A Bag With Holes

 “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Consider your ways!’” Haggai 1:3-4

I loved the home in which I grew up as a young girl and teenager. It was a beautiful house and my parents did a great job of building it into a welcoming environment. Our family room had goldish shag carpet with a beautiful brick fireplace surrounded by dark paneled walls. When I close my eyes, I can remember many precious memories of being in that room with no cares and few concerns. All of my needs were met and with my dad in his chair and my mom on the couch I felt safe, secure and constantly cared for. When I read this passage, it immediately brought to mind this snapshot of nostalgia. But in our passage above the paneled walls and houses meant more to the Jews than what it meant to me as a child. ‘To them, a paneled house was a sign of wealth. Walls and ceilings overlaid with cedar were common in wealthy residences.’ Take Courage, Jennifer Rothschild, p. 37. God’s message was crystal clear when confronting them: ‘The priorities you have chosen for now are misplaced and self-focused while My priorities lay in shambles! Just look around and examine what you are spending your time on…your money… your pursuits.’ Once He got their attention, He made them aware of the folly of building lives based on their own priorities.

‘You have sown…and bring in little; You eat…but do not have enough; You drink…but are not filled; You clothe…but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes’ Haggai 1:6. YIKES! I think that God is still communicating that message to us all these years later. He knows that building a life of ‘me-first’ doesn’t bring about contentment. He knows that time spent on our own agenda takes away opportunities meant for His. When we build our lives with our own interest at heart, nothing can satisfy our desires. ‘We often can trace our discontent, discouragement, and dissatisfaction to a priority that is out of whack. When self-promotion is above God-devotion, we end up dissatisfied. God wasn’t after their houses…He was after their hearts’ p. 39.

‘Lord help us consider our ways as we make choices today, tomorrow and next week. Help us become aware of what You are trying to do around us and in us. Show us how to hold up what we most focus on and examine what place, if any, it has in Your heart. Give us clarity on the things that will bring us spiritual contentment and satisfaction in Your purpose for our lives. Amen.’