HE WHO PUTS GOD FIRST
LOOKS BEYOND
APPEARANCES

1 In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in its first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison with it as nothing?
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD, and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work; for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear.
6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once more (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, says the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give peace, says the LORD of hosts.

Israel had responded to Haggai's exhortation in chapter one, to get to work rebuilding God's temple. But the work was not very far advanced before they perceived that this new temple would not be nearly as magnificent as the one Solomon had built, and which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed. We learn from Ezra 3:12, 13 that the young generation, who had been born in Babylon and never seen the former temple, rejoiced at seeing this new one being built. It was rather the elderly people, who remembered seeing Solomon's temple, who lamented how this new one didn't seem to measure up to it. They would have to be elderly to remember Solomon's temple, since it had been destroyed before their seventy-year exile in Babylon. The majority were rather of younger generations.
There was a risk that the lamentations and expressions of regret from the elderly people might discourage the younger generations. Doesn't that remind us of how, in our day, we so often hear aged Christians talk about how much better the Church was in their day? They tell us that there were more Christians in proportion to society, that all meetings were better attended, that there was less worldliness among Christians, and that Christians didn't have to be entertained to keep them attending? Doubtless many of their observations are true; yet caution is needed in talking about the deterioration, so as not to give Christians of younger generations that it's "no use" trying to put God first in our day. It is possible!
God's second message through Haggai therefore encouraged His people to look beyond the outward appearance of the temple they were building, to the simple fact that God would indwell it-- which was what counted. Saints in all ages and dispensations are assured of God's presence among them; and the temple He indwells at present is the body of each Christian (I Corinthians 6:19), and also the spiritual building in which each Christian is a living stone (I Peter 2:5). Whatever the outward appearances, His presence is what's essential.
The saint who is determined to put God first in spite of appearances, meets up with an APPARENT PROBLEM (verses 1-3). It seems that he has so many odds against him. When Solomon had built the first temple, he was ruling over an empire, and therefore was head of a sovereign nation. He had complete freedom to follow follow a plan given directly from God. Also, with all the wealth that poured into Israel during his reign, he could make the temple as magnificent as he wanted. Now, after the exile, the Jews had lost their liberty, and were subject to the Persian Empire. They no longer had their own king. And their material means were as nothing in comparison with the wealth of the nation in Solomon's time. Do we ever get feeling that we lack the means to serve the Lord as we would like to? When we hear the remarks of older Christians, or when we read of God's work and His servants in former times, do we get thinking that we don't have what it takes to do likewise in our day? Yet we still have the same God, present with us.
The people building the temple were much less numerous now. Actually, only a very small portion of those who had survived the exile in Babylon, came to Jerusalem to build it. Many more had chosen to stay in Babylon. We must not imagine that they had been in "concentration camps" during the exile; far from it! They had simply lived among the Babylonians-- as foreigners, yes,-- but allowed all the same material advantages. Many had obtained well-paid positions in Babylon. They may not have liked feeling like a conquered, exiled people; yet they were well off, and familiar with Babylon. They preferred not to pull up stakes and move.
Other Jews decided after the exile to settle in various other regions of the Persian Empire. They were venturesome enough to move, and yet preferred to move to cities that were prospering, rather to Jerusalem, which was still in a state of ruins.
It is easy enough for us to understand those Jews when we consider that most North-Americans are transplanted Europeans. Our ancestors came from Europe, but we were born in Canada or the United States, and consider the "New World" to be our home. Now, think of the capital of the country where your ancestors-- or most of them-- came from. Suppose that that city had been destroyed by a war, and you were invited to go and help to rebuild it, and then settle there afterwards. Would that appeal to you? Well, it didn't appeal any more than that to the Jews born in Babylon, to come to Jerusalem in its ruined state, rebuild the city and the temple, and live there afterwards. The small minority who did come, had only one reason-- the spiritual mission of rebuilding the place where God had chosen to set His Name. Do we ever get discouraged, thinking that there just isn't enough interest among Christians today in doing what it takes to put God first, living with eternity's values in view?
The saint who finds that apparent problem discouraging, can take heart because he receives an ASSURING PROMISE (verses 4, 5). God tells him that it is the quality of spiritual work that is most important. Quality is determined by divine endorsement; and God would endorse these Jews' obedience in rebuilding the temple.
It is also helpful to discouraged saints to "keep at it;" God told them in verse 4 to "be strong, and work." By comparing verse 1 with the last verse of chapter 1, we calculate that they had been at work on the temple for less than a month when Haggai addressed this message to them. Appearances are often more discouraging at the beginning of a job. Once we get a "head start" on it, it doesn't look so hopeless anymore. Let us, therefore, do what is possible instead of regretting what isn't, and keep serving God the possible way.
A medical missionary returned to Pakistan from a furlough, in a state of deep depression over the lack of concern for overseas missions on the part of people he had met in his homeland. He tried to forget his discouragement by keeping busy enough to occupy his thoughts, but just couldn't seem to find a way to be really happy. Finally he found deliverance when a fellow-missionary, who had been praying fervently for him, said, "I'm simply going to ask God to help me do the possible thing, and never miss an opportunity that He brings my way." That's what God asks of each one of us.
God told these Jews that His Spirit was among them as He had promised when He had brought them out of Egypt. During that journey from Egypt to Canaan, the presence of God had been displayed in a visible form, but the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. There was no such visible sign of God's presence among them in Haggai's day; but they were assured that He was nonetheless among them in just as real a way. "Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
It would even be possible for this new temple to be more beautiful to God than Solomon's had been; for in subsequent history, the temple Solomon had built had often been used for idolatry. In Ezekiel chapters 10 and 11, we read of how the glory of God eventually left that former temple because God couldn't stand the idolatry in it anymore. If this new temple were kept free of idols, and used only for worship of the true God, it would be more beautiful in God's sight than a magnificent, luxurious temple where God was dishonoured. Furthermore, an idol is simply anything that takes the place in our lives that is due to God alone. By putting God first, we will keep our New-Testament dwelling-place for God free of idolatry.
He who puts God first in spite of appearances, is also encouraged by an APPEALING PROSPECT (verses 6-9). The temple that the Jews in Haggai's day were building would not be the last temple in Jerusalem; it would only be a harbinger of the temple to be built for Christ's millennial reign, which is still future. Its day will come after the apocalyptic cataclysms mentioned in verse 6, the shaking of the heavens and the earth, etc. Then, "the Desire of all nations" will come. This is a curious expression, which I am convinced is a messianic prophecy. One hymn writer expressed this idea when he wrote,

