Daily Lesson for September 16, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Haggai chapter 1 verses 1 through 8:

1In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. 3Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 4Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 6You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.

7Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 8Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.

T.S. Eliot said, "Where there is no Temple there shall be no homes."

He was speaking of the import of the communal and the enduring within the society. He was saying something about what we might call the eternal.

Contrast this with the individualistic, and disposable. Contrast the communal with the supremely selfish. Contrast the building of a house of prayer for all people with a mancave full of billiards tables, TVs, and other toys that nobody can play with unless I say.

The Prophet Haggai was calling upon his people to think of the communal. He was calling them to consider the eternal. He was demanding that they not consider their own selves, but build "a house of prayer for all people".

It was a bit caustic in tone, but also deeply prophetic, what T.S. Eliot said about the civilization built upon the individualistic and consumeristic self:

"And the wind shall say: 'Here were decent Godless people:

"Their only monument the asphalt road and a thousand lost golf balls."

Let us build and live for something more enduring than this.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from Zechariah 1-4.