Major Points from the Minor Prophets

Chapter 1 verse 1. In the second year of King Darias, On the first day of the sixth month, the word of the lord came through the prophet haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shiltil, Governor of Judah, and to Joshua, son of Jhozadak, the high priest. 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 Hagkeye.

Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panel houses, while this house remains a ruin. Now, this is what the Lord almighty says. Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough.

You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes. But are not warm. You earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it. 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. Therefore, because of you, the heavens have withheld their due and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and everything else the ground produces. On people and livestock and all the labor of your hands. So chapter 2 now and gonna read verse from verse 10.

On the 20 fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darias, the word of the lord came to the prophet haggai. This is what the lord almighty says. Ask the priests what the law says. If someone carries concentrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or some juice, some wine olive oil or other food? Does it become consecrated?

Pres answered? No. Then Haggai said, if a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches 1 of these things, does it become defiled? Yes. The priest replied, it becomes defiled.

Then Haggai said, so it is with this people, and this nation in my sight declares the lord. Whatever they do and whatever they offer, there is defiled. Now, give careful thought to this from this day on. Consider how things were before 1 stone was laid upon another in the lord's temple. When anyone came to a heap of 20 measures, there were only 10.

When anyone went to a vine wine vat to draw 50 measures, there were only 20. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew, and hail, yet you did not return to me declares the lord. From this day on, from this 20 fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thoughts to the day when the foundation of the lord's temple was laid give careful thought. Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine in the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not born fruit.

From this day on, I will bless you. Okay. Good evening. It's a very warm evening. Please make use of the fans and the water on your tables.

To sustain you as we look at this together. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the way that it speaks. And challenges us.

And we ask lord that this evening, you will help us to receive that word with open ears with receptive hearts. And where there are things that need to shift and change in our outlook, in our priorities, in our goals in life, law, please, will you help us to do that? Help us to repent as we hear your word. Help us to be humble enough to do that. We ask this in your name.

Well, please have Haggai open in front of you. We're gonna try and get to grips with this book tonight. Apparently, a preacher was in Atlanta several years ago, and he noticed in the restaurant section of the yellow pages before internet, I guess, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The particular name is a peculiar name aroused his curiosity, and so he thought he'd dial the number. So he phoned up the Church of God Grill.

And a man answered with a cheery. Hello, Church of God Grill? Well, the preacher asked how that restaurant, how on earth did this restaurant get that name? And, the man on the phone said, well, we had a little mission down here. And we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills.

Well, people like the chicken And we did such good business that eventually we cut back on the church services, and we made it on the chicken. After a while, we we closed down the church altogether. But we kept the name that we started with, and that's Church of Guard Grill. See, what started with 1 priority there with that restaurant 1 central focus, 1 central goal that they were all about soon changed. It ended with another that was radically different.

You see, it was at poles apart. It's funny how our priorities in life actually do drift, don't they? Have you noticed that? Any of you been around long enough, we'll probably have seen this. What seemed important to you, maybe 10, maybe 20 years ago?

Well, it's perhaps forgotten now. Because there are more pressing concerns and things have changed and your priorities have altered. What we think about, what we dream about, Our goals, our aspirations, they do change over time. When I was in my twenties, I wanted to go into, to start a business, building ecological housing. That's what I wanted to do.

And I read the books and I did the study. It's I I even got together with friends to do research and to think about how we could do this. And here I am now 20 years later, doing something very, very different with my life. My goals and priorities, they all changed. Now it's good to have focus, isn't it?

We ought to live lives with a bit of focus. Otherwise, things get kind of futile. 1 wise man quipped. If you aim at nothing, you're bound to hit it and there's a lot of truth in that, isn't it? It's good to know, what your priorities are It's good to be the kind of person that that knows where they're going and pursues it.

That's good, isn't it? Well, depending on on what those goals are. But within reason, that's a good thing, isn't it? So think for a moment just as we start this evening. I just want to challenge you to think about this.

What is your mind full of? You know, when you're lying in your bed at night and you're you're thinking and planning, what shape do those thoughts and plans and dreams take? What do you what are you thinking about? What's your next project that you've got planned. I don't know.

I don't know if women do this as well. I know blokes. We sort of think of a project that we're doing, and we lie in bed at night, you know, do figuring it out for the weeks to come, for the months to come. What what is that for you? What goals are you working towards?

All of these things will will reveal to you think what your priorities are in life. Wouldn't they? Now we mustn't as we do that fall into the the common error that we sometimes do of dividing our lives up. It's very easy to do this, isn't it? That is, you know, you compartmentalize your life.

