Haggai: Build My House

Haggai was a minor prophet, his book in the Bible is one of the shortest, yet his message to Israel was one of importance.  These messages from the Lord come after some of those carried off to Babylon returned to the land of Israel.  They have gotten sidetracked after their return and instead of restoring the temple of the Lord, they concentrated on building their own houses, fields, and vineyards.  The end result has not been what they expected.  Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "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." - Hag. 1:5-6 NIV

God preserved and provided for them while they were in Babylon, and he would do the same for them now, but they have put their own well-being ahead of the Lord, and his response has been to withhold from them the prosperity they were expecting.   "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 his own house.   Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.   I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."  - Hag. 1:9-11 NIV

God's message, through Haggai, was if they will put him first, if they would build his house, mighty things would happen.  "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.  I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty.  'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."  - Hag 2:6-9 NIV

Build my house, the Lord says.  Build my house and I will fill it with glory.  Build my house and the desired of all nations will come.  Build my house and you will find peace.