruthless enemy and sent them into captivity.

After seventy years, a remnant returned to the land, but everything lay in ruins. The Temple that had once been the pride of the nation was destroyed. The land was inhospitable; the fields lay fallow throughout the seventy years of captivity. The cities lay in ruins. Though the people returned to the land intent on again serving the Lord, life got in the way and worship became secondary to “making a living.”.

You see, God had commanded the people of Israel to rebuild the ruined Temple so that worship of the Living God would again be observed in the land. The survivors had returned from Babylonian captivity, resettled in the land, began again to grow crops and conduct commerce, and yet, the Temple was not built. Though the foundation for the Temple was laid more than fifteen years before Haggai spoke, nothing further had been done. Despite every excuse, the best that could be said was that people were disobedient to God’s command. Worship was not a priority. Worship was tolerated so long as it consisted of mere form, but truly meeting God—meeting that changed the worshipper—was neither sought nor allowed This, then, is where the message begins.

Worship Challenges our Priorities — Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins [Haggai 1:4]? Following Babylonian captivity, Israel had returned to the land under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra. The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, and plans to rebuild the Temple of God were drafted.

The first thing the people did when they returned to the land was to take an offering toward the costs associated with rebuilding the Temple. They wanted to worship God, and the evidence that they wanted to worship is witnessed by the offering. The offering provided 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments [see Ezra 3:5]. This was almost 1,000 pounds of gold and three tons of silver. Gold prices today approach $500 per ounce, which means that the people contributed gold worth more than $7,500,000 US. Silver sold at $8.13 US per ounce in this week past, meaning that the donations in silver amounted to over $13,000,000 US. All this was donated freely, because the people wanted to worship the Lord.

Masons and carpenters were hired; cedar logs from Lebanon were purchased [Ezra 3:7]. Two years after arriving in the land, the day finally arrived came when the foundation for the restored Temple was laid [Ezra 3:10]. What fanfare and great rejoicing marked the occasion! Now, more than fifteen years had passed since that momentous and promising time when the foundation had been laid. In the intervening years, the people had prospered, and their lifestyles reflected relative ease. Though the people of God had once dedicated themselves to rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, after the foundation was laid, nothing further had been done. The people were not opposed to rebuilding the Temple—it simply was not a priority for them. In their view, it was not time to rebuild [Haggai 1:2]. They felt they could fit God into their lives instead of arranging their lives around God.

What was at issue was not a physical building, but rather it was nothing less than acceptable worship of the True and Living God at stake. Worship is far more than singing songs; it is reflected in all that we do. The Prophet was consumed with a burning desire to place first things first. Lovers of God burn with desire for their priorities to reflect God’s presence; and those who are consumed by “self” discover that their own priorities are at odds with those of the True and Living God. How different the people’s attitude in Haggai’s day from that displayed by David in 2 Samuel 7:2: See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. In this context, I cannot help but be struck by Paul’s identification of the Gospel as being of first importance [1 Corinthians 15:3].

The people had plenty of time and plenty of money to provide for their own luxury, but they had neither time nor money for worship of the Living God. It is not that they no longer worshipped, for Jeshua and Zerubbabel had built the altar of the Lord where the people presented burnt offerings [see Ezra 3:2, 3]. Throughout the intervening years, we would properly assume that the prescribed offerings were offered to the Lord. However, the condemnation of the Apostle to the Gentiles could be applied to the people. They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ [Philippians 2:21].

We’ve all heard the excuses that indicate it isn’t the right time to serve the Lord. People that make such excuses are not unbelievers. At one time, these people were zealous for Christ, eager to serve Him and keen to worship Him. However, life happened—they married, children came along, the need to acquire possessions, purchasing and furnishing a house, buying automobiles, and paying for dance lessons or hockey equipment. Somehow, the work of God slid and was no longer a priority.

“Yes,” we say, “I believe we should tell others about the Lord Jesus, but I am so busy that I don’t have time to speak with my neighbours. Besides, this business of speaking to my colleagues at work, or to my neighbours, or to my friends or family members, is delicate business. It could cost me a relationship and jeopardise future witness opportunities. I just don’t think it is the right time to tell others about Jesus.”

“I do believe in missions, but with the economy the way it is, I simply can’t expand my giving to missionary causes. I really oppose expanding missionary giving now. This is not the time to add to our missions’ budget for the church.”

“I really do believe it is important to plan for growth in the church, but how will we pay for another staff member? We really can’t afford another building at the present time. I would be glad to give more to add more staff and to build a new building, but I have so many family obligations that I cannot give any more to the work of the Lord. This is not the time for me to be giving more to the work.”

