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T H E K I N O ’ S B U S I N E S S
Hay, 1940
will lead to changed conditions in any community and among any people, as well as in the individual life. The word “obeyed” here means that the people “heard intelligently.” It is one thing merely to hear the words of the,. Lord ; it is quite another matter to hear intelligently. The message for our own day—like the message for Old Testament hearers —is the call to put first things first. Much of the barrenness that is ob servable in thé lives of modem Christians can be traced to the self ishness that these individuals cherish, which leads them to think first of self and second of the Lord. It is necessary that God sometimes shall allow depres sion to come and prosperity to vanish in order to awaken His people. Even then, we frequently do not stop to con sider our ways to find whether those ways are evjl before the Lord and are the cause of our unhappy condition. We cannot mock God today •any more than Israel could in the days of Hag gai, and still expect to go unchastened. Points and Problems 1. “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts” (Hag. 1:2). Literally, the expression. is “Jehovah of hosts,” a title frequently applied to the God of the Old Testa ment. It pictures Jehovah as a God of power and authority, the word “hosts” suggesting the idea of great military power. All the armies of heaven, mighty in power, stand ready to exe cute His commands. This idea is quite generally overlooked in the story of the birth of Christ, where y(e are told that “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host” (Lk. 2:13). The Lord of these armies of heaven had become a Babe lying in a manger. It was a great army of the military forces of God which an nounced peace to men of good will. 2. “This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built” (v.2). It is possible that this saying on the part of the people arose out of their interpretation of the prophecy regarding the seventy years’ captivity. As an excuse for their delay in building the Lord’s house, they advanced the argument that the whole period of seventy years was not yet expired, and therefore they would wait before going ahead with the work. The real motive for delay was a selfish dis like for the labor involved, the expense of building for the Lord, and the danger from enemies. This was not the last time that people have tried to use prophecy as an excuse for their own spiritual indolence and neglect. Accord ing to prophecy, the present age will end in failure and apostasy. Therefore, some professing Christians argue, it is no use to try to stem the tide. The quicker things go to the devil, the bet ter we shall be in the long run. This
Haggai called them to consider their ways. If they would do this, they would understand that their neglect of God’s house had a direct bearing upon their poor crops, bad living conditions, and small wages. They were challenged to change their ways, to put God first in all their affairs, and see whether their faithful God would not richly bless them. This principle is applicable t o d a y in the lives of individual Christians. H . T he R equirement (7-11) Once again Haggai urged the people: “Consider your ways” (v.5). Instead of being occupied with their own affairs and personal advancement, they were to go out and secure the necessary ma terial to build the house of the Lord. If they would do this, they would please the Lord, He would be glorified in their midst, and they would be blessed. The prophet reminded the people that, though they labored hard, the re sults of their toil were less than they anticipated. What was the reason for this condition? The answer is in the Lord’s Word: “Because of mine house that is waste” (v. 9). Because that house was neglected, no crops were reaped, drought lay upon all , the ground, the cattle died, and labor was profitless. The people had only to heed and answer God’s voice, and everything would be changed. Instead of depres sion, prosperity and well-being would come. m . T he R esult (12) Zerubbabel, the governor, together with Joshua, the high priest, set the example for the people—and the people followed willingly. T o g e t h e r , they “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God” (v. 12). Their repentance of their selfish ways was revealed in their re sumption of the work of building God’s house at Jerusalem. The people recognized that Haggai had been sent from the Lord with the message of rebuke, which was also a message of encouragement and assur ance, and the result was that “ the peo ple did fear before the Lord” (v. 12). This “fear” does not indicate a cring ing terror, but rather the reverential awe of the creature In the presence of the Creator (cf. Prov. 15:33). It is this condition of "fear” before the Lord that
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BLACKBOARD LESSON
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