How Much is Enough? (Haggai 1:4 NAS95)

How Much is Enough? (Haggai 1:4 NAS95)

Haggai is a post-exilic prophet, that is, he is writing after a portion of the Jewish people have returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian/Persian captivity. It is a remnant, and the homeland is a mess. It is difficult to put things back in order, to resurrect resources and institutions that will allow the people to cooperate and even think about prospering. The most basic needs of food and shelter and defense are a critical challenge. It is easy for people to think most about taking care of themselves.

But then as time goes on, people begin to move from survival to improvement. They look forward to a better standard of living. The processes are working, and they are able to think ahead a bit.

The age-old question applied then, and applies today: how much is enough? At what point does the believer in God - the God who gives and gives and gives - at what point does the believer increase giving at the expense of gaining? I’ve found very few people, including myself, who have worked through that issue enough to be able to give a straight answer.

In Jerusalem, the house of God was still in ruins, though there were people who had “paneled houses.” I do not know enough about construction materials at that time to even know what kind of paneling they were talking about, and what the paneling was covering up. Is God here referring to something extravagant, or just nice, or a bit nicer than nice? We aren’t sure. What we know is that God says that the people are focusing on their own gain and personal enjoyment rather than developing a thriving center for community worship at the temple.

As we seek to apply this today, the “temple” is Jesus and His Body, that is, the Church. It is the community of the redeemed. It is not the church buildings, though local churches certainly benefit from having buildings in which to meet. But if we are to apply the challenge in a new covenant setting, it is the building up of the Body of Christ rather than the building of “me” or “mine.” Certainly family discipleship is essential. But it is also not the totality of the “building up of the Body of Christ.” In fact, if you are not actively engaged in building up the Body, then you are setting a pretty poor example for your family, perhaps a little like enjoying the paneling and ignoring the ruins.

There are always widows and orphans for which to care. There are those who doubt who must be taught; there are those in danger of slipping into grievous error; plenty are still struggling with their sin. They don’t need your paneling. They need your love and ministry.