It is Building Time, Pt. 3 – My House Filled With Glory
Haggai 2: 1-9
About three weeks passed between the day of Haggai’s first prophetic message and the work of rebuilding the temple began on September 24, 520 B.C. (Haggai 1:15). Given the deplorable conditions in the land and the scarcity of tools and materials, it is quite amazing that they were able to get going in just 23 days.
After working for almost a month, God sent a second message through Haggai’s lips. It occurred on October 21st. As we shall soon see, the tone and content of this second word is much different from the initial one. Since it is unclear as to the time and place of Haggai’s speaking, we may offer some possibilities.
Let us suppose that it was mid-day and they were busy at the jobsite. Much of the rubble and charred timbers may still have remained scattered about. The cleanup portion of the project must have been extremely difficult and required lots of time and energy. Then, too, there likely was heavy emotional distress hovering over them – this was the house of God, the heart of the faith of their fathers and here it lay like a trash heap. So sad; so sad.
Or let’s suppose it was late in the day and the work had ceased. The laborers were weary; the sun was setting; and they were about to return home for rest. As they surveyed the day’s progress, it might have appeared that so little had been accomplished. It looked just like that yesterday, the day before and the day before that …. so, what’s the use?
Perhaps, in either case, Haggai stood there with them at the jobsite. He could see it in their eyes, in the sweat on their brow, and in the groaning of their voices – while God saw it also in the anguish of their hearts. They really wanted to get this job done, but it seemed doomed to fail.
Once again, the Lord directed Haggai to speak to the governor, the high priest, and all the people, “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?” (Haggai 2:3).
Sixty-six years had passed since the temple had been destroyed, but there may have been some among these who actually saw that great temple which King Solomon had built and could recall its splendor and majesty. Then, too, others standing before Haggai may have heard, many times, their fathers and grandfathers paint such vivid word-pictures of that temple that they could actually say, “I have seen it”. In either case, they were compelled to agree with the painful comparison between the ghastly ruins that lay before them (as it now is) and the temple in its former glory (as it once was).
Yes, it was like a “mole hill to a mountain”, or “a drop of water in the ocean”, or “a David to a Goliath”. But that is just the point!! God is challenging them with a daunting task, a seemingly impossible undertaking. The work would certainly not be easy. Jesus warned His hearers, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).
It was then that Haggai spoke the word they all needed to hear. He said, “Yet be strong, Zerubbabel … be strong, Joshua …. Be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:4). The term,“be strong” is “khaw-zak” which primarily means to fasten upon, to seize. In the vernacular, it would be, “Hold on tight, for I am with you”. Likewise, the presence of the Lord makes all the difference. You may recall that Moses understood this when he was leading the Israelites toward the Promised Land and God was reluctant to go with them because of their disobedience, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 3:15). In like manner, as Jesus was about to ascend into heaven and send His disciples into all the world, He strengthened them thusly, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Upon hearing these words, their courage was bolstered … and further when he reminded them of the Lord’s covenant promise to those coming out of Egypt nearly 700 years ago, “My Spirit remains among you; do not fear” (Haggai 2:5).
We may pause here to be reminded; the building of the temple of our souls and bodies is not an easy task. The devastation brought about by our own sins, the wiles of the devil, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness (Ephesians 6:11, 12), has left us “in ruins”. We may remember how our lives once were in the innocence of childhood or when we first believed. We may wonder if we can recover that state of faith and joy we once knew and, if so, how we will get there. Haggai’s second message is clearly, “Yes, you can because God is with you. Be strong, hold on tight and do not be afraid”.
It is as He told them, “I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land …” (Haggai 2:6). The Lord will stop at nothing to help us as we work to remove the rubble in our broken lives and repair the damage to our temples.
Then, what a promise! “I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:7). Never mind what it looks like to you now, this temple is going to be quite different soon. In fact, “the glory of this latter temple (which they were building) shall be greater than the former … and in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).
St. Paul carried this word to the church in Corinth, “But we all …. beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Corinthians 3:18).
Asking your patience, it seems appropriate, at this point, to insert a few thoughts on this familiar word, “glory”. When the Lord said, “I will fill this temple with glory”, what were they to expect? One can only wish that we could grasp this, but surely it is beyond our comprehension. So, we must reach for as much as we can bear.
As it appears in Haggai’s writing, the word is “kaw-bode”, which speaks of splendor, abundance, and honor. In the New Testament, the word is “doxa” which expresses dignity, honor, praise, and worship. In both languages, there is the sense of a visible manifestation or showing forth. It is, therefore, associated with a display of radiance, light or brilliance. One writer notes that “it is the manifestation of the divine attributes and perfections” (such as love, grace, power, wisdom, peace, joy, etc.) (William Smith – Bible Dictionary). Those who were eyewitnesses of the glory of God could see but could not fully take it in; they could perceive but not fully understand.
Now, just to think that this glory of God is, in some measure, imparted to us, to fill our souls, minds and hearts (our temple), must bring us to our knees as to Moses in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:35) and to the disciples on Mt. Tabor (Matthew 17:2). Yes, “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
This message of encouragement and promise was just what the people needed in that hour to keep them going. Knowing that the Lord was with them, and their work would be pleasing to Him, they could now “run and not be weary, they could walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40: 31).
As you and I continue our work of rebuilding our temples, even in the face of adversaries and spiritual warfare, let us hold fast to these words from the Apostle Paul: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).
“It is building time, My people; it is building time”.
Fr. Andrew
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