Scripture Reading : Haggai 1
Theme : Building the Temple
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are post exilic prophets who exhorted the Jews to be faithful to God after they returned to Israel from exile in Babylon. Haggai ministered during the first wave of return in 538 B.C. His message began in 520 B.C.
Command to Build Temple (1-11). After the Jews returned to Israel from exile, they did not put God as their first priority in their lives. They were more concerned about building their own paneled, luxurious, houses instead of building the temple, God’s house (Phil. 2:21). Because they worshipped pleasure, God gave them poverty. This was God’s gracious way of disciplining them so that they will loosen their grip on this world and take hold of life that is truly meaningful and abundant (Phil. 3:14-16).
People Respond to Command (12-15). When the leaders (Zerubbabel and Joshua), and the people heard God’s rebuke, they quickly feared God (meaning trusted and obeyed) and reversed their course. God blessed them spiritually by stirring up their spirits to worship Him through the building the temple.
Praying the Scripture
- We see from Scripture that every generation of believers must learn to put God as their first priority in every area of their lives (Matt. 6:33). Failure to do so, will bring God’s gracious discipline and training. One way to know whether we are putting Him first is to see whether we put more effort in our own houses instead of God’s church (cf. 2 Sam 7:2). God is not bound to a physical place, but a place of corporate worship represents His special presence with us. Do we furnish our houses with the best, while we give the church our second best? God is not materialistic, but He tests our hearts.
- God rewards physical blessings for obedience, but withholds physical blessings for disobedience. This is not teaching prosperity gospel, i.e. using God as a way to get riches. But it is teaching us to see God as the greatest and our highest desire (1 Tim. 6:17). Chasing idols will result in spiritual and physical emptiness. Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it.” Seeking God results in true spiritual and physical blessings, even if the physical blessings must await the second coming of Christ. Spiritual blessings are more important than physical blessings because without spiritual blessings (spiritual maturity) physical blessings (material things and security) will be abused and turned into idols. Rewarding and withholding of physical blessings by God is rudimentary training for the spiritually weak (Heb. 12:7-11). The spiritually strong is motivated by love for God (Col. 3:17). The spiritually depraved is one who thinks godliness is a means to finance gain (1 Tim. 6:5).
经文：哈该书1
主题：建立圣殿
哈该、撒迦利亚和玛拉基是流放后的先知，专门劝从巴比伦回到以色列的犹太人要对神忠心。哈该是在犹太人第一轮的归回时展开事工的，即公元前538年。他在公元前520年开始传道。
建殿的吩咐（1-11）。被放流的犹太人回到以色列后却忽视了神。他们更在乎要搭建属于自己的豪华的住宅，却不注重建神的殿（腓2:21）。由于他们崇拜宴乐，神使他们贫穷。这是神对他们恩慈的管教，叫他们能放开这个世界，掌握生命中真正重要的事，在这事上得以富足（腓3:14-16）。
民众听从吩咐（12-15）。当犹太首领（所罗巴伯和约书亚）和民众听到神的责备后，他们立刻存敬畏的心（即信靠、顺服），转而归神。神在灵里祝福他们，激动人们的灵藉着建殿之事敬拜祂。
用经文祷告
- 我们能从经文看到：每一代信徒都要学会在生命中的每一个领域把神摆在第一位（太6:33）。我们若忽视这一点，神便会在恩典中管教并训练我们。若要省察自己，便扪心自问：我们的精力是更多放在自己的家还是神的教会（参撒下7:2）？虽然神不拘一个地方，但一个集体的敬拜代表祂特别的同在。我们是否用最好的装饰自己的家，留次等的给教会呢？神不看重钱财；祂考验的是我们的心。
- 神向顺服祂的人赐予物质上的福分，对不顺服的则保留这福分。我们传的不是致富福音，即利用神谋得钱财；这里教导我们的是要把神当成我们最大、最崇高的渴望（提前6:17）。追寻偶像只会让人在灵里及物质上贫穷。马可福音8:35说：“因为凡要救自己生命[a]的，必丧掉生命。”寻求神得来的是真实的属灵与物质上的祝福，即便这祝福有时还须等到基督再来时才能得到。灵里的祝福比物质上的祝福更重要，因为若无前者（灵性成熟），信徒往往会滥用物质上福分（财富与保障），使之成为偶像。神对物质祝福的赏赐与保留是祂对灵性软弱者的初级训练（来12:7-11）。灵性坚强的信徒则是以爱神为动机的（西3:17）。灵性腐败的人则以敬虔为得利的门路（提前6:5）。
