April 11 Daily Discovery
April 11 Daily Discovery - Read Haggai Chapter 2
This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).
Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.
[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,
[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,
[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?
[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:
[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.
[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;
[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.
[8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
[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.
[10] In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
[11] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
[12] If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
[13] Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
[14] Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
[15] And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
[16] Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
[17] I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
[18] Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
[19] Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
[20] And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
[21] Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
[22] And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
[23] In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
What Makes God's House Glorious?
Haggai was prophesying to 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. See Ezra's accounting of this time:
Ezra 3:8-13
[8] Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.
[9] Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
[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.
There was a mixed response of the people at the dedication of the new temple. The people that had remembered the former temple that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed wept while those that did not have the memory celebrated. Haggai encourage the people telling them that this house was going to be more glorious than the former house. The problem was this new temple could not touch the previous temple built by Solomon in its grandeur. How is the prophet proclaiming that the glory of this house will be greater?
The Manifest Presence of God
The glory of god dwelt in the tabernacle or the tent that was in the wilderness, thus making it glorious. All of creation could not be an adequate house for God. All of these types looked forward to a time when God would dwell in the very hearts of His people.
Ex. 40:31-38
[31] And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
[32] When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
[33] And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
[34] Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
[35] And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
[36] And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
[37] But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
[38] For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Sure, Solomon's temple was grand and ornate, covered with gold and jewels. Extravagant wealth was incorporated into everything. But what made it glorious was when the presence of God filled it. Until then it was just a house of wood and metal and stones.
2 Chron. 7:1-3
[1] 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.
The Manifest Person of God
So, how was this temple to be more glorious than the first temple? First the tabernacle, then Solomon's temple both had the manifest presence of God. This Presence stayed with the tabernacle, but there came a time when the Presence of God left Solomon's temple (Ezek. Ch. 8-10). Their religious observances went along without the presence of God, giving a clue to why God's presence left to begin with. It was all a ritual for them and they were not worshiping and seeking God from their hearts.
The real Temple would be in the temple!
John 2:13-21
[13] And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
[14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
[15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
[16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
[17] And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
[18] Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
[19] Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
[20] Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
[21] But he spake of the temple of his body.
The prophecy points to the future when Jesus Christ the Son of God, the son of man, God in the flesh would physically walk into this temple. Unfortunately, His people rejected Him and killed Him and within a generation, He returned to destroy them.
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