And you have kind of your your secular life where you pursue maybe the development of your career or relationships outside the church and you keep that kind of separate and you have priorities in that zone. Yeah? And then you have your Christian life over here. Nicely sort of sealed off from that. Where you that's the life where you've got spare time from the other 1 quite often.

And you you've got priorities maybe in that life. And you kinda keep those set. We mustn't fall into into that era. Must be dividing your life up like that's a disaster. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.

If god is god, then he is god of every aspect of our lives, isn't he? And so because of that, because our life is 1 whole, and because that there are priorities in our life, it it because of that god has surely the most important thing to say about our priorities for the whole of our lives. Right? We all agree with that. Now it's fine to have all kinds of other interests and dreams and plans.

But they must surely come second place to what god's big priority is for you. It's funny. I've I've never actually read the, the best seller, the purpose driven life. I won't ask you to put your hands up if you have. Somewhat ironically, I've always had too much to do, to read the purpose driven life.

I'm sure it's got some good stuff in it, but I did do a cheeky little test this week. I found a free copy of it as a PDF, and I put a search in for the words of Matthew chapter 6 verse 33. Now even though 1 reviewer claimed that the author of that book quotes the bible over 1500 times. So it's peppered with quotes from the bible with a title like the purpose driven life I mean, maybe I've misunderstood the title of the book, but that verse was not in it. I would have thought it would say something about what god says your top priorities would be.

Matthew chapter 6 33. Jesus says this that we are to seek first god's kingdom and his righteousness. That's a great statement of your priorities, isn't it? Seek first god's kingdom and his righteousness. Those are your top priorities.

Now Haggai's prophecy that we've got open in front of us is very interesting. And I want you to have that verse ringing in your mind as we as we look at it together, seek first god's kingdom and his righteousness. In in many ways, that's really what the book's all about. This prophecy was written in the year 520 BC. Yes.

We can be that accurate fact, we can even be more accurate than that because this book has been date stamped as you can see all the way through it. You've got loads of date stamps there. Like the first verse there and the second year of King Darius on the first day, the sixth month. So we've got really specific dates, haven't we? We actually know then that he prophesied in that year between August and December.

That's all that's the whole span of his prophecy. 520 BC. Now the date's actually pretty important if you want to understand what's going on. So Israel, we remember Israel In the north, Capitol Samaria, Samaria fell 722 BC. That's quite a long while back.

And Judah down in the south, they fell also to the new superpower on the block, Babylon, under nebuchadnezzar. That was the f 586 BC. So we're sweeping down through history here. Now, their last king in Judah, the southern kingdom, was a king named Jahoya Chin. And we're told he did evil in god's sight, but he only managed to keep his evil going for about 3 months before nebuchadnezzar came down and took Babylon, and in actual fact, took Juhoya Chin himself away.

Into captivity. He put Jahhoiachin's uncle who got renamed, I think, Hezekiah. He put Orzedekiah in charge of Jerusalem. And took away jehoiachin. And the history book of 2 kings in the Bible ends with this tiny little glimmer of hope right at the end of the book.

As we're told that the a new Babylonian king took over He heard about Jahhoiachin sitting in prison and thought, I'll have him out. I like a bit of royal company, and he had him sit at the king's table. That's how that book ends. Johoyochin gets to play out the rest of his years, sitting at the king's table eating a nice lunch every day. But somewhat tragically, It seems that with this last king, Jhehoiachin, god was making it clear He was done with the House of Judah, the Royal House of Judah.

I am done with you. That's quite startling, isn't it? In fact, the prophet Jeremiah brought this word against Jahochin's house. Listen to this. It's in Jeremiah chapter 22 if you want to jot it down.

Jeremiah says, as surely as I live declares the lord, Even if you, Jahoyachin, son of Jahoyachim, king of Judah were a signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off This is what the Lord says. Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, For none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah. Wow. That's quite a startling prophecy, isn't it? If you were a signet ring on my finger, I pull you off, I throw you away.

You have no value to me. Now keep that image in mind because the years passed And actually, we're starting to move towards where we were this morning with the story of Esther, but the years passed with god's people in captivity in Babylon. And then about the year 539 BC, the Persians came in. You know, there's a lot of this political stuff going on, lots of battles The Persians came in, they smashed up the Babylonians and they overthrew them. And that year, Cyrus The king of Persia issued a decree telling the Jews they could return home, they could go back from their exile.

