A Time for Reflection

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Last week Jonah expressed great joy over the provision of a castor oil plant that provided him some shade in the hot Assyrian sun. That joy turned to despair as God appointed a worm that destroyed the plant. That was followed by a scorching east wind carrying small particles of sand that blew with such force that Jonah begged God to let him die. Quite the range of mood swings. There is one final conversation that God initiates with Jonah. Let’s see what God says.

Jonah 4:9-11 tells us, “Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

The first thing you notice is God’s incredible patience. Hey Jonah, just one last question to think about. “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” God is affording Jonah another opportunity to look at things from a kingdom mindset. I don’t think God is using His mighty voice. I think He’s asking in a very soft, tender sounding voice because He still wants Jonah to get it. Pro. 15:1 tells us that, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” You want to diffuse a difficult situation quickly?    Speak softly and tenderly. It really works. Try it with your spouse, your family, friends, and co-workers.

“Do you have good reason to be angry?” Jonah said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” How angry is that? No doubt the heat and scorching wind played a part in Jonah speaking before thinking. If only Jonah would have thought about the question for just a second. There’s got to be something more here than tremendous grief and sorrow over the death of a plant. Is that really the issue here or is there more going on? What kind of man are you that you would despair to the point of death over a plant? In Jonah’s mind, he was absolutely justified regardless of what anyone says, regardless of what the Word says, regardless of what God says. His mind was made up and no amount of reasonable dialogue could change what he thought.

God provides a very solid argument for agreeing with Him even though He doesn’t need to. The gentleness of God’s voice diminishes in v. 10 when He says, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.” Jonah has some misplaced emotion. He has compassion for a plant that he had nothing to do with. He didn’t put a seed in the ground and lovingly care for the plant. He didn’t water it; he didn’t do anything for it. The plant is an inanimate object and when it dies, Jonah wants to die. He still doesn’t get it. The real issue isn’t the plant; the real issue is that Jonah is still wallowing in his great anger thinking of Nineveh’s turning from wickedness. God’s doing what He can to make Jonah realize that his priorities are whacked. Jonah had no compassion on Nineveh. His rationale? Nineveh was wicked and we judge him for his lack of love. Yet, don’t we do the same thing? All compassion goes out the door when we mention names like: Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Khadafy, and Adolf Hitler. We have no compassion when we think of the unknown person that killed Jon Benet Ramsay, or what we believe is the unjust not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony. None when we think of the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway we get angry and demand justice. When we hear of death row inmates repenting we are skeptical. We feel like Jonah and we justify our feelings by concluding they deserve death, not life. When this is our attitude, we don’t fully grasp God’s grace. If God’s grace is sufficient for you and for me, then why isn’t it sufficient for someone as despicable as Bin Laden, or Hitler? When we look at humanity from God’s perspective, from a Kingdom perspective, our attitude should change. We are the receiver’s of God’s grace – unmerited favor: we are granted what we do not deserve. We are also recipients of God’s mercy – we don’t get what we do deserve.

God does have justification for what He does. God’s last recorded question goes unanswered when He asks, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” It’s a very thought provoking question. If God exercises His grace and mercy on one person, why not on another? On one nation, why not another? Jonah had compassion on a plant. He cared for that plant deeply enough that when it died, he wanted to die. Jonah had an opportunity to express compassion on God’s highest creation and would not. Nineveh repented and Jonah still concluded they did not deserve God’s mercy, they deserved God’s judgment. God’s question captures the whole purpose for this book. It’s never too late to repent. No matter what a city or country has done, it’s never too late. The issue is God’s grace and mercy. It’s seen throughout the book. Jonah disobeyed the call to go to Nineveh. God’s grace resulted in a second call. Jonah deserved to die in the sea. God’s mercy resulted in a fish. Jonah deserved to bake in the sun. God’s mercy resulted in a plant. Nineveh deserved judgment for their wickedness. God’s grace sent them a prophet.

God’s desire for humanity is salvation, not destruction. He’ll do what He can to provide that salvation as long as His creation does its part. We have the responsibility to carry the message of hope – the message of salvation to people that deserve death yet God loves the world so much that He willingly gave His only begotten Son. Each person must respond to that message of hope – that’s our part of the equation. God wants Jonah to feel how He feels for Nineveh. Jonah has the capacity for compassion. He showed it to the sailors on the ship. He showed it for the plant. God loves the people in Nineveh, just like He loves the people of Jerusalem and Galilee. He also loves the people Pyongyang, Kabul, Riyadh, Mogadishu, Tehran, Malé, Tashkent, Sanaá, Bagdad, and Islamabad. What is significant about these cities? They are the capital cities of the top ten countries on Open Doors world watch list where it is most difficult to be a Christ follower. In 8 of these top 10 countries, Islam is the predominant faith.

