King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, September 19, 2021
Chapters: The Book of Haggai
Message: Consider Your Way
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, it occurred to me that we are going through a similar situation. God has called on His people to rebuild His Church through this pandemic. In fact, even though this virus, which is really no more deadlier than the flu, is subsiding, the fear itself is holding up the rebuilding of His Church through mandates and idiotic laws that really have nothing to do with spreading the virus, and everything to do with power hungry people dictating our every move. God knows this, and this is why He is telling the Church to defy these unconstitutional laws and get back to rebuilding His Church. You do realize that the longer this goes on the more unruly and devastating things are going to get, and it is time for the Church to repent, [Revelation 2:2-5 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.]
The Book of Haggai contains two chapters, the author is Haggai and it was written to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon after being in captivity for seventy years, the timeline is approximately 520 BC. The purpose of the book was to inspire Israel to have a new zeal for God and make the leaders aware of their responsibility to rebuild the temple of worship. What we are to learn from the book is that God demands first place in our lives, [Haggai 1:7-8 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.]
Yesterday we read from Ezra and how the Jews were forced to stop the rebuilding the temple, and then God sent Haggai and Zechariah to encourage them. Well, this is Haggai’s side of the story, he goes into detail of what was going on during those fourteen years that they tended to rebuilding the city.
[Haggai 1:1-6 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. 3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.]
[Consider your ways.] Sadly, this is the average Christian, they work so much more for very little wages, are always struggling to put food on the table, and have very little time for church. Think about it. God takes pleasure in blessing us through the work that we do for Him. I have to admit that I have struggled with this off and on, and can honestly say that my best years of prosperity came when I was just starting out in my faith. I had a zeal so strong for God, I went soul winning every Thursday and Saturday, never missed a church service, was a part of every church event, taught Sunday School, even sang in the choir. And I feared God as though He was right there in the room with me, but life does have a way of snuffing that zeal, and this is when God starts sending those famines. God goes on to tell them that He caused their struggles because of their neglect.
[Haggai 1:8-9,12-14 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. 13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,]
[and I will take pleasure in it,] Remember, this was not about sin, they honestly had great faith in God and wanted to serve Him, this was about their fear. God takes great pleasure in our serving Him, in fact, that is what He uses to bless us with prosperity. And here is the key phrase that we need to remember, faith without works is dead. We can have all the faith we want that God will provide, but we must do our part, if not, He will not, [James 2:17-20 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?]
Whenever we start to see little reaping from lots of sowing in our secular work, that is when we need to check and see if we are giving God’s work first place. After Haggai spoke, Zerubbabel and the rest of the elders knew they needed to get back to rebuilding God’s house, but this time was different, they knew God had their back.
[Haggai 2:3-7,9 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.]
[is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?] Remember where you were when you first got saved? The struggles you faced? When you first started serving Him? When He started changing your life? The blessings we receive now for our work are amazing, and yet will be nothing compared to when we get to spend eternity with Jesus, [Luke 12:30-32 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.]
[be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you,] God is always, always, always with us. One thing we can be sure of is that when we put God’s work first He will be there for us and see us through every step of the way of it. And the work we do for God is not necessarily in a church, it is wherever He takes us. Remember, we are the church. God will use us in whatever place He needs us, whether it be an office, a store, or a parking garage, but if we do not have His best interest, He will not have ours, [Matthew 10:29-33 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]
Now, this is actually the first time God has spoken to the Jews since their captivity, and He reminds them of His covenant with them since they left Egypt. Three months into rebuilding the temple, God notices something, and sent Haggai to the priest with a message, some of them were working on it, but their heart was not in it.
[Haggai 2:12-15,18 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. 13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. 14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. 15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: 18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it.]
[and that which they offer there is unclean.] This is also a reminder that we need to be saved in order for our works to count. If we are not saved, then nothing we do for God is acknowledged because all He sees is a dead soul, full of filthy sin. Jesus is the one who cleans us up and gives life to our soul so that we are recognized for our good works, [Matthew 25:34-35,40-41 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:]
[Consider now from this day and upward,] The great thing about God is that every day is a new day. He always gives us consideration, after all, we are His and He needs us to reach others before Jesus returns. Forget about yesterday, move forward. We mess up, I mess up, you confess your sin, get back up, and you go forward, and then you will see His blessings unfold like never before, [Philippians 3:13-15 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.]
Even if we never see God give us anything here on earth for our good works, we have something much more incredible awaiting us, and that is the day that we spend eternity with Christ. God also reminds the Jews of this, in His oh so, unconventional way, [Haggai 2:21-23 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; 22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.]
[I will shake the heavens and the earth;] This is not speaking about the rebuilt temple, but the one in which we will all abide in Christ. Christ is the desire of all nations, for in Him shall all of the families of the earth be blessed upon making Him their Saviour. The shaking of nations will take place during the Tribulation, which will be followed by Christ’s return in all His glory, [Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.]
[and will make thee as a signet:] [Signet; That which is very highly valued, and carefully kept.] Zerubbabel, is in reference to the Messiah, who is God’s beloved, and inviolably preserved king, and supreme ruler over His Church. He is indeed the signet on God’s right hand. For all power is given to Him, and derived from Him. In Him is the gospel signed, sealed, and sanctified through His blood. One thing we can be sure of is that when we put God’s work first He will be there right with us and see us through every step of the way. The work we do for God is not necessarily inside the church walls, but wherever He takes us, as we must realize that nothing we do for God is vain or turns void, [1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Haggai 1:8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Haggai 2:23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for the reminder of Your amazing promise to always be with us when we accept Your Son as our Saviour. You have purposed every one of Your people to work for You in some way so that we can bring others to Your Son. As life starts to snuff our zeal, it is easy to set Your work aside in order to try to endure it, and of course, that brings more problems instead of solutions. Lord, Help us to make and keep Your work first place in our lives so that You can show us solutions to our problems. Give us Your power, strength, wisdom, mercy, grace, and guidance to do the work You called us to do, and open our hearts so that we can do it with all our heart. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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