David's Sermons

Haggai Part 4 - Be Encouraged

Date: 25/1/00
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Haggai 2 v 20-23

Haggai 2 v 20-23

  1. And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
  2. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
  3. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
  4. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

In this last part of our look at Haggai, we finish off chapter 2, and God's message to His people: be encouraged.

Review

The Jews had returned to Jerusalem under the command of King Cyrus of Persia, and had started to rebuild the temple. They had been stopped by their adversaries, and had been idle for 16 years. Haggai had given them the word of the Lord, that they should place God's house first, then their own houses, that their shortage in crops was due to their falling away. The people had responded and the work of rebuilding the temple started anew. As soon as they started again, God had a message for them - "I am with you".

Some of the people were discouraged because the temple wasn't as beautiful as they remembered. Haggai encouraged them to be strong and remember the Lord was with them.

The people had started working for God, but there were unclean areas in their lives. Haggai impressed upon them their need for spiritually clean lives. When they obeyed, they found that God blessed them, and the harvests that had been so poor were now more than sufficient.

Part 4 - Be Encouraged

The Lord's message to Zerubbabel and the people is "be encouraged". They were rebuilding the temple, but what for? Israel had been a strong nation, defeating all who opposed it. But now it was just a remnant. Zerubbabel was of royal descent, but the Lord had said that none of his natural family would be king again. How could God's promised Messiah come? The Lord tells them that the Messiah will come, He will come through Zerubbabel's line ("make thee as a signet"). He reaffirms His plan and reassures His people. His mighty plan will come to pass, even though it seems impossible, and despite the weakness of the people.

"I have chosen thee". Imagine how Zerubbabel felt, knowing that God had chosen him. Yet each of us who are saved can say it as well. God has chosen us. He is working out His purposes in us and His plan will not be thwarted by our weakness. Quite the opposite: our weakness reveals His strength. We can become despondent, with our weakness and our sin. But the Lord tells us to be encouraged, His plan is perfect and it will come to pass.

So, in closing, we have been given the following messages from our look at Haggai:
  • Get our priorities right - build the Lord's house before worrying about our own.
  • Be strong - when you start a work for the Lord, remember He is with you.
  • Be clean - examine your lives and sort out the uncleanness that is there, so you can server the Lord with holiness.
  • Be encouraged - don't get down with your own weakness, or the seeming impossibility of the situation. God is in control and He will bring His plan to completion

© David Meiklejohn 2000
David@Meiklejohn.org.uk
www.meiklejohn.org.uk