God has compassion on these places and wants those people to hear and respond to the life changing message of Jesus Christ. God tells Jonah that, “There are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand.” The number is probably the entire population of the city. The exact meaning of the phrase “do not know the difference between their right hand and left hand” is not definitively known. It might refer to the Ninevite’s inability to distinguish between various religions. During this time period, there was monotheism, polytheism, atheism, idolatry, and the Assyrians were known for worshiping the constellations. It might refer to the helplessness of the people or their pitifulness. The best understanding would be that God is referring to a morally and ethically naïve group of people. The people are not innocent, but it conveys the idea that they just don’t know any better. When told the truth, they responded so they at least recognized their evil ways and did something about it. At best, this group of people is in the infancy of their Christian walk of faith. “As well as many animals” likely indicates that even God’s creatures that walk, fly, and crawl about the earth as well as the fish of the seas have a higher place than plants do. God is still the Teacher. It seems that this book ends suddenly and somewhat strangely. We don’t know what Jonah’s response was, if any. Did Jonah hear? Did Jonah care?

We leave Jonah to wallow in his self pity for being the instrument God used to accomplish the greatest mission trip ever recorded. Salvation comes to every person in Nineveh. No one can ever resent the grace of God that is shown to another person. We are all undeserving of it. Today we are left to wonder if we, God’s people, will have any compassion for a lost world. The choice is ours. What becomes of Nineveh? Do they live happily ever after? Next week, we’ll look at the rest of the story.

The Response

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Last week as Jonah prayed to God from the belly of that fish, he realized what he must do. He was undone by his circumstances, at the end of his rope and cried out to God and God heard his cries. Jonah determined to look to the temple even though he believed he had been expelled from God’s sight. It’s never too late to turn from sin to God, but that doesn’t mean you’ll escape the consequences. Jonah realized this and knew that, “Salvation is from the Lord.” It wasn’t too late for Jonah. Let’s see why.

Jonah 2:10-3:2 says, “Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.”

Maybe Jonah thought all was lost, but God’s not finished. God is still in control of the fish and gives it one final instruction. Three days and three nights Jonah was inside that smelly, disgusting prison of his own making. It took a miraculous intervention from God to save Jonah and to get his attention. What will it take for you or for me to follow God? Have you ever prayed for a second chance? You find yourself in a place of hopelessness because you didn’t pray and now you wonder: will God give me a second chance if I pray? When that second chance is given, what will you do with it? For three days and nights Jonah wallowed around in the stomach of the fish praying, likely praying as he never had before. After Jonah prays and acknowledges that God is the author of salvation and that he needs to be obedient, the God of the universe that controls all things speaks to the fish, “And it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.” The fish being fully obedient, responds the only way he can. The fish vomits. That’s an unusual word. It means eject matter from the stomach through the mouth. In Hebrew it’s used only to arouse disgust. The fish is probably happy to get rid of Jonah. Remember in 1:13 the Bible tells us that the sailors, “Rowed desperately to return to land” so it is likely they were fairly close. There is so much that is not said in these verses. How far did Jonah fly when the fish projectile vomited him? Did he kiss the sand? Was he grateful to God for His salvation? From the fish? From hell?

And so God speaks . . . again. “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.” A second time. Don’t think casually about this. Second chances are not always given. We don’t know the time frame between hitting the sand and the word coming to Jonah again. Did he kick himself for not obeying the first time? Isn’t that what we do a lot of the time? We beat ourselves up because of sin, we lament over our inadequacies, we convince ourselves that God doesn’t want us, that He can’t use us. Jonah was in the belly of a fish because of disobedience, rebellion, and faithlessness. Jonah thought in terms of “I” and not of God. But the good news is that God forgave and re-commissioned Jonah. We’ll be quick to jump on Jonah and say he didn’t deserve a second chance, but guess what? He didn’t deserve his first chance either. None of us are deserving of what God chooses to do in us, through us, or for us. We don’t deserve to be part of His plan, to be part of His eternity. Not everyone gets a second chance. Adam didn’t get one. Neither did Cain. Or the lying prophet in 1 Kings 13. Or Ananias and Sapphira. Or Judas. The reality is that sometimes God does give us a second or third or fourth or however many chances He chooses. Our hearts should be filled with thanksgiving and awe when we do get a second chance. But it’s always best to listen the first time.

