ROOTED - Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Haggai 1:3-5

3 Then the word of
the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is
it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this
house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says
the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.

Reflection: Priorities

Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro

Haggai…
another one of the twelve “minor prophets.” Haggai finds himself prophesying
against the Children of Israel, unsurprisingly. The Babylonian destruction of
the Temple had taken place anywhere from 65-70 years before Haggai prophesied.
Furthermore, it had been nearly 20 years since the King of Assyria, Cyrus, had
conquered Babylon and released the Jewish people back to their homeland. Furthermore,
King Cyrus had commanded the people to rebuild their temple… an attempt to win
favor from his Jewish subordinates. The year is now 538 BC, and the people had
done nothing to rebuild the Temple, and it laid in ruin. The people of God had,
however, taken ample time to invest in their own opulent homes, with wood
panels (evidently a luxury in those days). Well, God, and the prophet Haggai,
are not happy about it. The word of the Lord come fast and furious… a call to
repentance for a hard heart and lack of concern and investment for the things
of God.

If
ever there were a prophetic message for today… one that “will preach” in our
current culture… it is this one: why are we not investing in the things of
the Lord? Indeed, Haggai says with stinging clarity: Are you satisfied
yet… you who are living in your opulence while God’s house is in shambles? Have
you gotten enough for yourself such that you can spare some change for God’s
work? Ouch! The prophet will go on, in chapter 1, to proclaim that to invest
into one’s own ambitions, at the expense of God’s Kingdom, is like putting your
money in a purse (or wallet) with a hole in it! So, it is in the Kingdom of God
that when we “seek first his Kingdom, all these things will be added to us”
(Mathhew 6). That is, the investment with the greatest guaranteed return, is
the investment that God is backing. Haggai reminds us to invest in God’s
things. The prophet is not saying to not invest in your “house.” He is asking
us to consider this: when will we be satisfied enough to make God our
ultimate priority.

Prayer

Heavenly
Father, may we seek your Kingdom first and foremost and find satisfaction in
you.