TRUST
GOD'S PROMISES
Devotional
Reading: Psalm 27:7-14 – Background Scripture:Haggai 1:12-2:9
Rev.
Michael J. Hudgins
Sunday,
June 8, 2014
Key
Verse: Haggai 2:9 King James Version
(KJV) The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the
former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace,
saith the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 1:12-15
King James Version (KJV)
12
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech,
the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, 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 did fear before the Lord.
“The remnant of the people were literally those who
had made the trek back to Judah from their place of captivity in
Babylon; it also refers to those within a larger population who are
faithful to the Lord.”1
Remnant
describes those that are left after an act of God's judgment, such as
the Babylonian captivity.
“Zerubbabel”
means born at Babel , i.e. Babylon”
Zerubbabel
and the rest of the people had been busy in building costly houses
for themselves. But in the second year of Darius, light dawned upon
the darkness of the colony from Babylon. In that year --it was the
most memorable event in Zerabbabel's life --the spirit of prophecy
suddenly blazed up with a most brilliant light among the returned
captives. Their words fell like sparks upon tinder. In a moment
Zerubbabel roused from his apathy, threw his whole strength into the
work. 2
13
Then spake Haggai the Lord's
messenger in the Lord's
message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.
“God's promise to the people of Judah was that the
name of the Coming One would be Immanuel, meaning “God is with us”.
Here God repeated the same message of comfort and encouragement.”3
God is not a man, that he
should lie; neither the son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and
shall he not make it good?
For all the
promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen,
unto the glory of God by us.
14
And the Lord
stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,
and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and
did work in the house of the Lord
of hosts, their God,
The Spirit of God moves upon the human spirit of His
leaders and his people to accomplish His work. God stirs up the
people for the great work that is ahead.
“When God's people respond in obedience to His
Word, then He is ready to bless them and accomplish great things
through them.” p. 352 student textbook
Wherefore I put thee in
remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God,
which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
(September
21, 520 BC (Before Christ))
“The
people returned to God in the way of duty. In
attending to God's ministers, we must have respect to him that sent
them.
The word of the Lord has success, when by his grace he stirs up our
spirits to comply with it. It is in the day of Divine power we are
made willing.
When
God has work to be done, he will either find or make men fit to do
it. Every one helped, as his ability was; and this they did with a
regard to the Lord as their God.
Those
who have lost time, need to redeem time; and the longer we have
loitered in folly, the more haste we should make. God met them in a
way of mercy. Those who work for him, have him with them; and if he
be for us, who can be against us? This should stir us up to be
diligent.”4
The
Key point in regards to the text above is “we must have respect to
him (God) that sent them” and not them that lied on God and went
themselves
Haggai 2:1-9
King James Version (KJV)
1
In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came
the word of the Lord
by the prophet Haggai, saying,
The
date above mentioned is equal to October 17, 520 BC (Before Christ)
2
Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and
to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of
the people, saying,
- Primary Leaders: Zerubbabel and Joshua
- Remnant: Residue or people that are left
3
Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how
do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as
nothing?
- Her First glory refers to Solomon's Temple which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, meaning that there were people in attendance old enough to remember what the first temple looked like, its majesty and also remembered its destruction by pagans.
- The Lord speaks through Haggai and asks these older people to compare that temple with the one that is being built now.
- It is clear that the new temple pales in comparison to Solomon's Temple and after the foundation of the new temple is laid, some shout for joy while others wept:
Ezra 3:10-13
King James Version (KJV)
10 And when the builders
laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests
in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph
with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king
of Israel.
11 And they sang together
by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is
good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the
people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord,
because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
12 But many of the priests
and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had
seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid
before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for
joy:
13 So that the people
could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and
the noise was heard afar off.
Ezra 3:10-13
New King James Version (NKJV)
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord,
the priests stood[a]
in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph,
with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David
king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and
giving thanks to the Lord:
“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”[b]
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”[b]
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when
they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the
Lord was laid.
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’
houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a
loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their
eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people
could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and
the sound was heard afar off.
Footnotes:
- Ezra 3:10 Following Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate; Masoretic Text reads they stationed the priests.
Solomon's Temple in all her glory
The Destruction of The Temple
Now therefore thus saith
the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
The Second Temple
That saw — Near fourscore years ago.
This house — The temple built by Solomon.
“The older temple would have loomed large and
magnificent, far outstripping the present structure. So even though
the building was completed, there may have been the sense among some
of the people that it was as nothing”5
4 Yet
now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord;
and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be
strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord,
and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord
of hosts:
Here God lets Zerubbabel and Joshua (and the people)
that He is with them! Encouragement to do the work of the Lord.
“The lack of strength (both spiritual and physical)
in the face of opposition had caused the initial attempt to rebuild
the temple to slow down and eventually stop all together. The people
must realize that the strength they need is not that of their own;
the Lord is indeed with them” p. 353 student book.
5 According
to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so
my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
God NEVER breaks His promises and NEVER FORGETS
what He says to us!
God reminds the people of a promise that He made to
their ancestors that came out of Egypt, He promises to be with them.
Their ancestors had been held captive in Egypt and
they had been held captive in Babylon. As God was with the former,
He shall be with the latter remnant.
