As the short, two-chapter book of Haggai opens, we don’t read of God’s people being condemned for worshipping false gods. Nor do we read of them being given over to sexual deviance, intermarrying with foreign nations, or casually practicing divorce. Still yet, they aren’t found to be committing heinous crimes against one another, stealing from one another, or even so much as just being generally unkind to one another. No – after Cyrus, King of Persia, had declared that the remnant of God’s people could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, things seemed to be relatively quiet on the “what-could-God’s-people-possibly-do-wrong-next” front.
So what were the people doing that warranted a rebuke from the prophet Haggai? Nothing. The prophet was sent to stir them up because they were doing – yes – nothing. Sure, they were doing some things. Haggai points out that they were ornately decorating their own houses. But they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing – namely, rebuilding the Lord’s house. For roughly sixteen years after their return, the temple continued to lay in ruin.
The Main Problem
One might wonder if they simply didn’t know how to do the work or may have been financially unable. However, consider that the people were in a state of constant justification (“these people say,” 1:2 – always coming up with an excuse), continual procrastination (“the time has not yet come,” 1:2 –intentionally delaying responsibility), and improper prioritization (“you yourselves…dwell in your paneled houses,” 1:4,9 – they had the know-how and financial resources to build their own house, but seemingly not the Lord’s). Ultimately the main issue was apathy about the Lord and His work. Perhaps this problem seems benign compared to the atrocities and irreverence that the people of God had been involved with in the past. However, apathy is insidious because it lulls its victims into a sense of complacency – “what I’m doing (or not doing) isn’t that big of a deal when compared to what other people are guilty of.”
The Main Message
Twice the prophet Haggai tells the people, “Consider your ways” (1:5,7). This call to action expected the people to stop. STOP and consider. Think about what you’re (not) doing! Again, the insidious nature of apathy is that a lack of caring breeds more lack of caring – to the point where one never actually gives thought to their current misgivings. The second word in the message: “your.” If apathy had a motto, it would be, “not my job/problem!” Rather than drawing their minds to look at the failings of the nations around them, Haggai instead implores them to consider their own shortcomings. What were the people to consider? Their ways. In the context, Haggai draws their attention to the fruit that has been produced (or lack, thereof) in their lives (1:6-9). The fruit they were producing was a result of the seed they were sowing – they were more concerned with the physical than they were with the spiritual.
The Main Solutions
Their apathy was addressed with a three-pronged approach. First, listening to the words of God was instrumental in the mindset shift of the people (1:12). Second, a reminder of the righteous wrath of God was a motivational tool that yielded fruit (1:12). Finally, a resolute trust in the promises of God would prove to be beneficial (1:13). This approach proved useful, and the people of God began to work. When struggling with similar issues, people today would do well to given attention to these same three things – His words, His wrath, and His promises.
The Main Warnings
Whereas Chapter One focused on bringing the people out of apathy, Chapter Two focuses on warnings to prevent them from falling back into the same apathetic abyss. Haggai first addresses the danger of “remembering the ‘good-ole-days” when they may have been tempted to compare the glory of the former temple with the less-than-impressive state of the newly-rebuilt temple (Hag. 2:3; also see Ezra 3:12-13). Next, Haggai points their minds to the future to make sure they “don’t lose sight of the coming days” (Hag. 2:4-9). In other words, as was promised in the past to Abraham, to David, and to the people by the prophet Isaiah, the people had a coming Kingdom that would never be destroyed, and an eternal Heavenly home to look forward to in the future. Finally, the people were warned of falling prey to a belief that “activity without purity” was acceptable to the Lord (Hag. 2:10-18; also see Matt. 23:26-27). The solution to their problem was not simply movement, but movement with the proper mindset – a love and respect for their holy God.