(January 01, 2025) Dr Jim McClure challenges…

When Cyrus, the king of Persia in 538 BC, permitted the exiled Jews to return to Judah, they discovered that Jerusalem had been totally destroyed. 48 years earlier the invading army of Nebuchadnezzar’s army had left behind a nightmare! The walls had been torn down and the magnificent temple that had been built when Solomon was king now lay in ruins.

Confrontation
Can you imagine the anguish that confronted the returned exiles as they tearfully walked among the ruins. What a challenge lay before them!

And under Governor Zerubbabel’s leadership they rose to that challenge and for over a year they diligently worked on the foundation and celebrated when they had laid its foundation (Ezra 3:10). But then they encountered some vigorous opposition from the Samaritans who had moved into that area during the exile. The Jews were greatly discouraged by this resistance and work on the new temple stopped completely.

About 16 years later the prophet Haggai challenged the people, saying, ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin? Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways”’ (Haggai 1:4-5).

Sadly during the previous 16 years the goal of building a new temple, in which to worship God and sing praises to Him, was far down on the list of ‘Things we need to do!’ It had become a minor consideration.

Consideration
In fact, they did not give much consideration to it at all because they had, what they considered, many other important things to attend… to such as building  nice houses for their families. Now they had different priorities! While they were so busy doing other things, the temple was a pile of rubble for all to see!

They most likely had plenty of good excuses, promising themselves that sometime in the future they would get back to the work of rebuilding the temple when they were less busy…  when they had more money to give away…  when they had fewer family responsibilities etc., etc., etc.

The time wasn’t right at that moment— but they would definitely do it… later!

Haggai rebuked the people, not so much because they hadn’t built the temple but because of the reason they had not rebuilt it—

• Their procrastination was prompted by the lack of priorities.
• Their values were good but their priorities were wrong.
• They had been so much caught up in their own personal goals and ambitions that God and His priorities had ceased to be a significant concern to them.

Concern
We are no different!

Sadly we too can fall into the trap of allowing procrastination to divert us from addressing priorities in our lives. And our primary priority must be to give God first place in our lives.

Didn’t Jesus say quite unambiguously, ‘Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33).

• God made a declaration to the people concerning the new temple that would be built promising that ‘the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory’ (Haggai 2:7).
• And He did just that over 500 years later when Jesus, ‘the desired of all nations’, the ‘Lord of glory’(1Corinthians 2:8) stood in that temple.
• John wrote, ‘We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14).

Just as Haggai had prophesied, the presence of God’s glory would be even greater in that temple when Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Saviour, our Redeemer appeared and personally and gloriously manifested the presence of God!

Challenge
The question now is, ‘What is your relationship with Him?’ 

The people of Jerusalem had to arrive at a place of full surrender to God and that is the challenge Haggai gives to us today!

What better New Year Resolution can we make to ensure God and His plans are the priority of our lives.

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Dr Jim McClure, author of several books and Bible studies, offers them free in electronic version in EPUB, Kindle and PDF formats.Particularly recommended— Looking for Answers in a Confusing World. Questions seeking enlightenment on biblical perspectives are welcomed. Link: jbmcclure@gmail.com.
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