Consider Your Ways: Putting God First in Haggai 1

Consider Your Ways

Maybe you have heard a parent say to you, "Now son (or daughter), I really want you to think about what you are doing." You knew, just from the question that you weren't doing something right, but your parent wanted you to think about it. It probably made you uncomfortable.

When Comfort Takes Priority Over God 

In Haggai 1, God tells the people twice to, "Consider carefully your ways." Something obviously wasn't right and the people had not been thinking much about God. God was trying to get their attention. They had put off construction of the temple because instead they were building comfortable homes for themselves first. Their comfort had been the priority, not what God had told them needed to be done.

In our own lives we often get our priorities confused. We see that a friend has lost their home to fire but can't seem to help them because we are in the midst of a kitchen renovation. In times like these, whose comfort is more important? So why did the people of Judah put God’s house last?

When Neglecting God Has Consequences

Work on rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem had begun in 536 BC. But not until Haggai's word from God came to them, 16 years later, in 520 BC did they begin again the work that should have been their priority. Due to opposition (Ezra 4) construction had been delayed and then never picked back up. God had waited for them. He had sent signs that things weren't being done properly.

They had seen drought, there never seemed to be enough money to take care of things, and their crops were disappointing. But they had not considered the cause. They did not see that their procrastination in doing what God told them to do had led to discipline. These signs were for a purpose, to bring them to repentance. Are we guilty today of similar things?

Haggai 1:9 says, "You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little." The people restored to Judah believed they would be blessed. But poor harvests and bad times were what they endured. How often in our lives have we experienced difficulties when we expected blessings? But what does God expect of us?

Neglecting God brought the people of Judah to that point and He expected them to return to Him. The reason God withheld His blessings from these people was to get their attention and direct their focus back on Him. Blessings come from obedience, but remember, we obey because we are loved and redeemed in Christ, not to earn His favor. We may not always have an easier or more prosperous life when we turn to Him, but spiritually we will be blessed. Neglect of God can happen in many ways. Sometimes we neglect God by overlooking the needs of others.

Generosity Shows What Matters to God

When we withhold the things that God has asked of us it can lead to hard times. Proverbs 11:24-25 tells us this important truth,

There is one who scatters, yet increases more;

And there is one who withholds more than is right,

But it leads to poverty.

The generous soul will be made rich,

And he who waters will also be watered himself.

This is not to be read as a guarantee that giving always brings wealth. But do we withhold from others sometimes because we think our "needs" are more important than theirs? If we spend our lives accumulating things for ourselves while neglecting what matters to God, we are being disobedient.

In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12:16-21, we see a successful man. He has so much grain to store he must put up bigger barns to put it in. But then God tells him he will die and what has he to show for it? Nothing of real value.

As Luke 12:21 reminds us, it is our richness towards God that really matters. It is our relationship to Him that defines our life. We may have much in this life and little that matters for eternity. We trust that God is able to supply what we need, so that we can continue to give generously and do His work (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

God's Presence Encourages Obedience

Judah’s story doesn’t end with neglect. When God’s word came through Haggai, the people responded by immediately heeding Haggai's word from God. They saw that they had not honored God but had been putting their desires before His. It was the Spirit of God who stirred them to action. They resumed the work of rebuilding the temple. And God's response? God blessed them and told them, "I am with you."

We often forget that the same God who created the universe and sent His Son to die for us is still with us even now. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God's faithfulness is why we can trust Him.

What Keeps Us from Obeying God?

We may have other excuses for disobedience besides putting our own needs first. We put things off, waiting for the perfect moment. But it never seems to come. Failing to do what God has asked is a sin of omission, and we turn from it by taking the next step in obedience, trusting Him to help us. When things go wrong do we ever "consider our ways"? Not every hardship is God's discipline, but is is worth asking whether we have neglected something He has called us to do.

Our busyness sometimes keeps us from remembering His promise. Raising children, our careers, or our education are all things we can get so caught up in that we forget God. Our God needs to be the most important thing in our lives. The people of Judah were also busy just living their lives. They had not even thought about their disobedience. Busyness is only one thing that may be stopping us from obeying God.

Another thing that may stop us is fear. As Christians today, we are so blessed because the Holy Spirit is with every believer. He walks with us and helps us to be strong, faithful Christians. In Haggai's time, having God with them was also an encouragement.

Sometimes a task seems impossible or the problems surrounding it seem almost unbearable. Then we remember that God’s Holy Spirit will strengthen us. Knowing God is with us takes fear away when we place our trust completely in Him. But responding to God's call is not always an individual matter. Sometimes His work requires leaders and entire communities to act together.

Leadership and Shared Effort Shape Obedience

What was the response to Haggai's message? The leaders responded first. The people followed. The example of obedient leaders reminds us how much influence our leaders have and how important it is that they use it to honor God. Do our leaders in our churches and in our communities respond to God's call to act justly and treat people fairly? Our leaders have influence. How they use that influence is incredibly important.

Notice something in Haggai 1:14. The people came together to build the temple. This wasn't the work of one lone person, or just the leaders, but all of the people. What great things can be accomplished for God when we work together for His kingdom.

They also worked enthusiastically to rebuild. Enthusiasm is contagious. When we know God is calling our church to a particular work, our attitude matters. We can approach it with faith and enthusiasm, trusting Him to help us do what He has called us to do. Knowing that God is with us spurs us into joyful action.

Our communities and churches are also strengthened when we live out God's will, just as Judah's covenant community was in Haggai. God's will is to love others and show that love by our actions. When we do God's work, we will not be sitting by passively. We will step out while faithfully walking before God and produce good works.

Let Reflection Lead to Change

God doesn't ask us to consider our ways and then expect us to stay the same. Your parent didn't either. Once we have really considered our ways, we should come to understand what was done wrong or what we failed to do. God leads us to change. We don't just say we made mistakes and continue in them; by His grace we become different people.

Is there a phone call, a ministry, or a gift you’ve been postponing? Perhaps God has someone you need to bless with your time and energy, someone who needs to be poured into and cherished. Maybe we have an unfinished project or an idea that needs to be developed to help others. When God prompts us to action we need to respond.

The temple Haggai’s people built pointed ahead to Jesus, in whom God dwells with His people fully. What the people of Haggai's time can teach us is to turn our eyes on Jesus and align our priorities to match His. They needed to trust God to provide for their needs just as we need to today. Is God trying to get your attention?

We are God's children and just as we see the importance of obedience to our earthly parents, so we understand the importance of obedience to our Heavenly Father. We pray humbly for God to be the priority in our life that He should always be. We thank Him for being with us today and always.