
The Defining Moment for a Generation
Haggai 1:12-15
Devo #2
Recently the phrase, “Rules for thee but not for me” has been a recurring theme of certain media outlets. This addresses government leaders who have given rules, mandates, or even suggestions that they themselves do not follow. It is an example of our sin nature that expects and wants others to be obedient, but sometimes makes us feel exempted from the same rules. Our attitude is often, “I am a grown-butt adult and I will do what I want”, but all of us are told to obey those who are in authority over us. (See Romans 13:1-ff.)
Through the prophet Haggai, God had told the people of Israel that they were to resume building the temple after 16 years of disobeying and neglecting the command to rebuild. In this text, the people (or as God calls them- the remnant) begin the process of building. (See verse 12) What in the world is a remnant? The word remnant means, “left over”. In this context it is referring to the next generation of Israelites after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the Babylonian captivity. Sometimes God whittles down the troops in a war or task before he accomplishes it through them so that he himself gets the glory. Sometimes God takes things away from us in order to work through us for his glory. He will leave minimum resources so that we trust in him alone.
When God’s people began to obey his Word, it indicated a sense of fear of him. What does it mean that they feared The Lord? Fear of the Lord means to have a reverential trust in God that makes one want to please and obey Him. Be assured that when we are not being obedient to God, it indicates that we do not fear him or have a reverential trust in him. We oftentimes find ourselves straying from God, living in disobedience. What does that tell us about us? We are not reverencing him; there is no fear.
As they obeyed and feared God, God gave the Israelites some assurances. He assured them that he was with them and they were not alone. (Verse 13) The Lord’s presence is always with the New Testament Christian. (See Romans 8:31-39) While God is always with us, sometimes we do not sense his presence and it’s hard to believe he is there. One of those times is when we are living in disobedience. We as Christians have security and assurance in Christ, but when we live in disobedience we do not sense that assurance and security. It causes us to question God’s love for us, whether he is with us, or even if we are his children. Assurance is found in obedience.
The people were stirred up! (Verse 14) God used the preaching of his Word to bring about obedience and get his people working on his temple. Their affections for him were stirred. While we are not building a physical temple, we are to work for God and build his church. We are also to do all things with excellence because the Lord deserves it. As New Testament believers, the church building is not the temple of God; we are. At the same time, we should care for the building God has given us. The way we care for our buildings reflects our spiritual priorities and love for God. The way we prepare our sermons, prepare our worship services, prepare our Bible studies, rehearse and practice our songs, etc. reflects our spiritual priorities and love for God.
We all have struggled with obedience and will continue to while we live. The perfectly obedient Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He lived perfectly and died sinlessly except for our sins that were laid upon him. Hallelujah! What a savior!
1. What comes to your mind when you think of the phrase, “The fear of the Lord“? Is it a biblical understanding of fearing the Lord? Do you think that the phrase and its frequent misinterpretation keeps some people away from God? Does it make some people think of God as abusive?
2. Have you ever had a season of disobedience? Did you question God’s love or presence during that time? Could it be that the questioning brought you back to God?
3. What stirs your affections for God? In other words, what causes you to want to worship and obey? It could be the preaching of the Word, the reading of Scripture, or listening to godly music. It could also be the wonderful taste of a food, the beauty of a sunset, or pleasurable experiences in life etc.
4. When working for God, do you plan, prepare, and work hard knowing he is worth doing all things with excellence?