“…And try Me in this, says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10
When the Lord God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, and into the promised land by Joshua, from the time that the Tabernacle was made in the wilderness to the time it was set up, and kept in Shiloh, for many years during the time of the judges, it remained the center point of the worship of God. It was when the worship of the true and living God was compromised by idolatry and slothfulness, resulting in sin and a departure from God, that the Lord would forsake “the tabernacle of Shiloh, “delivering His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy’s hand.” (Ps. 78:60,61) But this is not the end of the story, especially in God’s pursuit of His people, seeking ever to bring them back in their minds and hearts to true worship, that which Jesus would speak about to the Samaritan woman at the well, when He told her: “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth.” (Jn. 4:23) This is because God is Spirit, and thus, not confined to a place or time. He can only be truly worshiped according to His truth, in His way, by the power and wisdom of the Spirit of God.
After the captivity of Israel in Babylon, which lasted seventy years, God would stretch forth His hand again upon those who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. A mandate from the Persian King Cyrus was given to him from “the Lord God of heaven” to build God’s house in Jerusalem. The first “house” of God, that being the temple of Solomon had, like the tabernacle of old, been destroyed, because of Israel’ departure from God. However, God would not only stir up King Cyrus, to accomplish Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning this event given about one hundred and fifty years before Cyrus was born, but would also stir up the principal men, and the remnant of believers, who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The result was that work on the temple was begun, but later hindered by the enemies of Israel. It was then, by the prophetic words of Haggai to the people that the Lord God exposed a fundamental need of the people, a need that had to be remedied for there to be the blessing of God, and the accomplishment of the task, a task which was of monumental importance, not only to Israel as a people who would seek to truly worship God, but as a testimony to the world that their God was the true and living God.
God’s word by Haggai to the people was this: “‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of Hosts, ‘Consider your ways.'” (Hag. 1;4,5) Israel had become divided between her devotion to God, and to herself, and her interests. The power of God, the very blessing of God upon them, was limited, and not sufficient to overcome their enemies, and the monumental task before them. “They looked for much, but indeed, it came to little.” (1:9) However, through the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, the Lord’s servants, faith and commitment were restored, and with them, the revelation of God by the promise of God: “Once more (it is a little while) I will shake the heaven and earth, the sea and dry land…The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place, I will give peace.” (Hag.2:6,9)
The windows of heaven for Israel at that time, were waiting to be opened. The temple she was called to build was nothing compared to the former one built by Solomon. Yet, God would declare to them, “I am with you.” (2:4), “From this day I will bless you.” (2:19)
Dear Father, Grant us singular devotion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.