God Asks: Is It Time for You to Live in Paneled Houses While My House Lies in Ruins?

The exiles have returned from Babylon but have not rebuilt the Temple. They are too busy building their own comfortable homes. God sends Haggai to deliver one of the most direct economic arguments in the Bible: 'Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.' Why? Because God's house lies in ruins while they panel their own. The people respond immediately — they begin rebuilding within three weeks of this message.