Haggai is a short, two chapter book, but it packs a lot. Haggai was a minor prophet who urged the Israelites to do four things – reflect on their priorities, work in hope during hard circumstances, be humble and pure in their intentions and actions, and remain faithful for the coming kingdom.
Have you ever been in the midst of tackling a massive project? Perhaps a work, home improvement or church project? Sometimes these endeavors can feel so tedious, can’t they? Like you will never ever be done with the task and the finished product is hard to even fathom, a pinprick of light at the end of a long tunnel. In the midst of it all you’re likely very weary. You’re even considering taking some shortcuts just to get the thing done! If you’re solely relying on your human limits, you’re not seeing past the long days to the end result, which sounded so promising in earlier days.
The Israelites felt the same. Before they even began rebuilding the temple, they weren’t focusing on what God wanted from them, instead zeroing in on selfish endeavors. When they decided to rebuild, with Haggai’s prompting, it was a major undertaking. They felt like their efforts were fruitless and the days were difficult. They gave little effort to what they were told God wanted for them. They weren’t choosing to humbly submit to God and make the daily choice of obedience to Him. They just didn’t feel His vision anymore.
What Haggai is driving at is this – God has so much for us. But we need to do our part, too. Furthermore, our choices really do matter. Our heart matters. God doesn’t just want us to blindly “do,” He wants us to want to obey His word. That’s how His work is done in the world. We are His hands & feet, working in humility and obedience to our Father to establish His perfect Kingdom.
Reflection questions:
What are you doing for God right now, or what is He calling you to do? What is your attitude about it?
What is one way that you can recast your vision for what God has in store? What can you do today to be obedient to Him?
Part of walking with God involves making choices. Sometimes, these choices are very hard when you must decide between what you know is right and what is comfortable or easy. Often, through the power of His Holy Spirit, we often know what we need to do to please God (John 16:13). However, we live in a world that is against everything that God desires for His people (1 John 2:15-16). How do we continue to please God in compromising situations that challenge our devotion to our Father in heaven?
Often the land of the Bible found itself in conflict. When Daniel was a young man, Judah, the southern kingdom of the Hebrew people, was struggling under the leadership of King Jehoiakim. Judah had denied God and allowed foreign nations to pollute their devotion to God. Judah began to welcome idol worship (false gods) and began to lose faith and obedience to God. As punishment, God allowed the kingdom of Babylon to destroy Judah and enslave the people. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar believed in integrating conquered nations into the Babylonian empire. He ordered that some of the more cultured Judean youths be captured and moved to his own palace in the city of Babylon. There they would be assimilated into Babylonian culture. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of the tribe of Judah (Daniel 1:6).
Daniel and his friends were boys who dared to worship and follow God despite the culture they lived in. Even before they were captured by the Babylonians, Daniel and his friends resisted the cultural changes and influence of the Judean culture. Instead of bowing to foreign gods and worshipping idols, they chose to submit and follow the one true God. When their kingdom was punished and destroyed and they found themselves being hauled off to Babylon, they relied on the God who had always sustained them (Psalm 55:22).
In order to begin assimilating the captured youths into Babylonian society, Daniel and his friends were ordered to eat the king’s food and drink his wine (Daniel 1:5). Many times in the ancient world, the food that a king ate was food that had been offered to pagan gods. These foods would violate God’s law (Lev 1:1). Daniel resolved (“purposed in his heart” – Proverbs 4:23) that he would not compromise his devotion to God. As a result, God ensured that Daniel would receive favorable treatment among the heathen leaders of Babylon.
Daniel and his friends grew in influence, knowledge, and even physical fitness. They had clearly become the favorites of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:20). God had recognized their faithfulness and their obedience to His word. He blessed them with learning and skill in literature and wisdom (1:17). Instead of bending their beliefs to impress their new masters, Daniel and his friends continued to remain devoted and obedient to God.
Daniel’s friends (now renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago) would once again be thrown into a situation in which they were forced to choose to obey God or Nebuchadnezzar. Challenged to bow down and worship a golden image of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel’s friends choose to obey God (Daniel 3:17-18). They understand that this choice could result in their deaths, but they had resolved long before to honor God – no matter what the cost. As they were thrown into the fiery furnace, God demonstrated his faithfulness as no one was consumed by the flame. In fact, in the midst of the struggle, God sent His angel to walk with them – inside the flames (Daniel 3:25-27). We are never truly alone. Amid our own “fiery furnace”, God faithfully cares for us.