“I’m really flattered that you think that I can serve God through giving my time and my talent to His work, but I really don’t have time now. I’m too busy. The kids need me to take them to their games, and I really, really need some time for myself… Perhaps later, when the pressures of my job let up, or when I retire, I will find time for serving God. This is not the time for me to take on more tasks.”

If this is not the right time to tell our neighbours and family about Jesus, when will be the right time? If this is not the right time to expand our missionary outreach, when will be the right time? If this is not the right time to grow the church, expanding this work through adding staff, when will be the right time? If this is not the right time to serve God, when will be the right time?

God challenged His people to consider their ways [Haggai 1:5, 7]. That is a shocking challenge, and one that could be readily applied to our own lives. Look at what you do, at what you have, at what is happening in your life, and consider your ways. The people were working harder than ever, and yet they had less to show for their labour. They ate the bountiful produce yielded by the soil of the land, and yet they were hungry. They drank the fine wine produced from their vineyards, and yet they were never filled. They clothed themselves in splendid finery, and yet they were cold.

The people earned more than ever before, but it was gone before they got home. Inflation and taxes ate up what they thought they had, and the incessant demand on their time ensured that they had no rest. The people were busy, so busy that they had no relationship with one another, not even in their own families. Home was a place to meet briefly for a hurried push to rush out the door to the next appointment. The people had bigger paycheques than ever, and their lavishly furnished and beautifully decorated houses were filled with “things,” and they felt empty and they were unfulfilled.

Can we imagine any rebuke more poignant, more pointed, than that delivered in Haggai 1:9? You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Though the verses following speak of a drought, what the people were really experiencing was dissatisfaction. They had more of everything than they had ever had before, and yet they were empty and dissatisfied. There was a sense of longing, an unidentified yearning for an unknown something that was clearly missing. God had sent emptiness so His people would awaken from their idolatry and return to Him, just as the Psalmist says in Psalm 106:15: he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.[2] It always works that way, doesn’t it? We think we know what we want, and when we get it, the thing means so very little. Amnon wanted Tamar, but when he had forced himself on her, he hated her more than he had thought he loved her [2 Samuel 13:15].

We live in a consumer oriented society. Almost unconsciously we adopt the philosophy that the one who dies with the most toys wins. We are trained through modern advertising techniques to accumulate, to acquire, to amass. Christmas is just around the corner, and most of us will incur substantial debt because we don’t want our children to do without, because we want to impress our spouse, or because we want friends to think us successful. Too often we give in hopes of getting. If this is not so, why do we mutter and complain when we receive a gift of less value than what we gave?

A generation ago, couples began life with a rented apartment sparsely furnished, and perhaps an automobile that was ten years old; but families worshipped together and our nation did not witness the skyrocketing divorce rate familiar to us today. Always before young couples in that earlier day was hope and the possibility of that which was better. Because we start so well today, there is little to gain—except more debt.

We are trained even before we are married that we must provide better opportunities for our children than we enjoyed, and so life becomes an endless round of rushing from dance recital to soccer practise to hockey games to softball tournaments. And while our children are better trained in the arts and in recreation than any generation before, they are bored by life. Too many of our children lack character and their lives are indistinguishable from those identified with this dying world—and we are insensible to the destruction of their souls. We have given them everything, and they have nothing. We are proud of their accomplishments, but we don’t quite know where they are doing.

Can it be that the emptiness wasting our souls is actually God shouting for us to slow down? He is inviting us to be still, and know that He is God [see Psalm 46:10]? Some of you may recall the Alabama song that was popular in the early nineties.

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why.[3]

We have more labour-saving devices, and there are more demands on our time than ever. We have greater opportunity to acquire knowledge, and we know less than any generation that preceded us. Computers and televisions and radios demand so much of our time that we have no opportunity to pray, to read the Word of God, and we certainly have no time to meditate on the Word of God delivered for our benefit.

It is natural for us to “take care of number one;” it is supernatural to honour God. By nature, we seek our own comfort first. It is not natural to think first of how we may honour God. A form of spiritual lethargy infects us, lulling us into slumber and into imagining that we are truly honouring God when we exhaust ourselves through rushing through each day and through incurring massive debt so that we become slaves to our creditors, just so we can say that we feel good when we compare ourselves to others.

We never believe that what we possess is quite enough; we always want more. On one occasion, Samuel Gompers, the first president of the American Federation of Labour, was challenged during union negotiations, “What do you want?” He spoke a far greater truth than he probably realised when he replied, “A little more.” Regardless of what we have, or think we have, we want “a little more.”

The words of the Wise Man prove perceptive:

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

and never satisfied are the eyes of man.

[Proverbs 27:20]

The leech has two daughters;

“Give” and “Give,” they cry.

