Word of Salvation – Vol.11 No.23 – June 1965

 

First Things First

 

Sermon by Rev. J. H. Derkley on Haggai 1:2b,4

Scripture Reading: Ezra 4:1 – 5:1; Haggai 1:1-15

Psalter Hymnal: 80:1,2,3; 48:3; 48:4; 237; 447; 38

 

Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Most of us know quite well what it is to arrive as an immigrant in a strange country.  It means a terribly hard struggle to get on your feet again, and to keep going after that.

The fact that the immigrant arrives with little more than the barest necessities has much to do with the problem.  For it is not only that he has to find a job and fight for à sufficient income, not only that he has to build up a certain security for himself and his family, but he also has to re-furnish his home, he also has to re-clothe the family, he also has to provide the children with sound schooling, he also has to find the little niceties that make life so much happier.

In fact, the immigrant has to start completely anew, to build up right from the bottom, to start from scratch while in the meantime the family does not wait until he has that certain security, but is growing up and demanding always more.

It is no wonder, really, that many a migrant turns into a penny-pincher.  He has to turn over every penny many times before he spends it.  It is no wonder, really, that many a migrant looks for the job with the highest wages, never mind whether he has to work seven days a week.  It is no wonder, really, that he tries to fit two jobs into one single day of only 24 hours.  For he is in dire need of the pennies, and the shillings, and the pounds.  He has to pay off his house, to buy his car, to meet the payments for the many things he simply had to buy on hire-purchase.

The migrant may often seem grossly materialistic, but he has a very good reason to be so.  We know it so well, for many of us stand in the shoes of that migrant.

This is why we can so well understand how the Jews of Haggai’s days felt.  Mind you, they were even worse off than the migrants of today.  True, they came from a strange country into their own country, but that did not make it any easier.  For they had been away from their own country for about 70 years, so most of the immigrants had never seen their own country.  And besides, their country was completely ravaged, it was a ruin.  Houses were flattened, flourishing farms turned into a wilderness.  The capital Jerusalem was little more than one big ash heap, the once so beautiful temple was razed to the ground.  Nothing was left intact, they had to start from scratch again.  A land of milk and honey?  A better name would be: a land of thorns and thistles.

To be honest, they did not come empty handed.  Cyrus, the great king, had taken care of them very nicely.  He had returned to them the golden and silver vessels for the use in the temple.  He had promised them a liberal subsidy for the rebuilding of the temple.  He had promised them all the help and the support they needed.  On top of all that, he had made a decree that the citizens of his own land had to provide them with treasurers for their personal needs.  Above all he had given them an order to build, in fact that was the main purpose of their return to their country, Cyrus wanted the temple to be rebuilt.

All started well.  As soon as they arrived in their new old country they made a firm start with the work for which they had come.  The very first thing they did was the erection of the altar of burnt offerings.  This may appear strange to us,

If we realize that the entire worship of God centred around that altar; it was the essential thing in the worship of God.  Without that altar worship would be completely impossible.  For on that altar the daily sacrifices had to be brought.

.And they ordered timber for the temple building itself.  They even laid the first stone.  – and you know what a feast that always is.  But at that moment the trouble started.  Suddenly the whole spirit of the people collapsed.  For there came some people of the land, non-Jews who at first seemed to be very nice, but when they could not get their own way, they started to be nasty.  They hindered them in their work, they laughed about that silly group of Jews who had nothing else to do but build a temple – fancy building a temple while there is so much else to be done! – to slander them, to spread false reports about them, to accuse them to the government, even to the king.  With the result that the work of the temple had to be stopped.  The materials were ready, one stone, the corner-stone stood up, that was all.  But the site of the temple was deserted.  A sorry sight.

The people were completely discouraged.  They had lost heart, they had lost their spirit.  Mind you, they could easily have written to the king and ask him to interfere, they could have sent their governor Zerubbabel to the king with the request that the king do something about it.  But they did nothing at all.  They felt that it was no use, With the result that the work on the temple ceased, for sixteen whole years.

