Haggai 2

Verse of the Day: V7 “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.”

1.  Glory (V1-7)

V4 “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:”

The Lord through Prophet Haggai encouraged the wearied and tired people of Judah after they had returned from 70 long years of Babylonian captivity, to be strong, and to keep on working and rebuilding God’s ruined house. Haggai assured them that the Lord was with them, and His glory shall once again fill His house and their city, and all nations of the entire world shall know that the God of Judah is the one and only true and living God.

V7 “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.”

2.  Gold (V8-9)

V8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Haggai encouraged the people of Judah who just returned from captivity that God could do anything as He owned the silver and the gold and everything in this entire universe. God shall make His rebuilt house greater and with much glory than the original house they had built, and He shall certainly give peace to their city where His house was built.

V9 “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.”

3.  Garment (V10-23)

V12 “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.”

No one except God can cleanse us from all sins and keep us holy and give us His glory. The unholy bread or pottage (stew) or wine or oil or meat can never be holy just because the holy flesh (meat) carried on a man’s garment accidently touched them. Only the Lord who chooses those who believe and trust in Him can make us holy and give us His glory.

V23 “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.”

Prayer of the Day:
 
Dearest God, please make me holy and give me Your glory.

Haggai 1

Verse of the Day: V14 “And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,”

1.  Word (V1-2)

V1 “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,”

Haggai received God’s word to admonish the governor and the high priest that the people of Judah had time only to build their own houses, but had no time to build God’s house.

V2 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.”

2.  Wood (V3-11)

V6 “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

Haggai patiently pleaded with the people that the Lord shall only be pleased and glorified if they would go to the mountain and gathered wood for the building of God’s house.

V8 “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.”

3.  Work (V12-15)

V12 “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, 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 did fear before the LORD.”

Finally, the governor, the high priest and the people of Judah obeyed God’s holy word, and went to the mountain to gather wood to work and build God’s house for God’s glory.

V14 “And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,”

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, please help me to obey Your word, and work for Your glory.

Zephaniah 3

Verse of the Day:V5 “The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”

1.  Filthy (V1-4)

V1 “Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!”

The Almighty God through Prophet Zephaniah pronounced severe judgment upon the people of Judah. The people of Judah had rebelled against God. They had disobeyed His voice, received not His correction, trusted not in Him, and refused to draw near to Him. They had polluted God’s holy city, and it had become a filthy, wicked and sinful city.

V2 “She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.”

2.  Faileth (V5-7)

V5 “The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.”

Prophet Zephaniah encouraged the people of Judah who believed and trusted in God that the just Lord was in the midst of them daily even though they were living in a filthy, wicked and sinful city. The Lord promised those who believed and trusted in Him that He shall never fail them, not even once, and to those who rebelled against Him, He shall judge and destroy them and their cities, until there shall be no city or inhabitant left.

V6 “I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.”

3.  Fear (V8-20)

V12 “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.”

Zephaniah prophesied that there shall be a remnant of people, though afflicted and poor, yet they shall trust in the name of the Lord. This remnant shall not fear God’s judgment which shall only be upon the wicked. They shall not be slack in their service of God, but shall continue to serve Him, until the Lord shall promote them to His kingdom in heaven. 

V16 “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

Prayer of the Day:

Dearest God, please help me to trust You as You will never fail me, not even once.