Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!” You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD. “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” Haggai 1: 3-11, NKJV.
Merciful God, please help us to consider our ways, and learn how to put You first; so that even in the time of drought You may bless the work of our hands, and we can bring glory to Your name. For Christ’s sake we ask these blessings. Amen.
In times of financial hardship, people tend to “watch” their spending. They are careful to spend only the necessary. During these times, our sense of prioritizing is at its best. Our budgets go through a thorough transformation. We go item by item, slashing dollar values, and eliminating line items. One phenomena that is often observed is that we begin to fear for our lives. Will my family and I have enough to eat while this crisis lasts? Therefore, we begin to stock up on food, as well as other items that we consider indispensable. Will we be able to afford adequate clothing for the changes in the seasons? Will we have sufficient funds to provide heat for the winter months and air conditioning for the summer?
This kind of planning is done by responsible adults. Making provision for a rainy day is recommended. However, there is a line item in our budget that we tend to eliminate without much compulsion, and that is our tithe and offering. The rationale is that, “God understands!” And He does. He understands that if we truly conceive of Him as (YHWH- Yireh) Jehovah-Jireh (Genesis 22: 14), we will not fail to return to Him what is rightfully His, in sunshine or in rain! As I sit here writing, I realize that this is easier said than done! I also know, from experience, that we can take His promises to the bank!
In the time period in which our Scripture was written, the prophet was urging the people who had returned from Babylonian exile to help in the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It would seem that their attention was placed on adorning their personal homes, while the temple of God, lay in ruins. I am sure that you will agree with me, that the problem here was spiritual, not financial. The condition of our hearts (where our affection is), (Matthew 6: 21), is usually reflected in our behavior.
God wanted the people to first seek Him. If He was among them, as their center, there would be no need of any good thing! They were sowing the fields, but were not seeing the fruit of their labor. They were eating but never feeling full. They were drinking and never feeling satisfied. Why? Because their priorities were not in the proper order. Jesus’ advice for the Jews of the first century, was also good for Israel of old – “Seek first the kingdom of God . . .”
That advice is also good for Christians in the twenty-first century, who are going through this financial crisis. If you put God first, you will never regret it. As I have said on several occasions, God does not need our funds, or our faithfulness, but we certainly need His blessing! Let us “consider our ways” and put Him to the test, and be blessed!