No Time For Apathy

by Greg Neely, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. | Category: General | Apr 1991

The captivity in Babylon is over. The remnant of God's people have returned to Jerusalem and have begun to rebuild the temple. Having put in the foundation, the people stop working because of opposition (Ezra 4:4,24).

In the second year of king Darius, some fifteen years later, the word of the Lord comes through Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest. The problem now is not opposition, but apathy, and hearts that are set, not on the things of God, but on personal affairs. "Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, Consider your ways" (Haggai 1:5). The word for consider is literally "set the heart". Adjust your priorities! Put God in the proper place in your affections. Stop spending so much time in your own pursuits and "rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the LORD. You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts, Because of my house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house" (1:8,9). The running of the people to their own houses shows their zeal, but for the wrong things. They made no movement to the house of God. The prophecy about the Lord in Psalms 69:9 and 119:139, as remembered by the disciples in John 2:17: "Zeal for Thy house will consume Me", was lacking in this apathetic group of people. As a result, their efforts were

getting poor results.

In many countries today we see little outright opposition to the work of the Lord, but apathy is evident. The running to our own houses gets in the way of our movement in and about God's house and little seems to get done. Each one of us needs to stop and "set the heart".

Haggai 1:12 makes clear that the leaders and all the followers, upon careful consideration, "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 showed reverence for the LORD." On the basis of that obedience came the promise "I am with you". Obedience brought divine blessing. It also brought a divine stirring of their hearts to get busy. Notice that first the people stirred themselves to obey the Word of the Lord. Then the Lord stirred their hearts. What a powerful combination! The result was a house for God to dwell in among His people in all His glory, even though such glory might not be visible. In spite of the poorer economic condition of the people (their zeal after their own affairs did not make them wealthy), God promised to fill the temple with His glory if His people

realigned their priorities. When men stir themselves to be about the work of the Lord, the Lord will look after their affairs, as well as the size, grandeur and glory of His house. We need to stir ourselves so that God can in turn stir us with divine energy to do His work.

Paul writes to the Philippians and says, "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed . .. work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12,13). Our obedience and God's working in and through us go hand in hand. We need not expect His stirring without our own first. Paul tells the Romans to be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (12:11). Fervent means boiling. We get that way by getting close to the source of the heat. God does not do that for us. We have the responsibility to be fervent.

Of Apollos, in Acts 18:25, we read that he was a man who was instructed in the Way of the Lord, "and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus". How did he get such fervency? Verse 24 indicates he was "mighty in the Scriptures". That is the source of the heat! We shall not match his fervency without matching his might in the Scriptures. As we obediently stir ourselves to the task, God in turn adds His blessing and things get done to His glory.

In Haggai's day, the result was the presence of God in the house. The people considered their ways, obeyed the Word of God, were stirred by the Lord, and then got busy and completed the house of God. The apathy was gone. Fervency had replaced it. And rich blessing resulted.

Times may have changed, but the operation of God in and through His people has not: make our priority His house, not our own. He is more then capable of looking after our things and blessing them in any case. And he has entrusted His things to us for care. Apathy should have no place among the people of God in any day. Be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

(All quotations from NASB).

Greg Neely, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. | Apr 1991
General