“In That Day” (Haggai 2)

And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth.  I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother. ‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

After repentance, God promises to bless us openly. His grace chastened us and His holiness wouldn't accept our efforts, but now, seeing our sin and turning to Christ, God’s promised us a better day, whereby He fights for us.  He says, “According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!” (vs5).  The most blessed thing in the world is God being for you, giving you power to honor Him, and then blessing your labors.

Enemies have ruled us and we missed out on blessings, but God put your sin down, gave you godly fear, and He now answers your slavish fear with reconciliation, peace, and prosperity (vs15-19).  He says, “And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the lord – since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.  I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the Lord.  Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid – consider it; is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit.  But from this day I will bless you”.  You have failed in yourself, but you have God now, working in you, blessing you, and your success is coming GREATER than before.  You have been turned, and the Lord’s goodness is your reward.

I desire ardently that believers know our BEST life now, and it is obedience to God and fearing Him, as commanded (vs6-9).  He says, “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; 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.  ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘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”.  We can say, “I will live for me, now that I have Christ”, but it doesn’t satisfy us like living for Him.  Ultimately, rebellion is fighting God for the believer, an uphill unwinnable battle, and we are seeking pleasure where it CAN’T be found, like searching for treasure in an empty jar.  The life that we want is obeying Christ, being strengthened by God, and being rewarded by Him. This may LOOK small, but it is blessed. It may not be mighty in our eyes, as if we’ve done great things for Him, but it will be pleasurable inwardly.  It will give assurance, and it WILL be useful to help others.

Finally, heaven is also coming. It is ultimately “that day” when all shall be well, and every foe defeated (vs20-23). He says, “In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.” We look forward to this day, trusting the Lord, and living in hope, now.  We are not obeying for nothing!  We forsake sin because it is best for us, and with this in mind, trust Him wholeheartedly to conquer your struggles and trials.  Don’t say, “My behavior doesn’t matter; it’s all about Christ”, for that is like a son saying, “It doesn’t matter how I act, since my father loves me”.  There is no wisdom in light attitudes towards sin.  It is BEST to fear God, to have Him help you, and to be at peace in your labors.  He will ETERNALLY reward you with joy unstoppable for what you’ve done on earth.

“Work” (Haggai 1:1-2-5)

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying:  “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:  ‘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?  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.  (Hag 2:1-4)

God is on your side, so work. He says, “be strong, all of you people of the land’, says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you”.  Your prospects may seem small compared to the former days, but this work of preaching Christ is what God’s called you to do.  He will reward your labors, and He is with you to achieve this task.  He says, “Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified’, says the Lord” (Haggai 1:8).  Don’t think that salvation by grace means that we rest without working; we labor BY faith.

The gospel confounds the flesh, teaching two things continually: we don’t work for salvation, and we work out our salvation, bringing the fruit of saved people, with fear and trembling.  Phil 2:12-13 says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”. This isn’t merit; it is responsibility.  It isn’t earning God’s favor; it is using His favor rightly. 

We can’t say, “I’m going to live for me”, and have God’s blessing. Consequences will show us our folly. He says, “Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?’ Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes” (Hag 1:3-6).  Living God’s way is the best life for us. We will have trials, even in obedience, but it is better than living in sin.

Grace has made us new creations with a new purpose in life. He doesn’t come to patch up the old, but to give us something entirely new!  He says, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Luke 5:33-39)! 

He makes us live with godly zeal, and don’t you resist this.  Many think, “It is someone else’s fault that I’m hurting”, but it may be your own fault, if you’re living in sin. He says again, “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away.  Why?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house (doing his own will).  Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.  For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands” (Hag 1:9-11).  You may have a strong faith in Christ, but God reproves the self-centeredness that you couldn’t see, and He makes your sin unbearable, so that repentance results.  You need both pardon and power, and He gives it, and thereby, peace.  

Many are ashamed in their sin.  You fear being unworthy, are embarrassed at your behavior, and perhaps you are greatly stricken. But, do not work to cleanse your conscience!  Instead, believe on the pardon that He gives.  We read, ““Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 feared the presence of the Lord.  Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, ‘I am with you, says the Lord” (Hag 1:12-13).  He promises to be with everyone who says, “I am wrong, Lord, and You are right”. 

The unrepentant have no hope, but the child of God’s past failures will not lead to future disappointment and uselessness.  He says, “According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear (vs5)!” You might not be as big as you were expecting, but God will bless your obedience, your zeal for His glory, and He’ll faithfully make you contented.

Be 100% optimistic, as you work. He says again, “work; for I am with you”. He’s forgiven you, will help you, and He will reward you eternally.