A Sense of Urgency
July 25, 2004
Dear Friends,
The prophet Haggai had a very specific and pointed message for the children of Israel. They had come back from the exile in Babylon and started their new life. God was upset with them, however, and the prophet Haggai was to bring them the message. “Think carefully about your behaviour” was the message as the New Jerusalem Bible puts it or as the King James Version translates it — “consider your ways.” (Hag. 1:5)
What were the people doing in the days of the prophet Haggai that was so terrible? Nothing.
“Nothing?” you say. How can God get upset over nothing? The people came back from their exile and they built their houses, started their businesses and planted their fields. The one thing they didn’t do was rebuild the temple. They did nothing for God. In one of the few prophetic books in the Old Testament where there is not a litany of evil deeds listed. There weren’t doing anything wrong, but they weren’t doing anything right either. Their life was completely focussed on them. The real irony here is that because they were so focussed on themselves versus focussing on God, He did not bless them. In fact, God cursed them. “You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but feel no warmth. The wage-earner gets his wages only to put them in a bag with a hole in it.’” (1:6) “The abundance you expected proved to be little. When you brought the harvest in, I blasted it. And why?, Yahweh Sabaoth declares. Because while my House lies in ruins, each of you is busy with his own house.” (1:9)
The book of Haggai is not teaching a form of the perverse theological philosophy called Prosperity Theology — serve God so He will make you rich and prosperous. God, through Haggai, is teaching these men and women about getting their priorities straight. Haggai brings up the issue of priorities. God wants the people (and us as well) to have a sense of urgency about spiritual things.
Life comes at us from all sides. We, just like the returning exiles, have families to take care of, jobs or other responsibilities to attend to and so on. God knows we need these things and has promised to take care of us. “Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.” (Luke 12:29-30) Despite needing the things of life, we can do a poor job of prioritization. We are to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. This doesn’t mean after we get the car paid off or after we lose 10 pounds or as soon as we get that promotion we are looking for. It means FIRST — right here, right now. It is so easy to think we will take care of the things of God when we have time. This is wrong thinking. God gets the firstfruits, not what is left over. It means serving God with a sense of urgency — like your life depended more upon Him than it (whatever “it” is — food, money, pleasure, family, etc.) It may seem hard to do, but God would not tell us to do it if it weren’t in our best interest.
God concludes His conversation through Haggai with a people with a renewed sense of urgency concerning the things of God. “To work! I am with you, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, and my spirit is present among you. Do not be afraid! …..So think carefully, today and henceforth… From today onwards I intend to bless you.” (2:4,5,18,19)
Have a great week!
