Subscription Lists

Haggai – Prophet of Introspection and Exhortation (3 of 4)

Focus Text: Haggai 1.12-13

“Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with 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.’”

Haggai was a prophet who got godly results! There are reasons for Haggai’s success and those reasons will become apparent as we progress through this message. First, note the fact that Haggai was a prophet whom the LORD had sent. There were other voices that vied for the people’s attention, but they chose to listen to Haggai, a messenger of Jehovah. Note also that the inspired record says that the people “…obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet.” The “voice of the LORD” and the “voice of Haggai” were not two different voices; they were but one voice. In other words, as a true prophet whom Jehovah had sent, Haggai spoke only that which the LORD had spoken to him.

Notice the statement “…the people feared the presence of the LORD.” This result is one which came out of Haggai’s ministry; this is not a negative thing, but a positive one. They certainly had not feared the LORD, at least not to any great degree, before Haggai began his work. Fear, as used here, has reference to the great respect and reverence that resulted from hearing Haggai’s messages and attributing them to the source from which they came, Jehovah God. It was in this vein that the Psalmist wrote, “Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” (Psalm 33.8). To fear God is to stand in awe of Him!

The final statement in today’s focus text is most crucial to understanding why Haggai was a successful prophet, one that got results. The text simply states that the LORD said to the people [through Haggai – implied], “I am with you…” What an affirmation! What encouragement! What groundwork for further exhortation! There are conclusions to be drawn from this statement, conclusions that are borne out in numerous other verses. First and most important, it can be concluded that God is “with us” when we revere Him and render obedience to His word. In a similar manner, we can conclude that God is not “with us” when we fail to stand in awe of Him and when we refuse His Word.

Though the days of biblical revelation have past and no new truth is being revealed today, teachers and preachers of God’s word need to take a lesson from Haggai. When we speak, we ought to speak “…as the oracles of God.” (1 Peter 4.11). When we speak “as the oracles of God” we hide ourselves behind Him and allow His power to be manifested to the people. When we hide ourselves, we allow the people to fear the One whom they ought to fear and not us; we are but vessels through whom the word of God can flow if we let it. Finally, when we allow the people to hear God’s word (as contrasted to our own), they will fear God and obey Him. Result: We will be successful preachers and teachers; servants who get godly results from our work!

Questions:

1. What evidence is there in the focus text that Haggai was a true prophet of God?

2. What evidence is there that the people reacted positively to Haggai’s message?

3. What does it mean to “speak as the oracles of God?”

4. When the preaching/teaching of God’s word gets positive results, who should get the glory, the preacher/teacher or God?

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

The Importance of Prayer