1) The people had stopped rebuilding the temple 16 years prior, claiming "the time has not come." 2) God rebukes them through the prophet Haggai, pointing out that while the temple lies in ruins, they live in paneled houses. 3) The people were experiencing drought and crop failures as punishment. God commands them to rebuild the temple so He can dwell among them and bless their work. They obeyed and work resumed on the temple.

1. HAGGAI: Priorities / Excuses
Haggai 1:2-4
2 "Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: 'This
people says, "The time has not come, the time
that the Lord's house should be built." ' " 3 Then
the word of the Lord came by Haggai the
prophet, saying, 4 "Is it time for you yourselves
to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple
to lie in ruins?"

2. God rebukes their priorities

Introduction

2nd year of Darius – September, 520 BC

536 BC – Cyrus allowed Jews to return to
Jerusalem

They began to work on the temple

Work stopped after 2 years – 534 BC

3. God rebukes their priorities

An excuse for not rebuilding the temple

The time has not come

1:2 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: 'This
people says, "The time has not come, the time
that the Lord's house should be built.'

Back in Jerusalem 16 years

No work on temple in 14

This is not the right time. Later, maybe.

4. God rebukes their priorities

They have wrong priorities

1:3-4 3 Then the word of the Lord came by
Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 "Is it time for you
yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses,
and this temple to lie in ruins?"

Look – the temple is in ruins

You have houses with walls, ceilings, gardens,
barns, fences, windows, doors

5. God rebukes their priorities

Consider your ways

1:5-6 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of
hosts: "Consider your ways! 6 "You have sown
much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not
have enough; You drink, but you are not filled
with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is
warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages
to put into a bag with holes."

6. God rebukes their priorities

Consider your ways

A double curse -

Instead of much; little is reaped

What was brought home, melted away

You put all your money into a pocket with a
hole in it.

You drink, but are not filled.

7. God rebukes their priorities

What to do: Rebuild the temple

1:7-9 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider
your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring
wood and build the temple, that I may take
pleasure in it and be glorified," says the Lord. 9
"You looked for much, but indeed it came to
little; and when you brought it home, I blew it
away. Why?" says the Lord of hosts. "Because
of My house that is in ruins, while every one of
you runs to his own house.

8. God rebukes their priorities

What to do: Rebuild the temple

Here is the plan:
− Go gather the wood (materials)
− God will take pleasure and be glorified
− No temple = no rain
− No rain = no grain, no grapes, no olive oil

1:11 For I called for a drought on the land and the
mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil,
on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and
livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."

9. The Response

They obeyed and feared

1:12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and
Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the
voice of the Lord their God, and the words of
Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had
sent him; and the people feared the presence
of the Lord.

10. The Response

God responds

1:13-14 13 Then Haggai, the Lord's
messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the
people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord."
14 So 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,

11. The Response

God responds

God said, “I am with you.”

The Lord stirred up the spirit

They came and worked on the house
of the Lord their God.

12. The Lessons for Us

Are there parallels in our
life?

Have we started – then
abandoned the work of
the Lord?

13. The Lessons for Us

Have we focused on the
personal, material,
personal comforts and
ignored the work of the
Lord?

14. Final Lesson

God does not object to
you having some
comforts in your life and
home.

He objects if they take
priority over His work.

15. Final Lesson

Haggai forces us to take a
look at our priorities.

Do you have first things
first in your life?