This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” (Haggai 1:2-4;7-9)
The Israelites in the prophet Haggai’s day returned from captivity in Babylon, delivered from exile just as the Lord their God had promised, and began working on rebuilding the temple, which was destroyed when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem.
However, they quickly abandoned those efforts and focused instead on building houses for themselves—paneled houses that were built with great care and attention to detail—while God’s house remained in ruins.
Rebuilding God’s house—the gathering place where he was worshiped and honored, where the people heard God’s law and gospel through his servants and the promised news of the Savior who would redeem them from their sins—just wasn’t a priority. Other things quickly took its place: building their own homes, working the land, reestablishing businesses, and more.
Through the prophet Haggai, God lovingly called his people to give careful thought to their ways because he didn’t want them to forget that their relationship with him was the one thing they truly needed in life.
What are your priorities in life?
Where does time spent in God’s Word and in his house rank on that list?
If you’re anything like me (and the Israelites referenced in the verses above), it can be very easy to let earthly, physical priorities outrank spiritual priorities—so much so that the spiritual is more of a belated afterthought than the number one priority above all else.
An hour spent in God’s house before the start of a busy week can seem like too much work, and meditating on God’s Word daily can seem impossible. There are just too many other things that need to get done first. And when all those tasks finally get done, sleeping in on Sunday after a busy Saturday—or kicking back on the couch with the latest episode of your favorite show, the next chapter of your book, or what have you after a long workday—sounds so very relaxing.
Before we know it, we can find ourselves on a dangerous, slippery slope of forgetting to be in God’s Word and giving him honor and praise for all the ways he blesses us daily. We forget the importance of being in God’s house, where we hear about what our Savior Jesus has done to rescue us from sin and where we receive the means of grace through Word and sacraments to strengthen our faith through the forgiveness Jesus won for us at the cross.
God, forgive us for the times we misplace our priorities!
God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus, who perfectly honored you and gave you all worship and praise for us—for all the times we don’t. Help us give careful thought to our ways. If time spent in your Word and in your house isn’t our number one priority, call us to repentance. Change our hearts. Help us prioritize our relationship with you—not just once a week, but every day. Amen.
Meditations is a personal and inspiring devotional booklet offering a brief yet thought-provoking Bible study every day. Each quarterly issue is clearly and accurately written, with daily Bible verses, devotions, and prayers for that quarter. Through focus on and faith in God’s true Word, Meditations provides guidance and encouragement for daily living.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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