A GREATER GLORY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘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.”

Haggai 2:6-9

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

God had rallied the Israelites to rebuild His temple, His holy dwelling place, the place intended for devoted worship unto Him, the place that now sat in ruins after Jerusalem was overrun by the Babylonians. The remnant of His people who returned to Babylon under the leadership of Zerubbabel had initially drug their feet in reconstructing God’s house, focusing more attention on their own, but through the scriptures in Haggai, we saw where God called them to get busy and assured them they could complete the daunting task ahead because He was for and with them.

As we turn to today’s passage and our continuing study of Haggai 2, we find the Lord making another promise to His people about His temple, a promise that would serve to further encourage and motivate them in building and completing its construction. Look at these words of God again here:

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘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.”  Haggai 2:6-9

The word here was crystal clear. God was back in the lives of His people and His beloved nation in a big way. Yes, His people had drawn the wrath of His judgment through their sinfulness and suffered greatly as a result. In fact, it’s safe to assume that none of the Israelites who committed spiritual adultery against God before the Babylonian attack and ensuing seventy year exile had a chance to return to Judah again. Thus, God restored the Israelite remnant to Judah, He was starting fresh with a new generation in order to reestablish Himself as THE God, the one and only God. And once again, God’s power would be on full display as He shook the heavens, earth, sea, the dry land and the nations on it.

In other word, God would again show Himself to the world as supreme as He once again came onto the scene in power as He returned to His beloved nation and its sacred city of Jerusalem to once again dwell in His temple, filling it with His glory which He promised to be greater than what was in the former one. And just in case the Israelites weren’t aware already, everything in and of the temple belonged to God to include all the adornments of silver and gold.

Yes, God had returned and was ready to once again live among His people, granting them hope and peace. He does the same thing today when we invite Him to dwell within us, when we open up our temple for Him to enter in. For when that happens, His glory, as well as His divine power, is revealed in and through us as He assumes authority over every part of who we are, which makes sense anyways as He is our Maker and Master. That glory that comes from God abiding within is a greater glory than anything this world might offer by far. In fact, the world’s glory is nothing but counterfeit when compared to the real glory we find in our Lord.

Question: Do you have the glory of the Lord abiding within your temple today?

If not, maybe it’s time to welcome Him into your life, not just for now but forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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