Apart from all this, many other things had to be done.  You could not always live in a tent or a mud hole.  The farms should be cultivated.  Business should be developed.  You know how it goes.  Slowly the interest in the building of the temple of God disappeared in the background.  Not that the people had forgotten it, how could they, while they saw the altar standing in the open, and that one stone pointing its finger into heaven.  But, later, later, when the times are more opportune.  Later, we will not forget it, but not now.  First come our own responsibilities, our families.  After all, the service of God was not neglected.  For there was the altar, and the sacrifices were brought regularly.  They worshipped their God faithfully true, in the open air, but what does it matter?  God looks at the heart, not at the place where we worship.

Mind you, I am not at all suggesting that our situation is exactly like Israel’s situation.  After all, the Jews were sent to their country with the clear instruction to build the temple.  That is not the case with the present day migrants.  I don’t think that there were many migrants who had the idea in mind to do something in the direction of temple-building… or church-building.  In fact, even our own Reformed Churches came about – may I say it so? – quite by accident.  We had hoped that there would not be any reason, but only bare necessity moved us to establish our own churches.  So the situation of our days is quite different from those days.

Except, of course, that God still demands temples.  Not that we build temples, but that we are temples, temples of the Holy Spirit.  God demands that our bodies, that our hearts are places where God can dwell, where He is welcome, where He is served, where He is worshipped, where He is the First and the Last, where every- thing is centred on Him.  And when we now make a comparison with the situation in the days of the prophet Haggai and the present days, then we find that the situation is after all not so very different.  For then God demanded that the people be busy to provide a place fit to live in…. for Him.  And so He demands today.  The form of that temple may be different, the heart of the temple remains the same.

Then we found that the Jews had provided the barest minimum for God.  The intentions had been good – see that first stone standing up.  But it remained intentions only.  For God there was no place to dwell.  The people had become so busy, so terribly busy that they did not have time left for God.  Apart, of course, from the barest minimum.  Just like today.

Oh, I agree.  The Jews had a good reason to be busy for themselves.  They had to start from scratch.  And the same is true with God’s people of today they too have to start from the very beginning.  But, you know, God rebuked these Jews because they were too busy for themselves, so busy that God came right in the background of their lives.

And so today too.  There are many people so busy making money, that they have completely forgotten God, they have no time for God, they have no money for God, they give God the barest minimum – no more.  Once to church on Sunday (twice is too expensive!), never during the week (the work is more important).  Even the Day of the Lord is not sacred for them anymore.  Everything must fall before their “struggle for existence”.  Let’s be completely honest, it is with many of God’s people not so that they have to work on Sunday; rather, they took that particular job with Sunday work, because it paid more.  Some people say that they want to help the farmer friend and the baker friend on Sunday, to give the man a break; but the real reason is not help but money.  If that friend did not pay them nicely, they would never bother about him.

Just to build their own houses…  just to provide comfort and ease for self… yes, they are slaving, from the early mornings till the late nights, seven days per week.  But not for God or for His Kingdom.

We should not say that they keep everything for themselves.  Just like the Jews of the olden days they bring their offerings (we cannot call it sacrifices) regularly – more or less regularly at least.  As long as it suits them of course.  For as soon as they find that their income no longer covers their expenses, the first one to miss out on regular payment is not the T.V. dealer, not the car dealer but God, and His Church.

Apart from that, there are some who have completely forgotten to bring an offering.  Some have the brazen cheek to say that they are against the envelope in the collection bag on principle – whatever that principle is.  Some, especially among our younger folks, have no idea at all of offerings.  Perhaps they are not so much to blame as their parents who never taught them to give a sacrifice.  Oh no, as long as it is for the car, for clothing, for records, for visits to the pictures, so long can they spend hands full of money.  For the Lord a few miserly shillings will do, at the most.  The tithe, the ten percent of our income which God demands has become out of fashion.  Don’t talk about it, otherwise people get upset.