Now shortly after that, the very next year, 50000 Jews from Babylon returned with a a governor looking after them called Zerubbabel and their priest, Jeshua or yeshua. So zerubbabel and yeshua took 50000 Jews back to Jerusalem. And a couple of years later, that group in Jerusalem started work on building the temple It was a wreck destroyed by nebuchadnezzar. They started to dig the foundations, but they got no further than that before trouble started. See, the peoples, the nations around them, around Jerusalem started to get jealous I think they just wanted to be a part of the action with the whole sort of building a temple to this this god.

They wanted to be part of that. They wanted to be recognized for their sort of pseudo Jewish heritage in the area. And because they were not included in it, they were told to stay away, they began to stir up trouble. And they sent a letter to the new king of Persia accusing the Jewish people in Jerusalem of stirring up rebellion and sedition. And the king then commanded a halt to the proceedings.

And as a result, the Jews put down their tools and didn't pick them up again for 15 years. So for 15 years, the building site of the temple just lay there, dusty. The temple of the the lord In Jerusalem, became a building site covered in in weeds. The dreams of a reestablished temple a hub and center of the worship of the god of Israel just like those good old, get a good old days of old before the before the captivity, those hopes and those dreams started to fade. And new priorities started to take their place.

The people started to think, you know, there's no point waiting around for things to change. There doesn't seem to be any change. It's been years. All bets are off as far as the temple's concerned, but You know, although that door is shut, it does give us an opportunity to settle down in the land a bit better and make the best of it. And so they started to settle into their new homes, and they got to work on them.

And once they'd sort of fixed, you know, fixed up their homes, put things clean and give them a lick of paint and passed it over the cracks. Once they've done that, they looked around and they thought, well, you know, there's nothing else to do, perhaps some new furniture. Perhaps some pameling from the walls, you know, we could always use a spare room who couldn't. Yeah? Perhaps a conservatory will pop a garage out the back some decking, maybe, a hot tub, a barbecue, and so it goes on home improvement, like the culture we have today.

Just fed and fed into the culture. And this is when Haggai hits the streets in Jerusalem. So picture that hot, dusty, thirsty city of Jerusalem. You're picturing that. It should be fairly easy tonight.

Now, essentially, we're going to divide the book into 2 halves, and it's in 2 chapters. So somewhat conveniently, chapter 1 will give the heading seeking first the kingdom of God, and chapter 2, seeking first his righteousness. That's really the shape of where this book is going. So follow with me chapter 1 verse 2. This is what the Lord almighty says.

These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the lord's house. And the word of the lord came through the prophet Haggai Is it time for you yourselves to be living in paneled houses whilst this house remains a ruin? And so Haggai lays down the first challenge to the people. Seek first god's kingdom, not your kingdom. Got it?

Seek first god's kingdom, not your kingdom. It's a good lesson for us to learn too. We just read most of the first chapter, didn't we? The prophet calls for them in those verses, if you look at it, to consider, to think about life in judah. Give careful thought to your ways, he says.

Just have a think about how the last few years have played out. Your life is not what you'd call blessed, is it? Your life is not what you'd call exactly abundant and full of good things. No. Your your crops are barely giving you a return for what you're planting.

It's pretty desperate. Your clothes, she says they're barely keeping the the chill off of you. Yeah? Everything's sort of wanting. You're just about scraping by.

Do you know, they probably had it better in Babylon before they came back, you know, this dream return. It was probably more comfortable back there. It's like he says in verse 6, like there's a hole in your purse. How many people here are sort of familiar with that feeling that the money just goes in and seems to fall out. Always seem to be empty pockets.

My old boss used to say there's always too much month at the end of the money. And again, he calls in verse 7, Give careful thought to your ways. Look at your life. Look at the state of how things are going. And think about it, stop and think.

You're not stopping and thinking. Who is it that gives and takes away? Who's ultimately in control of the harvests and the crops and all of those things? Think. Why is life like this?

Why? Because god's hand is against you. That's why. Now why is god's hand against you verse 9? Because of my house, which remains a ruin while each of you is busy with your own home.

You're all building your own little kingdoms. Now it seems here god has withheld that has made very clear, isn't it? He's withheld the due sent the droughts because their priorities are wrong. They're seeking their own little kingdoms. When they should be seeking the glory, the honor of the name of god, and specifically building of the temple.

Now, the application for this, I think, is pretty low hanging fruit. Maybe you can sort of see where this is going. Think again about the priorities of your life. It's a really good thing to do tonight, isn't it? What are your priorities?

