Is The Seed Yet In The Barn
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32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The desire of the Father is to bless his people, to supply our every need.
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
all these references are pointing to:
an expectation of fulfillment but being found lacking.
a trusting in our own self and not in God.
putting our faith and efforts in our own abilities and wants/needs: but all the while, leaving God out
we put effort and work into things of this earth, our earthly houses (so to speak) and not into our heavenly home or purpose.
therefor, in a spiritual sense, everything we are doing is leaving us unprofitable and in a state of wanting.
To strengthen us to be strong and victorious in might and in battle.
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
when we put God second, we are, in a sense living a divided life. a life not fully committed to God but rather, a life fully committed to ourselves with God in reserve.
We cannot live a divided life when it comes to the balance of this life and eternity
between our will and Gods will.
God must be the builder of this house…our spiritual house.
in order for this to happen, God must be first. We must be listening to his voice first and ours second.
this spiritual house that we build cannot stand if it is built by us and not by the will and direction of God.
the bible says: If God doesn’t build the house, we labor in vain that build it.
15 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord—
16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord.
18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it:
19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’ ”
this is the meaning of the statement “Is the seed still in the barn”
It is implying, It is not. It has been already sown this month, and there are no more signs of its bearing a good crop, much less of its being safely stored in the barn, than there were in the past season, when there was such a failure; yet I promise to you from this day (emphatically marking by the repetition the connection of the blessing with the day of their obedience) a blessing in an abundant harvest.
God is saying, you have planted but in vain...the seed has went forth but it is bearing no fruit...it is not prospering.
This lack of prosperity is due to the lack of the peoples obedience to their God.
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord.
the promise of prosperity is given if they would just put God first and do the work that is required....they shall be, once again, blessed of God.
3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
implying for them to take a closer look at what has been and what should be…at the negligence of the people.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the Lord.”
Gods message was that through obedience, God would be once again with them and bless them
On the people showing the mere disposition to obey, even before they actually set to work, God passes at once from the reproving tone to that of tenderness. He hastens as it were to forget their former unfaithfulness, and to assure them, when obedient, that He both is and will be with them: Hebrew, “I with you!” God’s presence is the best of blessings, for it includes all others. This is the sure guarantee of their success no matter how many their foes might be (Ro 8:31). Nothing more inspirits men and rouses them from torpor, than, when relying on the promises of divine aid, they have a sure hope of a successful issue
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
consider—literally, “lay it to heart.” Ponder earnestly, retracing the past “upward” (that is, backward), comparing what evils heretofore befell you before ye set about this work, with the present time when you have again commenced it, and when in consequence I now engage to “bless you.” Hence ye may perceive the evils of disobedience and the blessing of obedience
When God tells them to “consider Your ways” God is trying to tell them to look at their past....and to remember from whence their help commeth.
for it is God that caused them to prosper
To remember the former glory of the temple before it was defiled and forsaken.
Look at what happened when the people turned to their own devices and did not consider the council of God.
do you not know that the Lord can not bless a house that is corrupt and defiled. a temple that is in ruin?
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
We cannot live a divided life when it comes to the balance of this life and eternity
between our will and Gods will.
this spiritual house that we build cannot stand if it is built by us and not by the will and direction of God.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
Just as the temple was built for a specific purpose and in a specific way....we also, must allow God to build this house that we are for his glory....
Unless God builds this house...we labor in vain when we try to do it our way and not Gods way
2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
We are at a place in our lives and in our present time in history, that we can no longer leave our salvation and service to God for tomorrow.
we can no longer leave it to chance....
we are to make our calling and election sure:
meaning: marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty
characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation
“Is the seed still in the barn”
this is simply about a good work spoiled, by going about it with unholy hearts and hands, In which we where likely to gain no advantage by it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible (Chapter 2)
The impurity of their hearts and lives shall make the work of their hands, and all their offerings, unclean before God.
The case is the same with us.
When employed in any good work, we should watch over ourselves, lest we render it unclean by our corruptions.
When we begin to make a conscious effort of our duty to God, we may expect his blessing; and whoso is wise will understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.
God will curse the blessings of the wicked, and make bitter the prosperity of the careless; but he will sweeten the cup of affliction to those who diligently serve him.
when we begin this journey we must always allow God to go before us…that he may prosper our way…to prosper our efforts so that they are not in vain.
assuring that we are planting seeds unto Gods glory and obedience rather than seeds of corruption by our own devices and desires.
according to Matthew Henry: Those who have lost time, need to redeem time; and the longer we have loitered in folly, the more haste we should make.
God met them in a way of mercy. Those who work for him, have him with them; and if he be for us, who can be against us? This should by all sincerity stir us up to the utmost diligence.