In Jason Dohm's sermon, 'The Glory of the Future Temple,' he focuses on Haggai's prophecy that encouraged the people to rebuild the temple, promising that its future glory would surpass that of Solomon's. Dohm explains that the scarcity the people faced was due to their neglect of God's house in favor of their own homes, leading to God withholding prosperity as a means of discipline. The people responded with obedience, recognizing God's presence among them. The sermon highlights the enduring nature of God's covenant, despite generational failures, and emphasizes that when God is with His people, they have all they need to accomplish His work. Dohm contrasts the physical resources needed for Solomon's temple with the divine presence that would make the future temple more glorious. He also discusses the non-transferability of holiness through contact with sacred things, likening Zerubbabel to a 'signet ring,' symbolizing delegated divine authority. Ultimately, the sermon points to Jesus as the embodiment of peace and the fulfillment of the greater temple's glory.

The title of the sermon this morning is, The Glory of the Future Temple. God points the people forward to future days when the temple that they're working on will be a lot more glorious than what they are working on at the moment. It's meant to be a word of great encouragement to the people. In chapter 1, God raised up Haggai to tell the people why they were experiencing scarcity. You went out to the fields, you planted a lot of seed, you had a scarce harvest.

Why is that? God is telling them why. It's because you've been neglecting my house. You put all of your energy, your time, your resources into your own houses, restoring them and making them comfortable. And the temple lies in ruins.

So I have withheld the prophet from your labors in order to get your attention and to get you back on track. In the second half of that chapter we see the people's response. They obeyed God. They received the prophecy as words from God. This isn't just Haggai talking to us.

This is God putting words into Haggai's mouth to speak to us. They feared the presence of the Lord. They were in awe that God was among them, that God was mindful of them, and had raised up a prophet and was in their midst and was stirring them up to the work. And in a sense, They were too afraid to continue in obedience. God's presence among them stirred them up to be obedient.

As we go to this week's text, let's ask the Lord for help. God, I pray through this chapter that you would show us your glory and your grace. They really are on display in this chapter. The temple that they built was glorious and it represents something more glorious still. And You show yourself to be so gracious to your people in this chapter.

Just let us soak in these wonderful truths. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen. As always, we're dividing up into subsections. The first one will be verses 1-9. I hope you're still in Haggai chapter 2.

Follow along as I reread verses 1-9. Haggai chapter 2 verses 1-9. In the seventh month, on the 21st of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehoshadak the high priest and to the remnant of the people saying who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory and how do you see it now? In comparison with it is this not in your eyes as nothing? Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord, and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, the high priest.

And be strong, all ye people of the land, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt so my spirit remains among you do not fear For thus says the Lord of Hosts, once more it is a little while, I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land. And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations. And I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. Silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Hosts.

The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts, And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts. In these verses, God is comparing the temples. So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, temples fills in the blank. Comparing the temples, Solomon's temple with the temple that they're now beginning to work on. In chapter 1 verse 1, there's a time and date stamp, and when you take the Jewish lunar calendar and bring it over into our calendar, you get August 29th.

Now in chapter 2 verse 1 we get another time and date stamp and bringing this over. It's now October 17th. So it's been about 7 weeks since the first prophecy to this prophecy. It's to Zerubbabel the governor, it's to Joshua the high priest, and it's to the remnant of the people. The prophecies in chapter one were to Zerubbabel and Joshua, And those prophecies were related to the people.

But here in chapter 2, God speaks through the prophet to all of them simultaneously. They all get the message at one time. The other thing you need to know about this time and date stamp is that this date, October 17th, would be the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Jewish calendar. So this is the Feast of Tabernacles is a week long feast to celebrate God's faithfulness to the people in their wilderness wanderings. I sustained you for 40 years in a place where there wasn't any food, I kept you alive and protected you.

So they have a one week feast to live out under the stars in their booths, the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, and their sort of handmade tents. They live out to celebrate and remember God's faithfulness. So think about this. They're a small, weak people having been given an enormous task and God comes to him at the very close of the celebration of remembering his faithfulness, how he upheld them in their time of weakness. He upheld them through it all for forty years and now he brings this word of encouragement to them in sort of similar circumstances.

