Haggai 1:6

4 “Is it ^atime for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this¹ temple to lie in ruins?”

5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ^a“Consider your ways!

6 “You have ^asown 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 ^bhe who earns wages,
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!

8 Go up to the ^amountains and bring wood and build the¹ temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.

9 ^a“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, ^bI 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.

10 Therefore ^athe heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.

11 For I ^acalled 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 ^ball the labor of your hands.”

The People’s Obedience

12 ^aThen Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord.

13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, ^a“I am with you, says the Lord.”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Haggai 1:6 Mean?

Haggai 1:2-11

The people probably did not literally say these things in in verses 2-4. God says this is what He concludes as a result of what they are doing. It is the same principle as appears in Revelation 3:17, "You say you are increased with goods and have need of nothing." There, too, they were not saying that literally with their tongues but by their actions.

We choose to do with our time and energy what we are devoted to. This is why God said we have to go back to "the faith once delivered" with our former devotion. Whatever is in the heart, we choose to do. It is just as if we were saying it with our tongue.

What God is saying is that for those who have made the covenant with Him, everyday life and its prosperity is directly tied to the condition of the Temple and the quality of our relationship to it. "Prosperity" does not necessarily mean economic prosperity, but that is part of the package. The Temple is the body of Christ. It is just a different analogy.

The message contained here is, "Let's put first things first," and the Temple'the Body of Christ'comes first. The condition of the Body is dependent upon the spiritual condition of the individual members of the Body.

The church is in no condition to produce glory and honor for our God. So people running out, "sowing in the field," does not suit matters right now. If the efforts to preach the gospel are going to be successful, then we have to do what God, through Haggai and Zechariah, instructed Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest to do.

John W. Ritenbaugh
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part Five)

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The People’s Obedience

What Does Haggai 1:6 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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