But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the Lord. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the Lord Almighty. (Haggai 2:4)
After the exile of 70 years, when the Israelites returned to their own land, instead of building the temple of the Lord and worshipping him there, the people built their houses and didn't care about the temple.
Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD." (Haggai 1:2-6,8)
Then Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord and the message of the prophet Haggai and decided to do as the Lord had commanded.
When they decided to obey the Lord's command, he gave them the promise that we read in the title verse. "Be strong, I am with you" was what the Lord promised them. With the help of God, they again built the temple.
Every believer must have this attitude (obedience) for God's blessings to come upon him/her. Jesus said,
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)
God bless you.
No comments:
Post a Comment