It's wonderful that this word came through the prophet on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles. In verse three, God calls forth witnesses. God calls forth witnesses. Look at verse 3. Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory?

Listen to Ezra chapter 3 verse 12. This is going back 14 years when they had first come back from captivity and they had very shortly after that laid the foundations of the temple. Remember the work ceased for 14 years, it was 14 years of inactivity. So this is going back to when they had just in a celebratory fashion laid the foundations of the temple and started to work on it. Ezra 3 verse 12, But many of the priests and Levites, and heads of the fathers' houses, old men, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.

It's not explained. You don't know whether it's just a hyper emotional moment, knowing that the temple had been destroyed, laid in ruins, and now it's sort of just the emotions of seeing the work began, or whether it's sorrow, knowing how glorious that temple was, and knowing the resources they had, it's not explained in the text. All you know is that the old men wept. Now this is 14 years later, so now it's the old old men. Whoever was old then who had seen the temple in its former glory, Solomon's temple in its former glory, it's 14 years later now, and they're called to be a witness.

And God points out the obvious. What's the obvious? These people do not currently have the wherewithal to match Solomon's temple. They don't have the horsepower. They don't have the resources to match the glory of Solomon's temple.

I just want to read, just let me read this to you. From 2nd Chronicles chapter 2, and then I'm going to read a bit from chapter 3, I'll tell you when I make the switch. But this is about Solomon's temple. So we're in a section here in Haggai chapter 2 where the temples are being compared. Here's what we're comparing with.

This is 2 Chronicles 2 verses 1 through 3. Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal house for himself. Solomon selected 70, 000 men to bear burdens, 80, 000 to quarry stone in the mountains, and 3, 600 to oversee them. Then Solomon sent to Hyrum king of Tyre saying, as you have dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build a house to dwell in, so deal with me. The next verse talks about the correspondence between Solomon and Hiram.

They agree that Hiram is going to send cedars of Lebanon for the building of the temple. So what is that saying? Solomon mobilized 150, 000 workers to quarry stone, and he made a pact with the king for the cedar, for the timber needed. And he had 3, 600 overseers for the work. Now who came back?

Who came back from captivity? 50, 000 total men, women, and children. Not workers. Men, women, and children. He has 150, 000.

He has three times that many just to quarry stone. Just to quarry stone. They don't have the resources. They're not going to be able to fashion, build, construct a temple that matches the first temple in glory. In verse 4, God instructs them all to be strong and he says this, work for I am with you says the Lord of hosts.

When God is with a people, that people has everything they need to do the work God has given them. I'll say that again. This is really the key sentence of the sermon. If you only want to listen to one sentence, listen to this one. When God is with a people, That people has everything they need to do the work God has given them.

Have you ever thought the Great Commission is very daunting? Don't worry. When God is with the people, they have everything they need to do the work that He has given them. Does the ratios, the percentages in Turkey make you nervous? Don't worry.

When God is with a people, they have everything they need to do the work that God has given them. Work for I am with you says the Lord of hosts. I stand at the head of an army of angels. I am with you work. Verse 5 God expands on what he has just said, I am with you by saying that his covenant with them still stands.

And accordingly, and because His covenant with them still stands, His Spirit remains among them. So if you want the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, you have Him here. You have Him here. Not permanently indwelling believers, that was for the day of Pentecost after the work of Jesus Christ was complete. But he's here, he's moving among his people, we've already seen him stirring the people up to work in chapter 1.

Now God assures them, The covenant still stands, and because it does, my spirit remains among you. I am with you. Work." So if they were wondering, we haven't been faithful, our fathers violated the covenant, and we have violated the covenant, is it broken? They have their answer. No.

It was a conditional covenant. It was a covenant contingent on obedience. And they broke it every generation from the time that God made the covenant with them till now. What does God say? I remember that covenant.

And I'm keeping that covenant with you." It's a 900-year-old covenant. He says, the covenant I made with you when I brought you out of Egypt, as if he made it with the people who are hearing Haggai. He made it with their forefathers, forefathers, forefathers. It's been 900 years of mostly covenant breaking from their side, but always covenant keeping from God's side. And he says, I'm still honoring this covenant.

So my spirit remains among you. I'm with you. Work." Could you go to work after hearing that? I could go to work after hearing that. That makes me want to work.