As Daniel teaches us, obeying God and being devoted to Him is much easier when we decide in advance to obey Him. As Daniel resolved to follow God, we too should resolve to follow God whenever compromising situations come along. It is not easy to remain faithful to God in every situation. Jesus promised to give us a “Helper” to help us live lives of devotion to God (John 15:26; 16:7). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is given to each of us who believe, God will help us to overcome sticky situations. It may not “feel” good at the time, but ultimately God will walk with us because of our obedience. Just as he walked with and helped Daniel, God will walk with and strengthen you. Resolve in your own heart to follow God today!
Questions for Discussion:
Have you “resolved” in your own heart to follow God in every situation?
Who is the Helper promised by Jesus? Do you rely on God’s power to sustain you during sticky situations?
Besides rewarding Daniel for his faithfulness, what other motives would God have to reward those who are faithful?
Devotion by Pastor Jeff Fletcher – originally posted for SeekGrowLove on March 24, 2017, for Ezekiel 20-21.
In Ezekiel 20 God reviews Israel’s history. Over and over God provided for His people, over and over He warned them to get rid of their idols, keep His commands and observe His Sabbaths. Over and over Israel failed to obey God and experienced the consequences. Over and over God was compassionate and loving and forgave His people and restored them to blessings.
Israel has repeated this history again. They failed to get rid of idols, they failed to keep his commands and observe his Sabbaths, and now they were about to experience the consequences of their sins. God would once again treat them with mercy, not as their sins deserved and restore them to their land.
Ezekiel juxtaposes God’s promise to be merciful and restore His people with the threat that His judgment is coming and that both the evil and the good will be cut off from the land and the city and the temple. Yes, everyone will suffer the consequences of the evil behavior of some.
There is tension throughout Ezekiel. The wicked will suffer for their sins and the righteous will not suffer, except that at first they will suffer for the sins of others. Sometimes when God brings his judgment designed to bring people to repentance there is collateral damage. Good people suffer when bad people sin. It’s how it was then, it’s still how it is today. God’s salvation is coming, earth will one day be restored and made whole and good, but in the meantime, good people will suffer alongside the wicked. Christians are martyred in places like Pakistan and Syria. Christians sometimes suffer persecution in the United States. Trials may come to God’s people during times of judgment, but those who trust God and repent of their sins will be saved.
Reflection Questions
How often do we fall into the same cycle of disobedience that the Israelites followed for generations? What can be done to help break the cycle for you personally?
How does God’s mercy and justice coexist throughout Ezekiel and today?
What trials are you willing to persevere to avoid disobedience to God?
Devotion by Pastor Jeff Fletcher – originally posted for SeekGrowLove on March 21, 2017, for Ezekiel 10-13.
“Elvis has left the building.” That’s what they used to say to the throngs of screaming fans after one of Elvis Presley’s concerts back in the day. They would rush Elvis out the back door into his waiting car or bus and whisk him off to safety. Hopefully, the fans would calm down after they knew he was no longer there… there would be no more encores for this performance.
In Ezekiel ten- YHWH has left the building. The building in question was the Temple of Jerusalem. Since the time of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness when Israel worshipped in the Tabernacle, to the time of Solomon and beyond, when they worshipped YHWH in the Temple of Jerusalem, YHWH was present with His people. They knew that there, in the holy of holies, the shekhinah glory of God was present with his people. Yes, there was a veil which separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, and only the high priest was permitted to enter into the presence of YHWH once a year to atone for the sins of the people, yet they could always look up to the tabernacle or later Temple atop Mt. Zion and know that God was with them. But no longer. Ezekiel saw a vision of God’s glory leaving the Temple. Because of their extreme disobedience and their worship of idols, God could no longer remain among his people. It was a time for judgment, and God had to leave. How sad that must have been for Ezekiel, to watch God leaving.