6
For thus saith the Lord
of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
“If the people are becoming discouraged because of
the apparent inferiority of the second temple, then the Lord now
offers a glimpse of what He has in store for this structure” p. 354
student text.
Yet once —
After many confirmations of the new covenant, one more, remains to be
made.
A little while — Tho' above five hundred
years, yet this was but a little time compared with that between the
promise to Adam and Christ's coming.
I will shake — Whether it be metaphorical
or literal, it was verified at the time of Christ's coming into the
world. After the return of the captivity, by the commotions among the
Grecians, Persians, and Romans, which began soon after this time;
this was metaphorically fulfilled. And it was literally fulfilled by
prodigies and earthquakes, at the birth, death, and resurrection of
Christ.”6
2 Chronicles 7:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
7 Now when Solomon
had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and
consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the
Lord filled the house.
2 And the priests
could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the
Lord had filled the Lord's house.
3 And when all the
children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the
Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the
ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord,
saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Another way of speaking of the day of The Lord. When
Jesus returns, the entire universe will be shaken!
7
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord
of hosts.
All nations — Which was literally
fulfilled in the overthrow of the Persian monarchy by the Grecians,
in the civil wars, and succeeding troubles among Alexander's
successors, the growth of the Roman power by subduing their
neighbours, and their dissentions and home-bred wars.
The desire — Christ the most desirable, to
all nations, and who was desired by all that knew their own misery,
and his sufficiency to save them who was to be the light of the
Gentiles, as well as the glory of his people Israel.
With glory — The first temple had a glory
in its magnificent structure, rich ornaments, and costly sacrifices;
but this was a worldly glory; that which is here promised, is a
heavenly glory from the presence of Christ in it. He that was the
brightness of his father's glory, who is the glory of the church,
appeared in this second temple.”7
Barnes' Notes on Haggai 2:8
The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine - These words, which have
occasioned some to think, that God, in speaking of the glory with
which He should fill the house, meant our material riches, suggest
the contrary. For silver was no ornament of the temple of Solomon.
Everything was overlaid with gold.
In the tabernacle there were bowls of silver, in Solomon's temple
they and all were of gold 1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chronicles 4:8. Silver, we
are expressly told, "was nothing accounted of 1 Kings 10:21 in
the days of Solomon: he 1 Kings 10:27. made silver to be in Jerusalem
as stones - for abundance." Rather, as God says by the Psalmist
Psalm 50:10-12, "Every beast of the forest is Mine, so are the
cattle upon a thousand hills: I know all the fowls of the mountains,
and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine and
the fullness thereof:" so here He tells them, that for the glory
of His house He needed not gold or silver: for all the wealth of the
world is His. They had no ground "to grieve then, that they
could not equal the magnificence of Solomon who had abundance of gold
and silver." All was God's. He would fill it with divine glory.
The Desire of all nations, Christ, should come, and be a glory, to
which all created glory is nothing.
9
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former,
saith the Lord
of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord
of hosts.
Peace
includes good health, well-being, and an abundant life. The term
speaks of everything as it ought to be.
In
this place
— In my house, a type of Christ.
Peace — A spiritual, internal, and
heavenly peace.
“The
name, Jerusalem, where the city is located, means city of peace.”
p. 355 of student text
Commentary on Haggai 2:1-9
“Those who are hearty in the Lord's service shall
receive encouragement to proceed. But they could not build such a
temple then, as Solomon built. Though our gracious God is pleased if
we do as well as we can in his service, yet our proud hearts will
scarcely let us be pleased, unless we do as well as others, whose
abilities are far beyond ours.
Encouragement is given the Jews to go on in the work
notwithstanding. They have God with them, his Spirit and his special
presence. Though he chastens their transgressions, his faithfulness
does not fail. The Spirit still remained among them. And they shall
have the Messiah among them shortly; "He that should come."
Convulsions and changes would take place in the
Jewish church and state, but first should come great revolutions and
commotions among the nations. He shall come, as the Desire of all
nations; desirable to all nations, for in him shall all the earth be
blessed with the best of blessings; long expected and desired by all
believers.
The house they were building should be filled with
glory, very far beyond Solomon's temple. This house shall be filled
with glory of another nature. If we have silver and gold, we must
serve and honour God with it, for the property is his. If we have not
silver and gold, we must honour him with such as we have, and he will
accept us.
Let them be comforted that the glory of this latter
house shall be greater than that of the former, in what would be
beyond all the glories of the first house, the presence of the
Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord of glory, personally, and in human
nature. Nothing but the presence of the Son of God, in human form and
nature, could fulfil this.
Jesus is the Christ, is He that should come, and we
are to look for no other. This prophecy alone is enough to silence
the Jews, and condemn their obstinate rejection of Him, concerning
whom all their prophets spake.
If God be with us, peace is with us. But the Jews
under the latter temple had much trouble; but this promise is
fulfilled in that spiritual peace which Jesus Christ has by his blood
purchased for all believers. All changes shall make way for Christ to
be desired and valued by all nations. And the Jews shall have their
eyes opened to behold how precious He is, whom they have hitherto
rejected.”8
1New
King James Bible Notes
2Smith’s
Bible Dictionary
3New
King James Bible Notes
4Matthew
Henry Commentray
5New
King James Study Bible notes
6John
Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
7John
Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
8Matthew
Henry Commentary