Then in verses 6 through 9, God promises that the future glory of the temple will exceed even the glory of Solomon's temple. Look at verse 9. Look at verse 9. The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former. Right there in black and white.

They probably, hardly, could believe it. But they had 150, 000 people to quarry the stone that was needed. They had a pact with the king for the timber. God says the glory of this temple would be greater. What is all this about shaking heaven and earth?

Sort of confusing. I'm thankful that we have some actual New Testament commentary on it. The author of Hebrews quotes this. So turn to Hebrews chapter 12. We get in Hebrews chapter 12 what The inspired author of Hebrews thinks it means.

We'll take his word for it, whoever it might be. I don't know who the author of Hebrews is. I thought it was Paul until we preached through Peter. It doesn't say it's either one of them, so who knows. We'll know one day.

But It's a wonderful inspired book, and the author of Hebrews gets the interpretation of Haggai chapter 2 right. So we'll consult him. Hebrews 12. I'm going to be reading 25-29. I'm going to be reading Hebrews 12.

It's the famous chapter about not despising the discipline of the Lord, because the Lord only disciplines sons. It's a mark of sonship if you receive the Lord's discipline. This really doesn't have to do that. This is at the end of the chapter. Hebrews 12, 25-29.

See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." So there's the quote from Haggai chapter 2. Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire." The author of Hebrews, quoting Haggai chapter 2, contrasts the shakeable things with the unshakeable kingdom, which will displace those shakeable things. In other words, there are shakeable things, and it's actually the kingdoms of the world.

You know, just little things that rattle around when you shake it. You know, like kings and kingdoms. They rattle around when God shakes it. God says, I'm going to displace all those things that can be shaken with an unshakable kingdom. That's what Haggai 2 is talking about.

Shakeable things, you know like kings and kingdoms, the little things, the inconsequential things that rattle around when you shake it, will be displaced and replaced by an unshakable kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ. Now, did the physical temple become great? The answer is yes. Just listen to Mark 13 verses 1 and 2. Then as Jesus went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here.

And Jesus answered and said to him, do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." They come out of the temple and his disciples are in awe of the structures and they want Jesus to notice the glory of the temple. And Jesus acknowledges, do you see these great buildings? Here's what's going to happen to the great buildings. Jesus, at one point in the gospel says, tear down this temple and in three days I'll rebuild it." He was talking about his body.

The Jews say, it has taken 46 years to build this temple. What are they talking about? They're talking about Herod undertaking to glorify the temple. Herod, over the period of 46 years, expanded and made the temple glorious. So that by Jesus' time it was this amazing structure.

Verse 8, back to Haggai 2, verse 8, God says, the silver is mine and the gold is mine. If he's saying, don't worry about the silver and gold. Oh, that's mine anyway. Seek first the kingdom, the other things get added. Just fear me and obey.

I'll worry about the silver and the gold. Listen to 1 Chronicles 29. I actually referenced this chapter last week in David, who was told, you don't get to build the temple. So he did everything but build the temple. He heaped up, he amassed tremendous amounts of resources and even workers and craftsmen to be at at Solomon, for Solomon to use as soon as he was dead and Solomon was free to build the temple.

So this goes back to, he heaps all this up and then David praises God for it. So listen to this, 1 Chronicles 29 verses 14-16. David says, But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this. For all things come from you and of your own we have given you. For we are aliens and pilgrims before you as were all our fathers.

Our days on earth are as a shadow and without hope. Oh Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build you a house for your holy name is from your hand and is all your own. Why was Solomon's temple so glorious? Because David and Solomon were good at heaping up things. No!

David says, we're just giving from you, we're just giving of your own for the temple. All the abundance that we have came from you, we're just giving to you out of your own. God's letting them know. The reason the former temple was so glorious was because of all that I gave to them. Don't worry about the silver, don't worry about the gold.

I own all the silver. I own all the gold. I gave it to them. I can give it to you. And did God give peace in that place?

This section of Haggai 2 ends with that. In this place I will give peace. Did God give peace in that place? Yes, in an ultimate sense, Jesus was and is the glory of this greater temple. Jesus was and is the greatness of this greater temple.