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations,
We have seen His natal star.

What is interesting about this title, is that in the Hebrew text, the word "desire" is singular,, whereas the verb "come" is plural.. It's unusual to have a singular subject of a plural verb. I think the noun "desire" (which includes the idea of "treasure") is singular because the reference is specifically to Christ; but the words "shall come" is plural because in Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). It's as though God were telling us that a singular verb is inadequate to express all that comes to us in Christ. In Solomon's day, treasures from many nations had poured into the kingdom, and some of them had gone to the temple. Yet, even though an evaluation of Solomon's wealth by today's standards would make him a multi-billionnaire, his treasures were worthless in comparison to all that we have in Christ. And, while our "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8) will only be fully displayed when He comes back to reign, they can be personally experienced in saints of the present day.
One might think that, with less variety of materials in this new temple, there would necessarily be less typology. It would be less meaningful. Yet God assures them that He owns "the silver and the gold" (verse 8). Silver is a type of redemption, and gold a type of deity. Therein is a reminder that redemption is necessary to bring us to God-- the heart of the Gospel.
The very best is, then, still to come. When Christ returns to reign, His glory will shine much brighter than all the glory of Solomon's temple shone, and much brighter than any work of God that we have seen so far, including even the greatest revivals. He will also accomplish what has never been accomplished since the fall of man-- bring peace on earth. Human efforts to produce it have been futile, and always will be; the only way there will ever be peace on earth is by its being ruled by the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
It is easy today to wonder whether it's even possible to put God first in our day. We hear from aged saints, and read in books about the past, of days when there was much more fervour in general among believers, a much more distinct separation from worldliness, a much greater zeal to reach the lost, a much greater willingness to live sacrificially and suffer for Christ's sake. Besides that, society used to have more respect for Christians, Christian values, and even for the Scriptures. However, we still have God's promise of His presence, and of His endorsement of obedience to His Word; and we are assured that the best is yet to come. We can therefore be certain that it is always possible and always worthwhile to give God the first place in our lives. His blessing will be on those who do.

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