Message Three Crucial Types of God’s Building in the Old Testament

THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

God’s Building

Message Three
Crucial Types of God’s Building in the Old Testament

Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:22; John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3; Gen. 13:18; 35:1; 28:12; Exo. 15:18; 1 Kings 6:1, John 2:19-21; 1:14; Col. 2:9; Ezek. 40:1; Deut. 8:7; Hag. 1:2-15; Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:20-21

I. The building of Eve with the rib taken from Adam’s side typifies the building of the church with the resurrection life released from Christ through His death on the cross and imparted into His believers in His resurrection—Gen. 2:22; John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3:

A. The church as the real Eve is the totality of Christ in all His believers—Eph. 5:28-30.

B. Only that which comes out of Christ with His resurrection life can be His complement and counterpart, the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 5:28-30.

II. Abraham’s tent with the altar built by him was a prefigure of the tabernacle with the altar built by the children of Israel after the exodus from Egypt—Exo. 40; Gen. 13:18.

III. God’s purpose according to His heart’s desire is to have Bethel, His house on earth—Gen. 35:1; 28:12:

A. God desires to have a house on earth. His intention is to transform His called ones into stones, material for His building.

B. His intention is to transform His called ones into stones, material for His building—1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 2:22; 1 Cor. 3:16-17, 11.

IV. The breastplate on the ephod signifies the church as the building together of God’s redeemed people upon Christ—Exo. 28:15; 1 Cor. 3:10-12a:

A. The twelve precious stones set in gold symbolize the saints as transformed precious stones built together in the divine nature of Christ to become one entity, the church as Christ’s Body—Exo. 15:17-20; 1 Cor. 3:10-12a.

B. The entire ephod with its shoulder pieces and the breastplate are a marvelous portrait of Christ with the church—Eph. 1:22-23.

V. The temple replaced the tabernacle as God’s dwelling on earth; the temple first signifies the incarnated Christ, the embodiment of God as God’s dwelling on the earth—1 Kings 6:1; John 2:19-21, 1:14; Col. 2:9:

A. It also signifies the church, including all the believers, the members of Christ, as the enlargement of Christ to be God’s dwelling on the earth—1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; Eph. 2:21-22.

B. The contents of the tabernacle were placed in the temple, indicating that as God’s dwelling place the tabernacle and the temple were one—Exo. 40:2, 34.

C. The tabernacle was a portable precursor moving through the wilderness, whereas the temple was a consummation of God’s building in typology—1 Kings 8:1-11.

VI. In the three previous sections of the book of Ezekiel, concerning the glory of the Lord (ch. 1), the judgment of God (chs. 2—32), and the recovery of the Lord (chs. 33—39), are all for the holy building of God (chs. 40—48)—Ezek. 40:1:

A. God’s eternal purpose is to have a building as a mingling of Himself with His chosen people; whatever God does among His people and among the nations on earth is for His building—Exo. 25:8; Eph. 2:19-22.

B. Beginning with Abraham’s tent, progressing to the tabernacle and then to Solomon’s temple, and concluding with the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, there is a continual progression in the enlargement of God’s building in the Old Testament—Gen. 13:18, footnote 1.

C. This enlargement signifies a continual increase in the experience of Christ by God’s people—1 Kings 6:2, footnote 1.

D. God’s building in the Old Testament prefigures God’s spiritual building in the New Testament, which begins with Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, as God’s tabernacle and God’s temple, advances to the church, the Body of Christ, as the enlargement of Christ and consummates with the New Jerusalem as the ultimate manifestation and enlargement of God’s building in eternity—John 1:14, 2:19-21; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:20-22; Rev. 21:2-3, 15-17.

VII. By enjoying the riches of the land, the children of Israel were able to build up the temple to be God’s habitation on earth and the city of Jerusalem to establish God’s kingdom on earth—Deut. 8:7-9:

A. Likewise, by enjoying the unsearchable riches of Christ, the believers in Christ are built up to be Christ’s Body, the church, which is Christ’s fullness, His expression, and which is also the habitation of God and the kingdom of God—Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21- 22; 1 Tim. 3:15; Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17.

B. Ultimately, God’s habitation and God’s kingdom will consummate in the New Jerusalem in eternity for the fulfillment of God’s eternal economy—Rev. 21:1-3, 22; 22:1, 3.

