No. 15 of Returning Home (Reignited)
During the reign of Cambysses II work stopped on the temple because the people of Judah were discouraged by their adversaries. By 522 BCE, when Darius I came to reign over the Persian Empire, the people of Judah had abandoned the temple and turned to their own interests. God again stirred up His people to return to the work of His house. There were three people who helped motivate the children of God to finish what they’d started. The first two were Haggai and Zechariah.
Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. – Ezra 5:1(ESV)
Haggai spoke to Zerubbabel and Joshua, who were still the leaders of the people. His words show how God knew the thoughts of His people:
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” – Haggai 1:1-2(ESV)
God’s people had decided the “time wasn’t right.” After facing so much resistance, they had quit. This cease work decision lasted about 18 years! It is clear they would have left the temple unfinished had not God prodded them into returning to the job – their reason for coming home!
Two months later, Zechariah tells the people God’s reaction to the temple abandonment:
“In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers.” – Zechariah 1:1-2(ESV – “was” changed to “has been”, as translated in KJV)
Zechariah, in speaking to the people, sets blame on the generation – the fathers – who had come there to build and had given up. The fathers’ role was to reestablish their worship to God for generations to come. How could they do that without the temple?
God’s anger is explained in Haggai’s remonstrances:
Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” – Haggai 1:3-4(ESV)
God does not mince words about the behavior of these people. He is angry because they have left His house in a state of disrepair to focus on their own things. Their priorities were skewed.
This interaction between God and these leaders is eye-opening. It is one thing to feel resistance and be discouraged, but it is disastrous to choose to walk away… for 18 years. God reproaches the leaders who chose this inaction. He reproaches the first generation for not having a temple for the next generation to worship in. They had allowed their adversaries to change their path. They went from jubilant emotion while rebuilding to ignoring God’s work altogether. ‘It just isn’t the right time,’ they thought when the unfinished house of God returned to their minds. They allowed time to take from them their zeal and hope for God and His worship.
We as women may not consider ourselves leaders, yet we are given leadership roles. We are called mothers in 1 Tim. 5:2, and we have a responsibility to guide the children and the younger, inexperienced women of the faith. It is through our teaching and example that the next generation learns to set their priorities. Do we focus on our own things instead of God’s spiritual house, saying, “This just isn’t the right time?” Building their own houses was not wrong for the people of Judah to do. It was, in fact, a good work, but it caused them to neglect the best work; that’s where they went wrong. Women of the Church must often choose between what is good and what is best. Which work should take priority to build up God’s spiritual house? Which work will promote what is most important? We are the generation who builds up the next to worship God in spirit and in truth, as He wants to be worshiped.
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. – Ezra 5:2(ESV)
Zerubbabel and Joshua could have stiffened their necks at the rebukes of God’s prophets. After all, who were Haggai and Zechariah to tell the great leaders of Judah they were at fault? These leaders show their mettle by accepting the blame and changing their behavior. They put their priorities in order and return to build the temple. In doing so, they set an excellent example to both that next generation and to us today about the response of godly leaders.
Godly leaders accept godly building up (i.e., edification) of all forms. It may come in the form of rebuke, such as, “You are doing something wrong.” We live in a time when the rebuke of one Christian to another is considered offensive rather than edifying. Haggai and Zechariah’s criticisms would not please us to hear today. We have a misconception about godly correction. Without correction how will we know when we’re not keeping God’s priorities? Yes, rebuke is very hard to accept. When a child of God hasn’t learned humility to accept correction, it can harden that Christian’s heart to turn away from God’s precepts. But for the child of God who submits to the sting of rebuke, there is peace and blessing. She knows it is meant to stir up her heart to please her Heavenly Father. He will support her in her return to her godly priorities, as these leaders were given His support. Lastly, her example will benefit the next generation for God.
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