Are you all about building the kingdom of me? Is that really how you could put a title over your life? That really what is that what you're about? Building the kingdom of me? Or are you about building the kingdom of god?

What plans? Have you made for your life? And I bet you all have, especially younger ones. You've made some sort of a plan, haven't you? Do those plans include the consideration?

How can I best serve god's kingdom? How can I use all that I am and all that I have, my time, my energy, my wealth, such as it might be? So that the name of Jesus Christ is glorified amongst men. Has that been a consideration in your plans? Or are you spending all your time scheming about how you can get the next thing for you, the next toy, the next thing that might make your life a little bit nicer or more interesting or such like.

You know, it's 2 if you wanna tell it's quite telling you, there's 2 very simple questions you can you can ask in life decisions, aren't there? You gotta choose between 2 options. You're asking yourself, what's best for the gospel? What's best for god's kingdom? It's a fairly usually, that's a fairly easy question to answer.

If it's not, go for either 1 you want. But if it's clear, if there's a clear answer to that, Well, you can see which 1 is seeking the kingdom of god and which 1 is seeking the kingdom of me. Can't you? Or the other question, Should I do this or should I not do this? Will it make me love Jesus more if I do it?

It's a good guideline, isn't it? God's kingdom must come first. Oh, but you say, Andy, the things I long for, you know, they're actually good things. It's not that I'm, you know, longing for evil things, a spouse, children, a better job where I can have more time and more resources. Those are good things, Andy.

Why would you not want seek after those. Or, Andy, you don't understand actually how tight things are financially at the moment. I'm barely keeping the bailiffs off the doorstep. But listen, do you know the context in which Jesus gave those words in Matthew 6? Jesus had just been talking handy, and the sermon announced just been talking about worries, practical stuff.

You've been talking about people asking the questions, well, what will I eat? What will I wear? How am I gonna pay the lecky bill? Which school am I gonna get junior into next? You know, how will I get him into that?

That there were real worries, aren't they? The kind of worries that life is made of. But Jesus says, do not worry about your life. Worrying, he says, won't change anything. He you you put more worrying, is it going to improve things?

But listen, he says, something else will. Something else will. Seek first god's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. What a promise? That is amazing, isn't it that promise?

All these things, all the needs of life will be given to you as well, says Jesus. That's an amazing promise. Now I bet there's some of you here tonight who need to hear that promise. We're a society so prone to anxiety, aren't we? That promise means as Jesus finishes by saying that you do not need to worry about tomorrow.

Man, that's a burden off your back, isn't it? Get that priority, that first priority right, get that right in your life, and you can put your head down on a pillow and sleep peacefully tonight. What a promise? Well, an incredible, almost unprecedented thing happened in Jerusalem. The people actually listened to god's prophet.

That rarely happens, does it? Verse 12 tells us they feared the lord. That was their response. They heard the word of the prophet, and they feared the lord. Now that doesn't mean that they were afraid of god.

It actually means they got their priorities right in the whole of their outlook in life. That's really what it means. A friend of mine once related how he'd he'd been in a church meeting where a woman had been He'd been upset because a woman had been rebuked for praying out loud. She was told she couldn't pray in public. Well, what did you do?

I asked it. I said, did did you say something? No. He replied. I was held back by the fear of man.

Now I think that helps us to understand what the expression means, the fear of the lord. My friend said nothing because he was worried about what people would think or do or say to him. To fear the lord then means to be so concerned by what god thinks about you, that it overrules all the other considerations. Including the fear of man. It means that what god wants becomes my ultimate priority.

Priorities. Well, not only that, not only was it just words and feelings from them, not only did their attitude change, but their actions change too. Chapter 1 ends with them picking up tools finally and continuing the work on the temple. That's a result. And as they do, Hag Guy brings a simple and profound prophecy to them in verse 13, a simple 1 liner God says, I'm with you.

I'm with you. And we can be assured of that same promise. In fact, Jesus repeated those very same words to his disciples as he commissioned them for the action for, you know, for going out to action and and doing the mission he called them to. It's a promise also for us as we engage in that same work. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.

We live under that private under under that promise, don't we? Top priority, seek first the kingdom of god, not your kingdom, his kingdom. Second, part of that top priority seek first, the righteousness of god, and not your own righteousness. That's really where we're going in chapter 2. Now, Hagi and I brings god's word again in verses 10 to 19, which we had read earlier from chapter 2.