VIII. The central thought of Haggai’s prophecy is that the building of the house of Jehovah is related to the welfare of God’s people today—Hag. 1:2-15; Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:20-21:

A. During the years when the rebuilding of the temple was interrupted through the opposition of the adversaries (Ezra 4), the children of Israel began to build houses for themselves and gradually forgot the building of the temple—Ezra 4:2-4.

B. It is impossible for us to be neutral; we must be absolute, either taking care of our houses first or taking care of the Lord’s house first—cf. Matt. 6:33; Luke 9:57-62.

C. If we do not have the heart to take care of God’s house for His satisfaction, no matter how much we eat or drink or how well we dress, there will be no satisfaction—Hag. 1:6.

D. In our response to the Lord’s charge, we all should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in the work of preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others for the building up of the Lord’s house, the church as the Body of Christ—John 21:15-17.

Ministry Excerpts:

THE BUILDING OF EVE

The Church as the Real Eve Being the Totality of Christ in All His Believers

Genesis 2:22: “And Jehovah God built the rib, which He had taken from the man, into woman and brought her to the man.”

It does not say that Eve was created but that she was built. The building of Eve with the rib taken from Adam’s side typifies the building of the church with the resurrection life released from Christ through His death on the cross and imparted into His believers in His resurrection (John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3). The church as the real Eve is the totality of Christ in all His believers. Only that which comes out of Christ with His resurrection life can be His complement and counterpart, the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 5:28-30). (Genesis 2:22, footnote 1, Recovery Version)

At the end of the Bible is a city, New Jerusalem, the ultimate and eternal woman, the corporate bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9; 22:17), built with three precious materials (Rev. 21:18-21), fulfilling for eternity the type shown in this chapter. Thus, in type all the precious materials mentioned in vv. 11-12 are for the building of the woman (see note 121). (Genesis 2:22, footnote 2, Recovery Version)

The Church Being Built out of Christ’s Resurrection Life

…The church is out of Christ. The church comes out of Christ and is a part of Christ, just as Eve came out of Adam and was a part of Adam. Anything that was not of Adam was not Eve. In the same way, anything that is not of Christ is not the church. Eve was built out of Adam’s rib, a part of Adam (Gen. 2:21-23), and the church is built out of Christ’s resurrection life, a part of Christ (John 19:34-36). When Peter received a revelation from God that the Lord Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the Lord told Peter that He would build the church upon Himself as the rock (Matt. 16:16-18). The Lord builds the church through His resurrection life, and the church that is built upon Him is one with Him because of His resurrection life. The resurrection life of Christ is just Christ Himself.

On the cross Christ released His resurrection life in order to produce the church. As a result, the church shares one life with Christ and is a part of Christ. This is the way that the church is built upon Christ and is one with Him. Eve was one with Adam because she was built from Adam’s rib, which was just Adam. Eve was part of Adam, out of Adam, and shared one life with Adam. Only that which was out of Adam could be joined to him, and only that which was of Adam could become one flesh with him. Likewise, only that which is out of Christ can be joined to Christ and built upon Christ, and only that which is of Christ can be one with Christ. Without Adam there would be no Eve, and without Christ there would be no church. A rib had to be taken out of Adam in order for Eve to be built. Similarly, Christ’s life had to be released in order for the church to be produced.

May God give us the spiritual vision to see that the church is absolutely out of Christ. The church is the fullness of Christ, the overflow of Christ, and, thus, a part of Christ. The church can be built upon Christ and joined as one to Christ because the church is built with the resurrection life of Christ. In order to know the church, the nature of the church, and the relationship between the cross and the church, we must see that the church is produced by Christ’s resurrection life and constituted with Christ. Then we will comprehend the necessity of the cross in relation to the existence of the church. (CWWL, 1952, vol. 1, “Christ and the Cross”, msg. 17)

Abraham’s Tent with the Altar Built by Him Being a Prefigure of the Tabernacle with the Altar Built by the Children of Israel
after the Exodus from Egypt

Genesis 13:18: “And Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to Jehovah.”

