Devotionals
Spiritual Shortsightedness
A devotional by InTouch Ministries for reading on September 8th
Haggai 1:1-15 Chapter 1 1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, It is not the time `for us' to come, the time for Jehovah's house to be built. 3 Then came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled houses, while this house lieth waste? 5 Now therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages `to put it' into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith Jehovah. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith Jehovah of hosts. Because of my house that lieth waste, while ye run every man to his own house. 10 Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholdeth its fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the grain, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. 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 Jehovah their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him; and the people did fear before Jehovah. 13 Then spake Haggai Jehovah's messenger in Jehovah's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith Jehovah. 14 And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work on the house of Jehovah of hosts, their God, 15 in the four and twentieth day of the month, in the sixth `month', in the second year of Darius the king.
What are you pursuing in life? The answer is not found in what you think your goal is but in what you are actually doing. For instance, you may claim that the Lord Jesus has first place in your life, but are you actually pursuing Him above all else, or have you gotten sidetracked with your own desires?
This was the case with the Jews who returned to the land of Israel after being in Babylonian captivity. They had the goal of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, but they became distracted with construction of their own homes and kept postponing work on the Lord’s house. As a result, God was challenging their efforts.
The Lord described it this way: “’You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away” (Hag. 1:9). The people mistakenly thought that they could put their own financial interests ahead of God’s and still prosper. Today they would probably say, “The faster I go, the behinder I get.”
The same thing was happening in Malachi’s day. When the people failed to bring their tithes and offerings, God called it robbery. He admonished them to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” so he could open the windows of heaven and pour forth abundant blessing (Mal. 3:10).
This principle reaches down to us today, and it encompasses more than financial matters. Peter has given us a list of qualities God wants us to diligently seek ( 2 Peter 1:5-11 5 Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in `your' virtue knowledge; 6 and in `your' knowledge self-control; and in `your' self-control patience; and in `your' patience godliness; 7 and in `your' godliness brotherly kindness; and in `your' brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. 10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: 11 for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ). Neglecting them for other pursuits is shortsighted, but those who practice them will avoid stumbling.
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 40-42 Chapter 40 1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth `day' of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day, the hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he brought me thither. 2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the frame of a city on the south. 3 And he brought me thither; and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. 4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall show thee; for, to the intent that I may show them unto thee, art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. 5 And, behold, a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a handbreadth each: so he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. 6 Then came he unto the gate which looketh toward the east, and went up the steps thereof: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad. 7 And every lodge was one reed long, and one reed broad; and `the space' between the lodges was five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed. 8 He measured also the porch of the gate toward the house, one reed. 9 Then measured he the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and the posts thereof, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house. 10 And the lodges of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 11 And he measured the breadth of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits; 12 and a border before the lodges, one cubit `on this side', and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side. 13 And he measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a breadth of five and twenty cubits; door against door. 14 He made also posts, threescore cubits; and the court `reached' unto the posts, round about the gate. 15 And `from' the forefront of the gate at the entrance unto the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits. 16 And there were closed windows to the lodges, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches; and windows were round about inward; and upon `each' post were palm-trees. 17 Then brought he me into the outer court; and, lo, there were chambers and a pavement, made for the court round about: thirty chambers were upon the pavement. 18 And the pavement was by the side of the gates, answerable unto the length of the gates, even the lower pavement. 19 Then he measured the breadth from the forefront of the lower gate unto the forefront of the inner court without, a hundred cubits, `both' on the east and on the north. 20 And the gate of the outer court whose prospect is toward the north, he measured the length thereof and the breadth thereof. 21 And the lodges thereof were three on this side and three on that side; and the posts thereof and the arches thereof were after the measure of the first gate: the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 22 And the windows thereof, and the arches thereof, and the palm-trees thereof, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them. 23 And there was a gate to the inner court over against the `other' gate, `both' on the north and on the east; and he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits. 24 And he led me toward the south; and, behold, a gate toward the south: and he measured the posts thereof and the arches thereof according to these measures. 25 And there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches thereof were before them; and it had palm-trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon the posts thereof. 27 And there was a gate to the inner court toward the south: and he measured from gate to gate toward the south a hundred cubits. 28 Then he brought me to the inner court by the south gate: and he measured the south gate according to these measures; 29 and the lodges thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows in it and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 30 And there were arches round about, five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad. 31 And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 32 And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures; 33 and the lodges thereof, and the posts thereof, and the arches thereof, according to these measures: and there were windows therein and in the arches thereof round about; it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad. 34 And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 35 And he brought me to the north gate: and he measured `it' according to these measures; 36 the lodges thereof, the posts thereof, and the arches thereof: and there were windows therein round about; the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits. 37 And the posts thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps. 38 And a chamber with the door thereof was by the posts at the gates; there they washed the burnt-offering. 39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt-offering and the sin-offering and the trespass-offering. 40 And on the `one' side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the gate toward the north, were two tables; and on the other side, which belonged to the porch of the gate, were two tables. 