And it's a little different, actually. Haggi goes to the priests, and he asks them 2 questions. We heard it read out. I wonder if you were sort of thinking where's this going when it was read out? Question 1.

So Hagguy gets the priest in front of him. He says, right? Time for a little quiz for you you boys here. Let's see how well you know your Moaic law. So I've got some consecrated meat.

Okay. It's been through all its consecration sort of process. It's been devoted to god. It's acceptable to god as an offering. It's a clean thing.

Exceptible to god. Now, I take this meat. It's concentrated meat. I shove it in my pocket, right? And then I go out and my pocket brushes up against some other stuff.

Yep, some food. Pop quiz. Do they also become concentrated food? Well, the priest slices are no brainer. No, of course, they don't.

That'd be silly. Right. Question 2. Okay. So scenario 2, I go out and I touch a dead body of corpse, right?

Oh, this is disgusting. Of, obviously, I'm unclean. I'm really defiled now. And then I go up and I touch that food. Does it become defiled?

Oh, yes. Of course, it does. They reply. Of course. That's 2 for 2.

You see, any priest would know the answers to those questions. In fact, any average Joe would know the answer to those questions. Sanctified things do not spread cleanness. Unclean things do spread pollution. It's like doing the food hygiene course I had to do last week.

You don't take a clean chopping board and you get your chopping board all your chicken bits all over anything, clean chopping board. Bosh. Right. Now they're both clean. Katherine would absolutely crucify you for that.

I'm sure. And we'd get shut down as a church. It's like health and disease, isn't it? If I am healthy and you have the flu My coughing in your face won't make you well. I won't do it.

I promise, but you're coughing in my face. That will make me sick. Health is not contagious, but diseases. You catch diseases, not cures, and it's the same with sin. It's the same with defiled things.

Now why does Haggi, I bring that message? What's actually going on there? Why do they need to hear that? Something everybody knows. Well, verse 14 explains, have a look.

Then Hagiai said, so it is with this people and this nation in my sight. As god looks at the people, this is a picture of them. Whatever they do, he says, and whatever they offer there is defiled. Now there's a danger, you see. I think this is what's going on here, that this people setting to work on the temple.

We'll think that they've earned god's blessing, if god's blessing was to come. They might be under the, you know, under the the impression that they've earned it through their tireless work, through their generosity, and their labor through their good works, actually. They might think, oh, the good works brought us blessing. They they they purified us in god's sight somehow. But they need to know that their works, though those works are good.

Will not purify them actually. In god's sight. And that's a not a new message. It's a message, you know, repeated throughout the Bible. Everything you do is polluted because you are polluted.

That's the that's the message of the bible, isn't it? About humanity? What matters is not what you do, actually. What matters is what's going on in inside, in your heart. Now we kick hard against this truth.

We don't like that truth. I remember talking to the Kingston University CEO a number of years back. I doubt any of the students here were were there at the time. And making the same point, I remember standing up. And the back and forth that went on, All I was saying is that all good works, even though they are good, and I'm not gonna argue with you about whether they're morally good works that you do, But none of them will actually purify you.

If they're done by an unbeliever, they are tainted, they are polluted with sin no matter how good they are. And I'm sure it would have been very hard for Hageri's audience to hear that as well. Which is why he prefaces the point with those 2 questions. Everyone knows. Cleanness isn't catching, but uncleanness spreads all over the place.

See, it takes a very simple, everybody knows the answer. And then pushes it onto a something that's uncomfortable for them to take it. These people need to remember the message that was preached over and over again by the prophets. God is not looking for outward acts of of uh-uh holiness, good works, songs, prayers, fastings, worship, celebrations, sacrifices and offerings. No.

God is looking at what's going on in the heart. Mica says, will the lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with 10000 rivers of oil? Where he is showing you a mortal, what is good, what does the lord require of you, to act justly love mercy and walk humbly with your god is about your heart. Ane amos god says he's even stronger language. I hate I despise your religious festivals.

Your church gatherings. Your assemblies, when you gather together for religion, they're a stench to me, says god. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs.

I'll not listen to the music of your harps, but let justice roll on like a river. That's what I'm looking for, righteousness like a never failing stream. It's not about what you do. It's about why you're doing it because god is looking at the heart. And this is a defiled people.

It's great that you're building a temple that your your priorities are suddenly starting to to shape up a bit. You want to be blessed Well, who doesn't. Right? But what you have done here will not make you righteous in god's sight. Don't be deceived.

You are defiled. You are undeserving of any blessing. And yet, versus 15 to 19. We had it read, didn't we? From this day forwards.