We were talking of the struggle for existence.  But in many cases it has become more like a yearning for always more luxuries.  And the yearning will not abate, it will increase, they want more and more and more and they never have enough.  But let us go back to those who really had a struggle to keep their heads above water.  The Jews could well have said that they could not build the house of the Lord because the times were so difficult.  But when you read again what the Lord says through the mouth of Haggai, then you find that the case is just the other way round.  God said to them that the times were difficult BECAUSE they did not build the temple of the Lord.  Present day wisdom might well say: We will not spend one more penny on the church, for we are too poor.  But God’s wisdom will answer: YOU ARE SO POOR, because you do not spend enough on Me.  In other words: The more you spend on God, the more you have.

Foolish, isn’t it?

Should you let a well-paid job go, just because you have to work on the Lord’s Day?  But then your income should go down.  And you will be sure that there will not be enough to pay your contributions to the church.  Should you as from now on spend a proper part of your income on the Lord’s work, say 10%?  But what then about all the other payments?

Well, let’s face another question first.  Would you agree that you need the Lord in all your doings?  That, if He would withdraw from you, you would be lost, also economically?  Let’s say it in the words of Psalm 127:

“Unless the Lord builds the house
those who build it labour in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early
and to go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil.”

It is useless, all that striving…. if the Lord is not with you.

No wonder, either.  For our Lord says in this very chapter that He will not only withdraw His blessings, but that He will also be against His own people.  All those who disregard the Lord or who neglect Him will find that they are working without gain.  Those who have no first thoughts for Him will have first thoughts for themselves… and fail.

It might sound strange after all this, but this does not mean that God is opposed to luxuries.  He even grants it happily.  Remember Solomon.  He asked for wisdom to rule his country well; God added wealth.  Abraham, Jacob, Job were all extremely wealthy.  This brings us back to the principle.  For of all these people we find that they FIRST gave to God.  God had the first place in their lives.  Abraham left Ur, left Haran, left everything, to follow God we would almost say that he followed blindly.  Job was an upright man; after his terrible sufferings he came to his senses to give again all the honour to God.  And thereupon God gave His gift.  After they had placed everything they had on the altar of God: Here it is, Lord, take it, it is all Thine, the Lord gave to them.

Some might reflect that this is all Old Testament stuff.  We are living in a completely different time.  Oh, that is absolutely true.  But we are not living with a completely different God.  Our God is the same, yesterday and today and tomorrow, and into all eternity.  We still worship the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, and the God of Job and of Solomon.  And of Haggai.  He is a God who never changes, times may change, but not He.  His threatenings remain the same, also His promises.  And let us not forget that the N.T. is even wider in its scope, also as far as our subject is concerned.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us plainly: NEVER be anxious, but look up onto God, Who will give, whatever we need.  James says that God gives liberally.  Paul really touches the basis when he writes in Romans 8: He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us ALL THINGS with Him?

You see, this stands out: With Christ.  That is the key, also the key to our own O.T.  text: Christ.  God takes complete care of His people, BECAUSE they belong to Christ; and BECAUSE they belong to Christ, therefore they receive everything they need.

That means therefore that living faith in Christ is needed.  Faith contains trust.  Trust in God.  Complete trust.  Trust that I am safe if I go in His ways, when I do what He tells me to do, even when it might cost me a few pounds, for I can trust that He yet cares for me.

If He was willing to send His own Son to suffer the pangs of hell… for ME, if He was ready to bring such a thoroughgoing sacrifice – again, for ME, cannot I also trust that this God will take care of all my daily needs?  Did my Lord Jesus not teach me to pray: Give us this day our daily bread?  Cannot I take these words just as they stand?

First things first, people of God.  God first, then you.  Do you dare to trust in God today?  In the God of the Old Testament, Who is also the God of the New Testament, Who is also the God of today, Who is OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN?

Haggai placed before the people the demand TRUST.  We find that the people did trust, they started the work, and they succeeded.

Do you still doubt whether you could trust?  Let us read what the Heidelberger says about this subject.  I can trust upon God… that whatever He sends upon me in this vale of tears, He will turn to my good.  For He is ABLE to do it, being almighty God, and WILLING also, being faithful Father.

Do you trust this God?

Amen.