Abraham first pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai and built an altar there (Gen. 12:8). His tent there was a testimony of God to the world (see note Gen. 12:82). At Hebron Abraham’s tent became a place where he had fellowship with God. By Abraham’s pitching a tent at Hebron, God had a place on earth where He could communicate and fellowship with man (cf. Gen. 18). Abraham’s tent with the altar built by him was a prefigure of the tabernacle with the altar built by the children of Israel after the exodus from Egypt (Exo. 40). That tabernacle was God’s testimony (Exo. 38:21) and the place where God and His people could dwell and fellowship together. The ultimate consummation of the tabernacle will be the New Jerusalem, the testimony, the expression, of God in eternity and the eternal dwelling place of God and all His called ones (Rev. 21:2-3 and note Rev. 21:31; Rev. 21:22 and note Rev. 21:222). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Gen. 13:18, footnote 1)

GOD’S PURPOSE ACCORDING TO HIS HEART’S DESIRE BEING TO HAVE BETHEL—THE HOUSE OF GOD

At Bethel Jacob had made a vow to God, promising that if God would preserve him and care for him, the stone which he set up for a pillar would be the house of God (28:20-22). Here, God reminded Jacob to fulfill his part of that vow (cf. 31:13). On his return from Paddan-aram, Jacob came to Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he settled there (33:18-20). However, this was short of God’s goal. God’s purpose according to His heart’s desire is to have Bethel, His house on earth. Thus, it was necessary for Jacob to go on from Shechem to Bethel. All the unfortunate events in ch. 34 were sovereignly used by God to make it impossible for Jacob to remain in Shechem and to prepare Jacob to receive God’s charge to go up to Bethel. Jacob’s passing through Shechem and going up to Bethel signifies our passing through the individual Christian life and going up to the corporate church life for the building up of God’s eternal dwelling place, which is the church today and the New Jerusalem in eternity.

Bethel is a great seed in the Bible, a seed of the house of God. When Israel, the transformed Jacob, was multiplied into the house of Israel, in God’s eyes the house of Israel was the house of God (see note 6 in Heb. 3). Eventually, the tabernacle and later the temple were built as symbols of the house of Israel as God’s dwelling place on the earth in the Old Testament time. In the beginning of the New Testament the Lord Jesus came through incarnation to be the reality of the tabernacle and the temple (John 1:14; 2:18-21). Then, in Matt. 16:18 the Lord prophesied that He would build the church as the habitation, thetemple, of God (Eph. 2:22; 1 Cor. 3:16-17) on Himself as the rock and with His believers as stones (1 Cor. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:5). This is Bethel, the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15). Ultimately, this Bethel will be enlarged to consummate in the New Jerusalem, the eternal tabernacle of God, in which God Himself and the Lamb will be the temple (Rev. 21:3, 22). See note 12 in ch. 28. (Genesis 35:1, footnote 1, Recovery Version)

God Desiring to Have a House on Earth

Jacob’s dream is a most crucial point in this book, and vv. 10-22 unveil the most crucial matter in the revelation of God. God desires to have a house on earth, and His intention is to transform His called ones into stones, material for His building.

God’s Intention Being to Transform His Called Ones into Stones,
Material for His Building

In the account of Jacob’s dream, the stone (vv. 11, 18, 22), the pillar (v. 18), the house of God (vv. 17, 19, 22), and the oil (v. 18) are outstanding items. The stone symbolizes Christ as the foundation stone, the top stone, and the cornerstone for God’s building (Isa. 28:16; Zech. 4:7; Acts 4:10-12). It also symbolizes the transformed man, who has been constituted with Christ as the transforming element to be the material for the building of God’s house (Gen. 2:12; Matt. 16:18; John 1:42; 1 Cor. 3:12; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 21:11, 18-20), which is the church today (1 Tim. 3:15) and which will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal dwelling place of God and His redeemed elect (Rev. 21:3, 22). In v. 11 a stone was used by Jacob for a pillow, signifying that the very divine element of Christ constituted into our being through our subjective experience of Him becomes a pillow for our rest (cf. Matt. 11:28). After awaking from his dream, Jacob set up the pillow-stone as a pillar, signifying that the Christ who has been wrought into us and on whom we rest becomes the material and the support for God’s building, God’s house (cf. 1 Kings 7:21; Gal. 2:9; Rev. 3:12). Eventually, Jacob poured oil, a symbol of the Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God reaching man (Exo. 30:23-30; Luke 4:18), on the pillar, symbolizing that the transformed man is one with the Triune God and expresses Him. That stone became Bethel, the house of God (vv. 19, 22). God’s house is the mutual dwelling place of God and His redeemed (John 14:2, 23)— man as God’s dwelling place (Isa. 66:1-2; 1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:22; Heb. 3:6; Rev. 21:3) and God as man’s dwelling place (Psa. 90:1; John 15:5; Rev. 21:22). Hence, the house of God is constituted of God and man mingled together as one. In God’s house God expresses Himself in humanity, and both God and man find mutual and eternal satisfaction and rest. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Gen. 28:12, footnote 1)