Jesus taught in it. Jesus cleansed it from commerce. Jesus healed in it. In the end, Jesus bled and died for us just a few miles away. John 14, 27.

Jesus says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 14, Paul says this, For he himself is our peace, Jesus is our peace.

For he himself is our peace who has made both one Jew and Gentile and has broken down the middle wall of separation. He Himself is our peace. Our text says, and in this place I will give peace. Amen. It is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

He was the glory of the greater temple. He was the greatness of the greater temple. By the way, you have this phrase, desire of nations. Our translators think it's talking about Jesus. So they capitalized the D in desire and the N in nation and made it a proper noun because they think it's Messianic.

Luther was very dogmatic. That is Jesus, it has to be Jesus, it can only be Jesus, Calvin says, yeah it could be that, but I don't think so. I'm not here to make much out of that because it is a contested point. And whatever you think about that, this is about Jesus being the fulfillment of all these things. So we don't need to get hung up on the desire of nations.

The ESV translates it the other way, and it's something like the precious things from the nations will come to the temple and add to its glory. That's the gist of the other way to translate it. You can translate it either way. A closing thought on this section. God has stirred them up to a massive, in some ways, discouraging work.

He brought back 50, 000 people, men, women, and children. Who knows what percentage of that was workers for the temple, but not a big proportion. They were given work to do that was previously undertaken by 150, 000 people to quarry stone, and a treaty with the king to bring in the timber. It was a massive, in some ways discouraging work, but he doesn't just leave them to it. He is with them.

His spirit has stirred them up. His spirit is among them. And he encourages them to look to him and work. Matthew Henry says this, Those that are wounded by the convictions of the Word shall be healed and bound up by its consolations." Amen! Yay Matthew Henry!

Listen to that again. Those who are wounded by the Convictions of the Word, first part of chapter 1, I've been withholding the profits of your labor from you because you unfaithful people have worked on your own houses and left mine in ruin. The convictions of the Word, God raised up a prophet to say those things. "...shall be healed and bound up by its consolations." Now he speaks encouragement. I'm with you.

The Lord of hosts is with you. My spirit is among you. All the gold is mine. All the silver is mine. Work.

Next section. 10-19. Haggai chapter 2 verses 10-19. Follow along. On the 24th day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts.

Now ask the priest concerning the law saying, if one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil or any food, will it become holy? Then the priest answered and said, no. And Haggai said, if one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these things, will it be unclean? So the priest answered and said, it shall be unclean. Then Haggai answered and said, so is this people and so is this nation before me, says the Lord.

So is every work of their hands. What they offer there is unclean. And now, carefully consider from this day forward, from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord. Since those days when one came to a heap of twenty ethas, but there were but ten, when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, but there were but twenty, I struck you with blight and mildew and hail and all the labors of your hands, yet you did not turn to me, says the Lord. Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.

Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit, but from this day I will bless you." In this section we have, from this day forward. That's what God says if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks forward. It fills in the blank. From this day forward.

It's now December 19th. That's our time stamp now. So we started on August 29th, then the second word of the Lord came on October 17th. Now it's December 18th. Hit the wrong button here.

December 18th. It's two months later. By the way, I'm not going to say much about this, but Zechariah started his prophecies. Zechariah also has date stamps throughout Zechariah. Throughout Zechariah started his prophecy between what I just preached on and this portion between October 18th and December 19th, October 17th and December 18th, whichever.

Zechariah has begun his prophecy, so there's a little bit of overlap between these two prophets. God sends two questions to the priests. Remember, Joshua is the high priest, but this isn't just addressed to Joshua, it's addressed to all the priests. It's the job of the priests to know the answers concerning the law. So God sends them some questions concerning the law.

It's their job to know the answers. Question number one. Does something which is holy, which comes into contact with something else which is common, so you get a list of other food items, just common food. So you have something holy, meat, that was part of a sacrificial offering, so it is holy to the Lord, and it touches this other, just normal food, not good, not bad, just food, common. And the holy touches the common, does that make the common thing holy?

The priests say no, correct, they got the answer right. Question number two, Does someone who has become unclean by touching something defiling, who comes into contact with something else, something common, make that common thing unclean? The answer is yes. So now it's someone who has become unclean because they touched something that is defiling. They touched a corpse.