God calls out, “Jonah!” I wonder if Jonah was relieved? Sometimes when I mess up or I’m disobedient, I wonder if God’s grace is still going to be poured out on me. I wonder if God gets tired of forgiving me. That’s the marvel of God’s grace. I don’t deserve it. God chooses to lavishly pour His grace on me. Was Jonah sickened over his disobedience? I know when God chooses to use me after I fail in some way, I’m relieved.

God is very clear the second time just as He was very clear the first time. “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. Jonah got the message, “Go to Nineveh.” This time he would listen. This time he would follow God’s command. Jonah’s way didn’t work. Notice there is no condemnation for Jonah’s actions. I think Jonah understood what was going on. The word that came to Jonah was a familiar sound in Jonah’s ears. The second time God spoke though, is just a bit different than the first time. The first time God spoke to Jonah, he was told to cry out against Nineveh. This second time Jonah is told to, “proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” It looks like Jonah forfeited the privilege to speak from his heart. That’s still not a bad deal. These orders were specific, but there’s something here that Jonah was guaranteed. He would receive directly from God the message that should be proclaimed. God’s revelation would continue and that’s a big burden lifted off of Jonah’s shoulders.

Even though he hated the Assyrians, he was a prophet. That may sound contrary, but Jonah was having a hard time getting passed his past. This is great encouragement to us. No matter your past or your present, God can and wants to use you. No matter what you have done, no matter your attitude, when you approach God in humility having agreed with Him regarding your sin and ask for forgiveness, you have the confidence that your sins are forgiven. The slate is washed clean. But it’s not enough just to be sorry. Matt. 3:8 says, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” For many people today, we’re sorry but there are no corresponding acts of service to the Lord. Don’t misunderstand; forgiveness is not dependent upon doing something. Service results from a repentant heart. For Jonah it meant responding to God’s second call to go to Nineveh.

What will you do with God’s second chance? Jonah had a good twenty-day walk ahead of him to get to Nineveh. Go and preach. It’s the same message that was given to the disciples. Our instructions are the same. Brother Andrew reminds us, “You cannot spell Gospel or God without first spelling Go.” So go. Go to your family, your friends, your neighbors and proclaim the same message that God gave to Jonah. Jesus loves you. Jesus died for you so you could live for Him.

The Finger Pointing

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Last week we left the captain of this Phoenician ship begging Jonah to wake up and pray so they wouldn’t die. The storm is still raging and the expert sailors are scared to death. The one person on the ship that had the answers had to be woken up to take action.

Jonah 1:7-10 says, “Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.”

So what’s the next step? Remember the sailors sent out some ineffective prayers in v. 5. So much like us when we don’t hear from God in the timeframe we want, the sailors decided they still needed to do something. They threw out some prayers and then talked among themselves. I wonder what their conversations sounded like. Hey Captain, you’re in charge, what are we going to do? Do you have any ideas? Anybody ever see a storm like this? We do the same things. What do you think we should do? I read on the internet that this works. My friend was in the same situation, and here’s what they did. Let’s put the question out there on Facebook and Twitter. We seek answers from anyone that offers. There is nothing wrong with getting guidance from others. Pro. 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.” Be careful who you ask. This was a storm unlike any these experienced sailors had ever seen. Perhaps they suspected a storm of this magnitude could only come from divine influence. Maybe because the storm came up with such  suddenness that it could only be attributed to divine influence.

They decided to cast lots. At this point, Jonah is on deck, and he’s looking at the severity of the storm. Did he know that he was the reason for the storm? Did he think, “What have I done?” Casting lots was a common practice back in that time in the Middle East. It normally involved two stones or pebbles that were painted or colored on each side. When the stones were thrown, if two dark sides landed up the usual interpretation was no. If two light sides landed up, that meant yes. A light and a dark side meant throw again. This would be done for each person. This isn’t some sort of voodoo magic. Lots were cast to determine the guilt of Achan in Josh. 7. They were used to distribute land to the 12 tribes in Josh. 18. Lots selected Saul as king in 1 Sam.10.

Can you imagine the drama of the moment? Waves crashing all around them. The howling of the wind. Things being thrown all over the ship and we find the sailors casting lots. Did Jonah have a sick feeling in his stomach knowing that the truth would soon be found out? One by one, people are eliminated as being the cause for their current situation. The time comes for the lot to be cast for Jonah. The stones are rolled and they come up two light sides. V. 7 tells us, “The lot fell on Jonah.” This was not a game of chance. Pro. 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” All eyes turned to Jonah.

