How change happens and the difference God makes (Hag 1:12-15)

There are times when we look at our difficulties and feel they are much too great to deal with. The obstacles seem insurmountable, and we wonder if we will ever be able to overcome them. If the situation goes on for too long, there comes a point when we become resigned to how things are, perhaps even stop seeing the problem. I wonder if the exiles had reached this stage after 16 years. The initial discouragement over opposition to the building project has given way to a concern for survival in the land and making ends meet. Did the people even notice the temple ruins anymore as they walked past the site in the course of their day? How can change happen when we feel the odds stacked against us or when we become dejected to the point of giving up?

God’s initiative

From the story of the exiles, we can learn some basic principles. Our first encouragement comes from a reminder that God is not absent from the events neither in the context of the returned Jews, nor in our lives. Over the years He prods the returnees through their circumstances to consider what is happening (Hag 1:5-6). Yet, it is noticeable how the Lord does not act according to our sense of urgency. He patiently waits for His people to awaken to their spiritual reality and seek Him. Nevertheless, He does not let the situation drag on indefinitely and sends his prophet, Haggai, to confront the exiles more directly (Hag 1:1). Although we should not become complacent and expect Him to make the first move, by His grace, God seeks us long before we seek Him.

The people’s response – obedience and reverence

What is critical, however, is how we respond to God, whether to His quiet prompting or explicit confrontation through His Word. We read of the exiles and their leaders that they obeyed (literally ‘listened to’) God’s voice (Hag 1:12). What they heard they took to heart. It is significant that they are now called ‘the remnant’, which was a theological term for the chastised and renewed people of God (compare the slightly derogatory ‘this people’ in Hag 1:2).[1] Moreover, they showed fear in God’s presence (v.12),[2] the kind of awe that Isaiah experienced when confronted with the holy God and became aware of his own sinfulness (Isa 6:5). This is a perspective that we have lost to some extent and need to recapture – an awe of God’s holiness. Although the exiles heard only human words – that of the prophet – they recognised God’s voice. The Lord most often speaks to us through commonplace circumstances and human words (e.g. through a preacher, a friend or the words of biblical books penned by human authors and reflecting aspects of their culture). He is the God of the ordinary, yet He achieves the extraordinary in the lives of those who recognise His voice.

God’s response – presence and enabling

Perhaps the greatest encouragement of this passage is that God always responds to obedience. Not only does He promise His presence (‘I am with you’ – Hag 1:13), He also stirs up the spirit of Zerubbabel, who is the governor by this stage, Joshua the high priest, and the people (Hag 1:14).[3] As He enabled the initial return through stirring up a pagan king and the exiles (Ezra 1:1, 5), so He does it again. When we take even a small step of obedience towards the Lord, He meets us more than half-way and helps our motivation and heart to do His work.

The work begins

So, the work on the temple begins again, about three weeks after Haggai’s initial prophecy (Hag 1:1, 15). Given that the sixth month (around August-September) is harvest time and re-starting the building project would have taken some preparation in addition to the internal process of spiritual renewal, this is a remarkably quick transformation. It demonstrates both the amazing power of God to bring about change and the exiles’ willingness to respond to God’s call. No matter how long it has been that we listened to God or sought Him, the time is always ‘today’ to start again.

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[1] Mark J. Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 107.

[2] ‘Fear of the LORD’ is usually shorthand for a godly life but here the Hebrew expression is that they ‘feared before the LORD’ (i.e. in His presence).

[3] Joshua is an alternative version of Jeshua (e.g. Ezra 3:8) and refers to the same person mentioned in Ezra.

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