God Bless Us, Every One!

Haggai 1-2

George Patton’s “Weather Prayer”

Training Letter No 5

“This Army needs the assurance and the faith that God is with us.

With prayer we cannot fail.”

We can’t appreciate how the people of the OT thought of the presence of their God• Bringing the Ark into battle – 1 Sam 4

Nor can we appreciate how they perceived the loss of God’s presence

• Psalm 74:1-8

Psalm 74:1-8

O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Psalm 74:1-8

Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. 5 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. 6 And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 8 They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue them"; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

The Time of the Return• Time period – 538 B.C. – 433 B.C.• People– Kings (Persian)

• Cyrus (539-530 B.C.)• Darius (522-486 B.C.)• Xerxes/Ahasuerus (485-464 B.C.)• Artaxerxes (464-423 B.C.)

– Leaders (early) – 538 – 516 B.C.• Zerubbabel (governor) • Joshua (priest) • Haggai & Zechariah (prophets)

– Leaders (late) – 458 – 433 B.C.• Nehemiah (governor) • Ezra (priest & scribe)• Malachi (prophet)

Rebuilding the Temple

Rebuilding the Walls

Setting for HaggaiEzra• 1:1-5– God had given control to Cyrus to accomplish His purposes – God remembers His word, and begins to fulfill it– God stirs the spirit of men (Cyrus & the exiles)– God acts for His glory (“The house of the LORD”)– “May God’s presence be with His people” – v. 3

• 3:1-6– The altar is rebuilt, but not the temple

• 3:8-11– The foundation of the temple is laid

• 3:12-13– Mixed reaction to the laying of the foundation of the temple

• 4:24 – 5:2, 24– Temple building is frustrated and stopped

Ezra 5:1-2

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing

– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”

• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”vs. 9, 5-6

Percentages of verses in books containing the phrase, “LORD of hosts”

• Malachi (43.6%)• Haggai (31.6%)• Zechariah (21.8%)• Amos (6.1%)• Jeremiah (5.9%)• Isaiah (4.7%)• Nahum (4.3%)• Zephaniah (3.8%)

• Habakkuk (1.8%)• Micah (1.0%)• 2 Samuel (0.9%)• Psalms (0.7%)• 1 Samuel (0.6%)• Hosea (0.5%)

First used in 1 Sam 1, the term not only

refers to, but signals the activity of God

The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing

– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”

• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”– Drought, blight, mildew & hail – 1:11 / 2:17– Dispersing the products of their labors“It was I who did these things to you!”

• 2 Problems – 2:10-14– The people are unclean– Their works (what they touch) are uncleanThey say “it is not time”… & dwell in paneled houses

• 2 Solutions– Consider your ways – 1:7– Build the house – 1:8

• 2 Motivations – 1:8– God’s pleasure (favor)– God’s glory (weighty)

• 2 Responses – 1:12– They obeyed command– They feared consequen.But…“Is it not as nothing?”

The people were busy about all other aspects of

worship – cf. Ezr 3:4-6a…except obedience to their

primary mission

This came at the end of the summer harvest, and just

before planting their winter crops – they were busy, but

still they obeyed.

“The Day of Small Things”

• Hag 2:3 – Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

• Ezra 3:10-12 – And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple . . . many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy

• Zech 4:10 – Who has despised the day of small things?

• Hag 2:9 – The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts

The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing

– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”

• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”– Drought, blight, mildew & hail – 1:11 / 2:17– Dispersing the products of their labors“It was I who did these things to you!”

• 2 Problems – 2:10-14– The people are unclean– Their works (what they touch) are uncleanThey say “it is not time”… & dwell in paneled houses

• 2 Solutions– Consider your ways – 1:7– Build the house – 1:8

• 2 Motivations – 1:8– God’s pleasure (favor)– God’s glory (weighty)

• 2 Responses – 1:12– They obeyed command– They feared consequen.But…“Is it not as nothing?”

• 1 Encouragement– I am with you – 1:13– My Spirit remains – 2:5cf. Zech 4:6 (present tense)

• 2 Results– I will bless you – 2:19– I will use you – v.23

Result of God’s BlessingEzra 6:7-12 – Decree by King Darius• Let the work on this house of God alone• You shall provide what is needed

– “day by day”– “without fail”

• Do not alter this edict (upon pain of death!)• Let it be accomplished with all diligence

Ezra 6:13-16• They built & prospered• They finished their building by the decree of the God of Israel

– And by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes• They celebrated the dedication of the temple with joy

Height of Conflict:

Haggai & Zechariah prophesy to God’s people in the name of the God of Israel – the LORD of hosts

Conflict Intensifies:

Altar is rebuiltFoundation of Temple is laid“People of the land” discourage “people of Judah”Work on the house of God in Jerusalem is stoppedPeople settle into working on their own housesGod strikes the land, the people, and their labors

Conflict Builds:

God stirs up the spirits of His people

God’s people return to the Land

Resolution Begins:

The people come to work on the house of the LORD The work is despised as “the day of small things” Renewed promise of presence, glory & shalom

Conflict Unravels:

Haggai’s explan. & promise of God’s blessing

Zech.’s visions & promise of God’s presence

Driving Conflict:

God’s presence with His people

accomplishes His program

…as opposed to…

God’s people accomplishing a

program to secure God’s presence

Setting:

538 B.C.

(in exile)

Occasioning Event:

Cyrus’ decree:

Rebuild the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem

Conflict Resolved:

Letter from Darius securing provisions

& forbidding prevention

Outcome:

The LORD’s temple in Jerusalem is finished

Text: Haggai

(Ezra, Zechariah)

Reversal:

The leaders & people obey & fear the LORD their God The prophets convince them of God’s presence The LORD stirs their spirits to accomplish the work

“Zechariah stresses that God’s presence will create the conditions necessary to reconstruct the temple rather than requiring the temple’s reconstruction as a precondition for his return.”

Hartle, James A. “The Literary Unity of Zechariah,” The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 35:2

(June 1992): 150.

So, what does this have to do with us as we enter 2012?

• The people had lost sight of their primary objective– “Build the house”– Instead, they were busy making their lives comfortable– What is our primary objective? • “Going into all the world, make disciples…”• “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God,

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”• “For to me, to live is Christ…”• “But grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

– What are we busy about (honestly)?– What have we planned to be busy about this year?

So, what does this have to do with us as we enter 2012?

• The people had lost sight of their primary objective• As a result, their labors were being frustrated• God was never far away – He had not turned away

from them, but was waiting for them to turn back to Him, and to put Him first

• It’s not that God doesn’t care about the regular stuff of life; but He can’t bless us if that’s what we are primarily concerned about

• While God had a program for them to accomplish, He wasn’t waiting for them to do it for Him, but instead, He wanted them to do it with Him

And lest we think this doesn’t apply to us in this dispensation . . .

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness

And all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:33

What does “putting God first” look like for you in 2012?

• Restarting family devotions• Restarting personal devotions• Asking God to change the way you pray – from

blessing your comforts to changing your heart• Being more bold in witnessing• Being more committed in church attendance

or church membership• Bible memorization• Etc.

But, as we put God first this yearMay God bless us,

every one, in 2012!