Once it was determined that Jonah was the cause, the sailors peppered him with questions. Look at v. 8. Can you feel their intensity? “Tell us now!” No delay, time is running out, we’ve got to hurry . . . the storm is still raging. Put yourself in the sailor’s position. When you find out that the problems you are experiencing is because of a single person, what would you say? We can assume from the context that Jonah was a mystery to them at this point. I’m sure they knew he had booked passage in Joppa. Aside from that, they didn’t know him from Adam and now they want some answers.

What looks like similar questions in vs. 7 and 8 are really quite different. V. 7: “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” V. 8: “On whose account has this calamity struck us?” The first is a general question. The second literally reads, “It is because of you that this calamity has struck us.” The first is let’s find out who is causing this. The second is an indictment on Jonah – it’s your fault. The sailors ask four very pointed questions in v. 8. “What is your occupation?” “Where do you come from?” “What is your country?” “From what people are you?”  Jonah speaks for the first time in this book and it’s in response to their questions. He doesn’t really answer the questions though. The real answers are: Prophet. Gath-hepher. Israel. Hebrew. Instead of giving those four answers, Jonah simply responds, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” He doesn’t answer the questions the sailors asked . . . or does he? Let’s break it down. “I am a Hebrew.” These Phoenician sailors would understand what a Hebrew  Egyptians knew about the Hebrew people. So did the Moabites, the Philistines, the Edomites as well as a host of other nationalities. It’s Jonah’s next statement that would floor them. “I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land” There’s more here than meets the eye. Fear in this verse is a participle and in the Hebrew language it normally indicates an occupation. Fear can also be translated worship so in essence Jonah is answering the sailor’s first question. Jonah’s job was to worship, “The Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” In the middle of the raging sea, I’m sure the sailors were wishing Jonah would do something about the storm. Neh. 9:6 says, “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Jonah knows firsthand the God of the sea and acknowledges His hand in controlling what is currently going on.

These expert sailors have spent their lives on the sea and at Jonah’s admission, they “Became extremely frightened.” They were already afraid in v. 5. Now they are extremely afraid. They feared with great fear. They were scared that they were going to die, now on top of that, Jonah’s God was the One that was in control. Add holy fear on top of being scared to death. The sailors ask the same question we ask of our friends and family when they do something we consider particularly bad. “How could you do this?” We’ll normally add something loving like, “And you call yourself a Christian.” What is the “this” here? Is God against taking a cruise? A vacation? Hanging out with people that clearly do not worship God? The “this” is the last part of the verse. “For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.” There are some details left out somewhere between vs. 9 and 10.  We don’t know when Jonah told them, but it had to be some time after the lot fell on him.  I wonder if the sailors caught the irony of Jonah’s statement. Who are you? I’m a prophet of God. And I’m fleeing from the Lord. Runaway prophet – it’s an oxymoron. It’s like a shepherd with no sheep. It’s like a teacher with no class. It’s like a king with no subjects. People called to serve God do not run away.

Now we have a dilemma. God knows Jonah is running, Jonah knows he’s running; the captain knows he’s running, and the sailors know he’s running. The first course of action should be to run back to God. When you and everyone around you know that you are in open rebellion with God, it doesn’t matter what words you use, no one will hear you. If no one will hear you, you are ineffective. I’m not talking about preaching, teaching, and telling the truth and the people says, “Yea, whatever.” Is. 55:11 says, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” I’m talking about trying to tell someone the truth, and they won’t even let you talk because of your testimony. The Great Commission to make disciples is not being fulfilled because there are too many professing Christians running from the mission. Is anyone grabbing you by the shoulders demanding that you tell them why you have hope? As we’ll see next week, Jonah answered the sailors honestly when they asked him the questions in v. 8, but he didn’t take full advantage of the opportunity

Does your family see a difference in you? Friends? If the message you proclaim hasn’t done anything in your life, others won’t listen to you. Nineveh’s problem was they were lost and there was no one to show them the way. Jonah’s problem was that he knew the Way and could not run far enough. Brother Andrew says, “We’re too Christian to enjoy sin, and too sinful to enjoy God. That’s why we’re so miserable. The only cure: radical preaching and radical response.”

