Gleanings from Haggai

The prophet Haggai ministered to the Israelites who had returned from captivity in Babylon and were poorly motivated to rebuild the temple as had been commanded by the Persian king Cyrus 17 years earlier. Several points still retain their sharpness after 2,500 years:

1. God's people are to reflect on their ways: "Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Consider your ways'" (Haggai 1:5 ESV). Time for introspective inspection is important, so that we may measure the priorities and intentions of our hearts against the standard of God's Word.
   
2. A person who pursues his own desires is never satisfied, "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" (Haggai 1:6 ESV). This last statement is especially poignant for those of us who continue to stash money away in retirement accounts but wonder about the fate of the economy and stock market in coming years.
   
3. God is not pleased with our spiritual indifference and misplaced priorities. We live in paneled houses (luxury) yet are stingy toward advancing God's Kingdom here on earth. This can also be applied to time and energy.
   
   "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
   will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
   
4. Fallen men are masters at rationalization. The Israelites didn't come right out and say they didn't want to rebuild the temple. Instead they said, 'Now isn't the right time.'
   

Oh, that God would give us hearts that leap at his word, like the Israelites did. Haggai tells us that they "obeyed the voice of the LORD their God" and "feared the LORD" (1:12). They set out to work immediately. Because of their repentance, God gave them two further blessings. First, he comforted with the assurance, "I am with you, declares the LORD" (1:13). He also "stirred up [their] spirit" within them so that they were zealous and enthusiastic for the work God gave them to do (1:14).





So, in summary: a) self-examination; b) repentance; c) assurance; d) God-given zeal for His work. Sounds like a summary of the Gospel, doesn't it?

Gleanings From Zephaniah

Let the sparseness of postings be no measure, the minor prophets have been immensely helpful and encouraging to me this summer! This morning I came to Zephaniah, and the thought occurred to me, it is easy to look at backslidden Israel and despise her syncretism (mixing idolatry with worship of the Lord). But the question that struck me today, Are we not much more like them than we realize?

We are 'neo-syncretists'. We mix materialism or pleasure-seeking (which can be summed up in one word, 'carnality' or worldliness) with worship of the Lord. We try--unsuccessfully--to reconcile these fundamentally incompatible ideas:

• "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24, ESV). Spending and being spent for others (2 Corinthians 12:15).


• Your Best Life--Now! (Affluence and accumulation of more for self-gratification)
  

In this way we are no different from the sinful Israelites. So we should hear, and not gloss over, passages like this:

"I will stretch out my hand against... those who bow down and swear to the LORD
and yet swear to Milcom (21st century readers insert 'mammon' here), those who
have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of
him." (Zephaniah 1:4-6, ESV)

We try to serve two masters and fail in the attempt due to lukewarmness to each. See Psalm 49:6-9, Proverbs 11:4, Matthew 16:26, Luke 12:13-21 (esp. v.15).

Zephaniah's counsel is not only to hear, but to hear and obey, for he prophesies, "I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, 'The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill'" (Zephaniah 1:12, ESV).