An Old Message -- Or Is It?

From Sammie:

An Old Message -- Or Is It?

One of my favorite teachings on simplicity from the Bible is the book of Haggai.

Haggai is not a portion of Scripture that we read frequently, but let me refresh your memory on this story. The Jews had been in exile in Babylon for 70 years and were permitted to return to Jerusalem. Some were used to their life of captivity and chose to stay where they were, but some did return home. When they first arrived in Jerusalem, they were enthusiastic about rebuilding the temple, so they built for themselves only minimal housing. Simple lean-tos, nothing fancy, so they could get on to the job of rebuilding the temple, which had been destroyed.

The Samaritans, however, objected to the rebuilding of the temple and they quickly persuaded Cyrus, the ruler, to forbid the Jews from working on the temple. For the next 16 years, no work was done.

In the meantime, the Jews concentrated on building their own homes. I don't know where their wealth came from, but they built magnificent houses from stone and the richest wood. They were eaten up with materialism. Maybe it was because they had suffered in Babylon and now that they were free, they couldn't get enough of showing off and having more and more stuff.

Darius became king and he lifted the ban forbidding work on the temple, but, guess what? The people were so wrapped up in their own over-consumption and extravagant lifestyles that they weren't interested in working on the temple anymore.

This is when God sent the prophet Haggai to speak to His people. "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have 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." (Haggai 1:5-6).

This passage was written more than 2500 years ago, and yet it describes us today.

We plant much and harvest little;
We eat and drink but are not filled;
We earn money and don't know where it goes.

This is true, in part, because we have complicated our lives to the extent that we don't know what is important, or we choose to ignore what is important, in the eyes of God.

Having wealth or having nice things is not the problem. The problem comes when our things or our lifestyles steal our relationship with God. If my possessions demand so much time that I neglect time to study Scripture or to pray, then I will "harvest little." If I work hard to earn money, but I have no peace, then I have worked for nothing.

Perhaps the Prophet Haggai is banging on my door, too. What about you?