Three Words (from Haggai 2)
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6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
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Incarnation
Second Coming
The Children of israel were in Exile from 587BC. Haggai was written 520Bc (after Babylon had fallen and the world was under Persian Rule). The history of this Prophetic book found in the book of Ezra and the chosen people’s return and rebuilding the Holy city.
Overview, Haggai can be divided into four Sections
1 Their priority was in rebuilding their own buildings, and houses, not the Temple - they orioritised self
2 Temple was rebuilt but it was not great like Solomon’s. Haggai 2:1-9 speaks prophetically to a people whose morale was low, resources are not forthcoming for finishing the building project. The prophet said God’s Kingdom would redeem the whole world, the one he points forward to was desired of all nations (2:7). The temple and understanding what was meant by the Temple would be key.
3. Haggai calls the people to covenant faithfulness (Haggai 2:10-19) people must turn and repent i.e. return to covenant faithfulness and obedience
4 Future Hope of God’s Kingdom (second advent). (Haggai 2:20-23). The challenge to us - is that our choices and priorities matter. Faithfulness of God to us should motivate us to stay true to the Lord.
In summary, the people have become indifferent to worshiping and glorifying God. Indifferent to the rebuilding building of the temple.
Their own pleasure, comfort, enjoyment was pursued. They had gone off the boil about their faith but the temperature was rising on their own love of leisure pleasure, and treasure.
The Lord’s house was in ruins but they were living the life of Riley - pleasure. They needed to repent - and turn so that God would be glorified by his people. Haggai tells them straight - they have lost their first love for God.
Haggai 2 encourages them to go forward with God, and return. Haggai 2:6-9 provides encouragement - because God is going to do something among them. Vision is so important. They had become indifferent to glorifying and enjoying God. Apathy was the theme.
I would like to highlight three words from this short reading [1] Shaking [2] Resourcing [3] Glorifying
Three Words: Shaking, resourcing, glorifying
Shaking
1. Shaking – Like an Earthquake - Ground moving, breaking up. Haggai was prophecying a shaking of nations . Shaking is also done through war.
David in 1 Samuel 4-7. Nations shaking is part of God's sovereign power. God is defending his people. Shaking the nations can also be interpretes as shaking the church. The Church today is in decline. There are societla attacks on Christianity coupled with leadership failings.
Through Haggai the message is - take courage people of God. God will shake nations, church, society. Powers of this world will have their day but God will come and shake them. Historically nations and empires rise and people tremble - then they fall. Movements will be shaken empires media arts empires moral kingdoms Society empires - built on opposing what God stands for – family, faith, fellowship, the word.
I believe we can also apply this as a personal shaking. When we experience trauma it is like a personal earthquake. Don’t get me wrong, I do not think God is in the business of pushing cars off roads so that an Irishman can be shaken. But God can turn each attack of the enemy into a victory. That is the message and it is my testimony. Some of us here today feel that we are being shaken. But I want to say - God is in the shaking.
Through Haggai, God says they will opponents and adversity will have their day and then be shaken but the Kingdom of God will last forever.
Resourcing
Another word may be providing - ‘silver and gold is mine’ says the Lord in Haggai 2:8. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, if we believe God has given us a vision for sommething, he will resource it. TYrust and obey. He is able to supply your needs. Ezra 6 is the context of this phrase ‘silver and gold is mine’ They were rebuilding the temple and resourcing ioty was an issue. God prompted King Darius to say the expenses were to be paid out of the royal treasury. This was a fulfilment of Haggai’s prophecy. Trust in the Lord and you will be surprised where the resources come from.
Silver and gold I can provide when you step into the vision I have planted in you.
Glorifying
‘What is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.’ Some commentaries say this is pointing forward to Jesus. The Carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing - includes the line, “Come, Desire of Nations, come! Fix in us Thy humble home”. This is based on Haggai 2:7 and on Luke 2:14 (music by Felix Mendelssohn).
I will fill the house with my glory. As we meet to worship here at Lee Abbey the praise is raised by many nations as we come to worship him. As Pentecost predicted every tribe and nation worship and glorify - from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.
Statistics of decline of the church for our country is alarming but we must continue to be positive. The Kingdom of God is not only about the Western World. The growth is being experienced elsewhere and we rejoice with them. We live in the times of the acts of the apostles - this is Acts 29. God is not finished his work. Haggai 2v9 saus, the glory will be greater than the former. Nostalgia looks back through rose tinted lens saying this is not as good as former times but Prophet Haggai in 2v9 tells us the Glory will be greater. For them the silence and darkness between the Old testament and the New Testament was bleak and barren – how could God’s glory be greater than the former. The answer was in Jesus. John 1 ‘ The word became flesh and dwelt among us.’
Remember the context is that Solomon’s Temple was being rebuilt and people were indifferent to God’s temple. Prioritising their own dwellings. Jesus said destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days - speaking of himself and his resurrection. Truly the glory would be greater in this place I will grant peace i.e. Shalom - the Prince of peace will accomplish it.
Take courage be fearless and share in the mission of bringing Christ to the nations. Catch the vision of the glory and what Jesus can do among us. The building is secondary. Yes build it for God's glory but glory must be the Lords.
He will Hold me Fast
I see the King of Glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes, yeah
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people singHosanna, Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Songwriter: Brooke Ligertwood
Three Words Shaking, Resourcing, Glorifying
