Haggai 1:1-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating 2that this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.’” 3Then the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”

5Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways. 6You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”

7This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways. 8Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the LORD. 9You expected much, but behold, it amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.

10Therefore, on account of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its crops. 11I have summoned a drought on the fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Then and Now

This was written in the times under the Old Covenant, but we now live in the times of the New Covenant. So, I am going to take what this teaches here and apply it to today under the New Covenant God has with His people. For now the “House of the Lord” is no longer a physical building like it was then. Now the temple of God is the people of God who by faith in Jesus Christ have denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who are, in the power of God, walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living, and no longer in sin.

But we are still human beings. We are still capable of sin (1 John 2:1-2). So daily we must be those who are putting sin to death in our lives and who are following our Lord in obedience to His commands, in the power of God, as we daily surrender our lives to the will of God. But not everyone is doing that. Many who profess faith in Jesus Christ either never did change, or they eventually drifted back into sin and into spiritual adultery and laziness, and they are in great need of revival and of returning to Christ as their Lord.

In Need of Revival

And this is what this is talking about here. The “house of the Lord” is the church, the body of Christ, of those of faith in Jesus Christ. But we live in a day and time when so much of that house is in great need of repair and of being rebuilt into the house of God that God had planned for His people. For so many professing Christians are more caught up in the world and with what the world has to offer them, and they are neglecting the body of Christ, the church. They are neglecting to follow our Lord in surrender to His will.

So many professing Christians go through the motions of religious practice on a weekly basis but their lives are not surrendered to God. He is not truly Lord of their lives. For they are still living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh. Their time is being given over to what is of this world and not to God and to His service. There is not the evidence that they have “been with Jesus” because what they do and what they talk about is usually not about Jesus but is about what is of this world and the pleasures of this world.

Repent of Sin and Obey God

So God is calling His people to repent of their spiritual laziness and of all sinful habits and to “rebuild His house,” i.e. the body of Christ, the people of faith in Jesus Christ, to where we are all now serving the Lord faithfully with our lives, and to where we are about the work of the Lord and ministering to one another and sharing the gospel truth with the people, including with those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are believing in a false gospel message which does not require repentance and obedience to God.

And God may have to send His judgments upon His house, His church, His body, before they are all willing to be revived and rebuilt into the spiritual house that God intends for all of us to be. Sometimes it takes tragedies in order to get people’s attention and to bring them to their knees in true biblical repentance. But if that is what it takes, then that must be what takes place, for so much of what is called “church” today is not the biblical body of Christ serving the Lord in surrender to His will, obeying His commands.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Video Talk on Same Subject

It’s Time to Rebuild the House of The Lord
An Original Work / September 1, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You are Loving and Forgiving

Based off Psalm 86
An Original Work / February 19, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.