Three things are never satisfied;

four never say, “Enough”:

Sheol, the barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

[Proverbs 30:15,16]

Though the Wise Man did not specifically say so, his intent is to confront man’s appetite to possess. The desire of man is never quite sated, unti it is sated with God’s presence.

Campbell Morgan, in a perceptive study of the Minor Prophets, observes that God through Haggai makes a series of contrasts. He contrasts persons—God and the people. God asks, Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins [Haggai 1:4]? He is the speaker, and He challenges the people. He contrasts houses—the dwellings of the people were contrasted to His House that lay in ruins. The people would retreat to their own houses as refuge from the press of their hurried lives, but they did not value fellowship with Him in His House. Any condition and every situation took precedence over worship, and so the House of God was not a priority, just as worship was not a priority. Then, there is a contrast of conditions—their own paneled houses are contrasted to God’s House lying in ruins.[4]

What are your priorities? Don’t state what you think your priorities should be, but be honest enough to admit what your priorities actually are. By your life, by the way you live, is your priority the acquisition of things? Or do you value investing your life in the worship of God and in building others? Is your priority giving your children the best possible opportunities to be popular? Or do you value character—honesty, diligence, thrift, godliness? Is your priority defined by enriching some faceless lender? Or is your priority building the work of Christ and winning the lost for eternal glory?

Worship Demands Divine Provision — I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts [Haggai 2:7, 8]. One of the great discouragements for any man of God is to preach the Word of God with all the power he possesses, only to be greeted by yawns as the parishioners go back to doing what they have been doing all along. This was the situation facing Ezekiel. God clearly identified the situation to His prophet when He said, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it [Ezekiel 33:32].

Occasionally, however, something quite different happens. The Word of God is preached; the message is delivered with the same zeal and just as earnestly as before. However, this time the words delivered resonate in the heart of the people as they listen, and lives are genuinely changed. When that happens with enough people, revival comes. This is what happened when Haggai delivered his message.

In Haggai 1:12 I discover that following Haggai’s message the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the people feared the Lord. Fear of God is a healthy response to the Word of God, but their fear led them to honour Him through obedience. In particular, they honoured Him by labouring to prepare the House of the Lord so they would worship. In Haggai 1:14, 15 we read: the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.

The gifts that had been spontaneously and generously given fifteen years earlier appear so great in our estimate, but they were insufficient to pay for building the Temple. This was especially true since the years had moved on and the work was not even started. If the Temple were to at last be built, it would require divine provision.

There is a truth here that must be emphasised. No matter what we have, or what we think we have, it is never sufficient to do the work God has assigned to us. We imagine that if we only had a certain amount of money, then we could do what God calls us to do. Or, we imagine that if only we had more time available, we could do more for the cause of Christ. There is always a reason why we cannot do what God commands.

Nevertheless, if God commands, we are not to wait until “we” have solved the challenges and resolved the deficiencies that seemingly loom before us; we are to obey Him, depending on Him to provide all that is needed to accomplish the work He has assigned. Now, when God speaks, is the time to work. Now, when God commands, is the time to obey. Now, when God directs us to move, is the time to act.

Solomon warned those who wait that,

He who observes the wind will not sow,

and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

[Ecclesiastes 11:4]

What was required if the House of the Lord was to be built was willingness on the part of the people to work. What was needed in order to rebuild the Temple was alacrity to obey God and readiness to meet Him on His terms. The deficit was not monetary, but rather the deficit lay in the lack of will. When the people committed themselves to Him, He would provide all that was needed. That truth applies to us. Determine the will of God and depend that He will provide what is needed accomplish what He has called us to do.

What has God charged us to do? Without question, He has commissioned us both as individuals and as a congregation to make disciples. Jesus charged those who claim to follow Him, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [Matthew 28:19, 20]. If we are not making disciples, we are disobedient and the blasting of the soul as witnessed in the first chapter even now threatens our joy. If we go, He will provide what is needed to fulfil this charge. God through the Psalmist has promised,

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

[Psalm 126:6]

We are responsible to pray for the souls of the lost, and we are responsible to say “Amen” with shoe leather and with fervent desire to speak the truth in love, calling the lost to salvation. Each member of this congregation has received this charge and each one of us is responsible to participate through prayers for the salvation of the lost, through witness to all who will receive that word, and through compassionate service to all who are willing to receive that ministry.

We are responsible to build one another in the Faith of Christ Jesus, and especially are we responsible to build up the church [Romans 15:2; 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26]. I said in a previous message and I iterate in this present message, in the economy of God if we are not building, we are destroying. This means that each Christian must be involved in the congregation where God has set that one, and each Christian is responsible to invest himself or herself in the work of God.