In Ezekiel eleven, judgment is proclaimed against Israel’s leaders. “You haven’t obeyed my laws” YHWH complains. “You’ve conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”
God is gracious, even in the midst of judgment, he promises to bring some of them back from exile and give them back the land which he had given to their forefathers. God promises to bring about change in their hearts. vs. 19 “I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” God still loves His people and offers them hope in the midst of judgment. Ezekiel shared this vision with the exiles so that they would understand the consequences of their sins.
In Ezekiel twelve, God warns that even their ruler would be forced into exile. They kept hoping that this would happen in the distant future, but God assures them that judgment is coming soon.
In chapter thirteen, God turns his judgment from the leaders to the false prophets. These people told lies in the name of YHWH. They said “thus saith the Lord” when God didn’t say it. God condemns them for leading their people astray. They “whitewashed” over the truth about God’s coming judgment against sin and substituted their lies about a false peace. “you encouraged the wicked not to repent”. He blames the false prophets for the sins of the people, therefore, they will come under God’s harsh judgment.
Israel had a wonderful building in which to worship, they had clear rules to follow, they had leaders to teach them, they had priests to offer sacrifices, they had prophets to bring them words from God- and yet that wasn’t enough. They were not content to live as God’s holy and separate people and act as a witness to the rest of the nations around them. Instead, they worshipped the false gods of their neighbors, they ignored God’s laws, their prophets failed to warn them for their sins and assured them of false peace when God was preparing to bring his judgment. It seems not much has changed. One would be tempted to see the same kinds of things going on today. How many buildings today allow idolatry and false gods to be worshipped? How many people falsely claim to be speaking God’s word when they are instead peddling the words of men? Some days we might even wonder “has God left the building” when we follow the sinful standards of the world rather than remaining faithful to God’s holy word? We’d like to think judgment is far away just as they thought then… but perhaps it’s much closer than you might think.
Reflection Questions
Has there been a time when you have felt that God’s presence and glory has left?
Have you ever conformed too much to the standards of people around you?
According to Ezekiel 11, who qualifies to receive the heart transplant from stone to flesh, and who does not? What is the purpose and the result of this heart transplant?
After Jerusalem fell to Babylon, a small remnant remained in Judah under the leadership of a man named Gedaliah, who was appointed governor by Babylon. During this time there was stability but it was short-lived due to a man named Ishmael. Ishmael was a royal descendant of the line of David and desiring power created a plot to assassinate Gedaliah and his council. He didn’t stop there but then also killed the Babylonian guards, and even murdered Judeans who were with him. His violence went further when seventy men from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria came to bring grain and incense to the temple. Ishmael lured them in and slaughtered them, sparing only ten who bribed him with hidden supplies. These were not acts of justice. They were fueled by pride, ambition, and a willingness to kill the innocent to secure power.
In the aftermath, fear spread through the remnant of the Judean people. Johanan and the other leaders gathered and the survivors approached Jeremiah the prophet, asking him to pray to the LORD for direction. They promised to obey whatever God revealed. For ten days, Jeremiah waited for God’s answer while the people appeared willing to hear it. In reality, they had already decided on their course…fleeing to Egypt for safety.
When God’s answer came, it was direct. Stay in the land, and He would protect them; go to Egypt, and judgment would follow. The message was a test of trust. Would they believe God could preserve them under Babylon’s rule, or would they seek security on their own terms? Their response revealed their hearts. They accused Jeremiah of lying and acting under Babylonian influence, then forced him and Baruch to go with them to Egypt.
Once in Egypt, they returned to idol worship. They knew God’s commands and yet chose to break them. But their disobedience would have consequences. They knew God’s commands and yet chose to break them. Their disobedience would not go unanswered. God made it clear that the very place they sought for safety would be the place of their destruction. The sword, famine, and plague they feared in Judah would meet them in Egypt.
In the middle of this message of judgment, God also spoke to Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe. While others were seizing power or chasing their own plans, Baruch was called to remain faithful in the work God had given him. God told him not to pursue “great things” for himself during this time, and in return promised to preserve his life. It was a reminder that in seasons of uncertainty, real security comes from God’s hand, not from self-promotion or human strategy. This passage highlights how meaningless it is to ask the LORD for guidance, if you don’t plan on adhering to it. True obedience means submitting to His direction even when it opposes our plans. Faithfulness matters more than personal ambition, and security apart from God is an illusion.
