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: Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Chapters: THE BOOK OF HAGGAI, PSALM 137
Study: Where is Your Heart?
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today I thought about the time that I decided that I needed some stability in my finances and went from being self employed to working a part-time job. My intentions were to keep doing the work I loved and eventually business would pick up and I would not need the part-time job. Well, that part-time job turned into a full-time and here I am seven years later working my ninth job since then, barely making time for my ministry, and my business is almost nonexistent at this point. My point in telling you this is that the main purpose of every saved, born again Christian is not having our presence in the world for serving our own needs, it is for serving God. Yes, He leads us to secular jobs in order to bring His presence in the world, but He is our provider, and the key to His provisions has to do with the work we do for Him. Jesus said it this way.
[Luke 12:29-34 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 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. 33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.]
Now, Jesus, is not telling us to go and sell everything that we have and give the money to the church (just think about Ananias and Sapphira) while we live in tents. What He is telling us is that all of the things that we possess have no value because we cannot take them with us. What is more important is what we do to lead others to Christ as each and every one of us have a ministry that He has chosen for us. That ministry does not need to be inside of a church building, in fact, we must remember that we are the Church, [John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
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 remind the leaders of their responsibility to rebuild the temple of worship. What we are to learn from the book is that God expects to have 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 of the temple, then God sent Haggai and Zechariah to encourage them to get back to work. Well, this is Haggai’s side of the story, he goes into detail of what was going on during that time. What we may have thought was only a couple of years turned out to be fourteen since they left the temple untouched.
[Haggai 1:1-5 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.]
[Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses,] God, has no problem with us getting the jobs we enjoy, that perfect home we desire, or building a legacy while we are here, but we must remember that this is not our home. We have a permanent residence awaiting us in God’s Kingdom, but there are literally billions of lost souls out there that do not have that option unless they learn of Christ and receive Him themselves. And sadly while there are many who will reject Him, they still ought to have that opportunity just like we did, [Romans 10:13-16 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?]
I tell you what, sometimes, we are not in any position to do the things that we plan to be doing, let alone what God wants us to do. The more we try, the more we fail because we really are not prepared for the job. That can cause some deep sorrow, and even bring us to the point that we feel like giving up and waving a white flag in surrender. Well, that is what the way that the captives were feeling, it was as though they had lost their song and God at the same time. This Psalm was written by one of the captives who must have had seen the original temple in all its glory before it was destroyed.
[Psalms 137:1-6 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? 5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.]
[How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?] It is fitting that they were wondering how it was possible to sing praises to God in a strange land. Well, we who are saved are all pilgrims in a strange land, we can rejoice in the fact that one day all of our troubles and sorrows will be no more. We can also sing, in fact, He wants us to sing to Him, [Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.]
[let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;] Those songs which were appointed by God to be sung only in his service. How shall we sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs when we are in so much sorrow? We trust that even in the midst of our sorrow our hope is in the LORD and it is also gives us hope. We can rejoice when there is sorrow knowing that there will be an expected end to it, [Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.]
Think about it, God, takes pleasure in blessing us through the work that we do for Him, but life does have a way of taking us off that path 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 1:6-10 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. 7 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. 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. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.]
[earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.] I know exactly how it feels to be working so hard for a paycheck that is gone before the money is even deposited into your account. The more you make the less you have. And this is not about lacking in giving tithes and offerings, this is about putting off what God is wanting us to do, perhaps out of some obligation or fear, or in my case, my job became more demanding and it left me little time to God’s work. Think about it, where are your priorities? If you are struggling to make ends meet, then perhaps it is time to figure out what God is wanting from you. I know what God wants from me and it is time I start doing it, [James 4:2-4 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.]
[Go up to the mountain, and bring wood,] Let me tell you, the world is not your friend! We may need to be respectful as we do represent Christ, but we are not in the world to make friends. God, will tell you exactly what He is wanting from you. We have work to do, and we are not going to be kept in a little bubble, we need to go out there and get them. We need to get out of our comfort zone, stop worrying about our needs, stop fearing the man, only fear God and He will bless our hard work, [Matthew 10:16,19-20,28 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.]
[Because of mine house that is waste,] You see, for those fourteen years, the Jews were tending to rebuilding the city, while the remains of what was started of the temple just sat there decaying. They invested so much time and money into rebuilding the crops, buildings, homes, and businesses, but nothing prospered. Now, God, is telling them what they need to do in order for Him to be pleased and bless their hard work. That was when Zerubbabel was stirred up and a revival began. They did not care about the decree, they wanted to build God’s house.
[Haggai 1:12-14 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 the LORD stirred up the spirit] There is nothing that God has called us to do that we are not capable of doing, we just need a little revival of our spirit sometimes. And I am preaching to the choir here as God is telling me the same thing about my ministry today, [2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.]
[and the spirit of all the remnant of the people;] Notice that not all of the people that returned came back to help, only a remnant of them returned to assist in the reconstruction of the temple. Nevertheless, everything was being reconstructed just as David had laid out the plans for the first temple, at least, I imagine that it was the pattern they used. God, sends Haggai to the people with a question.
[Haggai 2:2–5 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3 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.]
[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.]
[so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.] Now, this is the first time that God had spoken to the Jews since their captivity, He reminds them of His covenant with them since they left Egypt. He goes on to tell them that the blessings they will be receiving for their hard work will be nothing compared to what is to come.
[Haggai 2:6-9 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. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, 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.]
[The glory of this latter house shall be greater] Well, little did they realize at the time that God was not talking about the temple that they just built, He was referring to a much bigger house. This is all about Jesus, and His indwelling the souls of His believers. And you want to talk about peace, He surely gives us the peace that passes all understanding, [Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]
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, then He will not have ours. Three months into building the temple God sent Haggai to the priest with a message, some of them were working with unclean hands.
[Haggai 2:11-14,17-18 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 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. 17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith 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.]
[I smote you with blasting and with mildew….yet ye turned not to me,] If we are doing God’s work and still everything is crumbling? Then perhaps it is time to reassess our heart and spirit to see where it really is. Are we doing it wholeheartedly or is our heart is really not into it? God, will see it, and He will not be pleased with our work. We are the church, and if we are going do God’s work, no matter where we are, we need to be clean. Our greatest blessings come from being a witness of how Christ has worked in our lives, [1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.]
[Consider now from this day and upward,]. Forget about yesterday, move forward. We mess up, I mess up, but you confess your sin, clean yourself up with Christ leading the way, and go forward, then you will see His blessings unfold like never before. Trust me, I know this to be true, [1 Thessalonians 5:16-23 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.]
Working for God is twofold, it blesses us and others with the knowledge of Him so they too can come to know Christ as their Saviour. 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. Praise God! Well, 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 used in reference to the Messiah, who is God’s very own beloved Son. He is preserved as king, and supreme ruler over His Church, and He is indeed the signet of God’s right hand. In Him alone ones faith in the Gospel is signed, sealed, and sanctified through His blood, [Matthew 16:26-28 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.]
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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