THE BREASTPLATE ON THE EPHOD SIGNIFIES THE CHURCH AS THE BUILDING TOGETHER OF GOD’S REDEEMED PEOPLE UPON CHRIST

Exo. 28:15: “And you shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet strands, and of fine twined linen you shall make it.”

The breastplate on the ephod signifies the church as the building together of God’s redeemed people upon Christ. The twelve precious stones set in gold (vv. 17-20) symbolize the saints as transformed precious stones built together in the divine nature of Christ to become one entity, the church as Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 3:10-12a; Eph. 1:22-23). Therefore, the breastplate is a miniature of the building up of God’s people (see note 121 in Gen. 2), indicating that the believers in Christ are distinct individuals but are not divided (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27). The entire ephod with its shoulder pieces and the breastplate are a marvelous portrait of Christ with the church. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Exo. 28:15, footnote 2)

THE TEMPLE REPLACING THE TABERNACLE
AS GOD’S DWELLING ON EARTH

The temple replaced the tabernacle as God’s dwelling on earth. The temple first signifies the incarnated Christ, the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9), as God’s dwelling on the earth (John 2:19-21; 1:14). It also signifies the church, including all the believers, the members of Christ, as the enlargement of Christ to be God’s dwelling on the earth (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; Eph. 2:21-22). Christ and the church are one, Christ being the Head and the church being the Body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18a). The Body is the enlargement of the Head for God’s dwelling. Hence, God’s dwelling in Christ is God’s dwelling in the church. (1 Kings 6:1 footnote 2, Recovery Version)

Solomon and the temple built by him typify Christ and His Body, the church, respectively, as the center, the reality, and the goal of God’s eternal economy. Since Solomon and the temple play the strongest roles in the history of Israel and occupy a wide realm in such a history, they are strong evidence that the history of Israel is very much related to the accomplishing of God’s eternal economy in the Old Testament in the way of typology. This is a clear indication that the books of history were written from the point of view of God’s eternal economy concerning Christ and the church. (1 Kings 6:1 footnote 2, Recovery Version)

GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE TO HAVE A BUILDING

The three previous sections of this book, concerning the glory of the Lord (ch. 1), the judgment of God (chs. 2—32), and the recovery of the Lord (chs. 33—39), are all for the holy building of God (chs. 40—48). God’s eternal purpose is to have a building as a mingling of Himself with His chosen people. Whatever God does among His people and among the nations on earth is for His building. This is confirmed by the book of Revelation, which is parallel to the book of Ezekiel and concludes with God’s ultimate building, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2—22:5). (Ezekiel 40:1 footnote 1, Recovery Version)

There Being a Continual Progression in the Enlargement of God’s Building in the Old Testament

After the destruction of the temple built by Solomon (2 Kings 25:8-9), the temple was rebuilt by the captives who returned from Babylon (Ezra 3:6b-13; 6:13-15). Later, this temple was replaced by Herod’s temple, which was built in forty-six years (John 2:20). Herod’s temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Roman army under Titus (Dan. 9:26; Matt. 23:38; 24:2). Neither the temple in Ezra’s day nor the temple of Herod’s time was the full recovery of the temple built by Solomon. However, the temple of Ezekiel’s vision was a more than full recovery of Solomon’s temple. Although the temple itself was the same size as the one built by Solomon (41:2, 4; cf. 1 Kings 6:2), a number of details related to the gates, the courts, and the buildings around the temple in Ezekiel’s vision indicate an enlargement over Solomon’s temple. Thus, beginning with Abraham’s tent (see note 18 in Gen. 14), progressing to the tabernacle and then to Solomon’s temple, and concluding with the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, there is a continual progression in the enlargement of God’s building in the Old Testament. This enlargement signifies a continual increase in the experience of Christ by God’s people (cf. note 20 in 1 Kings 6). God’s building in the Old Testament prefigures God’s spiritual building in the New Testament, which begins with Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, as God’s tabernacle (John 1:14) and God’s temple (John 2:19-21), advances to the church, the Body of Christ, as the enlargement of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:20-22), and consummates with the New Jerusalem as the ultimate manifestation and enlargement of God’s building in eternity (Rev. 21:2-3, 15-17). (Ezekiel 40:1 footnote 1, Recovery Version)

