Haggai’s message is for the people of God to build the temple for the Name of the Lord. The Israelites had been in exile because of their idolatry. Cyrus, the great King of Persia, allowed the people to return to Jerusalem with the specific task of building the temple for the Lord (see 2 Chronicles 36:23). Time went by and the people did not obey the command of God or king. Haggai was sent to remind them to do what God said was important.

The people did not refuse to build the temple outright. They just said, "Now is not the time. We must wait for the time to be right" (v2). No one would dare say that building the Lord’s House was a bad thing to do—it is just finding the time to do it. I don’t know of anyone who says that reading the Bible is a bad thing to do—it’s just finding the time to do it. Of course we believe in prayer—it’s just finding the time to do it. Worshiping the Lord is important—but it is hard to find time to do it.

Do we really believe these excuses? Or are they a way we cover up the obvious: we are not placing importance on what God would have us consider important. We don’t think we need to be doing the things God thinks we need to be doing. We view other things as important and think they will give us what we need. We emphasize them to the point that we neglect the things God has told us to do. We really think we know better than God.

The temple was the symbolic place of God’s presence. To have the temple was to be able to physically point to the symbol of God being with his people. For the Jews to put off building the temple was to say, "It is not important to be known as the people of God. To know that God is with us is not important."

Am I too severe? Could they not know that God is present with them in their heart? Would that not be enough? Absolutely not! God had told them the way he wanted his presence shown and it was through the temple. We please God by doing what he says, not by doing what he says only when we fully understand and agree with his ways. To say to God, "Your way of symbolizing your presence is not important (I know a better and cheaper way)" is disobedience. Their disobedience was a rejection of the Lord.

The temple also was the place symbolic of redemption. The temple is where the sacrifices were performed. The sacrifices were the symbolic way God set up to show redemption and forgiveness of sin. These sacrifices did not in themselves give redemption—it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Heb.10:4). The Temple was a huge signpost pointing forward to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross so the world would know even then that redemption is real. To put the rebuilding of the temple on the back burner is to say, "Redemption is not important".

We must not be lukewarm about the glory of God. We should hunger for the presence of God. It is unacceptable to be blasé about the redemption of human beings. The people who have been redeemed will glory in that redemption. The people who have been redeemed rejoice in it. The people who are redeemed proclaim the mercy and grace to God because they have been set free. Building the temple was a physical sign for the whole world to see that the Lord is a God of redemption and salvation.

What was the response to Haggai’s message? From Zerubbabel the leader on down, the people said, "It’s time to build the Temple." The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and all the people. When they realized they had missed the presence and redemption of God because of their disobedience, they all became builders. The Lord responded by assuring them: I am with you.

God has called us to build—not a temple made with hands, but the living temple of the body Jesus Christ on earth. We are the bricks, which God restores for use and places together with other Christians in this congregation. When people see us, they are to see the presence of God. How well do we display the presence of God in our lives together and in the World? This is what Christ desires to have built in us.

We are the living temple of God. We are called to be the place where redemption is seen and proclaimed to the world. Is Jesus saving you? Do you know the power of Christ saving you this week? Is it seen in you? Even more important, is it seen in us together. The world is waiting to see the redemption of Christ working though us. We are called to build. Now is the time to build.

Will you pray that your heart would respond to God’s call to build? Would you pray for the hearts of your pastor and leaders, that they will be stirred up to build the body of Christ here? Pray that the Lord will greatly make his presence and redemption known here.