Haggai 2:1-9: a reflection

1In the seventh month, in the twenty-first day of the month, the LORD’s word came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 2“Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 3‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Isn’t it in your eyes as nothing? 4Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the LORD, ‘and work, for I am with you,’ says the LORD of Armies. 5This is the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit lived among you. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ 6For this is what the LORD of Armies says: ‘Yet once more, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; 7and I will shake all nations. The treasure of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Armies. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says the LORD of Armies. 9‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of Armies; ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of Armies.”

When the people were discouraged that the temple they were rebuilding seemed like nothing compared to the former one, God encouraged them: be strong and work, for I am with you, and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory, God asks; and how do you see it now? Isn't it as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, and work, for I am with you. The people were disheartened; the temple they were rebuilding seemed small and poor next to the glorious one that had stood before. But God does not leave them in discouragement. He calls them to be strong and to keep working, and gives the reason and the promise: I am with you; and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. This shows God's encouragement to keep working when the work seems small, for he is with us. When your work seems small or inferior, be strong and keep working, for God is with you. Do not despise the work that seems less than what was before. God's presence, not the work's grandeur, is the ground of encouragement. God can fill even a seemingly small work with greater glory.

Notice the discouragement and God's response. The people were rebuilding the temple, but it seemed, to those who remembered the former temple in its glory, like nothing by comparison, small, poor, unimpressive. It was easy to be disheartened, to feel the work was hardly worth doing, so far did it fall short of the past. But God does not scold them for their discouragement, nor does he leave them in it. He calls them, three times over, to be strong, and to work; and he gives the ground of encouragement and a promise. The ground: I am with you. The promise: the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, and in this place I will give peace. This holds encouragement for us when our work seems small or inferior. We can be discouraged when what we are doing seems small, poor, or unimpressive compared to what others have done, or to a more glorious past; we can feel the work is hardly worth continuing. But God's word to the discouraged is: be strong, keep working, for I am with you. The ground of our encouragement is not the grandeur of the work, but God's presence with us in it; and God is able to fill even a seemingly small and unimpressive work with a glory greater than we can see. We do well, when our work seems small or inferior, not to despise it or give up, but to be strong and keep working, encouraged that God is with us and can fill it with glory. When your work seems small or inferior, be strong and keep working, for God is with you. Do not despise or abandon the work that seems less than the past. God's presence, not the work's grandeur, is your encouragement. God can fill even a small work with greater glory than you see.

That is worth taking to heart, for God encourages us to keep working when the work seems small, for he is with us and can fill it with glory, as he encouraged the discouraged builders. We can be disheartened when our work seems small next to the past; but God called the builders to be strong and work, for he was with them, promising greater glory. Keep working. When your work seems small or inferior, do not despise it or give up; be strong and keep working, encouraged that God is with you and can fill it with greater glory than you see. When your work seems small or inferior compared to the past, be strong and keep working rather than despising it or giving up, encouraged that God is with you and can fill it with greater glory than you see, as when the people were discouraged that the temple they were rebuilding seemed like nothing compared to the former one God encouraged them to be strong and work for he was with them and the latter glory of the house would be greater than the former, asking who was left who saw the house in its former glory and how they saw it now, as nothing in their eyes, yet calling them to be strong and work for he was with them; for the people were disheartened since the temple they were rebuilding seemed small and poor next to the glorious one before, but God does not leave them in discouragement but calls them to be strong and keep working and gives the reason and promise, that he is with them and the latter glory will be greater than the former, which holds encouragement for us when our work seems small or inferior, since we can be discouraged when what we are doing seems small, poor, or unimpressive compared to what others have done or to a more glorious past and feel it hardly worth continuing, but God's word to the discouraged is to be strong and keep working for he is with them, the ground of our encouragement being not the grandeur of the work but God's presence with us in it, and God being able to fill even a seemingly small work with a glory greater than we can see, so that we do well, when our work seems small, not to despise it or give up but to be strong and keep working.

Lord, when the people were discouraged that the temple they were rebuilding seemed like nothing compared to the former one, you encouraged them: be strong and work, for I am with you, and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory, you ask; and how do you see it now? Isn't it as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, and work, for I am with you. The people were disheartened; the temple they were rebuilding seemed small and poor next to the glorious one that had stood before. But you do not leave them in discouragement. You call them to be strong and to keep working, and give the reason and the promise: I am with you; and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. Show me the discouragement and your response. The people were rebuilding the temple, but it seemed, to those who remembered the former temple in its glory, like nothing by comparison, small, poor, unimpressive. It was easy to be disheartened, to feel the work was hardly worth doing. But you do not scold them for their discouragement, nor leave them in it. You call them, three times over, to be strong, and to work; and you give the ground of encouragement and a promise. The ground: I am with you. The promise: the latter glory will be greater than the former, and I will give peace. This holds encouragement for me when my work seems small or inferior. I can be discouraged when what I am doing seems small, poor, or unimpressive compared to what others have done, or to a more glorious past; I can feel the work is hardly worth continuing. But your word to the discouraged is: be strong, keep working, for I am with you. The ground of my encouragement is not the grandeur of the work, but your presence with me in it; and you are able to fill even a seemingly small work with a glory greater than I can see. Take that to my heart. When my work seems small or inferior, keep me from despising it or giving up; help me be strong and keep working, Lord, encouraged that you are with me and can fill even a small work with greater glory than I see.