From today’s reading...
But take courage now, Zerubbabel!-Yahweh declares. Courage, Joshua son of Jehozadak high priest! Courage, all you people of the country!-Yahweh declares. To work! I am with you -- Yahweh Sabaoth declares-and my spirit is present among you. Do not be afraid!” Haggai 2:4-5
Imagine how distraught and fearful you’d feel if our nation was invaded, our Capitol destroyed, and we were driven into exile for 70 years.
Imagine being Catholic and seeing the Vatican overrun and St. Peter’s Basilica wiped off the face of the earth as you were marched away in chains. How would you feel?
Haggai was speaking to people whose parents and grandparents had lived this experience.
These second and third-generation exiled Jews had never seen the Temple and had only known life as slaves, but now they were allowed to return home and get to work rebuilding the Temple.
However, they were hesitant to do so.
They had lost their faith.
How does God restore their faith?
He sends a spirited, vocal leader with the instruction, “Get off your rears and GET TO WORK!”
God knows that idle hands are the work of the devil.
God knows that you don’t feel better then, get to work: you get to work, and feel better.
And working and feeling better is the only way to...
Stay the course.
Keep the faith.
Endure.
Now go sell something.