November 21, 2011
THINK BEFORE YOU _____________.
Haggai 1
Laura Smith
Central Truth
When we put our priorities over God's, everything gets out of whack.
Key Verse | Haggai 1:7
Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:7)
Haggai 1
The Command to Rebuild the Temple
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 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. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
The People Obey the LORD
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 LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.” 14 And 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, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
Dive Deeper | Haggai 1
Did your parents ever tell you to think before you speak, act, or react? Mine did quite often when I was a child. I'm thankful for the women in my community who constantly remind me to think, check Scripture, and seek biblical counsel before I act. Whether I'm choosing where to serve, thinking about going back to school, changing careers, investing, finances, dating, or whatever, I need to be reminded to seek the Lord first in all of these matters. That is why the Lord encouraged the people twice in this passage to: "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5, 7).
God's people had become so comfortable in their houses with their stuff and their jobs that they forgot even to consider what God wanted them to do. They tried to be filled with many different things, but ended up unsatisfied every time. Their excuse about why they procrastinated rebuilding God's house was that their timing and God's didn't match up (Haggai 1:2). Their priorities were themselves and their comfort. Whereas, God's priorities are His honor and glory. Here is the part where I would like to say to the people something like, "HELLO!!! Don't you get it? Don't you know that the Lord's thoughts and ways aren't yours? Haven't you read Isaiah 55:8-9?" But then again, I would be preaching to myself because I forget this as well. I often neglect to see that God's timing and ways are perfect, and mine are not.
God wanted His people to get going: '''Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,' says the Lord." (Haggai 1:8). Once the people were obedient, the Lord declared His presence. He also wants us to get out of our comfort zones and away from our agendas, so we can honor and obey Him. Going to Ethiopia was out of my comfort zone, but the Lord was glorified through my team's obedience. I couldn't deny God's presence as we shared with the people there about His unfailing love and abundant grace. That's when I was satisfied.
Discussion Questions
1. What are some areas of your life that are taking priority over being obedient to the Lord?
2. With what are you filling your life? How is that working out for you?
3. When you "[c]onsider your ways" as the Lord commanded in Haggai 1:5 & 7, do you compare your actions with Scripture (Truth) or with another source?
4. How do you get out of your comfort zone so you can obey and honor God?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
HAGGAI 1-ZECHARIAH 3 (NOVEMBER 21-25)
Read Haggai 1:1-11.
What were the people saying in verse 2? The Lord's house was in ruins, but what were the people living in (verses 3-4)? What were the people looking to for satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment?
Reread verse 9. The people were looking after themselves and not focusing on honoring God with their lives and putting Him first. What are ways in which you put other things before God?
Read Matthew 6:19-34.
Look at verse 33. What should we seek first? How should we live? What will God do for us?
Activity: Let's practice making God a priority by giving up something that is a "luxury" for one week. So whether it's coffee from Starbucks, eating out, or your after-school treat, pick something that will remind you always to put God's kingdom first. With the money that you would have spent on the "luxury," give it back to God's kingdom.