Just you watch. I'm gonna bless you. I will bless you. Not because you're righteous, not because your hearts are pure, but because I, your god, and gracious and faithful to my promises. That's why you'll be blessed.

Do not seek your own righteousness. Don't seek your own righteousness. Don't pursue it. It is an exercise in futility. So wild goose chase with no goose involved.

You will never be righteous in god's eyes through your own work. Instead, seek god's righteousness. Seek god's righteousness. So are those the priorities of your life? It's very simple, isn't it?

God's kingdom and his righteousness? If you earnestly seek them, you will find them. How were they found in Jesus Christ? In fact, it is he who you must make your number 1 priority. The king of god's kingdom, the giver of righteous He is the fulfillment of all of god's promises.

He is the reality towards which all the shadows of the Old Testament keep pointing us. It's very interesting. If you want to see some of those shadows in the first half of chapter 2, God sends haggai to keep encouraging the people. It might not look like much right now. He says, you know, you've got some blocks of stone in the dust weeds growing over them, but do not be discouraged.

Keep trusting. You know, some of the people would have remembered the the golden glory of Solomon's temple that it once stood proudly on that same spot. But god says, don't let the appearances deceive you. A day is coming, he says in verse 9, when I'm gonna shake the nations and the glory of this present house that you see here, these few stones in front of you will be greater than the glory. Of the former house of Solomon's Temple in all of its golden glory.

I can't help but think that this is telling them that though the cloud like presence of god descended on the temple of Solomon, and filled the holiest part of the temple in his days. In this temple, this humble, modest block of stone kind of temple, no gold really in it. God will not, though, just be present in his shekinah glory. But bodily in Jesus Christ. Think about that.

God made flesh, who will walk the temple courtyards themself. Another shadow was actually zerubbabel himself. I want you to look at this. Just have a look at the end of chapter 2. See the book closes with a word from god specifically addressed just 2 good old Zerubbabel.

Verse 21 tells Zerubbabel, governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and drivers, horses, and riders will fall each by the sword of their brother. See here, god is promising again. He is going to do something earth shattering.

You wouldn't believe it if someone told you. He's going to shake the very foundations of the peoples of the nations of the world. The world will be turned upside down. And Hag Guy continues verse 23. On that day declares the lord almighty, on that epoch shifting day, I will make I would take you, my servant's a rubable son of Shaltiel declares the lord, and I will make you my signet ring.

For I've chosen you declares the lord almighty, my signet ring, my chosen 1. Now, to get the power and wonder of that statement, you have to, first of all, remember the story. Jahhoiachin, the wicked king, with whom the royal line was broken. The 1 that god declared that if he'd had him on as a signet ring on his finger, it pulled it off and thrown it away. But he had a son named Shield Hill, who named his first born Zerubbabel.

Serubbabel, I will make you like my signet ring. I've chosen you. The line of David was mended with this man. There could be no higher honor, could there. This man's zerubbabel who is in both of the genealogies of Jesus Christ in the books of Luke and Matthew.

Through whom the Messiah came into the world. And not only that, but he wonderfully foreshadows the Messiah who will be born in his family line, Jesus. The chosen 1 chosen before the foundation of the world, the lamb of god, the precious 1. Who represented his people and led them into blessing, leads us into blessing. Wonderful shadows.

So priorities. What needs to change with you? What needs to change with you? Will you seek first god's kingdom? Will you put everything else that you've put in place of that onto the back burner?

Will you let the pursuit of god's kingdom start to influence all of your life decisions? Will you do that? It's a big ask, isn't it? Will you seek his kingdom, and will you seek his righteousness? Dispair of seeking your own righteousness.

Trying to earn your way to god, a righteousness of your own devising, and instead cast yourself at the mercy. Of the loving gracious god who loves you and knows you and gave his life for you. Will you turn to the generous king who bids you? Seek first, his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things they'll be given to you as well. Put the first things first.

Father, please help us to get our priorities right, to seek your kingdom and not to seek our own help us to have the right priorities in our lives to put your your kingdom before ours, your glory before our own. And may we use our lives to magnify your name and not to even care if the world hates us? Father, please help us not to be deceived into thinking we can pursue and achieve a righteousness that will be acceptable to you by our own works, but rather to trust your savior Jesus Christ to clothe us in his perfect righteousness. Cleansing us from all sins, replacing our defiled hard hearts with hearts of flesh that long to honor you and are acceptable in your sight. Please help us with this.

We pray in your name. Amen.