Haggai 1:11
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, 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 labour of the hands.
God himself called a drought upon the land and mountains, upon corn and wine and oil and all the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle and all the labor of the hands, so that harvests were meager and livelihood was withheld. It came when the returned Jews left his house in ruins while each ran to his own house and labored for temporal prosperity to escape poverty. Putting self first and using his favors selfishly brought the very want they feared, so that work as they might they could not prosper for failing to honor him. The things of nature promptly obey his call to bless or to waste, in contrast to the slothful disobedience of men, and he readily scatters the possessions of those who withhold what is his. The lesson is to consider ways and give his house first place at once, not last, providing a place to honor and worship him in order rather than leaving his work undone while serving self.
Neglect Brings Drought
The verse arose when the returned Jews left the temple in ruins, waste and well-nigh forsaken for over a year while each man dwelt in his own home and ran to his own house. During that time they labored for temporal prosperity and attended to their own houses instead of rebuilding God's house. Their situation became deplorable, for work as they might they could not prosper.
God himself called and sent the drought upon the land and upon the mountains, upon the corn and upon the new wine and upon the oil, and upon all that the ground brings forth, and upon men and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. Drought prevailed and harvests were meager, with produce withheld and the very elements of nature conspiring against livelihood. The wasting drought fell upon all their substance, reaching not only crops and every fruit of field and garden but living creatures as well. It belongs to the chapter's lesson that the Lord's house should not be left as a last consideration.
The desire to escape poverty led the people to neglect rebuilding and to serve self, using selfishly the corn and new wine and oil and all the fruits of field and garden that had been bestowed as tokens of favor. Putting personal interests before God's house brought the very want they feared and had hoped to avoid by serving themselves. Work as they might they could not prosper and nothing prospered, for efforts to gain prosperity failed while rebuilding was neglected. Their lack of prosperity followed from failing to honor God and from not putting His interests first, and making the temple their first work would have invited His presence and blessing.
Nature Obeys God
The call for drought upon land and mountains, upon corn and new wine and oil, upon all that the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle and upon all the labor of the hands, was obeyed at once because dew and rain and all the varied agencies of nature are under divine control. They spring in prompt obedience to do the bidding given them, whether in mercies and blessings or in wasting and destruction. That readiness stands in striking contrast to the tardy inattention and slothful disobedience of men. In the same exercise of authority famine and plague and pestilence are called for, with calamities by sea and by land to punish the inhabitants of the earth for iniquity.
The wasting drought fell upon all substance because the corn and wine and oil and the fruits of field and garden had been bestowed as tokens of favor and then used selfishly, so the blessings were removed. It reached not only the fruit of the ground, the vineyards, the corn and the gardens and all other produce, but living creatures as well. Cattle suffered because of the sins of men. The loss came through neglect of the house left waste while personal interests were put before the work of rebuilding, so efforts to gain prosperity failed.
Drought upon land and crops, upon animals and people and their work, is the judgment for withholding what belongs to God by keeping it for self and leaving His work undone. He readily scatters the possessions of those who refuse His requirements. Those who give little value to sacred things may therefore suffer corresponding loss in their households and possessions.
Honor God First
The chapter's lesson is to consider ways and not to neglect God's house or leave it until the last, but to give building a place of worship priority. The people are to rise up at once and make it the first work, that they may invite His presence and blessing, for lack of prosperity followed from failing to honor God and putting personal interests first. That house is to be a place to show Him honor, where they can worship in all humbleness of mind, kneel down to Him, and serve Him becomingly and in order, without waiting longer and with faith of the right quality, so that the building dedicated to Him stands as a witness to the truth believed. The drought upon land and mountains, upon corn and new wine and oil, upon all that the ground brings forth, and upon men and cattle and all the labor of the hands came as the consequence of that neglect.
That representation applies to churches burdened with debt, where it dishonors God and shows wrong management from beginning to end when His people think much of themselves and their own selfish interests. The wrong appears either in neglecting to arise and build or in building on hired money and not making donations and sacrifices to free the buildings from debt. Year after year then passes with very little sacrifice, while interest swallows up the means that should pay the principal. The withholding of the land's produce and of the results of human labor when building was neglected warns churches that neglect their buildings or leave them burdened with debt while giving too little to free them, for such priorities dishonor God and interest consumes means that could reduce the debt.
The dearth upon the land, its produce, men, cattle, and all the labor of the hands is the sure result of work He cannot sanction. Lack of means in the treasury comes from robbing brethren of their rights and selfishly grasping all available means to turn to the advantage of one branch of the work while claiming it is done for His cause. It comes through confederating in a work without pure, straightforward, unswerving integrity, letting human preferences and prejudices sway minds to sustain methods contrary to His word, and letting selfishness make crooked paths for the feet. Read with the promises of gathering, deliverance, and rejoicing, the first chapter shows that all who realize the nearness of the Lord must act their faith. When one of His instrumentalities is languishing or in peril, those who are heart and soul in the work must manifest their interest and be one in mind and heart with the heavenly intelligences so they can be worked by them, and when human stewards unitedly take of His own substance to lift the burdens resting on His institutions, He will cooperate with them.