God has been leading me, over and over again, into the story of the fall of Judah, the Exile, and the return to rebuild the house of God at the order of Cyrus. I can't help but liken the situation of the people of Judah to our lives and times today (check out Ezekiel 34 if you want to see what I mean). I want to put the Israelites in a special category reserved for "stiff-necked people." The problem, of course, is that I see myself in them. There has been no improvement in the heart of man since 600 B.C. - the human heart is still "deceitful above all things, and desperately sick. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The story of the Jews is my story too, and I am betting, if you're honest with yourself, it is yours too.
One particular lesson from this road God's put me on is found in Ezra and Haggai. The Book of Ezra begins with Cyrus' proclamation of the greatness of God (!) and his desire to rebuild the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, funded, in part, by the Persians (!!). Some 50,000 Jews leave Babylon to return to their ancestral towns and lands (which by now have been fallow for 70 years...but more on the hardship of reestablishing civilization in what has become a wilderness in a bit) with the express purpose of rebuilding the Temple of God. Quickly the altar is set up and sacrifices begin again to the LORD. The foundation of the temple is laid, and an interesting thing happens - weeping and rejoicing together. Those who remember the splendor of the temple built by Solomon cry as this one pales in comparison. Those who do not shout for joy. Quick application point: how do you react when the current house of God (the Church, see 1 Cor. 3 and 1 Pet. 2) fails to live up to your vision or remembrance of it? I am so frequently in the crying bunch when I should be rejoicing at what God is yet doing (more on this in the future).
Very soon, a problem erupts - the adversaries of the Jews, the Assyrians that Esarhaddon has resettled in Israel (after taking Israel into exile) want to be part of the building project (no doubt they were also somewhat miffed that their homes for 70 years were being resettled by others...can you think of modern parallels?). They worship God too, they say, just not quite like the Jews do (how could they, without a temple?). No thanks, say the Jews. And thus an enduring enmity is kindled. You see, these relocated Assyrians will be called Samaritans in the New Testament. To the Jews, they will be half-breed heretics. The hatred will be mutual. But for now, the one-day Samaritans oppose the building of the temple, writing letters to a new king on the throne of the Medo-Persian Empire. The Jews are ordered to cease and desist, and they are made to by force.
Fast-forward through two kings - we are now in the second year of Darius the king, by my calculations nineteen years in the future from the decree of Cyrus. Haggai the prophet has a word from the LORD for Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel (where have you heard those names before? If you need a hint, think the beginning New Testament - go ahead and look it up, we'll wait...it will be important in a future post), governor of Judah and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: "Thus says the LORD of hosts [also translated "almighty"]: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD" (Haggai 1:1-2). Hmm. What could have been clearer than God moving a pagan king to not only permit the rebuilding of the temple but also finance it?
The Jews fell into a trap that I am so familiar with - misunderstanding the link between the work we are
called to and the opposition we face. Initially I am sure the Jews were incensed at being restrained from rebuilding the temple Cyrus had commissioned. Over time, the opposition did to them what it does to me - make me question whether I've really been called by God or not. "Well, maybe it's just not time yet to rebuild the house of God, since we're seeing all this opposition. If this
really were the LORD's work, it would be so much easier." Ever feel this way? Within it is a pernicious lie - the truth is that we have a personal Enemy that seeks to oppose the worship of God and the advancement of his Kingdom (check out Matt. 13 and Eph. 6 for more on this). In fact, the fact that we are opposed in our callings from God may mean, in fact, that we are engaged in precisely what God wants for us (caution here - this doesn't apply when we
think we're following God but actually walking in the flesh!).
God's response to this line of thought is priceless: "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 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" (Haggai 1:4-6). God simply calls them out on their underlying motives. The lie above was a cloak for the real aspirations of the Jews - in the lie that they'll rebuild the temple in "God's time" they find their excuse to work for their own goals instead of God's. The result of pursuing their own wealth? They are still hungry, thirsty, cold and poor in their recolonization of Judah, nineteen years after their return.
Whose house are you building? Are you actively involved in building into the house of God - his church, being built with living stones into a spiritual house to offer spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Pet. 2:5)? Or are you on the sidelines, waiting for "God's timing" to make an impact in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ or take the gospel to the lost, building instead your nicely paneled house? In other words, are you waiting to really invest your life in following Christ until it's easy and convenient - when you're done with undergrad or med/law/grad school, when the kids are older, when you get your own life together? We can make any number of excuses. Here's the promise (coming later in detail but don't miss it now!) - if we will obey God and build his house (where he lives, the Church), we will be richly blessed.
So, if you (just you) were raptured tomorrow, would the impact be on the Body of Christ? Do you feel spiritually impoverished (like the Jews), or do you produce more spiritually than you consume? Are you conflicted like Paul, wanting to be at home with God but knowing his value to his brothers and sisters in Christ and willing to give up his desire to aid them (Phil. 1:21-26), and would your brothers and sisters in Christ lament being without you?
The time to begin building is now, even if it starts with just a few minutes a week. You don't need to be a master builder to help build God's house. There are lots of tasks that can be done by the unskilled. Further, you'll grow in your abilities as you start building and one day you
will be a master builder. You can make a difference in someone's life today - believer or not - just by showing them Christ's love and putting yourself second in any number of circumstances, mundane or not (being dedicated to praying for others is a great way to start...). There's also lots of help needed also in various ministries at Grace. Find one that fits you (or even one that doesn't if you're not sure what fits!) and plug in. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask: stevel@gracecommunitynet.org.
More from Haggai in the future. Stay tuned...or add us to your feed.
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