New Testament Believers as Components of God’s Spiritual Building

Literally, the visions concerning God’s holy building in chs. 40—48 will be fulfilled in the restoration, when the restored Israel will rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem for their dwelling with God in the millennium. The spiritual significances of all the details should be applied to the New Testament believers as components of God’s spiritual building, the church. (Ezekiel 40:1 footnote 1, Recovery Version)

Ezekiel saw the first vision, the vision of the appearance of the glory of the Lord, when he was thirty years of age, the age at which a priest began to function (1:1). He saw the last vision, the vision of the holy building of God, twenty years later (cf. 1:2), at the age of fifty, the age of retirement for a priest (Num. 4:3). This indicates that to see the building of God, Ezekiel needed more maturity in life (cf. note 1 in ch. 1). (Ezekiel 40:2 footnote 1, Recovery Version)

BEING BUILT UP TO BE CHRIST’S BODY BY ENJOYING THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST

Deut. 8:7: “For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of waterbrooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains.”

The good land, the land of Canaan, is a full, complete, and consummate type of the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9) realized as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17), as the inheritance allotted to God’s people for their enjoyment (Col. 1:12 and note Col. 1:122; Col. 2:6-7 and note Col. 2:62; Gal. 3:14 and note Gal. 3:143). The riches of the good land in vv. 7-9 typify the unsearchable riches of Christ in different aspects (Eph. 3:8) as the bountiful supply to His believers in His Spirit (Phil. 1:19). The waterbrooks, springs, and fountains signify Christ as the flowing Spirit (John 4:14; 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1), and the valleys and mountains signify the different kinds of environments in which we may experience Christ as the flowing Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 6:8-10). Wheat typifies the incarnated Christ, who was crucified and buried to multiply Himself (John 12:24), and barley, being the first-ripe grain (2 Sam. 21:9), points to the resurrected Christ as the firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20). Vines typify the Christ who sacrificed Himself to produce wine to cheer God and man (Judg. 9:13; Matt. 9:17). The fig tree speaks of the sweetness and satisfaction of Christ as the life supply (Judg. 9:11); the pomegranates signify the fullness, the abundance and beauty, and the expression of the riches of Christ as life (Exo. 28:33-34; 1 Kings 7:18-20; S.S. 4:3, 13); the bread signifies Christ as the bread of life (John 6:35, 48); the olive tree typifies Christ (Rom. 11:17) as the One who was filled with the Spirit and anointed with the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 18; Heb. 1:9); olive oil typifies the Holy Spirit, by whom we walk to honor God and whom we minister to honor man (Gal. 5:16, 25; 2 Cor. 3:6, 8; Judg. 9:9); and milk and honey (Deut. 6:3) speak forth the goodness and sweetness of Christ (see note Exo. 3:82). Stones signify Christ as material for building God’s dwelling place (Isa. 28:16; Zech. 4:7; 1 Pet. 2:4). The iron and copper are for making weapons (Gen. 4:22; 1 Sam. 17:5-7) and typify our spiritual warfare by which we fight the enemy (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:10-20). Iron also signifies Christ’s ruling authority (Matt. 28:18; Rev. 19:15), and copper, Christ’s judging power (Rev. 1:15 and note Rev. 1:151). The mountains from which copper is mined signify Christ’s resurrection and ascension (Eph. 4:8 and note Eph. 4:81).

