Return from Exile: Haggai (6)

Pray Psalm 92.1-4.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

Sing Psalm 92.1-4.
(Sweet Hour: Sweet Hour of Prayer)
How good it is to thank the Lord and praise to God Most High accord;
by day to let His kindness ring, His faithfulness by night to sing.
With ten-stringed lute, resounding lyre, and sweetest harp we’ll lift You higher.
For You have made our souls rejoice; we sing Your praise with blended voice!

Read Haggai 2.1-23; meditate on verses 20-23.

Prepare
1. Why did God promise to do?

2. What did God say of Zerubbabel?

Meditation
It is important to bear in mind that God sees all of time in one comprehensive glance. Succession of moments is nothing to Him Who dwells outside of time. Thus, when He, through His prophet, speaks of the coming overthrow of kingdoms and nations, it is not necessary to think in terms of immediacy. Daniel can be of some help here, as he envisions the Kingdom of God coming like a stone to overthrow all earthly kingdoms beginning at some point during the Roman Empire (cf. Dan. 2.44, 45; 7.13-25). But even Daniel’s prophetic words must be seen against the backdrop of the timeless and unchanging Word of God.

God will shake the heaven and earth, so much so, in fact, that they will be destroyed. Then He will create a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. The ultimate fulfillment of Haggai’s prophecy is in the coming of Christ as King, when the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Zerubbabel is here a type of Christ, Who will be the signet ring of the Lord, Who seals, and no one can undo (cf. Eph. 1.1-14).

Portents of this glorious Kingdom will mark the path toward it throughout the course of history. We recall how shaken the people of Thessalonica were to hear the Gospel and realize that the Christians “practice another King, Whose Name is Jesus” (Acts 17.1-7, my translation). They felt that their world was being turned upside down. Throughout the course of history God has shaken the world through revivals, delivering His people, captive to sin and darkness, into the glory of His Kingdom and the salvation of the Lord.

We need such a revival in our day. Pray that God may grant us a foretaste of the eternal there and then Kingdom by renewing us in it here and now.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
The God we serve is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. He is the Sovereign King and Creator of everything in the heavens and on earth. His will, will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. He will create a new heaven and a new earth in His timeframe and His good pleasure. And we are the beneficiaries of His lovingkindness, goodness, grace, mercy, and peace. Our proper response is to worship, praise, thank, serve, and adore Him. And wait expectantly to see what He will do with everything and everyone under His control.

God told Haggai (2.20-23) to tell Zerubbabel what He would do:
“I will shake…”
“I will overthrow…”
“I will destroy…”
“I will overthrow…”
“I will take you…”
“I will make you…”
“I have chosen you…”

All that power. All those ideas. All that control.
Yes, make no mistake. He will do what He has chosen to do.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8, 9).

In response to this overwhelming love, let us cry out to God, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” (Ps. 23.6).

Lord, let us always leave behind us an aroma of Your grace and mercy as we traverse our Personal Mission Field. There is so much to tell about You, our Sovereign King and Savior.

And as the unattributable quote says: we should “Preach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words.”

For reflection
1. Why is it important to know that God is sovereign over all time and all things?

2. How do you expect the Kingdom of God to come in and through you today?

3. What does it mean for you to wait on God and His promises?

…though Zerubbabel never had a kingdom, nor ever wore a crown, he was yet of the tribe of Judah; and God designed that some spark of that kingdom should exist, which he had raised in the family of David. Since, then, Zerubbabel was at that time a type of Christ, God declares here that he would be to him as a signet ― that is, that his dignity would be esteemed by him. John Calvin 1509-1564), Commentary on Haggai 2.23

Pray Psalm 92.5-15.
Pray that God will work in and through you to bring His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Pray for courage and grace to help in all your time of need. Pray that you will bear much fruit for Him today.

Sing Psalm 92.5-15.
(Sweet Hour: Sweet Hour of Prayer)
How sweet Your works, Your thoughts how deep. The fool cannot such knowledge keep.
Like grass the wicked rise each day; in judgment they are swept away.
But You, O Lord, abide on high; Your enemies shall fall and die.
All those who sin shall scattered be, but, Lord, You have exalted me!

My eye my vanquished foe shall see; my ears hear those who threaten me.
Yet in God’s house, where he belongs, the righteous like a tree grows strong.
Then let us green and fruitful be and flourish like a mighty tree,
To tell God’s righteousness abroad: He is our Rock, our sovereign God!

T. M. and Susie Moore

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.