41 Four tables were on this side, and four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, whereupon they slew `the sacrifices'. 42 And there were four tables for the burnt-offering, of hewn stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high; whereupon they laid the instruments wherewith they slew the burnt-offering and the sacrifice. 43 And the hooks, a handbreadth long, were fastened within round about: and upon the tables was the flesh of the oblation. 44 And without the inner gate were chambers for the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was toward the south; one at the side of the east gate having the prospect toward the north. 45 And he said unto me, This chamber, whose prospect is toward the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house; 46 and the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Jehovah to minister unto him. 47 And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar was before the house. 48 Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side. 49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps whereby they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side. Chapter 41 1 And he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. 2 And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits; and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits. 3 Then went he inward, and measured each post of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the breadth of the entrance, seven cubits. 4 And he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits, and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. 5 Then he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side-chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. 6 And the side-chambers were in three stories, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which belonged to the house for the side-chambers round about, that they might have hold `therein', and not have hold in the wall of the house. 7 And the side-chambers were broader as they encompassed `the house' higher and higher; for the encompassing of the house went higher and higher round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house `continued' upward; and so one went up `from' the lowest `chamber' to the highest by the middle `chamber'. 8 I saw also that the house had a raised basement round about: the foundations of the side-chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. 9 The thickness of the wall, which was for the side-chambers, on the outside, was five cubits: and that which was left was the place of the side-chambers that belonged to the house. 10 And between the chambers was a breadth of twenty cubits round about the house on every side. 11 And the doors of the side-chambers were toward `the place' that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south: and the breadth of the place that was left was five cubits round about. 12 And the building that was before the separate place at the side toward the west was seventy cubits broad; and the wall of the building was five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof ninety cubits. 13 So he measured the house, a hundred cubits long; and the separate place, and the building, with the walls thereof, a hundred cubits long; 14 also the breadth of the face of the house, and of the separate place toward the east, a hundred cubits. 15 And he measured the length of the building before the separate place which was at the back thereof, and the galleries thereof on the one side and on the other side, a hundred cubits; and the inner temple, and the porches of the court; 16 the thresholds, and the closed windows, and the galleries round about on their three stories, over against the threshold, ceiled with wood round about, and `from' the ground up to the windows, (now the windows were covered), 17 to `the space' above the door, even unto the inner house, and without, and by all the wall round about within and without, by measure. 18 And it was made with cherubim and palm-trees; and a palm-tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces; 19 so that there was the face of a man toward the palm-tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm-tree on the other side. `thus was it' made through all the house round about: 20 from the ground unto above the door were cherubim and palm-trees made: thus was the wall of the temple. 21 As for the temple, the door-posts were squared; and as for the face of the sanctuary, the appearance `thereof' was as the appearance `of the temple'. 22 The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof, and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before Jehovah. 23 And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. 24 And the doors had two leaves `apiece', two turning leaves: two `leaves' for the one door, and two leaves for the other. 25 And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubim and palm-trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there was a threshold of wood upon the face of the porch without. 26 And there were closed windows and palm-trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch: thus were the side-chambers of the house, and the thresholds. Chapter 42 1 Then he brought me forth into the outer court, the way toward the north: and he brought me into the chamber that was over against the separate place, and which was over against the building toward the north. 2 Before the length of a hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth was fifty cubits. 3 Over against the twenty `cubits' which belonged to the inner court, and over against the pavement which belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in the third story. 4 And before the chambers was a walk of ten cubits' breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their doors were toward the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were shorter; for the galleries took away from these, more than from the lower and the middlemost, in the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had not pillars as the pillars of the courts: therefore `the uppermost' was straitened more than the lowest and the middlemost from the ground. 7 And the wall that was without by the side of the chambers, toward the outer court before the chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. 8 For the length of the chambers that were in the outer court was fifty cubits: and, lo, before the temple were a hundred cubits. 9 And from under these chambers was the entry on the east side, as one goeth into them from the outer court. 10 In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, before the separate place, and before the building, there were chambers. 11 And the way before them was like the appearance of `the way of' the chambers which were toward the north; according to their length so was their breadth: and all their egresses were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors. 12 And according to the doors of the chambers that were toward the south was a door at the head of the way, even the way directly before the wall toward the east, as one entereth into them. 13 Then said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before the separate place, they are the holy chambers, where the priests that are near unto Jehovah shall eat the most holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meal-offering, and the sin-offering, and the trespass-offering; for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter in, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy: and they shall put on other garments, and shall approach to that which pertaineth to the people. 15 Now when he had made an end of measuring the inner house, he brought me forth by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east, and measured it round about. 16 He measured on the east side with the measuring reed five hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round about. 17 He measured on the north side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed round about. 18 He measured on the south side five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 19 He turned about to the west side, and measured five hundred reeds with the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides: it had a wall round about, the length five hundred, and the breadth five hundred, to make a separation between that which was holy and that which was common.
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