BYM ONLINE DESK August 2018 English Blessing E-magazine | Page 9

AUGUST 2018
was vandalised. The Jews lamented over the
destruction of the temple more than they did about
their exile.
After seventy years of captivity, the Persian
ruler, Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to their
homeland. Obviously, it was God's Hand that was
behind this decree. The one, prime aim of this
liberation was the restoration of the temple.
The Jews who joyfully returned to their
homeland, immediately set to work, repairing the
Temple. They yearned to restore the lost glory of
their beloved Temple and began the work with much
zeal. Alas, barely had they laid the foundation when
their enthusiasm evaporated. The reason was the
opposition that arose when the construction began.
Suspending the work, each of them turned to
building their own houses. The stones and the wood
that was brought to build the temple was just lying
around and so people used them to build their own
houses and live in them. Now, they had no time to
even think of the temple. Gradually,
the
construction of the temple completely slipped out of
their minds. Fourteen years rolled by.
It was at this time that God interacted with the
people through His prophet, Haggai. Let us meditate
on his message with an open mind and an open
Bible.
God's Purpose
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in
your panelled houses, while this house remains a
ruin?”(Haggai 1:4). God, who says, “this house”
calls it “my house” in verse 9.
God, who knew the hearts of these people,
listens to their excuses. Their excuse was that the
time to build the Lord's house had not yet come (1:2)
These people forgot the fact that, they had
been freed from captivity to come back and build the
temple. Similarly, we too forget that we have been
liberated in Christ for a purpose. These people were
irresponsible and failed to comprehend the
essentials of life. Other things took precedence over
the temple. In our life too, there may be many things
of importance, but we should be clear about our
priorities.
It had been fourteen years since the
construction of the temple had been stalled. Was
God silent through this period? Definitely not. The
people were neck-deep in personal work and did not
discern God's repeated calls to them. What a pity!
God was calling out to these people living
prosperous lives in luxurious houses - to introspect.
What does He want them to ponder on? The work,
food, clothes and wages of God's people ( 1:6).
God had interacted with the people over the
years, through their circumstances. When they
failed to understand, He sent His prophet with His
Word. Even today, God communicates with us
through our circumstances. Is it the obstacles that
keep cropping up in our children's marriages? We
leave no stone unturned, yet the business does not
prosper? Is there illness that seems to have no cause?
Will we give ear? What is God trying to tell us? Let
us seek to understand.
To put it in a nutshell, when the people failed to
comprehend, their work, food, clothing and wages
went waste. God was calling out to them to return to
Him. He asks them to seek Him. He directs their
ways to be united with Him. God explains that He
knows the needs of those who seek Him (Mt 6:33).
And so among all that we seek after, God's Kingdom
and His righteousness must be the top priority. When
the period of servitude was over and peace and
prosperity prevailed, the people of Judea forgot God
and His plans for them. The result was that there was
a deficiency, a shortage. If these words stir our
hearts, then God is talking to us. Do we understand
His perspective behind our problems?
God's Glory
Would the Almighty God, the Creator of
heaven and earth, the ruler of the universe be so
interested in the restoration of a decrepit temple?
Definitely not. God's concern was not the broken-
down temple, but the Jewish people who had broken
their relationship with Him. Pay attention to what
God tells them now, “Go up into the mountains and
bring down timber and build the house, so that I may
take pleasure in it and be honoured” (1:8).
These are God's words to a people who had
got used to a comfortable life bereft of hardship.
They were asked to go up the mountains, cut down
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