Study from God’s Word… Haggai, Chapter 1, 2: 1-9; Zech 1: 1 – 6; Hag 2: 10 – 19 Passage for Reflection: Haggai 2: 3, 9 … NIV 3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? … 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."
My Journal for Today: Reading from Haggai and the younger Prophet, Zechariah, in this morning’s guided Bible study, I’m taken by the message these two prophets deliver, from God, to the Jewish leaders and people about God’s Temple being rebuilt at the time.
The message from today’s text is quite profound and becomes personalized, … that one day, though the current temple will not be as grand as the one built by Solomon, in those glorious days, there will come a day, God proclaims through Haggai, when Temple being built by the people will be more glorious for God then any ever built at that time or in the past. And Dr. Smith speculates, by interpretation, that this was a reference to the fact that one day The Messiah would enter the Temple, being built by this remnant from Babylon; and He would even cleanse the Temple for His Father.
The other message, delivered by both Zechariah and Haggai, is that the people working on the temple building cannot give glory to God by simply working there. No, they must have right hearts in doing the work to honor God with their work for His glory. And I see both of these messages as having a reference – a very personal teaching – for me, as I rebuild the Temple in which God has taken residence in my heart. From 1st Cor. 6: 19-20 [linked], I know that God wants me to rebuild the bodily temple where He resides, in me, so that it will glorify Him. And I can only do that when my Temple is cleansed and free from corrupting influences. And it should be my righteous anger, just as it was with My Lord’s when He turned over the tables in the Temple, to do all I can to clean out God’s Temple and keep it clean for The Father’s glory.
What about it, my friend[s]? Are we doing all we can to cleanse God’s Temple, … the very place our God, The Holy Spirit, has chosen to take residence in our lives? I can’t speak for you; but for me, I need to do more to keep my Lord’s Temple clean and well maintained for His glory.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, forgive me for my laxity in Temple maintenance. Help me to be a better steward of my body, … Your Temple. Amen
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