01 01-12 - god bless us, every one! (for web)
Transcript of 01 01-12 - god bless us, every one! (for web)
God Bless Us, Every One!
Haggai 1-2
George Patton’s “Weather Prayer”
Training Letter No 5
“This Army needs the assurance and the faith that God is with us.
With prayer we cannot fail.”
We can’t appreciate how the people of the OT thought of the presence of their God• Bringing the Ark into battle – 1 Sam 4
Nor can we appreciate how they perceived the loss of God’s presence
• Psalm 74:1-8
Psalm 74:1-8
O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
Psalm 74:1-8
Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. 5 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. 6 And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. 8 They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue them"; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
The Time of the Return• Time period – 538 B.C. – 433 B.C.• People– Kings (Persian)
• Cyrus (539-530 B.C.)• Darius (522-486 B.C.)• Xerxes/Ahasuerus (485-464 B.C.)• Artaxerxes (464-423 B.C.)
– Leaders (early) – 538 – 516 B.C.• Zerubbabel (governor) • Joshua (priest) • Haggai & Zechariah (prophets)
– Leaders (late) – 458 – 433 B.C.• Nehemiah (governor) • Ezra (priest & scribe)• Malachi (prophet)
Rebuilding the Temple
Rebuilding the Walls
Setting for HaggaiEzra• 1:1-5– God had given control to Cyrus to accomplish His purposes – God remembers His word, and begins to fulfill it– God stirs the spirit of men (Cyrus & the exiles)– God acts for His glory (“The house of the LORD”)– “May God’s presence be with His people” – v. 3
• 3:1-6– The altar is rebuilt, but not the temple
• 3:8-11– The foundation of the temple is laid
• 3:12-13– Mixed reaction to the laying of the foundation of the temple
• 4:24 – 5:2, 24– Temple building is frustrated and stopped
Ezra 5:1-2
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing
– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”
• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”vs. 9, 5-6
Percentages of verses in books containing the phrase, “LORD of hosts”
• Malachi (43.6%)• Haggai (31.6%)• Zechariah (21.8%)• Amos (6.1%)• Jeremiah (5.9%)• Isaiah (4.7%)• Nahum (4.3%)• Zephaniah (3.8%)
• Habakkuk (1.8%)• Micah (1.0%)• 2 Samuel (0.9%)• Psalms (0.7%)• 1 Samuel (0.6%)• Hosea (0.5%)
First used in 1 Sam 1, the term not only
refers to, but signals the activity of God
The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing
– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”
• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”– Drought, blight, mildew & hail – 1:11 / 2:17– Dispersing the products of their labors“It was I who did these things to you!”
• 2 Problems – 2:10-14– The people are unclean– Their works (what they touch) are uncleanThey say “it is not time”… & dwell in paneled houses
• 2 Solutions– Consider your ways – 1:7– Build the house – 1:8
• 2 Motivations – 1:8– God’s pleasure (favor)– God’s glory (weighty)
• 2 Responses – 1:12– They obeyed command– They feared consequen.But…“Is it not as nothing?”
The people were busy about all other aspects of
worship – cf. Ezr 3:4-6a…except obedience to their
primary mission
This came at the end of the summer harvest, and just
before planting their winter crops – they were busy, but
still they obeyed.
“The Day of Small Things”
• Hag 2:3 – Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
• Ezra 3:10-12 – And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple . . . many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy
• Zech 4:10 – Who has despised the day of small things?
• Hag 2:9 – The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts
The Book of Haggai• 2 Evidences of God’s blessing
– The people had returned to the Land– The people were dwelling in the Land (18 yrs)But…“You looked for much & it came to little”
• 2 Divine Activities – “Thus says the LORD of hosts”– Drought, blight, mildew & hail – 1:11 / 2:17– Dispersing the products of their labors“It was I who did these things to you!”
• 2 Problems – 2:10-14– The people are unclean– Their works (what they touch) are uncleanThey say “it is not time”… & dwell in paneled houses
• 2 Solutions– Consider your ways – 1:7– Build the house – 1:8
• 2 Motivations – 1:8– God’s pleasure (favor)– God’s glory (weighty)
• 2 Responses – 1:12– They obeyed command– They feared consequen.But…“Is it not as nothing?”
• 1 Encouragement– I am with you – 1:13– My Spirit remains – 2:5cf. Zech 4:6 (present tense)
• 2 Results– I will bless you – 2:19– I will use you – v.23
Result of God’s BlessingEzra 6:7-12 – Decree by King Darius• Let the work on this house of God alone• You shall provide what is needed
– “day by day”– “without fail”
• Do not alter this edict (upon pain of death!)• Let it be accomplished with all diligence
Ezra 6:13-16• They built & prospered• They finished their building by the decree of the God of Israel
– And by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes• They celebrated the dedication of the temple with joy
Height of Conflict:
Haggai & Zechariah prophesy to God’s people in the name of the God of Israel – the LORD of hosts
Conflict Intensifies:
Altar is rebuiltFoundation of Temple is laid“People of the land” discourage “people of Judah”Work on the house of God in Jerusalem is stoppedPeople settle into working on their own housesGod strikes the land, the people, and their labors
Conflict Builds:
God stirs up the spirits of His people
God’s people return to the Land
Resolution Begins:
The people come to work on the house of the LORD The work is despised as “the day of small things” Renewed promise of presence, glory & shalom
Conflict Unravels:
Haggai’s explan. & promise of God’s blessing
Zech.’s visions & promise of God’s presence
Driving Conflict:
God’s presence with His people
accomplishes His program
…as opposed to…
God’s people accomplishing a
program to secure God’s presence
Setting:
538 B.C.
(in exile)
Occasioning Event:
Cyrus’ decree:
Rebuild the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem
Conflict Resolved:
Letter from Darius securing provisions
& forbidding prevention
Outcome:
The LORD’s temple in Jerusalem is finished
Text: Haggai
(Ezra, Zechariah)
Reversal:
The leaders & people obey & fear the LORD their God The prophets convince them of God’s presence The LORD stirs their spirits to accomplish the work
“Zechariah stresses that God’s presence will create the conditions necessary to reconstruct the temple rather than requiring the temple’s reconstruction as a precondition for his return.”
Hartle, James A. “The Literary Unity of Zechariah,” The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 35:2
(June 1992): 150.
So, what does this have to do with us as we enter 2012?
• The people had lost sight of their primary objective– “Build the house”– Instead, they were busy making their lives comfortable– What is our primary objective? • “Going into all the world, make disciples…”• “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”• “For to me, to live is Christ…”• “But grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”
– What are we busy about (honestly)?– What have we planned to be busy about this year?
So, what does this have to do with us as we enter 2012?
• The people had lost sight of their primary objective• As a result, their labors were being frustrated• God was never far away – He had not turned away
from them, but was waiting for them to turn back to Him, and to put Him first
• It’s not that God doesn’t care about the regular stuff of life; but He can’t bless us if that’s what we are primarily concerned about
• While God had a program for them to accomplish, He wasn’t waiting for them to do it for Him, but instead, He wanted them to do it with Him
And lest we think this doesn’t apply to us in this dispensation . . .
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:33
What does “putting God first” look like for you in 2012?
• Restarting family devotions• Restarting personal devotions• Asking God to change the way you pray – from
blessing your comforts to changing your heart• Being more bold in witnessing• Being more committed in church attendance
or church membership• Bible memorization• Etc.
But, as we put God first this yearMay God bless us,
every one, in 2012!