We'll revisit Mr. Augustine at a later time. Others, however, myself included, remembered 29 August on the calendar, the beheading of John the Baptist.
But, we turn to another date.
We might do well to recall another famous event, to wit: 29 August 520 B.C.
29 August 520 B.C. Haggai delivers his first (of four) recorded messages to build the Temple. See Haggai 1: God’s command to build. It is carefully dated by Mr. Haggai himself in Haggai 1.1. We believe these are representative messages of his larger trajectory and ministry of the Word.
Some backstory.
Mr. Haggai is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Two chapters.
Mr. (Rev.) Haggai is a fellow minister of the Word of God alongside the Mr. (Rev.) Zechariah. The two of them...both begin their ministerial labors in 520 B.C.
These Ministers of the Word labored amongst the returnees from the Babylonian Captivity. That Captivity had been effected over several years--605ish B.C. to 586 B.C. There were several incursions by King Nebuchadnezzar.
Ultimately, the Temple was burned, the king dethroned, homes destroyed, and people—especially the royals—exported to Babylon in ignominy. It was a national debacle.
Life hadn’t been easy. The Jews had suffered the predictable, harsh covenantal curses for their manifold sins; their prophets had foretold the Exile. “And I will bring a sword against you and will execute the vengeance of the covenant” (Lev. 26.25). No doubt, they got the memo. No doubt, they had been warned. But, they were “wiser and smarter than God.” God promised repeatedly, especially through Jeremiah, "I will break your pride." That was a harsh promise that was effected. Sound rather modern? That insolence had to be unlearned…and fast. It was a steep learning curve. Daniel, in the exile, got the memo. See Daniel 9 as a representative instance of a written and liturgical confession, a memo for the record. It was Daniel's "Confession of Sin."
We read the Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and others. It was ugly. But, the elect, the remnant, the believers who lived by Spirit-wrought faith alone and who believed, held fast, even in Exile. If some were foolish, others were not.
One reads the heartening and refreshing stories of Daniel in exile: a man of fidelity and courage. An intelligent man of honor and duty, upholding the faith in Exile. A man who would do U.S. Marines proud, as it were. Old Daniel was not selling out "for advantage or prosperity."
However, beyond Daniel, a new day was dawning, a day of renewed hope and encouragement. Some Jews were authorized to return from Babylon in 538 B.C. An imperial decree had been issued, a ruling in Israel's favor. Isaiah had predicted this, but, of course, the 19th and 20th century liberals, with their embarrassingly wee-little goddette, can't do those things, we're told. As if God was broken (He is in their little minds), but we digress.
The Persian Emperor, King Cyrus, gave the exiles the right to relocate, repatriate to the homeland and an authorization to re-build the Temple and re-establish themselves as God’s people. That was a big deal.
But, upon return, the covenant people ran into internal opposition from within Israel. It came from an insider-source, a Persian source of all things. His name was Tattenai, a “provincial” governor, perhaps a satrap, for the Persian Empire, governing the “Trans-Eurphrates” area.
As a result of his irritable sway, the Jews had to cease re-building the Temple.
Things languished for 16-17 years. People lost their central religious focus. The re-establishment of the Temple, the renewal of the written rituals and liturgy of the annual Festivals, and the sacrificial system was forestalled. Leviticus was certainly the heart-beat of the Jewish religion. That was to govern their worship. It taught the gracious, merciful and forgiving nature of their sovereign and holy God by way of expiatory and propitiatory promises—by pictures and shadows of the great things to come. The Abrahamic promises of Moses’ writings were not forgotten. The Davidic promises of Israel’s historians were not forgotten. The Spirit of the LORD, the "LORD of hosts" (a term Haggai likes and uses) appeared to be blowing and re-establishing the people, but this downturn and set-back was discouraging. But, despite appearances, they held fast like Habukkuk had done (Hab.3.17-19), a wonderful little summary, by the way, of confident faith despite appearances.
It has a modern ring to it as one surveys the current developments in our time. Competing voices, odd sounds, and earnest importuners. Funny thing how that works! Opposition from without and within.
However, a development occurred that favored God’s people. A new king came to the throne. King Darius (522 B.C.-486 B.C.) is the name. Upon a review of the records, he re-issued his predecessor’s edict of 538 B.C. Tattenai’s holding was reversed. Sorry, Tattenai, there’s no appellate court for you. No Supreme Court. Two Persian kings had ruled. There, there Mr. Tattenai, get over it. The Exiles were allowed to re-build and re-establish the worship of the covenantal God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph.