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever sought God’s direction but deep down hoped it would match what you already wanted?
How does this account challenge you to submit to God’s will even when it conflicts with your plans?
What would faithfulness look like for you in your current situation?
In Chronicles 36 the people of Judah continually disobey God. One of the ways they disobeyed God was by mocking Him and His message.
“But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicles 36:16.
Have you ever mocked God? Mocking is belittling God and it doesn’t just mean to ridicule Him out loud. Mocking means to outright disrespect God. Some examples would include picking and choosing what is commanded of us and ignoring what we don’t want to follow. It’s being hypocritical with our faith. It includes being complacent in consuming media that disrespects God and the faith. Now, ask yourself again, have you ever mocked God?
So, what do you do if you have mocked God like the people in 2 Chronicles 36? The first thing to do is repent and ask for forgiveness.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
We have to talk highly about God with the respect he deserves. We have to nurture our spiritual growth. That means the recognition of the mockery we may have been adding to our life has to stop and it needs to be replaced by praise.
Reflection Questions
How have you turned your back from God?
In what ways can you express gratitude for who God is?
How can you move away from mocking God and move to recognizing the beauty of God?
Brooke Cisneros
(I apologize for not getting this devotion sent out earlier today!)
In today’s reading in Jeremiah 32-34, God is furious with His people and promises to punish them. It won’t be pretty for a while, but eventually God’s love and mercy makes it back on the scene. We learned in yesterday’s reading how important God’s discipline is for shaping our character and turning us back to Him. I hope whoever is reading this realizes that you are never too far gone from God’s love and mercy. Yes, He might teach you a lesson to help you learn from it, but true repentance will lead to restoration. God will not stay mad at you if you choose to turn from your sinful ways. Maybe you’re holding back because you feel so embarrassed and humiliated at your poor choices and feel completely unworthy of God’s love. Maybe you feel like the prodigal son sheepishly returning home and expecting your father’s wrath, but you’re so desperate you will work as a servant in order to survive. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll receive a cold and resentful reception like the older brother gave the prodigal son. Don’t let fear of others’ judgment of you stand in the way of restoring your relationship with your Heavenly Father. His opinion of you is the only one that truly matters.
We can take comfort in God’s character revealed in 33:26 “…For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.” God will meet your repentance with compassion and restoration, but you first have to face the reality of your sin and the damage it has done to your life and your relationship with God.
-Kristy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
What are some of the consequences of sin in your life? Have you experienced a time when your own personal true repentance has led to restoration? What might that look like – both today and in the future?
How does God’s justice and mercy work together?
Realizing there are still consequences for sin, how might God expect us to mirror His mercy to the repentant? How can your justice and mercy work together?
“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22).
In chapter 26, Jeremiah experienced hate on account of obedience to God. He was obedient to telling the people God’s message and they wanted to kill him for it. In our current day, the world is trying very hard to normalize certain sins and they spew a lot of vitriol toward Christians for not supporting it and promoting it. We see in certain areas of the world where Christians are even being killed for their beliefs.
Did Jeremiah crumble under the threat of death? He absolutely did not. In the face of the threat of death, he stood his ground and continued to be obedient to God’s call to warn the people. God wants us to not have a spirit of fear and timidity but to be bold—even in the face of danger. Thankfully, we don’t need to rely on our own limited power, because we have a far greater source of strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
If we are practicing obedience to God’s word, we can be sure that we will receive push back from the world. We need to be resolute like Jeremiah and not conform to the wickedness of the world, but instead call it out so that we can help bring as many people as possible into God’s kingdom.
-Kristy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
What might you be thinking and feeling and doing if you were in Jeremiah’s shoes? Is there anything you find particularly admirable about Jeremiah?
What is the purpose behind speaking up (not omitting a word) even when it is not positively received?
Have you ever faced a potentially fearful situation because of your faith? How do you think you (with help from the Spirit of God) might handle it today if you ran into persecution for believing in and speaking for God?
What might you be able to do today to strengthen your faith in order to speak every word from God AND perhaps handle persecution better in the future?
