Bible Truth #146 - Haggai 1:14

Haggai 1:14

So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,

Please understand what the Israelites had been doing. They had been building their houses and neglecting the temple. In the verses preceding 14, the Lord tells them - Give careful thought to your ways. You’ve been planting much but harvesting little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (vv5-6)

The Israelites just couldn’t figure it out. Just like those today who don’t tithe - they just can’t figure out that they would do MUCH better with 90% AND the Lord’s blessing rather than 91-100% and the Lord’s curse. But I digress….

The point I want to bring is that when left to themselves, the people did not, and would not, take care of the Lord’s House. So the Lord stirred up their spirit. AS A RESULT of the Lord stirring up their spirit, they came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty.

Nowhere in the Bible will you find anything remotely similar to the “theory” of the Lord stirring someone’s spirit and that person saying “No.” If the creature can say no to the Creator, the Creator is not sovereign. Everywhere in the Bible where the Lord moved on someone, they did EXACTLY what God wanted them to do - which is supported by Isaiah 55:11 (Bible Truth #13).

Bottom Line - The Lord works the same way today. He MAKES people do exactly what He wants them to do (Proverbs 16:9; Philippians 2:13). This absolutely includes whether or not someone responds to the Gospel message, as Lydia did because the Lord opened her heart (Acts 16:14).