God has already provided His Holy Spirit to each Christian, and He has given rich gifts to each of His children. Those gifts were entrusted to each one so that we can build one another. What is necessary now is for us to exercise the gifts that He has given us. What is necessary is commitment on the part of each individual Christian to fulfil the will of God through seeking good for our fellow members and through making every effort to build one another in this Faith of Christ the Lord.

God has charged us to love one another earnestly from a pure heart [1 Peter 1:22]. God has commanded us to pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding [Romans 14:19]. This does not mean that we are to become spiritual wimps, but neither does it mean that we are to seek conflict. Rather we are to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers.

Again, provision is already made since God has given us His Spirit and since His peace is the heritage promised all who name His Name. This is the promise given in Philippians 4:5-7. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. When I determine to be reasonable—gracious, gentle, committing myself to prayer and petition with thanksgiving—the peace of God guards my heart and my mind.

The saint that demands his or her “rights,” insisting on their own way, can never know peace. The presence of such an individual is disruptive, and that one must be held accountable for the sake of the flock. However, when the child of God has a gracious spirit that seeks to find solutions, that one is a peacemaker. The peace of God marks that Christian’s life, and that peaceable saint encourages and strengthens the entire church.

You will notice that I have not spoken of specific needs that face us as a congregation—the need to expand our staff, the need to seek new facilities, the need to increase our outreach through television and via the Internet, but rather I have pointed you to needs that transcend the moment and prepare us for eternity. In each of these instances, God is already pledged to provide what is required to fulfil His will. He has given us His power to win the lost. He has already given us His Spirit and equipped us with marvellous gifts so that we can build the church and strengthen one another in the Faith. He has suffused our souls with His own love so that we can love one another deeply. If He does this for issues of eternal import, can we doubt that He is able to provide all that is required for our service in time?

Worship Depends upon God’s Promises — The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts [Haggai 2:9]. If we will worship—truly worship—our priorities must be in order. Worship depends upon divine provision, and we already have those provisions; all that is required to fulfil the will of God has already been provided. If God has so provided in the great, general areas of Christian life, should we doubt that He will richly provide in the specific areas of resource required to underwrite any task He has assigned?

There is this further aspect of worship, however. It is the knowledge that all worship depends upon God’s promises. The particular promise that Haggai delivered on behalf of God concerned the glory of the Lord; and His glory is revealed wherever His people worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The promise God delivered pointed forward to the glory that will be revealed in the Millennial Temple as Messiah reigns over all the earth, but when we worship in such a way that we honour the Lord, His glory is seen. God’s mercy and grace to all mankind revealed as we worship, is a harbinger of what will be revealed during the glorious reign of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

If I look to Israel today, there is anything but peace. In fact, the prophecy of Zechariah that God would make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples [Zechariah 12:2] more accurately describes what is now witnessed. Yet, at His return, Messiah will bring worldwide peace. Hear Isaiah.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious [Isaiah 11:1-10].

When the lost discover life in Christ, He is glorified and godly people rejoice. When the people of God build one another, employing the gifts God entrusted to them, Christ is glorified and the godly rejoice. When the people of God dwell together in unity, the Lord is glorified and the saints of God rejoice. As we work together, as we accept the ministry God entrusted to each of us as believers, and as we pray and work to see the lost come to life in Christ the Lord, we rejoice because Christ is glorified.

If these elements are not witnessed in our services of worship, it is not because God has not made provision nor is it because the promises of God have somehow failed. If we do not experience the glory of God’s presence in our worship, it must be because our priorities are disordered and our lives are distorted. The problem is us; we are living for the present instead of living in the light of eternity.

Therefore, the message concludes with a call for the people of God to examine our priorities, ruthlessly eliminating those elements that will not endure time. There are some among us who need to make a correction of life now, before it is too late. Perhaps the need is to demand of yourself time for hearing the voice of God. Perhaps the need is to jettison some of the activities that drain the soul and leave you so fatigued that you are unable to accomplish what God calls you to do. Perhaps the need is for you to again commit yourself to prepare for worship so that the glory of the Lord will again be seen in your life and in the life of your congregation. Do what is necessary, and do it now.

There are undoubtedly those sharing the service, however, who have never known the glory of the Lord or who have witnessed His glory only from a distance. They are removed from this glorious knowledge because they have never been born from above and into His eternal Kingdom. You are lost, and you know that you are lost. You need to know the Lord Christ before you can witness His glory. In fact, His glory will be revealed through you in giving you His life. This is the Word of God that you must hear and on which you must now act.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved… For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].

This is our invitation to you. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Amen.

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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] King James Version

[4] G. Campbell Morgan, Voices of Twelve Hebrew Prophets (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI 1975) 100-101