A word of concern and a promise
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the LORD. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
Verses 15 to 19 refer back to the results of not building God’s house: lack, blight, mildew, hail.
Then sounds the bell tone of verse 18, “From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid.” Do it today! Do it on this particular calendar day! In a spiritual sense we can’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today. The night comes when no one can work. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Our God wants us to ask ourselves this question: “What are we doing to ourselves?” Look at the results of lukewarm religion. Nothing is right. “Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.” Until now! But it isn’t going to stay this way.
God is working among us. His Spirit is stirring hearts. Things are going to change. This is the eternal, godly optimism that the Word of God works as the law and gospel have their way in people’s hearts and lives.
We aren’t doomed to failure. We aren’t doomed to never being able to change. The Christian life is one of change. People get better; they are converted. They are reborn. They have a new spirit and new life instilled in their hearts.
Just as our God wants change to take place in our lives on “this day,” so also he wants the blessings to start in our lives on “this day.” The section ends with those beautiful words, “From this day on I will bless you.