Rebuilding the Temple III

The problem and solution have now both been laid before the Israelites:
The problem:  They have suffered a drought which has affected their crops and their livelihood. 
The reason: they have been more concerned about their own lives and lifestyles than they have about being obedient to God and glorifying Him, as seen by the condition of the Temple, which is in ruins even as their houses are built in luxury.
The solution:  rebuild the Temple that God may glorified, both in worship and by the nations around Israel.

The question:  what will Israel do?

"Then Zerubabbel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and 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 feared the presence of the Lord.  Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying "'I am with you' says the Lord.  So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubabbel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius." (Haggai 1:  12-15)

1) They obeyed: "Then Zerubabbel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and 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 feared the presence of the Lord. " (v. 12).  The first step to making any progress in any part of our lives where God has told us that we are going the wrong way is the exercise of repenting, of agreeing with God about the nature of our sin and turning from it.  It may be easy to say, but hard to do because often we have invested a great deal of time and energy in making a decision to go our own way rather than to go God's way and turning around can be embarrassing, humiliating and sometimes expensive.

How do we know that they repented?  Because "they feared the presence of the Lord."  They had the same reaction that the people of Israel did at Mt. Sinai when the Lord came down on the mountain to deliver the Law: "You speak with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us, lest we die." (Exodus 20:19).  They acknowledged God as sovereign and were willing to obey Him.

Were they sincere?  We know they were, because Haggai take the effort to say that he, as the Lord's messenger appointed by God spoke God's message to them.  And what did God say?  "I am with you" (v.13).   This is a statement God would not have made unless their repentance and obedience was real.  It was also a reminder to them of their own history, of when the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land.  There, too, in the midst of seemingly impossible odds, God had reminded them that he continued to be with them.

2)  They worked:  "So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubabbel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius." (v. 14-15)  John MacArthur notes "The Lord energized the leaders and the people through His word to carry on the work of rebuilding the temple...The people's response of repentance and obedience allowed God's Spirit to energize them for the task"  (MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1334).  Through their obedience in repentance and fearing the Lord, God gave them the spirit to work.  So they began working to rebuild the temple, to repair the ruins, to bring the wood from the mountains and build so that the Lord of Hosts could take pleasure in the temple and be glorified, as he had stated.

The thought I'll end with today is MacArthur's comment "The people's response of repentance and obedience allowed God's Spirit to energize them for the task".  How often do I get that statement backwards?  How often do I seek to mentally build up the energy to do something for God rather than starting at repentance and obedience?  God is quite clear throughout Scripture that His will is the one that will ultimately be accomplished.  If that is so, then I should be less concerned about finding the time and energy and will to do it and more about repenting of those things in my life that keep me from it  and simply being obedient to whatever God asks me to do.  God is more than able to energize us; are we willing to do the so often seemingly impossible work of repenting and being ready?