“Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:42)
Remember, the majority of last week’s text was a letter about something that took place 80 years in the future from the time of our group of exiles. If we back up to two weeks ago, we remember that the exiles were being discouraged and their plans to rebuild the temple were frustrated. But no one had reversed King Cyrus’ edict.
Enter the prophets.
“Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.” (Ezra 5:1-2)
Oh, I cannot wait to dive into these two prophets. Stirring up work, restoring passion – right alongside our exiles, helping them.
Let’s start with Haggai. His name means “festive.”
Don’t you love our God?
We have a lot of work to do, but the man who will help stir you up? His name means pure joy.
Let’s keep that in mind as we read what God said through him:
“…the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
‘These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the LORD’S house to be built.’
Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says:
‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
‘Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,’ says the LORD. ‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty.
“Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.” (Haggai 1:1-11)
The amount of time that lapsed between the peoples around setting out to discourage our exiles and “the second year of the reign of Darius King of Persia” is about twenty years. Our group of exiles had been discouraged and their work frustrated, but they had the opportunity to continue trying.
Instead, they chose to pack up, go home, settle in, and focus only on themselves.
But remember the amazing way God had worked through King Cyrus’ edict? The thrill that those who desired to worship at Temple and offer sacrifices once again for sin felt when Jeremiah’s prophecy came true and their seventy-year captivity ended?
And they were quitting because of discouragement.
I am first in the Empathy Line saying, “I get it.” Being discouraged and your work frustrated is awful. The resulting feelings of failure sting.
But at no point did the king reverse his edict.
And in no way has our King reversed ours.
We who trust in Jesus alone are declared His children. We have received the Spirit that calls Elohim, the All-powerful Creator, Daddy. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit. And we are blessed with every spiritual blessing.
But lean in as I tell you the next part: We have work to do.
God’s message through Haggai began with the exiles insisting the time had not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built. But God had allowed an empire to be overthrown, a new king to fulfill a 200-year-old prophecy releasing the exiles, and protected the group through the return to Jerusalem and rebuilding the altar and foundation.
The time was now.
It is our time now, too, Believers. And I am not just talking about work “out there.” Sometimes that work is easier. I am also referring to the internal work in our hearts God is doing among the Church as He prepares His Bride to meet Her Groom.
I’m talking about pursuing holiness.
Far from self-righteousness or legalism, the pursuit of becoming more like Jesus should flow from our deep desire to love Him. To let the things in our lives that break His heart break ours. To call sin, sin. And to repent.
We are truly terrible at being our own bosses. We need a God so far above us, Whose ways are so much higher than ours, to show us the best way to live. What pleases His heart, blesses those around us, and gives our lives purpose.
Let’s share our struggles, confess our sins, but then – with pure joy – lean into obedience.
He’s worth every last drop of effort.