Jeremiah’s heart was broken over the ungodliness and wickedness he witnessed among God’s people. As noted in 23:11, the priests and prophets were particularly godless. Their wickedness was so immense that God compared them to Sodom and Gomorrah. The prophets were not speaking inspired words, but rather what came to their own minds. I can’t help but wonder if these prophets told the people simply what they wanted to hear. In other words, they were good old fashioned con artists. My mind immediately went to the concept of today’s prosperity gospel and how preachers like Joel Osteen tickle the ears of the people with assurances that God wants you to be wealthy. Or there are even pastors who justify, minimize or normalize sins that are clearly spoken against in God’s word. God issues a clear warning in Jeremiah 23:16-17 about not listening to those who are sharing their own ideas as opposed to God’s inspired word.
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
Someone who is truly sharing the word of God will compel people to repent of their sins and turn toward God. Be wary of anyone who always tells you just what you want to hear.
22
But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.
To whom are you listening? If those people are making you feel complacent with your sin, encouraging you to follow after ungodly things or not make the kingdom of God a priority, then you know that they are leading you astray and that will have dire consequences if continued.
32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord.
“They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
– Kristy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
How do you discern what is a godly message and what did not come from Him?
When have you seen people chasing after a message that did not come from God?
To whom are you listening?
How can your words better align with God’s message? What would God have you say, and to whom?
When my son was little, we spent a lot of time watching Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. One of Thomas’s friends was an engine named Percy. Percy was good at his job, but sometimes he just felt he was given way too much work and it was unfair. “I feel put upon!” Percy would declare at various times. While reading today’s chapters, I think Jeremiah was saying the same thing (but in Hebrew 😀).
And really, I don’t blame him. God had him observe a potter creating and destroying vessels at his pleasure to demonstrate what God will do with His people. Then He had Jeremiah buy a clay jar and smash it in front of the leaders of Judah to demonstrate what God will do to Judah. And what does Jeremiah get for his obedience? Beaten and mocked. Not only that, but Jeremiah saw that nothing was happening to the evil people, in fact, they seemed to be doing quite well. He was frustrated and felt defeated. I think I would have, too. Any half-way mature person knows that life isn’t fair, but sometimes it’s hard not to be frustrated when you always seem to be on the unfair end of things and that’s where Jeremiah is here. But despite his anger and frustration, he still acknowledges that no matter what, Jeremiah would praise Him and continue to prophesy in His name. Which is probably a good thing because after years of warnings, God begins moving His hand against Judah.
In chapter 21, we see that the warning of destruction of kings was no longer a vague, general mourning. People are being named. King Zedekiah was told he would be captured by the Babylonians, King Josiah’s eldest had been exiled, and his next son, Jehoiakim’s death was predicted to be un- mourned and dishonorable. Then it’s Jeremiah’s job to try to convince the people to surrender to Babylon so they will go “easy” on them and not kill them. No wonder this guy wasn’t very popular. I hadn’t really given it much thought before but in verse 20:18, Jeremiah mentions his friends. They certainly aren’t good friends as they are plotting to kill him. But unlike Jonah who was commanded to go and preach to a far off nation, Jeremiah was preaching to the people he grew up with and lived around. The people he traded goods with, the people he talked to while on the way to the temple, people who had been a part of his everyday life. Between being scorned for delivering these messages and knowing what was in store for his community, no wonder Jeremiah was down and depressed. He WAS put upon.
We’ll have to keep reading to find out what happens to Judah and Jeremiah. But in the meantime, think about the times you’ve felt “put upon” by the Lord. What happened? Did He stay with you? Like Jeremiah, did you praise Him anyway?
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
There are times in life when You have given us a burden and we feel “put upon”. Help us to have an attitude of peace and contentment at these times because You have chosen us to carry that burden. Please give us the strength to do it with pleasure.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen
-Maria Knowlton
Reflection Questions
“Think about the times you’ve felt ‘put upon’ by the Lord. What happened? Did He stay with you? Like Jeremiah, did you praise Him anyway?”
Have you ever delivered warnings from God to someone you know? What was the hardest part? What did this person think of you? What do you think God thought of you? What happens when no one warns?
Seek Grow Love 