A New Beginning

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Last week we were reminded that while men may look at the works of someone’s hands, God looks on the motives and the heart. We saw that doing holy things does not make one holy. Because of the sinful condition of the people’s hearts, everything they touch became unclean. Haggai concluded by telling them that this day could be their defining moment. This morning we’re going to look God’s plan for Zerubbabel in Haggai’s fourth and final message.

Take one final look in Haggai at 2:20-23.

It was the second message of the day. The Word of God is once again delivered to the prophet. It is the second time that day that God would speak to Haggai. Don’t underestimate this. For the most part, the Lord spoke directly to the prophets and told them what to say to the people. That was the system. It was the 24^th day of the 9^th month, the same day as the third message from 2:10-19. No other prophecy has so many distinct dates. Why is this important? The exact dates can be historically verified. Since the dates are included, the accuracy of the prophecy can be evaluated. It was the 24^th day of the month – Dec. 18, 520 B.C.

There’s a storm coming. The Lord speaks directly to Zerubbabel in vs. 21-22 and only him. Think about this: the Lord God Almighty is talking to Haggai telling him to tell Zerubbabel something very specific. Think about the times in your life that you really needed to hear something from the Lord. Perhaps you needed direction. You needed strength in a time of weakness. Maybe it was courage to stand firm in a time that you were afraid. While the movie Evan Almighty was not a theological masterpiece, there is one instance in which the actor playing God asks a very thought provoking question. “God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does He give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does He give them opportunities to love each other?” An excellent series of questions.

When you really need to hear from God, He is always there, always ready to give an answer, always ready to give hope, encouragement, guidance, love. I encourage you to pray specifically. Keep a journal. Sometimes God doesn’t work the way we think He should. That’s why He’s God. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows the best way and He’ll speak to you if you’ll just listen and trust Him. So the word for Zerubbabel comes from the Lord to Haggai. Here’s what coming: read vs. 21b-22. By the use of the pronoun “I”, it looks like it’s personal. God is going to shake and overthrow – kind of like the shock and awe of the Gulf War. That word overthrow is the same word in reference to Sodom and Gomorrah where God personally saw to its destruction as recorded in Genesis, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Deuteronomy. It’s the same type of personal involvement when God threw Pharaoh’s horses, riders, chariots, and the whole army into the Red Sea as told in Exodus. Haggai talks about the overthrow of thrones of kingdoms and the destruction of the power of the kingdoms of the nations. God is going to see to it. All Zerubbabel and the remnant need to do is continue with the work before them. Keep their focus, walk by faith.

Look at the chosen lineage in v. 23. God has a specific plan. Zerubbabel was not a prophet like Haggai or a priest like Joshua. He was a statesman, a politician just like Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah. He was the civil leader for the Jewish community. “On that day.” The day has not yet arrived, but when it does God says, “I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you.” It’s easy to get discouraged when it appears that the world is against you. Ezra 4:1-5 tells us that the enemies of the Jews were bent on preventing the rebuilding of the temple. It was a very unsettled region and Zerubbabel needed some encouragement. Turn over one book in the Bible to the right and read Zech. 4:6-9. Zerubbabel was chosen; it’s good to get picked. When you look at the lineage of the Messiah in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, you will see the name Zerubbabel. Jesus Christ came from this line – it’s nice to be chosen.

As we close this series, we need to understand a few things from this verse that will help us as we continue to pursue God’s mission for us. Don’t rely on your own strength to accomplish God’s will. Remember Zechariah saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Yes we must be obedient, plan, execute the plan, enlist volunteers, etc., but it’s God that will transform the heart. Don’t allow circumstances or what’s going on around you to derail what the Lord has called you to do. What God starts, He will finish. This includes His work in us and through us. Paul said, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6) In John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Haggai’s prophecy spans about 3 ½ months. A pretty short period of time. I want to leave you with five things to think about having looked at Haggai’s prophecy whose main theme involves rebuilding the temple.

1. Rebuilding the temple was a reflection of the people’s priorities.
2. Second, it showed that God was with the remnant and that His promises of restoration had begun to be fulfilled.
3. Third, it declared God’s glory and thus brought Him pleasure.
4. Fourth, it served to vindicate the Lord since the temple’s destruction had disgraced the Lord’s name.
5. Fifth and perhaps most critical, it served as a pledge of the new covenant and the messianic age.

We don’t know what happened to Zerubbabel – Scripture is silent. Some would argue that Haggai’s prophecy never came true. Heb. 11:39 says, “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised.” Haggai’s promises given to Zerubbabel, while true of him in a limited way, find their ultimate expression in a greater Zerubbabel who was to come. This is really a message of hope, a message of God’s continued love for us and His desire to see everyone enter into a relationship with His Son.

