Responding to God's Word

Haggai 1:12-15

Yesterday, we looked at the Prophet Haggai calling the Hebrews to obedience. His message was that they were focused on themselves and not on being obedient to God. Their being busy to care for their own needs demonstrated a lack of faith in God to provide for their needs if they obeyed Him. God told them that they had been in captivity for not obeying and now he had brought them home and they were continuing to behave in the same way that resulted in their captivity in the first place.

Today, we will look at the people's response to God's word. We always respond to God's word. We either accept the message and respond accordingly, out right reject God's word and respond accordingly, or we ignore God's word, which is also a form of rejection. There is no way to to remain neutral when God calls us to respond.

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Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. 13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 1:12-15

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The first thing we read is that they "obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him." The obedience was to God. That is an important distinction. We do not obey God's word for the sake of the preacher. We obey because it is the word of the LORD and he is our God. The preacher is important, but only because he is the conduit through which God has chosen to proclaim His word. When the verse says that they obeyed "the words of Haggai the prophet", it is only because he was the audible source of the Word of God. He was the car that God used to deliver His word to the people; nothing more.

Next we see God's response to the people's obedience. God said, "I am with you." Isn't that something we long to hear? Wouldn't it be great to hear God say "I am with you" when we are overwhelmed? What about when we receive devastating news or when it feels like the world is crashing down on us? What greater words are there than to hear God say, "I am with you." The people were about to begin the work of rebuilding the Lord's house and no doubt it was a great comfort to hear God say, "I am with you."

God did not just tell them that he was with them, verse 14 says, "And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God". The LORD stirred up the spirit of all building. This is another way of saying that he equipped them for the work. He was their motivation, inspiration, and perspiration. Another way of saying this is that he was the driving force behind their work, the creative force behind their work, and the endurance to keep on working.

All God asked for was obedience. Beyond the obedience, he provided everything else. God asks the same thing from us. If we will be obedient, he will provide everything else we need to do the work he has called us to.

Father, help me to surrender to your will. Help me to have the faith to trust you and your provision. May I be obedient to your calling. Thank you for your promise of provision when we obey your word!