Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14: Lesson 155

Haggai

“Consider Your Ways”

In our busy lives, how can we make time for the Lord and the things He asks us to do? We can benefit from following the Lord’s invitation to the Jews to “consider [our] ways” (Haggai 1:5) regarding how we make time for Him. This lesson can help students put God first in their lives.

Student preparation: Invite students to make a list of things they do on a typical day. Students could label which things they feel are most important and ponder why they consider those things important. They could bring their lists to class.

Possible Learning Activities

Prioritizing the Lord

The following object lesson is in the article “Making Good Use of Your Time” (New Era, July 2020, 34–35).

Before class, fill a jar with rocks, then add sand to the top, shaking it to settle. This is to ensure you have enough sand to fill the jar. Then, separate the sand and rocks again. Bring the jar, sand, and rocks to class. As class begins, show the items to students, explaining that the jar represents our time, the rocks our priorities, and the sand our daily activities.

• What are things you spend your time doing each day?

• What are things the Lord asks each of us to prioritize?

  Students might respond to the second question with answers such as scripture study, prayer, family time, service, and so on. Consider writing students’ answers on the rocks.

  To help students see the value of prioritizing, first fill the jar with sand. Then try adding the rocks, which won’t fit. Discuss how to fit both. Empty the jar and try again. Add the rocks first, then the sand, shaking the jar to settle in the gaps.

• What can we learn from this object lesson?

• Why can it be difficult to make time for the Lord and the things He asks us to do each day?

As you study Haggai, look for inspiration from the Holy Ghost about how the Lord can bless your life as you make time for Him.

Rebuilding the temple

To help your students understand the context of Haggai, consider sharing the following summary.

After the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, they put great effort into rebuilding their temple, city, homes, and lives (see Ezra 1:1–6). But after about 15 years had passed, the Lord was displeased that they had not given higher priority to rebuilding the temple (see Ezra 4:24; Haggai 1:3–4). He sent His prophet Haggai to persuade the people to prioritize building the Lord’s house.

Read Haggai 1:2–4, looking for words or phrases that show that the Jews were not focused on rebuilding the temple.

You might need to explain that “ceiled” means paneled. This might indicate that while they left the temple unfinished, the people built comfortable and well-furnished houses for themselves.

• How might this relate to the object lesson?

Read Haggai 1:5–11, looking for consequences the Jews faced because they prioritized other things instead of rebuilding the temple.

• What are some consequences we might experience if we don’t prioritize the Lord in our lives?

  You could invite students to point out or mark the repeated phrase in verses 5 and 7.

• What do you think the Lord meant when He invited the people to “consider [their] ways”? (Haggai 1:5, 7)

“From this day will I bless you”

Consider reading or summarizing the following paragraph to help students understand the remainder of the account.

The Jews and their leaders obeyed the voice of the Lord. Zerubbabel (the governor) and Joshua (the high priest) led the efforts to rebuild the temple (see Haggai 1:12–14). The prophet Haggai helped too (see Ezra 5:1–2). As they worked, the Lord offered words of encouragement.

Write the following incomplete truth on the board: If we put God first in our lives …

Consider dividing the class into three sections, with each section reading one of the following passages.

Read one or more of the following passages, looking for encouragement from the Lord that can complete the sentence on the board:

Haggai 2:4–5

Haggai 2:6–9

Haggai 2:18–19

Students could come to the board and write how they would complete the statement. The following are examples of what they might write:

… He will be with us.

… He will give us peace.

… He will bless us spiritually and temporally.

To find additional blessings that we can receive by putting God first, students could read Mosiah 2:41 and 3 Nephi 13:31–33. You could then add what they find to the board.

• Which of the Lord’s blessings from these verses do you want most? Why?

Help students recognize ways they can put God first to invite His blessings. If you did not show the video “The Soul’s Sincere Desire” (3:28) when you taught Lesson 93: “Nehemiah,” then consider showing it here from time code 0:00 to 2:01. This video is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You could invite students to look for ways they could respond to the questions below.

Alternatively, you could share the following scenario. Students can then answer the accompanying questions in pairs, small groups, or as a class.

