We heard in Durban that “in multitude of counsellors there is safety.” Haggai. Here God was trying to give them counsel – they felt the time had not come to build the Lord’s house, but all their labour were in vain. “Consider your ways…” meditate. We sing “pause and consider, carefully counting the cost.” We are not as fruitful as we can be, why? God wants to give us the right counsel. We don’t get out of His service what we should. To CONSIDER our ways and to see where we have gone wrong. Sacrifice and worship go together. At the altar was a lot of activity and quietness at the mercy -seat, but in our lives sometimes there is an idleness at the altar and a lot of noise at the mercy-seat. To consider, is to get quiet, and before that a willingness to get quiet. “Consider your ways.” Another time God said; “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; thought they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. God is holding out hope if we are willing. We heard that the foundation of the house of God is obedience. We might feel the effort to get up the mountain is too much. To exert ourselves and get up the mountain into the presence of God. V. 12 “All the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God…” There was a response. Then in verse 13 the Lord’s message to them was; “I am with you, saith the Lord” they were not alone in this. In our own strength we will NEVER prevail. Willing to obey God will help. Verse 14.“and the Lord stirred up the spirits” of the different ones. David said his soul cleaveth to the dust and he wanted the Lord to make him alive.“and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.” In Kings we can read of this house being built with huge, precious, and costly stones in the foundation. In the next chapter we read of the VITAL stone God encouraged them to keep His commandments, statutes, ordinances and laws. God’s promises to them did not depend on the costly stones they builded with but on the obedience to God’s Voice.
“And be strong, all ye people of the land, and work: for I am with you, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not”. God’s Spirit had not changed although 1900 years had passed, and all their waywardness and stubbornness did not change the Spirit of the Lord. In James we read about God “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. In one day we can change, but God remains the loving Father through all the ages.
God said how he had smote them with blasting and with mildew and with hail. “Consider now from this day and upward… Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the Fig Tree, and the Pomegranate, and the Olive Tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” Although the seed was still in the barn (it had not yet been sown) God blessed them because of their obedience.
God said about His people; “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” then also to consider Jesus that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Jesus, our High Priest, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hymn 289 “ Thou thinkest Lord of me”
Truth Archive 