New Year 2024 - Haggai 1:13-14

The two chapters of Haggai are about putting God first

Israel had been driven from the land of Judah for seventy years
- on returning to their homeland, one of their priorities was to rebuild the temple,
• but there was a lot of work to be done, few workers, and limited resources
◦ they also had to construct homes for themselves
• after awhile, a few setbacks, and discouragement,
◦ they began to slack off and, instead, they were making improvements to their own homes
◦ the danger of not having the temple was the possibility of losing the nation’s spiritual center
- two times in both chapters of Haggai, God challenged them to “consider”