Elder Reflections on Remnant Renewal
In part one of Pastor Joel’s sermon series entitled “Rebuilding and Renewal,” we learned of God’s unfinished business with His remnant people following their return from Babylon.
For many of us, the book of Haggai is in that section of the Bible where the gilded edges of the paper still stick together. But II Timothy 3:16 reminds us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” So let’s pry apart the pages to discover what Haggai has in store for us!
The very first sentence of Haggai’s account places us 18-19 years following the Jew’s return from exile. Although they started to rebuild the temple, nearly two decades later, all that stood to show for their efforts was a slab – the very beginnings of a foundation.
While Israel was no longer under the rule of a national enemy, an insidious moral one had taken root. Their hearts were diverted to other things like agriculture and the building of their own houses. Amid it all, God’s dwelling, the temple, remained unfinished. God had not spoken for 18-19 years. Did the people even notice? Did they even care?
God never gives up on His people. Through the prophet Haggai, a renewed rousing would take place to which they might respond in reverential obedience. A temple destined to be destroyed time and again until a Greater Rebuilding took place through Messiah. A Temple made not of wood and stone, but of people – children of a Promise.
In His Service,
Oxlip Board of Elders
For many of us, the book of Haggai is in that section of the Bible where the gilded edges of the paper still stick together. But II Timothy 3:16 reminds us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” So let’s pry apart the pages to discover what Haggai has in store for us!
The very first sentence of Haggai’s account places us 18-19 years following the Jew’s return from exile. Although they started to rebuild the temple, nearly two decades later, all that stood to show for their efforts was a slab – the very beginnings of a foundation.
While Israel was no longer under the rule of a national enemy, an insidious moral one had taken root. Their hearts were diverted to other things like agriculture and the building of their own houses. Amid it all, God’s dwelling, the temple, remained unfinished. God had not spoken for 18-19 years. Did the people even notice? Did they even care?
God never gives up on His people. Through the prophet Haggai, a renewed rousing would take place to which they might respond in reverential obedience. A temple destined to be destroyed time and again until a Greater Rebuilding took place through Messiah. A Temple made not of wood and stone, but of people – children of a Promise.
In His Service,
Oxlip Board of Elders
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