Return from Exile: Haggai (7)

Pray Psalm 67.1-3.
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us,
Selah
That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.

Sing Psalm 67.1, 2.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
O bless us, Savior, by Your grace, and shine upon us with Your face,
that we Your way may loud proclaim and tell to all the earth Your fame!
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

Read Haggai 2.1-23; meditate on verse 19.

Preparation
1. What did God say about seeds, vines, and trees?

2. What did He promise?

Meditation
This is the most poetic verse in the book of Haggai. The images and words are fraught with promise and instruction for the people of God, to give us a future and a hope (Jer. 29.11).

“Bless” is a code word for the covenant God made with Abraham (Gen. 12.1-3). He promised to bless His people and to make them a blessing to the nations of the world. Here He reiterated that promise in a form relevant to the situation of the people. He would bring the nations to their “temple”—to Jesus, v. 7—where, together with the people of Israel, they would glorify God and know His promised blessings.

We do not seek the blessings of God as ends in themselves, to consume them upon our own lusts. The blessings of God are for our good, it is true, but only penultimately. God blesses us so that we may use those blessings to make His way known to the people around us, and to declare His salvation in all its broad and glorious scope. He blesses us to make us a blessing. His blessings increase to us to the extent that we are faithful in serving Him. We must not allow our “seed”—seed of the Kingdom (Matt. 13.18-23)—to rot in the barn. We must not fail to cultivate and tend our figs and pomegranates, olive trees, and grape vines—all the good things God provides for us which have the potential for bearing Kingdom fruit. We rejoice and give thanks for all the many and varied daily blessings we enjoy. And each of these provides impetus and opportunity for showing God’s ways and declaring His salvation to the people to whom He sends us each day.

Now we are a captive people. We do not sow our seed. We consume our fruit on ourselves. We are not fulfilling our calling to bless the world. But God will bless, and when He does, we will, too. Pray for God to bless us with revival, that we may sow Kingdom seed and fruit into the world, as He intends.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Prov. 4.23).
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (NASB).
“Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life” (TLB).

God does not look on our outward person which is fading away (1 Sam. 16.7; 2 Cor. 4.16); but He looks at our hearts. So circumstantially, whatever is happening is of little importance when it comes to the work and worship of our great God and King, and making sure our hearts are right before Him.

Let’s look at how our forebears faced challenges and blessings:

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines;
though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food;
though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3.17, 18).

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 23.10; 13.15).

“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12.9, 10).

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…” (2 Cor. 4.17).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5.3-12).

Those very prophets were able to rejoice in the face of all odds:
Because they kept, watched over, and guarded their hearts.
And because they knew, “He Will Bless”! Whenever and however He chooses.

For reflection
1. How do you expect God to bless you today?

2. How should this affect the way you live?

3. Whom will you encourage today in the promise of God’s blessing?

When we begin to make conscience of duty to God, we may expect his blessing; and who so is wise will understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. God will curse the blessings of the wicked, and make bitter the prosperity of the careless; but he will sweeten the cup of affliction to those who diligently serve him. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Haggai 2.19

Pray Psalm 67.4-6.
Pray that God will revive His people, renew His Church, and bring a great awakening of faith throughout the world. Call on Him to fulfill His precious and very great promises by bringing multitudes to Jesus.

Sing Psalm 67.4-6.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
Let all the nations gladly sing and joyous praise before You bring.
You judge them by Your holy worth and guide the nations of the earth.
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

The earth in full its bounty yields—the blessed harvest of the fields.
We gather blessings from Your Word that all the earth may fear You, Lord.
Refrain v. 3 (5)

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.