In 538 B.C. King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their land to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed in 586 B.C. by the Babylonian army. Gathering supplies for the 900 mile journey which would take several months, Zerubbabel (the son of the governor of Judah), and Joshua (the son of the High Priest),  led the people back to Jerusalem which lay in rubble. The temple had been destroyed, and the walls of the city had been toppled and lay in heaps.

Their first order of business was to construct the altar of sacrifice so that the people could begin offering burnt offerings for the covering of sin. This was accomplished shortly after their arrival and is described in the Book of Ezra (the scribe), a book which we have previously reviewed. But the second order of business was to rebuild the Temple, a feat that would require a solid commitment of their time and energy. Once again, Ezra describes what happened when they began the work. As with any building project, the foundation of the temple was laid, but then, for a number of reasons, the work suddenly stopped. Why?

The people who had been living in the land during the exile did not want the Jews to retake their land and begin working on rebuilding the Temple. Consequently, Ezra tells us that these people began to discourage the people from building, causing fear, and distracting them from their work. And, as a result, although the foundation of the Temple had been laid, the remaining work to be done had stalled, and for the next 16 years, the foundation had no other stone laid upon it. The building needed to be revived and the people needed to have their hearts stirred to resume the project. And this is where Haggai the Prophet comes into the picture.

Haggai begins by preaching a series of short messages designed to stir the people up to get them back to work on the Temple. He calls them to quit procrastinating and to get their priorities straight – Temple first, and then their own personal needs and desires. He calls the people to have courage for the task at hand and to renew their faith and dedication for putting the Lord’s work first. Notice how Haggai addresses the people,

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, This people says, ‘The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt’” (Haggai 1:2) 

So, the people are saying one thing, “the time has not come,” but God is saying something else,  

“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?…Consider your ways. Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the Temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the LORD” (Haggai 1:4, 7-8).

Now here is something very special as God stirred the hearts of the people through His prophet,

“Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua,  the son of Jehozadak, the High Priest, along with all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet whom the LORD their God had sent them. And the people showed reverence for the LORD…And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God” (Haggai 1:12-14).

I see some wonderful parallels with us living in the New Covenant. Although we don’t go to a temple made of  stone and wood, we do have our own temple made of flesh and blood. The Apostle Paul asks,

“Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).

We must all realize that although those in Christ “are” the temple of God, that temple must be continually strengthened and fortified. But, like the returning exiles, we often get discouraged and distracted about the “work,” and then we set other priorities and tell God, “I’ll get to it at some later time.” We procrastinate like the exiles, and yet God calls us to “get to work.” I love what Peter says in the very last verse of his very last letter,

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

So, let’s get down to the business at hand. Let’s not put it off. Read and study His Word, pray passionately, and worship and fellowship with others regularly. Let’s rearrange our priorities, and get down to the business of spiritual growth. If your foundation has already been laid in Christ, then like the returning exiles, just ask God to “stir up your spirit” and to give you the desire to continue building the temple of God in you by growing in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  

God bless you all.