God’s goal in His economy is not merely to redeem His people and save them from the world, typified by Egypt, but to bring them into Christ, typified by the good land, that they may possess Him and enjoy His unsearchable riches. By enjoying the riches of the land, the children of Israel were able to build up the temple to be God’s habitation on earth and the city of Jerusalem to establish God’s kingdom on earth. Likewise, by enjoying the unsearchable riches of Christ, the believers in Christ are built up to be Christ’s Body, the church, which is Christ’s fullness, His expression (Eph. 1:22-23), and which is also the habitation of God (Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15) and the kingdom of God (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17). Ultimately, God’s habitation and God’s kingdom will consummate in the New Jerusalem in eternity for the fulfillment of God’s eternal economy (Rev. 21:1-3, 22; 22:1, 3). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Deut. 8:7, footnote 1)

THE BUILDING OF THE HOUSE OF JEHOVAH BEING RELATED TO
THE WELFARE OF GOD’S PEOPLE TODAY

The central thought of Haggai’s prophecy is that the building of the house of Jehovah is related to the welfare of God’s people today and to the coming of the millennial kingdom with its Messiah in the age of restoration (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:20-21). In the Old Testament the house of God, or the temple, was first a type of Christ as the house of God individually (John 2:19-21) and then a type of the church, the Body, the enlarged Christ, as God’s house corporately (1 Tim. 3:15). Thus, Haggai’s prophecy refers to us, the New Testament believers, since we are the reality of the type. (Haggai 1:1 footnote 2, Recovery Version)

Being Absolute, Either Taking Care of Our Houses First or Taking Care of
the Lord’s House First

During the years when the rebuilding of the temple was interrupted through the opposition of the adversaries (Ezra 4), the children of Israel began to build houses for themselves and gradually forgot the building of the temple (vv. 2-4). Haggai’s speaking to Zerubbabel the governor, representing the kingship, and Joshua the high priest, representing the priesthood, was to strengthen and encourage them and the people for the rebuilding of the temple as God’s house (Ezra 5:1 and note Ezra 5:11). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Hag. 1:1, footnote 3)

Hag. 1:9: “You looked for much, and yet it amounted to little; and when you brought it home, I blew on it. Why? declares Jehovah of hosts. Because of My house that lies waste while you each run to your own house.”

The word run indicates that the people were busy caring for their own houses. It is impossible for us to be neutral. We must be absolute, either taking care of our houses first or taking care of the Lord’s house first (cf. Matt. 6:33; Luke 9:57-62). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Hag. 1:9, footnote 1)

The self-serving and God-neglecting returned captives were taking care of their houses but not Jehovah’s house; hence, He came in to ask them concerning His house. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Hag. 1:5, footnote 1)

Having No Real Enjoyment or Satisfaction If We Neglect the Church

This indicates that if we do not have the heart to take care of God’s house for His satisfaction, no matter how much we eat or drink or how well we dress, there will be no satisfaction. If we neglect the church, we will have no real enjoyment or satisfaction. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Hag. 1:6, footnote 1)

Being Occupied by the Lord Jesus for the Building up of the Lord’s House in Our Response to the Lord’s Charge

For the recovery of the building of God’s house, God’s elect were stirred up by the Lord in their spirit in the order of God’s authority, beginning with Zerubbabel the governor (cf. Ezra 1:5). In the Minor Prophets both the divine Spirit and the stirred-up human spirit of God’s elect are mentioned. In the New Testament the divine Spirit has been consummated and poured out (Acts 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-32), and our human spirit responds to such a Spirit by being stirred up (cf. Acts 17:16; Rom. 8:16; 2 Cor. 2:13). (Haggai 1:14, footnote 1, Recovery Version)

In our response to the Lord’s charge, we all should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in the work of preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others for the building up of the Lord’s house, the church as the Body of Christ (John 21:15-17). (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Hag. 1:14, footnote 2)

In His charge Jehovah told the people to consider their ways and to go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house, and He would take pleasure in it and would be glorified (Hag. 1:7-8). Today our gospel preaching is our gathering of material for the building of God’s house.

Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest and all the remnant of the people responded to Jehovah by listening to the voice of Jehovah their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, and they were in fear before Jehovah (v. 12). Then Haggai, Jehovah’s messenger, encouraged the people with Jehovah’s declaration, “I am with you” (v. 13). Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua, and the spirit of all the people, and they came and did work in the house of Jehovah of hosts (vv. 14-15). What a wonderful response!

I hope that all the dear saints will be busy in going out to visit people and in contacting their relatives, classmates, and colleagues for the gospel. All the saints should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others. I hope that concerning this the whole atmosphere and environment among us will be revolutionized. (Life-study of Haggai)