NOTES for Hag 1:1-15

The people of Judah, and we ourselves, face a question of priorities, and it appears neither simple nor unambiguous. Those who believe that the time to build the Temple has not yet come put forward their reasons. The people have only recently begun returning from exile; life, interrupted by the enemy invasion, has only begun to revive; not all the houses have yet been rebuilt, and the losses have not been made good. Where are the strength and resources for restoring the Temple to come from?

Such is the logic of human reasoning, seemingly correct, yet once again proving limited. Those who think this way rely on themselves, on their work and skill, and that would be excellent if behind their self-reliance one could not discern yet another attempt to manage without God. But nothing can be obtained without Him. Although the people have heard prophetic appeals more than once, even now, after the bitter lessons of foreign conquest and exile, not everyone draws the proper conclusions.

In recent years we have constantly heard complaints that, in this age of change, negative phenomena have multiplied everywhere. We ought to ask ourselves how often we bring our desires into agreement with His will. Are we ready to begin by restoring the temples, the nearest of which we ourselves are called to become?...