The corpse is defiling according to ceremonial law. So they're now unclean. This unclean person, because they touched something that's defiling, they touch something that's common now. What happens to that common thing? It becomes unclean.

And the priests say yes, that's right, it becomes unclean. So holiness isn't transferred. Something holy doesn't make a common thing holy by contact. But defilement is. Defilement is transferred.

Now God says, in essence, let's apply. This is how Clean and unclean, common and defiled works in the ceremonial law. Now let's apply. The nation has been the defiled thing. They touched a defiling thing.

They've become unclean. And so they haven't been made holy by coming into contact with holy things. Even their offerings. So have these people come into contact with holy things? You bet.

They've been doing religious things in a religious place. They've been offering offerings. But that contact with the holy things hasn't made them holy. They've actually defiled the holy things. It's gone in the other direction.

Virtue hasn't flowed from the holy things to you. Defilement has flowed from you to the holy things. That's God's applying. That's why it withheld profit from your labors. You expected a certain amount of grain, but you got only 50%.

You got only half. You came expecting 20 ifas and you only got 10, you got 50% of your expectation. You expected a certain amount of wine, but you only got 40% of what you expected. You came for 50 baths of wine, but you only got 20, You only got 40% of it. So 50% to 60% of what you thought you should get from sowing and reaping was swept away.

50% to 60% of what you thought you should expect from sowing and reaping, I withheld from you through blight and mildew and hail, and even then you didn't repent." But now we have this wonderful, beautiful phrase, from this day forward. Day forward. You've been experiencing what your defilement deserves, a withholding, but from this day forward. He says it three times, verse 15, verse 18, verse 19. From this day forward, from this day forward, from this day I will bless you.

God through the prophet has just recounted their unfaithfulness, which brought them into a time of discipline. This is not the end of the story. Unfaithfulness, rightfully bringing you into a time of discipline, is not, does not need to be, does not have to be the end of any story. God is announcing that he has changed his mode of dealing with them from discipline to bring them to repentance to blessing now that they have repented. I'm changing modes.

I was in the mode of disciplining you to bring you to repentance, discipline for a purpose, what's the purpose? To turn you around. Now the mode is different. Blessing now that you've repented. The gist of verse 19 is you can't see it yet, but it is already a reality.

Look at verse 19. Is the seed still in the barn? This is somewhat contested, but I think the right answer is yes, the seed is still in the barn. In other words, we haven't even planted yet. That would match up with this time of year, December 19th.

Is the seed still in the barn? Yes, we haven't even planted it yet. As yet, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day, I will bless you. You can't see it yet, but this is already a reality.

I have changed my mode from bringing you into discipline to cause you to repent, to now that you've repented, I'm blessing you. You can't see it yet, but you will see it. As a sabbathic, the last prophet we studied would say, the just shall live by his faith. The just is the justified, and They live not what by their eyes can see, but they live by their trust in who God is. They live that way.

They don't walk by sight, they walk by faith. The just shall live by his faith. So this section is both a great encouragement and a stern warning. It's all of that. It is a fresh start.

How encouraging would it be to hear these people who God's been withholding from, to hear from this day forward. The new mode. The mode is now blessing from this day forward. It's a fresh start, accompanied by the great truth, that working on and then worshipping in this temple won't make them holy. Coming in contact with a holy thing doesn't make you holy.

So it is a word of encouragement but it's also a word of warning. Don't think that working on this temple is the end-all. Don't think that even worshiping in this temple, coming into contact with something as holy, makes you holy. That would be workspace righteousness. Do you see that?

Well, we were bad, but now we are good, because now we are working on the temple. Now we are holy. That makes us holy. Working on and then worshipping in this temple makes us holy. That's workspace righteousness.

The Old Testament doesn't teach that. The New Testament doesn't teach that. Well, if we help build the magic place, then we do the magic things, we'll be holy. No, that's not scripture. You go to pagan religions for the magic.

The temple isn't a magic place, and the worship there isn't magic rituals to make you holy. Friends, it's not magic, it's blood that makes you holy. It's blood. That's not in this text. I'm building on what this text does say.

I'm using that as a foundation to go the next step to where scripture would take us to say, what makes you holy? It's blood. The blood of bulls and goats? Nope, never made anyone holy. The blood of Jesus makes holy.

