Ezra 5:1-2 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
When the enemy had successfully stopped their service to the King, God sent a word from the Lord through the prophets. Haggai came with a message of conviction for their having stopped the work, and Zechariah came with a message of hope. In Haggai chapter one, we find that the enemy's tactics had worked, and even bred doubt among the people of God. They began to doubt whether it was truly the appointed time to rebuild.
They had believed Daniel and Jeremiah about the 70 years of captivity coming to an end, and they had seen God’s providence confirmed through the king's decree to rebuild the temple. By faith, they had started the work, but doubt caused them to stop. Haggai rebuked them—not because they had stopped working altogether, but because they had stopped working on the house of God. Men rarely ever cease working; they just start working on something else. So it was with those commissioned to build God’s house. They shifted their focus to building their own homes, planting their own crops, and for several years, they invested time, money, and energy into their personal lives.
They needed a wake-up call. Haggai, a rough-hewn preacher, came to preach some sense into them: “Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?” (Haggai 1:3-4).
Then came Zechariah with a message of hope, affirming that it was indeed time to rebuild God’s house. He revealed God’s heart concerning their work: “Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” (Zechariah 1:16). This tag-team preaching was enough to convict them for their sinful investments of time and money and bring them back to a work of faith, believing that this was the time to build God’s house.
The Bible says, “Then rose up Zerubbabel... and Jeshua... and began to build the house of the Lord.” This is what we need when the enemy has caused our hands to stop working for the King. We need a word from the Lord, and He is always faithful to give it. Many times, I have become discouraged, and my focus has shifted from His work to my interests, from His house to mine. Each time, God has been faithful to send a sermon or passage of Scripture to slap some sense into me, convicting me of my apathy and self-indulgence. Then, from the depths of conviction, He lifts me to the heights of heaven, reminding me that it is He who has commissioned me and will complete the good work He started in me!
When the enemy halts the work, we need a word from the Lord.
Still, the enemy didn’t yield to their newfound strength. They continued working, but with great opposition. Tomorrow, we’ll see how they gained victory over the enemy trying to stop their work.
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