Transcript of Day 267: Indifference and Apathy (2025)

We can't lose our faith the way we lose our car keys. We either give it away or we let it decay because we don't use it. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz. In my new book, Unshakeable: Building a Life of Virtu in a World of Chaos, I tell faith-filled stories that inspire you to live a life of virtue that flows from the unshakable power of God. Although we're surrounded by a culture that mocks virtue, we can feed ourselves stories that really do uphold what is good and promote a virtuous life. When we live this way, we experience freedom and joy like never before. It's my prayer that the stories in my book, Unshakable, will inspire you to fight the battle for a virtuous life and win through trust in an unshakable God. Order your copy at ascensionpress. Com. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today.

It is day 267. We are in a new time period, the period of the Return. You might have heard Jeff and me. Jeff and me? Jeff and I. Jeff and I? No, Jeff and me. Jeff and me talk about this new time period. We have the Return. The people of Israel have been in exile in Babylon, and they are now going to be set free heading back to the promised land. Now, remember that Syrus, king of Persia, you're going to hear his name today, Syrus, king of Persia, they had conquered the Babylonians. Because in the Book of the prophets, it talked about a Cyrus would be raised up and he would send his people back to their homeland, back to the promised land. And so, Cyrus does this. So we're reading Esre Chapter 1 and 2, which is our historical book, as well as Hegei Chapter 1 and 2, which is a prophetic book. We're also reading Proverbs 20: 1-3. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading is the revised standard version, second Catholic Edition. I'm using the great adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.

Com/bibleineyear. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe, and then you would be subscribed. As I said, it's 266 We're reading Esra chapters one and two, Hegai, chapter one and two, which is the entire book, as well as Proverbs, chapter 20, verses one through three. The Book of Esra, Chapter one. The End of the Babylonian Captivity. In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, The Lord, the God of Heaven, ' has given me all the Kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beings, besides free will offerings for the house of God, which is in Jerusalem.

Then rose up the heads of the Father's houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beings, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. Cyrus, the King, also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus, King of Persia, brought these out in charge of Mithradath, the Treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbajar, the Prince of Judah. And this was the number of them. A thousand basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, 29 sensors, 30 bowls of gold, 2,500 410 bowls of silver and a thousand other vessels. All the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,469. All these did Sheshbazar bring up when the exiles were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem. Chapter 2: List of Returned Exiles. Now, these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried captive to Babylon.

They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. They came with Zerubabel, Jesua, Nihimayah, Sariah, Realeah, Mordechai, Bilshaan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Ba'ana. The number of the men of the sons of Israel, the sons of Parosh, 2,172, the sons of Shefetaya, 372, the sons of Ara, 775, the sons of Mahath Moab (namely the sons of Jesua and Joab (2,812), the sons of Elam, 1,254. The sons of Zatu, 945. The sons of Zekai (760), the sons of Bani, 642. The sons of Begvi, 623. The sons of Asgad, 1,222. The sons of Adonicum, 666. The sons of Bigvi, 2,056. The sons of Adine, 454. The sons of Atter, namely of Hezecaia, 98. The sons of Bizai, 323. The sons of Jora, 112. The sons of Hashum, 223. The sons of Gibar, 95. The sons of Bethlehem, 123. The men of Netophah, 56. The men of Anathoth, 128. The sons of Asmabath, 42. The sons of Kyriathaarim, Chepherah, and Beiroth, 743. The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. The men of Mikmas, 122. The men of Bethel and Eia, 223. The sons of Nibot, 52, the sons of Magbish, 156, the sons of the other Elam, 1,254, the sons of Harim, 320, the sons of Lod, Hadith, Eid and Ono, 725, the sons of Jericho, 345, the sons of San'aa, 3,630.

The priests, the sons of Jedeia, of the house of Jesua, 73, the sons of Emer, 1,052, the sons of Pashur, 1,247, the sons of Harim, 1,017, the Levites, the sons of Jesua and Cadeniel, of the sons of Horevaya, 74, the singers, the sons of Asaph, 128, the sons of the gatekeepers, the sons of Shalom, the sons of Atter, the sons of Talman, the sons of Akub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all, 139. The temple servants, the sons of Zeeha, the sons of Hasufa, the sons of Tabaoth, the sons of Kairos, the sons of Gidel, the sons of Shephataia, the sons of

Hatil, the sons of Pokereth Hazabhaim, and the sons of Ami. All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. The following were those who came up from Telmala, Telhashah, Cherub, Adan, and Imr, though they could not prove their father's houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel, the sons of Deliah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekodah, 652. Also of the sons of the priests, the sons of Habiah, the sons of Haccaus, and the sons of Barzalai, who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was called by their name. These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until there should be a priest to consult Urum and Thumen. The whole assembly together was 42,360 besides their men servants and maid servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.

Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem, made free will offerings for the house of God to erect it on its site. According to their ability, they gave to the treasury of the work, 61,000 derricks of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests' garments. The priests, the and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and its vicinity, and the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, in all Israel, in their towns. The Book of Haggai, Chapter 1, The Command to Rebuild the Temple. In the second year of Darius the King, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubabel, the son of Sheltiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the the son of Jehoshadack, the high priest. Thus, says the Lord of hosts, this people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. Then the word of the Lord came by Hagar, the prophet, Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins.

Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, Consider how you have fared. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your Still, you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages, earns wages to put them into a bag with holes. Thus, says the Lord of hosts, Consider how you have fared. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may appear in my glory, says the Lord. You have looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why, says the Lord of hosts, Because of my house that in ruins, while you busy yourselves, each with his own house. Therefore, the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought upon the land and the hills, upon the grain, the new wine, the oil, upon what the ground brings forth, upon men and cattle, and upon all their labors. ' The people obey. Then Zerubabel, the son of Shaltiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehosedak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Hegai, the Prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him.

And the people feared before the Lord. Then Hegai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message. I am with you, says the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubabel, the son of Sheltiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehoshodak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the 24th day of the month, in the sixth month. Chapter 2: The Splender of the Temple. In the second year of Darius, the King, in the seventh month, on the 21st day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Hegai, the Prophet, 'Spe now to Zerubabel, the son of Shaltiel, governor of Judah, And to Joshua, the son of Jehoshodak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubabel, says the Lord. Take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, the high priest.

Take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord. Work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you. Fear not, for thus, says the Lord of hosts, once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, ' says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, ' says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, ' says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place, I will give prosperity, ' says the Lord of hosts. A rebuke and a promise. On the 24th day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Hagar, the prophet. Thus, says the Lord of Hosts, Ask the priests to decide this question. If one carries holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and touches with his skirt, bread or potage or wine or oil or any food, does it become holy?

The priests answered, No. Then Hegei said, If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean? The priests answered, It does become unclean. Then Hegei said, So is it with this people and this nation before me, says the Lord, and so with every work of their hands, and what they offer there is unclean. Please now consider what will come to pass from this day onward. Before a stone was placed upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of 20 measures, there were but 10. When one came to the wine vat to draw 50 measures, there were but 20. I struck you in all the products of your toil with blight and mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. Consider from this day onward, from the 24th day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider, is the seed yet in the barn? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing? From this day on, I will bless you.

God's promise to Zerubabel. The word of the Lord came a second time to Hegei on the 24th day of the month. Speak to Zerubabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of Kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the Kingdoms of the Nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and the riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his fellow. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubabel, my servant, the son of Shaltiel, says the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts. ' The Book of Proverbs 20: 1-3. Wine is a mocker, strong drink, a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. The dreaded wrath of a king is like the growling of a lion. He who provokes him to anger forfeits his life. It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you.

Thank you for bringing us back to this story. Thank you for bringing us back to this place of return, this opportunity that the people of Israel had to come home, to go to the promised land, even though it was a foreign land to so many of them. We ask you to help us because we know that you've made us for two worlds. You made us for this world, and you made us for the next world. And that while this world during this life is our home, this is not our permanent home. You've made us for another home. You've made us for another world. It is a world that is foreign to us, and oftentimes we are indifferent to it. But Lord God, in this story of return, we ask that you please not only remind us of the story of your people, but also remind us of our destiny, that while we live in this world, we are made for another world. While this world is currently our home, it is not our final and ultimate home. Give us a longing for that home. Give us the will to fight for that home, and bring us home, ultimately, by your grace.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit. Amen. Just really brief. What a gift that the Proverbs. There are so many good ones. Proverbs 20: 1, Wine is a mocker, strong drink, a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Yeah, just that sense of how many people have let their lives be dominated by alcohol. And yeah, led astray by it is not wise. And also Proverbs 20: 3, It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. Isn't that the case? So often we jump into every little fight, every little argument, every little, whether it be nitpicking or every little, every quarrel. And we recognize that way back when we were reading the story of King David, we had asked that prayer was, God, you show me the battles you want me to fight and the battles you want me to stay clear of. Where do you want me to engage and go up and do battle or engage? I'll use those words again. Where do you want me to just say, Okay, that's a fight, but it's not my fight.