Unclean by Association

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Last week the people were called to remember the temple of old. Turns out there wasn’t a lot of people that actually had an accurate picture of the temple in its glory. The excitement of the project has quickly turned to disappointment. We saw the importance of getting the leaders on board. We need to take courage because God is with us. This morning we’re going to look at the uncleanliness of a nation in Haggai’s third message.

I encourage you to read Haggai 2:10-19.

It has been just over two months since Haggai’s second sermon. The Lord is still speaking through Haggai. Zerubbabel and Joshua are not mentioned and is seems that Haggai is speaking directly to the people. He tells the people to ask the, “priests for a ruling.” Ruling is the Hebrew word Torah. It’s interesting that Haggai would encourage the people to ask for a ruling. The prophet is deferring a ruling to the priest acknowledging his authority. On an interesting note, this is the only place in the O. T. where a priestly ruling is asked for and given.

Here’s the “what if” question that is asked to the priests. Check out verse 12. Notice the “if” then the “and.”  It complicates the ruling. You have to ask the question, “What does it mean to be holy?” Something or someone that is holy is set apart for a specific purpose or task. The priest is considered holy, the altar, the utensils used in sacrifices, places can be holy. There are cases where direct contact with something holy does transfer its holiness to that object. Ex. 29:21 tells us that Aaron’s garments were holy because he wore them. Ex. 29:37 says that anything that touches the altar is made holy. So in v. 12, if I’m carrying some holy meat in my robe, and the robe touches some other food, the holiness or purity from the meat is not transferred to anything else. The transference only happens when in direct contact. The question in v. 12 is about tertiary contact. The priests say holiness is not transferred – it is an accurate rendering of the Law.

So Haggai offers another scenario in v. 13. You’ve got to be thinking, where is Haggai going with this? If someone who is unclean touches the holy meat, that uncleaness is transferred. Think of it this way, I can infect you if I have a cold, but I can’t infect you with my health. If my hands are dirty and I touch a white tablecloth, the dirt is transferred, but I can’t leave a clean mark. So the point is you can easily transfer impurity, but imparting holiness is a whole different matter.

Look at the condition of the people in v. 14. B.   Haggai led them down a self condemning path. There is no warmth in the words Haggai uses. The people are unclean, the nation is unclean, and everything they do is unclean. The people have been tasked to rebuild the temple – it is a very sacred task. Because they are spiritually unclean, everything they touch turns unclean. Even the sacrifices they offer on the altar built according to Ezra 3:2 are defiled because they are unclean. The major problem with the people is their sinful condition. Until that issue is resolved, nothing they do will be pleasing to the Lord. The religiosity of the group you’re a part of doesn’t matter. No matter your good works, or what you do for the church, your family, your boss, unless you are spiritually clean, it doesn’t make a difference to God. And there it is: the danger of doing God’s work is that somehow the holiness of the task is transferred to the doer. Doing God’s work can provide a holier than thou attitude – a self righteous attitude. That’s why busyness in the church is so dangerous. The church has sort of enforced the idea that the busiest people are the most spiritual. That is not the standard. The nation of Judah was rebuilding God’s house and they thought they were good, but Haggai told them otherwise. Haggai was clear that you cannot transfer holiness. Just because you are doing something “holy” does not make you holy.

Haggai offers some good instruction in vs. 15-19. Think about cause and effect. It was George Santayana that said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” From here on out, think about God in light of what is happening around you. “Consider from this day onward.” Haggai reminds them of what was going on when the rebuilding began. Look at v. 16. The grain harvest was reduced by 50%. The grape harvest was reduced by 60%. Look at the first part of v. 17. Did you catch the complete opposite weather conditions? Blasting wind refers to a scorching wind that would burn the crops. Then there’s the mildew; that comes from excessive moisture. Then there’s the hail.  Hail can really do some damage to crops. Kind of reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt. The truly condemning phrase is at the end of v. 17. “Yet you did not come back to me.” All of these bad things have happened to the people yet they didn’t get a clue. 230 years earlier the prophet Amos said in 4:9, “I smote you with scorching wind and mildew; And the caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.” In spite of the things God did to try and get their attention, the people didn’t get it. Haggai is saying, “Don’t forget what happened to you, learn from your mistakes.”

