DAY 9: The purse with holes
Reading: Haggai 1:1-11
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 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.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 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. 9 “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. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 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 on all the labor of your hands.”
It was the year 520BC. The exiles had returned from Babylon to
rebuild the Temple, but somehow other legitimate priorities had
taken over, such as the need to house families. However, instead of
basic accommodation people had started to create fine houses with
panelled walls. They had fields with poor crops, houses and clothes
but they weren’t warm and they were facing rampant inflation. Haggai
describes it as ‘earning wages to put into a bag with holes’. As they
failed to give to the work of God, so their money didn’t stretch far
enough. Literally they were experiencing the discipline of God (v10).
Haggai calls on the people to consider or reflect on their situation. He
then says that the problem is all down to wrong priorities. Instead
of putting God first, they had put their own personal comfort at the
top of the list. So the two brief chapters of Haggai are about righting
wrong priorities, and putting God first. When they did that there was a
change in circumstances and they received the promise from God that
He would bless them.
In order to set the right priorities for our lives we start by seeking the
help of God.
For further reading: Haggai 2:6-9 - It all belongs to God.
To Ponder: Have there been times when you have set the wrong priorities
for your life? What brought you to the point of realisation that
things were amiss? What did you do to change the situation?
To Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to be mindful of the priorities that you
set for my life. Make me aware of your loving discipline and
correction that in all things I may put you first. Amen.
‘You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it’ v6
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 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.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 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. 9 “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. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 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 on all the labor of your hands.”
It was the year 520BC. The exiles had returned from Babylon to
rebuild the Temple, but somehow other legitimate priorities had
taken over, such as the need to house families. However, instead of
basic accommodation people had started to create fine houses with
panelled walls. They had fields with poor crops, houses and clothes
but they weren’t warm and they were facing rampant inflation. Haggai
describes it as ‘earning wages to put into a bag with holes’. As they
failed to give to the work of God, so their money didn’t stretch far
enough. Literally they were experiencing the discipline of God (v10).
Haggai calls on the people to consider or reflect on their situation. He
then says that the problem is all down to wrong priorities. Instead
of putting God first, they had put their own personal comfort at the
top of the list. So the two brief chapters of Haggai are about righting
wrong priorities, and putting God first. When they did that there was a
change in circumstances and they received the promise from God that
He would bless them.
In order to set the right priorities for our lives we start by seeking the
help of God.
For further reading: Haggai 2:6-9 - It all belongs to God.
To Ponder: Have there been times when you have set the wrong priorities
for your life? What brought you to the point of realisation that
things were amiss? What did you do to change the situation?
To Pray: Lord Jesus, help me to be mindful of the priorities that you
set for my life. Make me aware of your loving discipline and
correction that in all things I may put you first. Amen.
Our next reading will be sent on Monday
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