Do you understand what God did- This was THE most powerful nation and king at the time, and yet God single handedly gave it a massive defeat and in the process delivered His people- In this regard, consider Isa. 40-15a- Prov. 21-1- Jer. 10-10b...

This is a massive theme in Scripture- fidelity fueled by our apprehension of the glory and goodness of God- We serve God not because of what He gives us, but because in and of Himself He is worthy, and we love Him for it-

When Christ established the temple of His body- the church- the -heavens and earth most certainly shook-- Think of the massive earthquake that occurred when Christ died -Mt. 27-45, 54- 28-2-. Our text speaks of God -once more shaking the heavens and the earth- -Hag. 2-6b-.

When it comes to the Second Coming of Christ, scripture calls for the response of readiness. As the day draws near, we must be diligent to...-- Show ourselves -approved of God,- 2 Tim. 2-15.-- -Present ourselves to God as a living and holy Sacrifice,- Rom. 12-1.-- -Be ready- for the coming of Christ- not holding on to the things of this world...

Yet when they arrived and immediately faced massive opposition to their rebuilding efforts, their focus naturally turned to themselves, their living, and so their own well-being. When the suggestion was made that -Today, we should begin on the temple rebuilding,- their response was -Now is not the best time-- No doubt there were many excuses given-

The passion and zeal of the people of God melted as they took their eyes off the Lord. As a result, they naturally became preoccupied with those things that were safe- like themselves, their homes, their living, and the like. -cf. Isaiah 59-9b-10-

On account of our default programing which endeavors to relate to God on the basis of our morality or religious activity, it's easy to twist Paul's metaphor here and take this verse as a calling to endeavor to live in a way that makes us acceptable to God-