Makes holy. Alright, the last section of the whole book of Haggai. Such as it is. Haggai chapter 2 verses 20-23, Follow along. And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the 24th day of the month saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake heaven and earth.

I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them. The horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of Hosts.

It's really an abrupt ending. In this section we have the Lord of Hosts signet rings. Signet and ring fills in the blanks if you're taking notes that way. The Lord of Hosts signet ring. This is the same day.

But the earlier prophecy, the earlier in the day prophecy, was to Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people. This is just to Zerubbabel. And we have repeated language about a future shaking of heaven and earth. So it's drawing on language that just was uttered by Haggai earlier in the day about the shaking, the future shaking of heaven and earth. Verse 22 gives us an explanation of what that shaking is about.

Look again at verse 22. This is about the shaking of heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them.

The horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. This matches exactly with what we saw in Hebrews 12. Kings and kingdoms, the shakeable things thrown down and replaced. Verse 22 draws on language from historic victories over gentile adversaries. Do you see that?

The horse and the rider thrown down. What is that? That is Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. Everyone being undone by the sword of his brother. What is that?

Well, there are multiple places you could point to there, but definitely Midian. The Lord's adversaries slaughter each other. Gideon and his little army doesn't even have to engage, they just watch their enemies kill each other. Verse 23, In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of Hosts. What does it mean to be like a signet ring?

Well, let's consider a couple of examples. In Genesis 41, Pharaoh gives his signet ring to Joseph when he elevates himself to second over all the kingdom. In Esther chapter 8, Ahasuerus, more popularly known as Xerxes, gives his signet ring to Mordecai when he elevates him to second over the kingdom. In both cases, they are delegating their kingly authority to act on behalf of. So Joseph will act on behalf of Pharaoh, and when you get something sealed by the king's signet ring, you won't even know whether it was Joseph or Pharaoh.

When you get something sealed by the signet ring, you won't even know whether it's Mordecai or Ahasuerus because the king has delegated his authority for these seconding commands to act on their behalf. God's saying, Zerubbabel, I'm doing that to you. You will act on my authority. It will be as if I am acting. This must have been a tremendous encouragement to this man who was leading this little group of 50, 000 people back into their homeland.

It had been a long time since it had been their homeland, and it had been repopulated with people who were not friendly to them. Was this fulfilled? Yes. They faced opposition and yet they completed the temple in four years. Let me just read the rest of the history out of Ezra.

I'm going to read a bit from Ezra chapter 5 and then Ezra chapter 6. Just listen. You can go there if you're fast. Ezra chapter 5, let me read verses 1 through 5. Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Ito, prophets prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Josadach, rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. At the same time, Tatni, the governor of the region beyond the river, and Shethar Bosni and their companions came to them and spoke to them. Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall? Then accordingly we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.

But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter. So they would have caused them to cease, but Zerubbabel and Joshua and the elders are having none of it. They will not be restrained from the Word unless word comes directly from the king. This is an emboldened people.

It's like they have been told that God was with them. It's like they have been told that the spirit of God was among them and that Zerubbabel had been made a signet ring acting in God's authority. They're acting with that kind of boldness. Chapter 6, Ezra chapter 6, listen to verses 13 through 16. So they sent, Tat-Nai, the governor of region beyond the river, sent a letter to Darius, and Darius sends a letter back, and he says, we did the research, yes, they were acting lawfully to build the temple, I'm giving them resources to do it.

And if anyone tries to stop them, I will break down your house and kill your family. That was the letter back from Darius. Then we read in Ezra 6 verse 13. Then Tatani, governor of the region beyond the river, Shethar Bosni and their companions diligently did according to what King Darius had sent. So the elders of the Jews built and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Edo.

And They built and finished it according to the commandment of the God of Israel and according to the commandment of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, King of Persia. The temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. And the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. I bet they did. I bet they did celebrate with joy.

So in four years they did finish. Applications. I have six. I'll go fast. One.

Let the Word of God convict you and then console you endlessly. This is the Christian life. What we see in the book of Haggai is the Christian life. You have an area of lack, of laziness, of outright rebellion, and God sends the prophet, he sends the Bible, to speak words to you. And the Word of God brings conviction and then let it console you.

