The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-01-11
ENCUURAGEMENTS.
LESSON III, FIRST QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. IS.

ID. NJ. Stearns.
The prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah
| should be read in connection with the his
torical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, for
these prophets were specially commits
| stoned to encourage the people to rebuild
the temple and the city After the fOun
dation of the temple was laid, rs we
learned in last lesson. enemies hindered
the work and it ceased until the second
year of Darius where our present lesson
begins (Ez iv, ~.
/. "In the second year of Darius the
king, in the sixth month. in the first day Of
| the month, came the word Of the Lord by
Haggai the prophet" Haggai, like every
true prophet, was simply the Lords mes
| senger with the Lords message verse 13l
2. Thus speaketh the Lord OF Hosts,
| saying, This people say, The time is not
come-the time that the Lords house
should be built" This phrase ''speaketh
| or saith the Lord of Hosts is found thir-
teen times in this short prophecy and
saith the Lord" is found seven times,
while the name Lord" in capitals (which
is always Jehovah) is found altogether in
| the thirty-eight verses of this prophecy at
| least thirty-fOur times. So we are not to
see Haggai, whose name is mentioned but
nine times land that is an unusual num-
Der for short prophecy, but only .Je-
hovah, and Haggai as His spokesman.
Notice that the Lord observes what people
say. and also what they think (E.zek. XII s
xxxiii, 80; Jer. xi, rs, 1917.
| 8. "Then came the Word of the Lord BY
Haggai the prophet, saying" The words
of the people were wrong words they in
dictated a lack Of sympathy with God in
His purposes. The House of the Lord now
being built is the church, which Ia His
body Heb iii, 9; | Pet. ii, 5; | Cor. iii, 9
| Eph. ii, 1922, and there is much indif
ference to it on the part of the Lords peo
1le as there was to the temple in the days
of Haggai. The Word Of the Lord was
sent to correct the people and bring them
into sympathy with God and His purposes
See lisa. viii. % r. V. margin.
T. us it time for you. o We. to dwell in
your ceiled houses and this house lie
| waste" They were neglecting the temple,
the house of Jehovah. and attending to
their own houses. The church is spirit
ual building To be gathered out of all ma
| tions and presented to Christ His Bride
in order that He may return with her TO
establish His Kingdom on earth and ill
the earth with His glory but the Lord
might we'll say 10 the various denomina-
tions, which make up the visible chur h.
us it time for you to he 50 occupied with
| your own little company instead of work
ing earnestly to complete my body" rs it
time for you to be spending hundre>-s of
thousands of dollars upon church Iild
ings instead of sending the Gospel to the
| heatben?"
5. Now therefore. thus saith the Lord
of hosts, Consider your ways" Because
of the neglected condition of His house He
would have them stop and consider. He
would have them look at things from His
standpOint-lke jeremiah when he said
rs it nothing to you all We that pass by?
Behold End see If there be any sorrow like
unto my sorrow which is done unto me.
wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in
the day of His fierce anger" Q.am. i, l2)
When we think of Jesus waiting and long
ing for the completion of His church. that
! He may come again for the conversion of
His people Israel and of the world. may
we not hear Him saying is it nothing to
your Consider your ways and see that
as the heavens are higher than the earth.
scare my ways than your ways lisa. lv. ~
8. 'Ne have sown much. and bring in
little; We eat, but ye have not enough.
Count the sevenfold disappointment in
this and the ninth verse, and compare lisa.
IL, ,, Wherefore do ye spend money for
that which is not bread and your labor for
that which Satisfeth nots" Men labor in
vain and spend their strength for naught
lisa. xix. y when they are out Of harmony
with God. but when God is working in us
though il may sometimes seem that our
labor is in vain, it is never really so Ills
word may not accomplish what we ptease,
but it will accomplish what He pleases
lisa. ", ID, and our work is not in vain in
the Lord Il Cor. XIV, So Wages in bag
with holes make Us think of the treasures
on earth which the Saviour contrasted
with the treasure in heaven luke xii, 80
Z. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Con
slider your ways The Holy Spirit never
repeats needlessly The fifth verse was i'm
connection with the desolation and neglect
of the Lords house, but this is in counec-
ton with their own desolation or fruitless
toll. In this and the next verse with
verses and > of the next chapter, there *
an interesting sevenlold command Con
! slider. Go up. Bring wood. Build the
house. BE strong Work Fear not each
part of which we may we'll take 10 our
selves in reference 10 our part in cOmplet-
ing the church There will be nothing but
failure in our lives long as we neglect
the Lords work, and even though one
should amass the wealth of Babylon in
one hour it shall come TO naught (Rev
xviii, Ia
S. $50 up TO the mountain, and bring
wood, and build the house. and will take
pleasure in il. and will he glorifed. saith
the Lord" We have nothing H. do with
difficulties either real or apparent. IL is
ours TO obey; results are with God. His
pleasure and His glory are everything
Even Christ pleased not Himself, and one
of His last joyful testimonies was Il have
glorified thee on the earth" (Rom. XIV, 3.
John xvii, ~. Let us take as Our daily
notices, For Thy Pleasure" For Jesus
Sake" "Glorify God" REV. iv, II; ii Cor
iv, IL; Cor. vi. POI, and live to build the
house.
9. "Whyl saith the Lord of Hosts. Be
cause of mine house that is waste, and We
run every man into his own house" If We
seek first the kingdom OF God and his
righteousness we have the promise that all
else will be added (Math. vi, 33l: whereas
if we seek first our own interests there is
the probability that whatever we may ac-
cumulate, God will blow it away or sud
denly take us away from it.
This seems strange place to close tie
lesson. | trust teachers will 30 on TO con
slider the threefold assurance of i, l3; ii, 4
8, s. concerning p presence, His Spirit
and His wealth Note also the thrice BE
strong" of chapter H. 1, and compare Josh
|, go; III Cbron. xxi, :, s; XIV, !; but be
warned by ii Chron. XVI, Is. Il. Fail not
to note the great shaking of chapter II, g.
Z, and compare Heb xii 25-29; X, 1881
| Ere that great shaking comes the church
| will be gathered in out of the storm, and
the elect remnant of Israel will also be