A People with a Roused Spirit

The people respond immediately and favourably to Haggai's message. Not only Zerubbabel and Joshua - but the people as a whole! And they are referred to as "the remnant." This title recalls God's promise through past prophets that he would preserve a remnant. Here in Haggai, it is unlikely that the prophet is clarifying whether or not these people remained in Judah or returned from exile - but rather emphasizing their participation in God's "remnant" with their obedient response to his word through Haggai. They rightly recognize that this is a message from the Lord whom they fear and obey.

The Lord then makes a declaration to them. "I am with you." Recalling similar declarations made in the past to Moses, Joshua, David, and others - the Lord reminds the people of his faithfulness in their newly rediscovered zeal for faithfulness themselves. The Lord rouses their spirit, and the good work begins!

Let us ask the Lord to rouse our spirits! May our response be as swift and obedient to remember and fear the Lord. Within 3 weeks of receiving the prophets message, the people have already dropped what they were doing, organized the labour, secured the materials, and begun construction on the house of the Lord. Have our hearts been swift to repentance when provoked by the Spirit? Or do we often operate more like large cruise ships, requiring a big, long, sweeping turn radius to get going in the other direction? When the word of the Lord hits us, let's act swiftly and accordingly. Why? Because our God is with us. ⁠