Haggai concludes his third message with the now familiar word, “consider” in vs. 18-19. This is to be the turning point for the people. Haggai repeats the date maybe so they can write it down, maybe so they’ll lock this date in their minds. Joshua 24:15 reminds us to, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”

This is the defining moment. For the people of Judah, this was the day that could define them.

A Call to Remember

You can listen to the podcast for this message here.

Last week we began our journey into Haggai. It’s very clear where and when Haggai spoke and what his purpose was. The remnant of Judah spent significant time making sure their own houses were nice and comfortable while God’s house was in disrepair. No matter how hard they worked, they didn’t have what was necessary for daily life. They were hungry, tired, and thirsty all because they neglected God’s house. Haggai’s words are very clear: there are consequences for sin. It has been 7 weeks since Haggai’s first message and he begins his second sermon.

Take a gander at Haggai 2:1-9.

We often need to get passed the past. The Word goes forth through Haggai. He once again brings the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel and Joshua. Anytime you want a group of people to accomplish something, you need to get the leaders of that group onboard. It doesn’t matter if it’s the family, the people at work, a civic group, the government, or the church, if you don’t have the leader(s) of the organization on board, it will be very difficult to accomplish anything. The leaders are crucial for the participation of the group. So that’s why the Word of the Lord is directed to the leaders. But it’s not only directed at the leaders, it’s also directed at the people of Judah. Remember Haggai concluded his first sermon in 1:15. The people had the vision, they had that “aha” moment where they got it. But their excitement quickly faded at the enormity of the task in front of them. They had been working for about 7 weeks. Maybe the work wasn’t going as fast as they thought it should.

The timing of this message is important because it comes on the last day of the Feast of Sukkot when everyone takes a break to celebrate the harvest. It’s a time when everyone is in the same place; a great time to deliver a message. Haggai asks them a question in v. 3. The house they are working on is the same temple that was destroyed in 586 B. C., about 66 years earlier, and the question is, “Who is left among you?” It’s interesting that Haggai does not include himself in the question so he never saw the temple in its former glory and there are likely few people who remember it. The people that are able to remember are likely getting on in years and perhaps their memory isn’t quite as clear as they think. Us grownups always had is rougher than our kids. We use phrases like, “When I was your age . . .” We had no phone, no lights, no motor cars, it was as primitive as can be. Oh wait, that was Gilligan. Anyway, Haggai asks the rhetorical question, “This place is nothing like the old place is it?” In other words, the building and nothing are about the same thing. What started out with great excitement and zeal has turned to disappointment at the nothingness.

There was a similar feeling when the foundation was laid about 17 years earlier. Ezra 3:12-13 says, “Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.” There was no comparison. Sometimes it’s hard to get passed the past.

There is no doubt that people are discouraged and when people are discouraged, the leaders need to take action to avert potential disaster. Look at vs. 4-5. There’s that great contrast word – but.          God tells Zerubbabel and Joshua to take courage. He tells the people too. They can take courage because of the all important, all encompassing, all obvious statement that God makes, “I am with you.” What else matters? That’s a reminder for us. No matter the discouragement, no matter the disappointment, no matter the circumstances, no matter what, God is with us. This is a promise of God we can never forget. 1 Chron. 28:20 says, “Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.” Just like it was back in the day of the first temple, God will enable the people to finish this temple. They need to keep going. They need to keep their focus.

So what’s the future hold? Remember the economic situation of the people in v. 1:6? The people likely have this overwhelming sense of we don’t have what we need to keep this building project up.  You can almost hear the people whining, “We’re hungry, we’re thirsty, we’re cold, and our purses have holes in them.” In classic God timing, He tells us what’s going to happen in vs. 6-8. God provides some tidbits we need to fully comprehend for today. God has the power to shake the nations to provide what we need to keep going, to realize who the real provider is. God says the silver is His, the gold is His, and He’ll get the nations to supply the needs of the project. Ultimately, He is the One that will provide for the need.

Haggai concludes this sermon in v. 9. The glory of this later house is going to be a lot better than the first. Maybe it’s change the people were afraid of. When we moved to our current house, I was not really in favor of it. We have everything we need here I thought. We’re comfortable here, I thought. It’ll take too much effort to move, I thought. But I had to trust Kari. That’s a weak analogy, but I’m glad we did it. The effort was worth it.

Sometimes it’s hard to get passed discouragement and we lose sight of the goal. As we embark on a new phase in the life of C4, we need to keep the goal in front of us and that is to impact the Kingdom of Christ. That’s the main goal and just like He said in Haggai’s day, He will provide. How will He do it? That’s the exciting part.

We Can Rebuild It

You can listen to the podcast here.

