A word of encouragement
“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. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘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.”
This is now the seventh time the Lord addresses himself as “the LORD Almighty.” The word almighty in the Hebrew language is the word for “hosts.” It is used for the mass of fighting men that advances to do battle with the enemy. Remember that God is speaking through Haggai to a group, a remnant, of people. They very much felt the insecurity of life. They were outnumbered. In the face of this disadvantage they were also told to fight and build and accomplish things for their God. So the Lord wants them to know, “I am the God of hosts.”
The prophet Elisha’s servant was terrified one morning when he got up and saw Aramean enemy soldiers completely encircling their little village. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant whispered hoarsely (2 Kings 6:15). “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet spoke calmly. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (verse 16). And we read, “Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (verse 17). This is the Lord of hosts! These are his angels with their chariots of fire!
The Lord Almighty is not only a stirrer of spirits. He is also a shaker of nations. He says this in verse 7.
The prophecy of this great shaking is hard to pinpoint. Is it one time or is it speaking about a number of different shakings? One thing we determine with no questions— the coming of the desire (the darling) of the nations was the greatest upheaval in history. What happened in Bethlehem that Christmas night long ago is still sending its shock waves among the nations. The Savior came to the nations.
The word here for nations is the word goyim. This is often used by present-day Jews to refer to the Gentiles. The nations look to the coming Savior as the thirsty look into the desert’s mirages and see a real oasis or as those lost in the night strain their eyes and see the welcome flickering of a fire.
They desire him. The meaning of the word desire is first that which answers longing and need. But the second meaning also includes the idea of a sweetheart or a loved one. The picture is beautiful and striking. The separated lovers see each other at a distance and run to meet each other. Is there any deeper excitement and joy known to human beings?
“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1). And, as the Lord points out in verse 7, unless he fills the house with his glory, it remains just a house, no matter how grand it may seem, no matter how costly it may be. (He reminds us, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.”) The glory of the church is not the magnificence of the edifice. The glory of the church is that simple people gather in something they have made with their hands at the stirring of the Spirit in them, and then God himself comes and lives with them! And this is his delight!
Verse 9 encourages us to know that the best Christians haven’t all died. Greatness of religion is not just a thing of the past. The church at its best was not just the church of martyrs in arenas. It wasn’t just the church of the Reformation with cathedrals echoing the words “Here I stand.” We have God’s promise that even today our humble efforts will produce something worthwhile, something inspiring, something that will give God the glory. The church does not sit back on its laurels. It constantly looks to the future, to the better, to more, to the greater. And if it should achieve the epitome of glory in this world, there still will remain the far transcending glory when the church militant becomes the church triumphant, and we all step from this world into the bright light of the world to come.
“‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty.”
And peace! There will be peace, the peace that we crave. Peace of conscience. Peace in life. Peace among our people. Peace in our families. Peace in our world. Is it too much to expect? In this world, yes. The Lord tells us to prepare for wars and rumors of wars and for times getting worse. And yet, there is peace. There is peace that passes our human understanding. The pastor says these words every time he is finished with his sermon in church. It isn’t peace that man can give. It isn’t peace we can dissect and analyze. It is simply the peace of God, which he snows down on his people in quiet softness.
How many times the prophets and apostles spoke of this peace! And why? Because the people needed it so badly, because there was such a lack of peace. Jesus himself, in coming to his disciples, wishes them peace. To these fearful, timid, and faltering, Jesus said, “Peace!” The world didn’t change. The uproar and unrest didn’t stop. But the disciples knew this peace. They stepped out into the world. And as they were being stoned to death, they looked heavenward, smiled, and “fell asleep.” Peace!
Give us peace like this, Lord. Fill our churches and lives with this peace. Keep your promise to us: “And in this place I will grant peace.”