Then there are encouragements where God will change His mode from bringing you into a time of discipline to cause you to repent into blessing because you've repented. Let the Word of God convict you and then console you endlessly until you die and go to heaven. This is what it means to become Christ-like. This is what it means to grow in grace. Number two.

We are the temple. The book of Haggai is in the middle of a progression. From nowhere, to a tabernacle, to Solomon's glorious temple, to Zerubbabel's temple, to the New Testament temple, which is people. To the temple in heaven, which is the Lord and the Lamb. In the end, there won't be a physical building.

It will be the Lord and the Lamb are the temple. It says so in Revelation 21. So we're just in the middle of a progression that increases in glory as we go. The tabernacle was one thing, Solomon's temple was more glorious, the second temple was graced by the preaching and the cleansing and the healing and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and then the temple became people of holy stones. I'm getting ready to read that in 1 Peter.

And then in the end it will become the Lord and the Lamb. Right now we are the temple. Listen to 1 Peter 2 verses 4 and 5, then verses 9 and 10. 1 Peter 2 verses 4 and 5, then 9 and 10. Coming to Him, coming to Jesus, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Now skipping to 9 and 10, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but have now obtained mercy. Jesus is the chief cornerstone, but we're living stones being built up to offer spiritual sacrifices. Number three. Don't think that coming into contact with holy things will make you holy.

It's not true. Don't think that knowing holy people will make you holy. That's not true. Don't think that participating in holy times will make you holy. That's not true.

It makes holy people grow, but only blood makes you holy. There will be many people who have lived and died who thought that contact with holy things made them holy. And in the end they'll be lost. It isn't discipline to grace. Discipline is grace.

Don't think he was disciplining them and now he is being gracious to them. They are enjoying abundance in His blessing. The discipline was grace. If He hated them, He would have withheld the rod from them and just let them go their own way. It can be discipline to blessing.

We do see that sometimes in Scripture. Don't think I was under discipline, now God's being gracious to me. If you're a son, God is dealing graciously with you and is disciplined of you. Number five. The most fruitful thing I can do is seek the kingdom first.

And now think about this, Haggai, they go out in the field, they sow all that seed, 50 to 60% of it blows away. They're robbed of the profit from their labors. No, they're not robbed. God withholds the profit from their labors. They deserve that.

They're not robbed at all. Then, who knows? Maybe they did less. Maybe they planted less. But in any event, they received that abundance.

Now, what was it? Did they plant more seed? No. Did they work harder? No.

They prioritized kingdom work and it ended in the abundance. The most fruitful thing that they did was seeking the kingdom first and then God added the other things. Listen to what Matthew Henry says, it is the best days work you ever did in your lives, for hence you may date the return of your prosperity." He's talking about the end of Haggai chapter 2. They're returning to their work, they're repenting. Hearing God, obeying God, fearing God, and then returning to work on the temple was the best day's work they ever did in their lives, and you could date their prosperity from that day.

Oh wait, they weren't out in the fields, they weren't tending vines. Oh ho ho, but their prosperity came not from the planting and the farming and the tending of vines, it came from the day's work when they heard God, obeyed God, and prioritized his kingdom. Number six. I can still beat an hour. Number six.

Jesus is the ultimate signet ring. Zerubbabel is called his signet ring. I'm not satisfied that everything in that final section is really fully fulfilled. Like the crashing of Gentile nations to the ground. I'm not satisfied that was fully fulfilled in Zerubbabel.

I think it's probably fulfilled in Matthew chapter 1 where he's in the line of Christ. And he is a type of Christ. When God shakes the inconsequential things like kings and kingdoms of the earth, like empires that rattle around when he shakes it and he replaces all those things with a king that can't be shaken and a kingdom that can't be shaken. Jesus is the ultimate signet ring and in a sense it's his own ring. In a sense it's as if he's wearing his own ring.

God, thank you for our few weeks in Haggai, the things that can be learned there. I pray that these things would be remembered by us long into the future. God, I pray that over And over and over and over and over again you would use your word to convict us and then console us. You would bring us face to face with things in our lives that need to be dealt with. And then we would receive such encouragement from your word.

You would bind us up and heal us with your word. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.