Consider Your Ways!

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Consider Your Ways! ------------------- Date: 3/7/2002
Keywords: "priorities"
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Passage: Haggai 1:1-7*

1. In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest saying,

2. "Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, "The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt."’"

3. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying,

4. "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?"

5. Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, "Consider your ways!"

6. "You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes."

7. Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Consider your ways!"

Questions

Background: In 586 BC, the Jews were defeated by Babylon and carried away from Palestine into captivity. Seventy years later, they were allowed to return to their homeland. When they arrived, they put great time, energy and cash into building lavish homes for themselves. But they didn't put their resources into building God’s Temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Haggai took the people to task for their misplaced priorities.

1. What does the prophet exhort the people to do — twice! — in the verses above?

 

2. What consequences are the people suffering because of their misplaced priorities? (look at verse 6)

 

Practical help

In the Old Testament, the Temple played a very important role in the worship life of the community of believers. When the Jews of Haggai’s day paid no attention to re-building the Temple, but paid LOTS of attention to building their own richly paneled homes, they were making a clear statement about what was important to them. Their comfort, their pleasures, their ease, their enjoyments were more important than the worship of God.

In these days of the New Covenant, God is not interested in His people building Him a temple. He dwells in the hearts of those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, not in a house made with human hands. Yet He is still very much concerned that He be the top priority of our lives.

Are there parallels to the 5th century Jews’ paneled houses in your life? Are you paying more attention to your own comfort, pleasure, ease and enjoyment than you are to the worship of God?

Maybe that is showing itself in the forms of "entertainment" you are seeking? Maybe your misplaced priorities are evident from your searching the Web for porn?

If so, the prophet’s message is for you — "Consider your ways!" God calls each of us to nurture a heart of worship as a FIRST priority.

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."