A DIVINE COMMAND TO BUILD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD As the people’s zeal to build the house of the Lord cooled down, and they were saying:”The time has not come that the Lord’s house should be built”; The prophet Haggai kept on provoking them to resume work, and his effort gave the required fruition. 1- The theme of the first prophecy 1 - 2 2- A reproach on their care for temporal things 3 - 11 3- The fruition of the call 12 – 15 1- THE THEME OF THE FIRST PROPHECY: The introduction to the first prophecy included its date, by whom it was delivered, to whom it was addressed, and its theme. (1) As to its date, the prophet uttered it in the second year of the reign of the Persian king Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month. He probably was among those who celebrated the monthly feast (the Jews used to gather together on the first day of the lunar month for collective worship; which is still practiced to this day by the Orthodox Jews). The prophet used the chance to proclaim the frank and active word of the Lord. (2) The prophecy was delivered “by the hand of Haggai the prophet” How could the prophecy be delivered by the hand? The word “hand” here, according to St. Augustine means (power); the prophetic word is delivered by the hands of the prophets, as a sword to destroy evil. [They received in their hands the word of God with the power to utter what they intend, to whom they intend to address; without fear of any power, or worry about poverty. They had the authority as preachers to have In their hands a spiritual sword, they could hold, draw, and strike with it at will1]. (3) The prophet addressed the prophetic word to the governor and the priest, who listened to it, and with great zeal, they started to work; yet, outer and inner resistance stopped them. The governor’s name was ‘Zerubbabel’, a grandson of king Jehoiakin, a descendant of David; his name means (born in Babelon); and was also called by the Persian name ‘Sheshbazzar’. He was made governor on Judah by the Persian king Cyrus (Ezra 5: 14). As to ‘Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, his name means (Jehovah is salvation); and his father’s name means (Jehovah sees); we previously talked about him as a symbol of the greatest King, Jesus Christ, our salvation and righteousness in God the Father2. In our study of the book of Zechariah, we saw that ‘the governor’ symbolizes the (human will), set by God in man, to ordain his life in the Lord, as a king of authority over his soul, body, mind, and senses. On the other hand, we saw that the ‘priest’ refers to the (heart), sanctified to God by the Holy Spirit, for our Christ the Bishop of our souls, and our Intercessor by His blood to His father to dwell in. 1 On Ps. 149. . 2 ا رجع تفسیر هوشع أصحاح 3 2 So, if the prophetic talk, there, was addressed to the governor and the priest; that was because the word of God talks to the human will, together with the heart. The temple of the Lord would not be built in us, unless our will bows down, and our heart submits before God, to say: “I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word”…. In other words, in order to enjoy the divine sanctuary, whose foundations were set by the Holy Spirit in the water of Baptism, and conformed, to increase in glory day after day, by the work of God in us; It is befitting of us to deliver our inner Zerubbabel and Joshua in His hands; Namely, to deliver to Him our active living will, together with our heart with all its feelings. Yes, Our will is ‘Zerubbabel’ indeed; having been born in Babylon under the captivity of sin; But it is the Lord, alone, who can liberate it from her captivity, and bring it forth to the higher Jerusalem; not to lead 50,000 men to work, but to bear inside her the energies and possibilities of the Lord Himself; to work by it, and by all its talents and feelings, to the account of His Kingdom. And as we are in need of sanctifying the will by liberating it from its violent captivity, by the work of the cross; So we are also in need of sanctifying the heart, to be dwelt by the true Joshua; namely, our Jesus (God our Savior), and at the same time our Jehozadak (God our Righteousness). (4) As to the theme of the prophecy, It is: “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says: ‘The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built” (2). Starting His talk to the people by saying: “Thus speaks the lord of hosts”; He intends to confirm to them that if they work to the account of His kingdom, they would be His hosts, and He would be their Leader, who knows only the spiritual strife with no slothfulness, He is “the Lord of hosts” He might also mean to reproach them, that if they forsake the work in slothfulness and disregard; He, being the Lord of the heavenly hosts, is in no need of working hands, If He seeks their work, It is only because He loves them, and longs to work through them. At the beginning of His talk, He does not say “My people”, but “This people”. In our study of the book of Exodus, and certain other books of the prophets, we noticed that when the people did wrong, God did not call them “His people”; As it happened when He said to Moses “Your people have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32: 7); referring the people to Moses and not to Himself. While when they were sanctified, He became proud of them, and counted them as His people, their Sabbaths His Sabaths, their feasts His feasts, and their offerings His offerings. The secret of God’s sadness on those people, is that they set excuses to justify their reluctance to work. They claimed that the outer oppositions are divine signs that “The time that the Lord’s house should be built has not come”. They might as well, justified it that they should first care for building their own houses, to settle down with their families, then work to the account of the house of the Lord with comfortable hearts. They did not realize that it is befitting of them to have God first in their life, according to His own words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6: 33). Our life, being a group of opportunities; If one is lost, it may not come again, It would be befitting of us not to say: “The time has not yet come”; We should not be like ‘Felix’ the governor who postponed the opportunity to repent until he has a convenient 3 time (Acts 24: 25); which we did not hear he ever had. But we should say instead: “Exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘today’, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3: 13); and, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5: 16). 