Daily Devotional Friday 7th February 2020
by William Moody
Haggai 2:1–4
The Coming Glory of the Temple
2:1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,
(ESV)
After a month’s building work there was the danger that initial enthusiasm would be replaced by discouragement. The initial part would be very difficult given the large amount of rubble left from the old temple.
Discouragement also came as people compared what was going up with what was before. Haggai in v3 is probably echoing what the people were saying.
Can you think of examples of how reminders to past glories or the glories in other churches can discourage those in the present work?
We need to be wise in how we view and use the past and other churches.
It is not our job to know how everything will work out, it is our job to be strong, to be faithful and to persevere in the work (v4).
These words echo not only what was said to the other Joshua as he entered the Promised Land (Joshua 1 v6-9), but also what was said to Solomon when he was building the temple (1 Chronicles 28 v20).
It is a comfort to know when we need encouragement that other great men in the past also needed encouragement. The devil wants to discourage because discouragement makes us weak and even bitter. Read v4 again and thank God for these words.
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