Page 116 - Divinity_F5

Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

The people who returned from exile our living. Sometimes, like the people
were responsible for responding to who considered it untimely to rebuild the
God’s mighty deeds of releasing them temple during the time of Haggai (Hag.
from exile. Laxity in rebuilding the 1:2), we ignore or postpone action.
temple was tantamount to denying the
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involvement of God in their lives; it We are sometimes tempted to think that
was irresponsibility. What happened we do not need to act, or it is not the
to them in terms of poor crops and right time to act, or someone else will
dissatisfaction was a burden or liability act. If everyone harbours these thoughts,
they brought to themselves; the people we face the consequences since nobody
were answerable. does anything, and like the people of
Judah, rebuilding stagnates. We will
The temple is an important topic or address this issue briefly with the
structure in the books of Haggai and situation in Tanzania below.
Zechariah. The temple signified the
presence of God and, therefore, the God’s word comes to us through religious
identity of the Israelites. The return leaders like the high priest Joshua
of the people of Judah from Babylon or obedient and Spirit-empowered
was attached to the responsibility of government leaders like Zerubbabel
rebuilding the temple. Leaving the (Zec. 4:6). The call to responsible
temple in its ruins meant disregarding echoes, “Consider your ways” (Hag.
all that God had done. 1:5). This call is twofold: Think about
what you are doing, and ponder about its
These people had the duty of caring for consequences.
their houses, which they seem to have
managed well, and the house of God, The call to responsibility encompasses
that is, rebuilding the temple. In this God, self, and society. It signifies
case, they were answerable to the poor answerability-responsibility in a broad
state of the temple. They were also the sense, not limited to individual or
cause of their suffering by not attending private matters, as demonstrated by
to their duty. the Israelites’ focus on their houses at

the expense of the temple. It is family,
Today, many sufferings at individual and
societal levels result from neglecting society and church. It has to do with
our responsibility. Corruption, road responsibility regarding the need to
accidents, poverty, and drought, among think about the ‘other’. Responsibility
others, are bad things that can be entails doing away with self-centredness
traced back to irresponsibility. We have and becoming more accommodating
sometimes not rebuked corruption or of the plight of others and their joyous
fast drivers or worked hard enough for moments. Some Bible readers consider it

Form Five Student’s Book 107