It is now the year 520 BC. The Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity eighteen years previously, in 538 BC, and rebuilt the altar of holocausts and laid the first stone of the second temple, but they did not continue to build for another eighteen years, until the prophet Haggai arose in 520 BC and began to encourage Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest, to begin building the temple.
The argument that the prophet Haggai uses to get Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people to begin building is that their present economic plight and poverty is not a reason for not building the temple, but rather is the result of not building it. In other words, God is punishing them for building their own cedar-paneled houses, while leaving his house lie in ruins. That is why they are now having economic difficulties. Their economic difficulties are the result of not building the temple. Since they are leaving aside God's work, and instead going about their own work, God is not blessing them, and so they are not prospering. If they want their economic condition to improve, they should get together and start working on the house of the Lord, for then God will bless them. Doing the Lord's work will solve their economic problems, because God will bless them if they work for his glory.
But now, says the prophet, "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 earns wages to put them into a bag with holes" (Hag. 1:6). Why has all this happened to you? - the Lord asks them. It is "because of my house that lies in ruins, while you busy yourselves each with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld their dew, and the earth has withheld its produce" (Hag. 1:9-10).
God himself is withholding his blessing and punishing his people for not giving him glory by rebuilding the temple. Therefore, says the Lord, "I have called for a drought upon the land and the hills, upon the grain, the new wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all their labors" (Hag. 1:11).
So Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people were convinced by Haggai's prophecy and began building the temple. Then, while they were working on it, Haggai prophesied that God would now bless them, saying, "For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake the nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts" (Hag. 2:6-7). God promises them, "From this day on I will bless you" (Hag. 2:19).
What is God's primary work, since the coming of Christ? It is his work on the cross, which redeems the world. This is being forgotten by many today. It is being set aside, as we focus on more human concerns. How many times have you heard justification and salvation by the death of Christ on the cross, through our faith in him, clearly preached in church? This is the essence of our faith, of the Christian faith, but I dare say, many nowadays practically never hear it preached. How often is the reparation that Christ made for our sins by his passion and death on the cross for the justification of all who believe in him clearly preached today? And how often is this preached as the central doctrine of our salvation?
Where is our zeal for preaching the saving mystery of Jesus Christ, his Paschal Mystery, as the source of our justification and salvation? Have we not set aside and ignored God's work, and instead talk about our own good works. Our own good works are very important and necessary, but not as a substitute for devoting ourselves to preaching God's work. We have set aside God's work, and have instead concentrated on our works
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