We begin a new series this morning in a book that probably few people have spent much time reading or studying. I think it’s very timely considering the life of C4 and where I believe the Lord is leading us. I pray our eyes would be opened and we would understand how this applies to us today.

There was an incredible sense of discouragement among the people of Judah. A remnant had returned to Jerusalem after the 70 years of exile, and it was a really small bunch of people considering how many had been taken captive. The Jews were in Babylon and a lot of them were reluctant to leave. Babylon had become their homeland. The Babylonians had allowed the Jews to establish businesses and homes and they had raised their children there, life was good. Who would want to leave? A small group – a remnant – had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. What had started out enthusiastically soon became discouraging. Excitement over the temple rebuilding was lost and God’s house remained incomplete. For 16 years, this is how the temple was until 520 B.C. when the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai.

I hope you’ll take time to get your Bible and turn to Haggai 1:1-15.

The chronological time of this message dates to the end of August or beginning of September 520 B.C. Even though Haggai’s message is nearly 2500 years old, it is as if he is writing today. The message is given to the two leaders of Judah. Zerubbabel was the governor – the civil leader. Joshua was the high priest – the religious leader.

Haggai doesn’t beat around the bush with any kind of preliminary pleasantries. Is it time? He tells the leaders that, “This people says, ‘The time has not come, even for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.’” Remember the temple of the Lord has sat neglected for 16 years. No one disputed the fact that the temple needed to be rebuilt, it’s just the timing is not quite right and the people were confident of that: “This people say, The time has not yet come.”Hebrew scholars tell us that the verb “say” indicates this was something the people said often as an excuse for their inactivity.  We’ll do it later, we’ll do it tomorrow.

But it’s not just that the temple is in ruins, look at v. 4. The word house in v. 2 and v. 4 is the same Hebrew word meaning dwelling. In other words, the house where you live is looking sweet, but and the house where God lives is desolate. That word means bleak and empty. So what to do?

Think about this. There is economic hardship in the land.  Look at the five things Haggai says is going on. Look at vs. 5-6. Even though they’ve planted a bunch of crops, they’re not getting much in the way of harvest. Since the harvest isn’t so good, there’s not much food to satisfy their hunger. There’s not enough to drink to quench their thirst. The word drunk here means satisfy fully. They just can’t keep warm with the clothes they have. For the people that do work, it seems like they just put their money into a pocket full of holes where it disappears. The people have got to be thinking, “How in the world can we afford to rebuild the temple when we can’t even afford to take care of our families?” Many today would ask the same question, “How can I afford to sow into the work of the Lord, when I’m having trouble making ends meet?” I cannot afford to tithe or give.

In v. 7, the Lord says, “Consider your ways.” Haggai doesn’t stop there. Look at vs. 8-11. The real call is to evaluate your priorities. Have you ever thought that perhaps your current economic situation is a result of misplaced priorities? The people of Haggai’s time sure didn’t. They were content to hang out in their paneled houses all the while neglecting God’s house. In other words, they were more concerned about how their own houses looked. Their priorities were messed up.

The parallel to today is striking. We say the same thing the remnant said, “It’s not time yet.” I’ll give when I can afford it. I’ll serve the Lord when I have more time. We focus more on what we don’t have than on what God can do. It all boils down to two things: time and money. Those two things are a result of the priorities of the heart.

It is the hope that at some point in our walk with the Lord, that we will get it; when we really understand. For some people, that moment comes later, for some people, it may not come at all. Look at v. 12-13. The people got it. They had that “aha” moment. They obeyed the voice of the Lord, and the words of the prophet. The result?  Haggai sums it up with this statement, “I am with you declares the Lord.” Do not underestimate the power of obedience. All of our Christian disciplines fall under the umbrella of obedience: fellowship, baptism, giving, prayer, evangelism, etc. 1 Sam. 15:22 says, “It is better to obey than sacrifice.” The Lord was with them because they obeyed. Of course, we can take that to a legalistic end. I don’t want to do that and neither does God. We obey because we know that His plans are always best for us. We must learn to obey as Jesus did and trust in the Lord. Nobody said it would be easy.

Look at what happens in vs. 14-15. Being in God’s will leads to an excitement; a desire to fulfill His desires and not your own. You may not know where you’re going, but it’s exciting to be on that journey.

So what’s that mean to us today? Don’t expect the Lord to be with you and bless you in your disobedience. If you don’t think things are going well for you, consider your ways. He has given us a mission and we must be obedient.