2- A REPROACH ON THEIR CARE FOR TEMPORAL THINGS: While saying the time that the Lord’s house should be built has not come, they dwell in houses paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling, fit for kings (1 kings 7: 7; Jeremiah 22: 14). They, not only prefer the temporal to the eternal, but they even overdo it by living in palaces fit for kings. He says to them: “Consider your ways” (5); (Or as it came in the Arabic version: “Put your hearts on your ways”). Using the word “hearts” here, means meditating in the inner life, or examining the soul; according to the words of the apostle: “Let each one examine his own work” (Galatians 6: 4); namely, judge himself by himself, before others judge him . Here, to help them reconsider themselves, the prophet says: “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes” (6). By rejecting to attach himself to God, his Creator, man rejects the blessing in his life. Nature would come against him, and the earth would not give him its fruition. However much he eats, or much he drinks, his body would not enjoy satisfaction This is what the Holy Book warns in several locations, saying: “When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back to your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied” (Leviticus 26: 26). “Because of your sins, you shall eat, but not be satisfied; Hunger shall be in your midst; You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And you make sweet wine, but not drink wine” (Micah 6: 14, 15; Hosea 4: 10). St. Clement of Alexandria believes that, to put wages in a bag with holes, is to gather wealth and shut it in without giving alms to the poor1. Commending ‘Epiphanius’ the blind priest, St Jerome said to him: [You are not putting your wages in a bag with holes, but are putting your treasures in heaven2]. And in St. John Cassian’s debates, Father Ibrahim says that the one with a bag with holes is he who hears the wise sayings of others, then loses what he hears, because of his lack of self-control, and of concentration of mind3. Man would lose the blessing even in temporal things, through forsaking the Source of the blessing. That is what the Lord again confirms, by threatening them, not for the sake of revenge, but of bringing them back to Him, saying: “Because of My house that is in ruins, while everyone of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands” (9 – 11). 1 Instr. 2: 3. 2 Ep. 76: 3. 3 Conf. 24: 13. 4 When man disregard his Creator, all creation will disregard him: Heaven will withhold its dew, and the earth will withhold its fruit; Even the atmosphere will not be mild anymore, Temperature will go so high, to have a drastic effect on man, livestock, and plants, on mountains and plains, to corrupt all the labor of hands. In the book of Deuteronomy it came: “Your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28: 23, 24). Once man hardens his heart, heaven over his head will be as hard as bronze, and the earth will be like iron without fruit. And once his thoughts become earthly and dusty, the rain for him will change to dust to destroy him It is as though nature will present to him, of what is hidden inside him. In the Septuagint version it came: “I called the sword to come down on the earth and the mountains, etc …” It would not be just the anger of nature on him, but he will also lose his peace with his fellow men, who will chase him with the sword wherever he goes, even if he hides in the clefts of rocks on the mountains; and with their violence, they will scatter all his fruit. We can also interpret the divine words: “Because of My house that is in ruins, while everyone of you runs to his own house”; That, by ‘His house’, He means His inner dwelling place in us, that would turn into ruins through losing God Himself as a Dweller; Then the soul would run to her own house, to shut herself in, to hold fast to her selfishness, And instead of gaining, she would enter into complete loss and deprivation. When the soul loses the grace of God (the dew of heaven), and be deprived of the work of the Holy Spirit; And when the earth withholds its fruits; namely when the body loses its sanctification, and lacks the fruits, rejoicing to God and man; The life of man would become immensely disturbed; The inner sword would chase him wherever he goes; would destroy his land (his body), and his mountains (his haughty potentials); and would corrupt his wheat, new wine, and oil; to become hungry, thirsty, and sick. Yet, the Merciful God would not forsake us like this, but provides us with the following treatment: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified” (7, 8): a- The treatment begins by saying: “Consider your ways” (or put your hearts on your ways). Without considering his ways, there would be no reform for the soul of man; He should consider, not only his outer apparent behavior, but also meditate in the heart itself. This book concerns the rebuilding the inner house of the Lord; It raises our thought to what is inside the heart, being the center of work; As though he says: ‘Prepare your heart, so that the Lord would make His dwelling place in you by His Holy Spirit’. b- It does not stop at mere meditation in the heart, but He says: “Go up to the mountains” Instead of our haughty mountain, namely (the ego), that brings us down to the pit, We should go up to that mountain, about which the prophet Daniel said: “The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2: 35). The mountain about which is said: “A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5: 14). Let us therefore ascend by the Lord Himself; to be set on Him, as the Mountain that fills the whole earth; and to be raised by Him, being the Rock of our faith, as a luminous city and a holy temple. From there we bring wood to build the house of the 5 Lord; namely, to bear His cross, and to partake of His sufferings; as the sanctuaries of the Lord would not be set in us outside His sufferings, c- He finally says: “Build the temple (the house), that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified”. Although He is the Builder of the house, according to the words of the Psalmist: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127; 1); Yet He says: “Build the house”; to confirm that He sanctifies the human freedom of will; and that He does not set His house in us against our free will, nor without us; He even refers the work to us, although He is the One who works in us. 3- THE FRUITION OF THE DIVINE CALL: The prophetic words produced their joyful fruition; As the governor, the priest, and all the people listened to the words of the Lord; And, filled with fear before His face, they started working. It is as though, when man listens to the divine words, his will (the governor) would submit; his heart (the priest) would bow; all his energies (the people) would respond; And being filled with the fear of the Lord, he would work with all his strength through joyful inner harmony.
Welcome