Haggai 1:12-14 They Listened!

Here is a surprise; they LISTENED to the prophet. They listened because they learned. They learned to obey God because of what they had just gone through.

We have gone through SO MANY renditions of God sending prophets to Israel and Judah and the people ignoring them or worse. Haggai came with a word from the Lord and the people actually listened and did what they were told. This didn’t happen because Haggai was any more of a powerful prophet than all those who came before him but because God had done a work in the peoples’ hearts.

For centuries God had been calling His people to repent and to come back to Him or they would suffer disaster. This was His message in the Law too; stay with Him and prosper or disobey and be punished. But this message was different. It spoke to a specific act with directions as to how to resolve the issue. It also held a promise that they NEEDED fulfilled right away.

Was this the reason they listened? Or was it because they had just come from a severe time of punishment for not listening? Israel and Judah both received a HARD and long lesson for their refusal to follow God’s commands. And this lesson was still fresh in their minds. It had been 16 years since they were allowed to come home.

We will see later on that some of the people who came back had also been part of those taken into exile. I imagine they NEVER wanted to repeat that mistake again! They learned well the lesson God had taught them.

One other thing about the people Haggai spoke God’s words to. When the people returned to Judah is was because they WANTED to follow God. They came home to rebuild His Temple. Their hearts were set on Him. Those whose hearts weren’t set on God stayed where they were. They were content in the life they lived and had no reason to seek after God. This is why those who came home to Judah were called the “remnant”. They were the faithful that was left after the ‘garment was torn’.

This remnant would grow with two more faithful groups making the journey home. But the whole body of Israel and Judah never came ‘home’. And this faithful group would be the ones Jesus would come through. They were also the ones who would never again replace God as the God of their nation. They learned that part of their lesson VERY WELL.

I know I have learned some lessons the HARD way. Lessons that I will NEVER forget. I can’t say that I’m not tempted by the issues that led to those lessons, but I remember the price that had to be paid. I will NOT go back to the state I was in before. The place God also rescued me from. If it weren’t for the HARD lessons, I would probably be dead. PRAISE GOD that He cared enough to bring me back into line!

Father God, thank You for ALWAYS caring about me. Your people could have gone on the way they were and suffered for it. But You reached out and got their attention, just like You get mine. THANK YOU for growing my heart to the point where I am willing to listen. THANK YOU for speaking to me each time we come together. THANK YOU for STILL speaking to me today, even though our time together is disjointed.