Work began anew and afresh under the faithful ministry of both ministers of the Word: Misters Haggai and Zechariah. Mr. Haggai’s first sermon is carefully dated 29 August 520 B.C. Too bad the 1662 lectionary doesn't note the date; they can excise the Apocryphal readings while sprucing up the lectionary, thank you. We're destructive Puritans, you know (tongue firmly in cheek).
Haggai has four messages with two themes: (1) hearty repentance because of the long, benighted, inglorious past of ignominy and insolence, ignorant contempt for God’s Word (called “shrugging of the shoulders” and “stopping the ears” by Mr. Zechariah in Zechariah 7), and (2) a hearty embrace of the divine Abrahamic and Davidic promises of greater blessings. “I will be your God to you and your children.” There is a lot more in that saving faith too. "Get on with it, Lads."
Of note, Mr. Haggai draws a close connection between the restored Temple and a future Davidic king, evinced in Zerubbabel, but fulfilled in Messiah Jesus.
As an aside, Zerubbabel gets honorable mention in the Davidic line down to Joseph, the earthly father of King David-Jesus (Mt. 1.13, 16). It surely is a point not lost on Matthew the Apostle. Jesus was in the Davidic royal line on both sides, through Joseph and Mary, but we digress.
The Bible, as Paul instructs Elder Timothy, is “profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim.3.15-16). We’ve got the memo.
The people had been a’ slackin' some. One might argue extenuating circumstances were understandable or excusable. But, apparently when the time came to renew the building efforts, there was some disinterest and self-absorption. It's ever-so human and practical.
The upshot: “Time to get a’ buildin’ and a’ crackin’, Lads.”
God’s presence was with them. They heard the call. God stirred their human spirits. God informed their brains by hearing God’s ancient Word and promises. We're not anti-intellectuals. Readers, writers, and teachers recorded the stories. God spoke by His prophets. Grace, abounding grace to humans with brains, ears and souls.
By God’s Word alone and by God’s Spirit alone, the historic Church continued and continues.
For those of us in the "Anglican exile," it’s mildly encouraging albeit the modern Tattenais and Captivity.
Just from recently. We have “Anglican drunks” around "tottering on the cliff's edge," as Mr. Canterbury Welby said--himself--last week about the disordered Westerners. We think that rather understated, actually. They've already gone over the cliff.
Or, we have a big “vacuum” as created by “Anglican leaders,” as Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) Alister McGrath noted this week. Like "vacuum cleaners" sucking up the dirt of the Law and Gospel. Get that "Gospel filth" outta here! Vacuum it up.
These comments were semi-liberating in one sense. Two leaders called it right. But, we don't see substantive changes largely. But, back to old Habukkuk, you know.
We’ve got liberals, Tractarians, enthusiasts speaking in tongues (including Mr. Canterbury Welby), a lost Prayer Book tradition, and chaotic beliefs here, there and elsewhere. Who the heck knows what the half of them believe? It's a mess! Think the book of Judges in some ways.
But, on the “old Prayer Book,” as Mr. Barton pointed out, I call your attention to Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) Carl Trueman’s comments on our Prayer Book at King's College, Cambridge at: http://www.reformation21.org/
A solid Confessional Presbyterian Churchman and Professor of Church History at Westminster Seminary rendered his excellent and salutary comments about our sage Prayer Book. It's a must-read article. But, the old Prayer Book has largely disappeared. It’s a "heritage that has been squandered” as Mr. Trueman suggests in his volume, The Creedal Imperative (a "squandered heritage" are Mr. Trueman's terms too).
Or, poor Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) James Packer. We have an old affection for Mr. Packer on the whole while reserving objections on a few points, reservations preserved for the record and for appeals. The elder Statesman lamented in his little book on the Thirty-nine Articles that no one has a “Confessional basis” anymore. He argues for the Confession's re-establishment.
Whaddya gonna do?
We’ll stick to the basics, thank you Mr. Haggai. We got your memo.
It speaks anew with refreshing poignancy. Haggai preached his first sermon on August 29, 520 B.C.
No comments:
Post a Comment