Imagine you have a friend named Alex who feels she does not have any time to prioritize God in her life. Her days are filled with schoolwork, friends, and hobbies, leaving her exhausted and unmotivated for spiritual things. She sees a need to change but doesn’t know what to do.

• What advice would you give Alex to help her put God first?

• How might God bless her for putting Him first?

  After enough time, you could show the rest of “The Soul’s Sincere Desire” from time code 2:02 to 3:28, inviting students to look for what Alex does to change.

• What other advice would you give someone who feels they cannot put God first in their life for any other reason?

• How has God blessed you or others you know from putting Him first?

Make a plan

This section can help students apply what they learned. Consider displaying the following statement.

Personally reflect on the following invitation from Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

I repeat the admonition of the Lord to His people delivered through the Old Testament prophet Haggai: “Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways” [Haggai 1:5].

Each of us should evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in our lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon us. And surely the Holy Ghost will help us to see ourselves as we really are. (“Put On Thy Strength, O Zion,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 94)

Act on the Lord’s invitation to “consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5, 7) by pondering your own priorities. Ponder if there are things you need to prioritize or remove from your life to invite blessings Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are willing to give you.

In your journal, sketch a jar with rocks, and label the rocks with commitments you will make to prioritize God. Draw sand outside the jar, and label it with things you’d like to eliminate. Choose a rock or two and plan what, when, and how you will fulfill these commitments.

Consider sharing your testimony or thoughts about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s blessings as we put Them first in our lives.

Additional Resources

Why should I place the Lord first in my life?

President Russell M. Nelson exhorted:

The voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous. But too many voices are deceptive, seductive, and can pull us off the covenant path. To avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows, I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day.

… I plead with you to make time for the Lord! Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always. (“Make Time for the Lord,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 120)

How can I make time for spiritual things when I have so many other demands in my day?

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) explained:

When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. (“The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4)

Elder Terence M. Vinson of the Seventy taught:

We can feel enduring joy when our Savior and His gospel become the framework around which we build our lives. However, it’s so easy for that framework to become, instead, the things of the world, where the gospel sits as an optional extra or as simply attending church for two hours on Sundays. When this is the case, it is tantamount to putting our wages into “a bag with holes.”

Haggai is telling us to be committed. …

There is no treasure, nor any hobby, nor any status, nor any social media, nor any video games, nor any sport, nor any association with a celebrity, nor anything on earth that is more precious than eternal life. So the Lord’s counsel to every person is “consider your ways.” (“True Disciples of the Savior,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 9, 11)

Supplemental Learning Activities

In the temple, the Lord can give us peace

If your students could benefit from a deeper discussion about the temple, consider inviting them to read Haggai 2:6–9, looking for blessings the Lord promised the Jews because of the temple. Invite students to share what they found. Help them identify a truth such as the following: When we are in the house of the Lord, He can give us peace. Then you could invite them to respond to the following question:

• When have you felt the Lord give you peace through experiences with the temple?

Rebuilding our lives

If you would like to focus more on how rebuilding the temple can relate to our personal lives, consider sharing the story of the Provo City Center Temple. This temple was rebuilt from a beloved tabernacle that had burned down (see “Provo City Center Temple Completed” from time code 0:05 to 2:16).

Then invite your students to read Haggai 2:1–9, pondering things in their lives that might be like rebuilding a temple that had been destroyed.

• How does the Lord rebuild us after tragedy or adversity?

Comparison with the Kirtland Temple

It might help students to compare the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem with the building of the Kirtland Temple in 1833. Students could compare the Israelites with the early Latter-day Saints by reading Doctrine and Covenants 95:1–3, looking for why the Lord was displeased with them.

After explaining that the Israelites chose to obey the Lord, you could then explain that the early Saints also obeyed the Lord and immediately began building the Kirtland Temple. Both temples required great sacrifice and effort to build (see Latter-day Saint History: 1815–1846 Teacher Material [2018], Lesson 13: “The Kirtland Temple”).

Video about balancing priorities

If you feel students could benefit from a video about balancing priorities, consider showing the video “Wisdom and Order” (3:19). You could ask students what they learn from the video that relates to the account in Haggai.