To have that wisdom to be able to do that and to not have that wisdom is, as scripture says, to be Cool. So going back to our scriptures today, gosh, it's so good. We have this story of the Return, the beginning of the Return in Esra. Esra is a scribe, and we're going to see that chapters one through six in Esra are going to look a certain way, and then the second half of the Book of Esra is going to look a different way. But the books of Esra and Nehemiah, originally, one contained book. Usually, they're called first and second Book of Esra. But the two books, originally one, probably written the same time as Chronicles. Remember, Chronicles is that summary story that we read already, the summary story of God leading his people from slavery in Egypt to freedom to the land, the promised land, to exile, and back again. So here is the story of back again, the story of return. And one of the things we realized is that this beginning of the Book of Esra fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiahah, where King Cyrus was named as the one who would let the people of Israel go back to Israel.

I believe I have to double check on this one. I thought also that he might named in Isaiah. I'm going to double-check on that, get back to you, because we have a few days with Esra and Nehemiah. But there's something really remarkable about this story, that here's God being faithful to his promise. Remember, he brought his people, the people of Israel into exile, not to destroy them, not at all to destroy them, but to reform their hearts. Now they have the opportunity to go back home. One of the things we're going to see is that not every when he goes back home. In fact, there are a number of waves, like there were waves of people in the exile, three waves. There are going to be three waves of people returning from exile back to Jerusalem. But an interesting thing is not everyone decides to return. Even though, here's Cyrus king of Persia who goes into the storehouses of the Babylonians and says, Okay, here's all the vessels, or many of the vessels, at least, that were stolen from the temple of God, you can bring them back, decorate the temple when it's built. That's where we bring...

That's where that brings us to, my goodness, easy for me to say, that brings us to the book of Hegei. Hegei, only two chapters long. It's the second, maybe, shortest book of the Old Testament. It can be divided into maybe three parts. Those three parts is, I've heard a Bible teacher talk about this, that the first part is apathy, that here's the people who they were brought back to Jerusalem so they could rebuild the temple. All those lists of families, all the Levites, all the priests, they came home so that they could rebuild the temple. Now it's been 16 years. That's when Hagai is written. It's been 16 years since they've been back, and they haven't even started constructing the temple. They're apathetic towards this. They're just building their own homes. God points out, Yeah, you might have noticed that you're not satisfied. You might have noticed that you drink, but you're still thirsty. You might have noticed that you eat, but you're still hungry. You might have noticed that you keep doing all these things and you're not satisfied. That might have something to do with the fact that you haven't really actually served me.

You haven't done what you've been brought back to do, which is to rebuild the temple. So they're apathetic. Second, in chapter, they're discouraged because they started rebuilding and things still haven't turned around quite yet. Thirdly, here is this The story of the fact that, okay, unless they reform their lives, there's going to be consequences. It's the same story, right, of our lives, the same story of the entire Bible. Unless you turn from evil and turn back to the Lord, your sin is not going to end with you. That is going to be passed on to the people around you. It's going to be passed on to the way you end up living. So this is Haggai, the prophet, not only saying, Okay, get rid of your apathy, get rid of your indifference to the house of the Lord. Haggai is saying that you also don't have to be discouraged. Don't be long in mouth, long in the face, whatever. Don't be sad. You can actually move forward. God is calling you. He's going to help you with this project. Then thirdly, reform your lives or else, just like in ancient times, just like in older times, just like for your father's and your father's father's and your mother's and your mother's mother's, your evil will not end with you, but will be passed on.

So reform now. It's such a good short book, but also just convicts us because there are areas of our lives where we're apathetic, areas of lives where we're discouraged, in areas of our lives where we realize, I need to reform and turn back to the Lord pronto. And so we ask the Lord to help us turn back to him because we're made for Him, and he's given his life for us. So for those wounds of apathy, discouragement, and need for repentance, I am praying for you. And for those same wounds, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.