Building The Temple (Haggai 2:1-9)
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
(Hag 2:1-9 NKJV) In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the
month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying: {2}
"Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and
to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of
the people, saying: {3} 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in
its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is
this not in your eyes as nothing? {4} 'Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,'
says the LORD; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high
priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the LORD,
'and work; for I am with you,' says the LORD of hosts. {5} 'According
to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so
My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!' {6} "For thus says the LORD
of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and
earth, the sea and dry land; {7} 'and I will shake all nations, and
they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this
temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts. {8} 'The silver is Mine,
and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts. {9} 'The glory of this
latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of
hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts."
This incredible prophecy reaches from Haggai's day right through to
the Millenial reign of Christ. Its an enormous summary of the
significance and history of the temple in Jerusalem. The historical
situation is that it is "the day of small things". Zerubbabel and
Joshua and the people are discouraged by the fact that the temple
they are building is nowhere near as magnificent as Solomon's
Temple. They feel that its no use building a small temple they sense
"will never amount to anything." Ever felt like not starting on a
work of God because it is just so small and insignificant with other
"temples" and what you have known before. Start nonetheless!
The discouragement must have been substantial for another prophet,
Zechariah, is also sent to encourage Zerubbabel to the task of
rebuilding the Temple with his famous words... (Zec 4:6-10 NKJV) So
he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to
Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the
LORD of hosts. {7} 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel
you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With
shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"' " ... {10} For who has despised the
day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in
the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to
and fro throughout the whole earth."
Haggai's approach to Israel's despair is to exhort them to "be
strong" (Haggai 2;4). Its not just a vague motivational talk, their
new found strength will flow from three great assurances. Firstly
that God will be with them as He covenanted (2:4) secondly that His
Spirit was still in their midst (2:5) and thirdly that what they
built would endure and become glorious and that the Messiah would
come to it and peace would flow from it (2:6-9). The Temple is a
point of absolutely cosmic significance where "the Desire Of All
Nations" will come. His Coming will involve a shaking of the heavens
and the earth (Hagga1 2:7) - a fact that was not lost on the author
to the Hebrews who picked up this verse and gave it its New
Testament significance. (Heb 12:26-29) The result of this shaking is
that people from all nations will stream to Jerusalem where the
Desire Of All Nations shall dwell and the temple will be filled with
glory. This has lead many to believe that the Temple will exist
during the Millennium - the 1000 yr period when Christ shall reign
upon earth.
Another source of despair was that the poverty stricken Jews of
Haggai's day felt that they did not have the wealth to build a great
Temple but God reminds them that "the silver is mine and the gold is
mine". When the time comes for God to release His silver and gold
into His work the Temple it will happen - and in a big way! He
promises that the glory of the Temple will exceed even that of
Solomon's day! The Second Temple was not large but later Herod
built a truly enormous Temple so that Jesus saw a most opulent
building of which the Jews were truly proud. It was glorious in both
size and purpose - for now it housed the Messiah as He taught in its
courts. God adds the increase in His time!
How does this apply to us? Firstly we may be feeling that our work
of God is small and insignificant, we may be discouraged and feel
that our financial resources are insufficient. God says to us "Be
strong" - He is with us as He promised, His Spirit is in our midst
(its not by might or by power by by my Spirit!), and He will make
what we do glorious and a source of peace. Furthermore the gold and
the silver are His - and He will release them into our work when we
get up and do it. Our ministries may not be meant to be large - the
Second Temple wasn't - but it was still good in God's sight! Lets be
like Zerubbabel and get on with building God's Kingdom in the
Spirit's power knowing that we will receive a kingdom that cannot be
shaken.
Prayer:
Lord we are often discouraged by the apparent futility and
microscopic size of our ministries. Lord help us not to "despise the
day of small things" but rather to be strong and take on the works of
God that You have prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Amen.
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternity-magazine.org/
Cults, exegesis, bible teaching, Christian life and leadership.
For the thinking Christian!