Haggai was a prophet in
ancient Israel at the time when the Jews were returning from their exile in
Babylon. Their beloved Temple had been
destroyed. Work started in rebuilding
the Temple, but due to opposition from others, the work stopped. When King Darius became the leader of the
Persian Empire, he supported the efforts to continue to rebuild the
Temple. Haggai’s message tried to
encourage and motivate the Jews in this rebuilding effort.
Sometimes, the obstacles that are in our way seem insurmountable. Sometimes we feel like that is no way we will
get ahead, that there is no way will be able to solve our problems or get back
on track. The journey ahead of us may
seem like it is a million miles long.
However, unless we make that first step, unless we put one foot in front
of the other, we won’t even start making progress.
Haggai did not mince words in what he said. The people who returned from exile were
building luxurious houses for themselves, yet the house of the Lord was in
ruins. Unless we have the Lord at the
core of our being, unless our goals and values are right, we will eat and drink
and never be satisfied, we will sow and bring in the harvest, but it will never
seem like it is enough. Haggai’s words
were a wake-up call to the Jews, to get them back on track, to call them back
to a life of faith. Perhaps many of us
need a prophet like Haggai in our lives to wake us up as well.
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