The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2: 9 (ESV) 

The people of God came back to Jerusalem to build the temple, but because they were busy with building their own houses while the house of the Lord was in ruins, God has withheld many blessings to His people. But through the prophet Haggai, the voice of the Lord was heard and the people feared the Lord. And with that, the Lord Almighty declared that “I am with you” and “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former”.

The message of Haggai is a familiar one – putting God first. We are also reminded of another familiar verse in Matthew 6, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. Put God first and blessings will flow.

Our passage today is from the book of Haggai. The book of Haggai is set in the time when Israel were returning to the land of Israel after being in exile for many years.

The people are given a call to get ready to rebuild the Temple, which had been destroyed when they were taken into exile. The people respond in the right way to the word of the Lord and get to work. God’s promise to the people is that he would fill this house with his glory, and that the glory would be even greater than in the previous Temple… and remember in the passage earlier that the glory was so great when Solomon dedicated the Temple that the priests couldn’t even perform their duties?

It is during the time of this Temple that Jesus is born. This is the Temple he was dedicated in as a baby, was found in at 12 years old talking to the teachers, and overturned the tables of people buying and selling in as an adult. The glory that was to fill this Temple did not look like the glory in the Temple of Solomon, in fact, Jesus came to show that God’s glory was not going to be confined to buildings anymore.

What encouraging promise did Haggai give to the people and to the governor, Zerubbabel? Are there tasks that you need to complete? Who or what encourages you to keep going when you face obstacles that you need to overcome? Be encouraged by the example of others. Meet together with the people of God to encourage and be encouraged. And seek the encouragement of the Lord in prayer as you go about your day. Be the one who encourages someone today. Be the wind beneath their wings. Be the one who breathes fresh air onto the embers of someone else’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations. And seek the encouragement of God through prayer and studying His words in the Bible.