Haggai 2:2–23

It is striking (Haggai means feast of Jehovah) that this prophetic word (2:1) came to the people of God on the 21st day of the 7th month. This seems to be the Old Testament equivalent of the last day of the feast when Jesus stood up in the temple (John 7:37). Disappointment and despair darkened what should have been a day of the greatest joy.

Some among the remnant had seen Solomon's temple in all its splendour. When they compared it with the building they were now working on, they were downcast, even disheartened. We read of them in the book of Ezra.

The point we want to draw attention to is this: the Lord read these thoughts of His people, and sent a message of comfort and consolation. It is good for us to understand that even the feelings of His people — feelings that arise from His ways or His service — matter to Him. He treats them with tender concern.

It is important to notice that God speaks to the Governor first, and then to the High Priest. Zerubbabel stands for the kingdom side of things; Joshua stands for the House. None of us can act rightly in relation to the House of God if we are not moving in line with the principles of the Kingdom of God. If we are subject to the authority of God, we can be sure that we will enjoy the privileges of the House, and enjoy them in a condition that matches them.

Shealtiel means "Asked of the Lord", and Josedech means "The righteousness of God". So in a day of brokenness we have this before us: God will keep to His own standard of righteousness, and He will let His people ask of Him.

God speaks first to the leaders of the people, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. But leaders alone did not carry this work, for God speaks to "the residue of the people" as well. We must not think that leaders alone carry the work of the Lord. All of us are in this work today, even as they were in their day; we all have work to do according to the ability given to us.

Notice that the Lord speaks to all the people — the people as well as their leaders. All are before His mind. We too often deal in generalities. The Lord is not like that. The lowliest of His servants never escapes His notice. So when He sets out to encourage His people, He cares for the small as well as the great. He recognises the difference He Himself has made, and so He names the governor and the priest. But He cares just as much for the people under their charge and direction.

We might have thought that in Haggai's day there would be no Governor or Priest left, but they were still there. And today we can thank God that there are men who take the lead among His people. If we are among the "residue" who value such a lead, we can enter into the present joy of the things of God and respond to Him.

This sorrow of the old men was completely natural. To the outward eye, the contrast in their minds was humbling in the extreme. Solomon built the first temple in the glory days of his reign. He was the king who pictured the Prince of peace, and he used all the resources of his mighty empire and of the peoples paying him tribute to build a house for Jehovah to live in among His people... But a few feeble captives were raising this house. They depended on a Gentile king for the very materials they used. Hostile tribes surrounded them. Beyond all this, they had none of the visible signs of the Lord's presence — no Shechinah, and no fire coming down from heaven to consume the sacrifices they laid on the altar.

There is no allowance of self-complacent thoughts. God would make us real in our souls and ways. It is a good thing not to have too high imaginations, but the truth, a just weight and measure. At the same time let us leave room for the grace and power of God... There is no greater danger than forgetting the spirit that suits those to whom God has shown His mercy... The more we learn of God, the more we should cultivate lowliness of mind... We feel how far the church has fallen, and from what height, but we ought not to be discouraged. There is nothing of Christ in despair or distrust.

Here is the point we want to press. The Lord read these thoughts of His people, and sent them a message of comfort and consolation. It is well for us to understand this. Even the feelings of the saints — feelings that arise in connection with the Lord's ways or His service — He regards with tender concern.

Scripture, on the contrary, is careful, as we may see in Haggai, to maintain in faith the unity of God's house. "Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now?" (Hag. 2:3). It is "Jehovah's house" while it is "waste" (Hag. 1:9), no less than when it is magnificent.

Haggai does not suggest that this fact should lead to weeping. Instead, surprisingly, he goes on at once to say "be strong… and work" (v. 4)... The prophet brings before them a two-fold encouragement... First, he points to present resources: the Lord with them, His Word and His Spirit (vv. 4-5). Second, he draws their attention to future glory... Their present building may be far poorer than Solomon's, but it is linked with one that will be greater than Solomon's.

Sighing and grieving over what the past was like will not achieve anything real today. Those past days were days of responsibility for the saints who lived through them, and they are now in heaven. Today is our day. We have our own responsibility to do the work of the Lord... God's rest is still before us; today is the time to work.

"Yet now be strong" translated literally is, "And now be comforted, O Zerubbabel, says Jehovah; be comforted all the people of the land... for I am with you, says the LORD of Hosts." They were discouraged because their cause was so small. It is then that the Lord delights to comfort and to cheer His trusting people.

It will be noticed that the Lord addresses all the people — the people as well as their leaders. All are before His mind. We too often deal in generalities. Not so Jehovah; the humblest of His servants does not escape His notice... His heart is large enough to embrace the whole multitude of His saints. Yet He also singles out every one, so that all alike may feel that they are the objects of His mind and heart.

We must not think that leaders alone carry on the work of the Lord. All of us are in this work today, just as they were in their day. We all have work to do according to the ability given to us. We may thank God for those to whom He has given grace and ability to enlighten and lead the saints in a right path. But let us beware. If we think they alone have work to do, we will be inclined to leave it to them.

He looks at them as being in it together. One was not to be more strong than another. The word "Be strong," repeated three times, would truly put them in fellowship. The call that follows makes it plainer still: "and work; for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts."

The exhortation He sends is, "Be strong." The source of their strength is knowing that He is with them... If He is with us, we rest confidently in what He is for us. Then we measure our foes and difficulties not by what we are, or by our own resources, but by what He is in all His own almighty power. Then we can boldly say with the apostle, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

"I am with you" is the saving principle for faith in the weakest possible day — and, let me repeat it, what did they have better in the brightest day?... To have the most blessed servants would be a small thing if they did not have the Master Himself... The words were few, but they carried every help and blessing; and they sank deep into godly hearts.

It is precious to remember that, though we are in wretchedness, God is with us. Haggai 2:4 says it, when the Jews began to build: whatever your state of ruin, I am with you. My Spirit is with you as in the day when I brought you up out of Egypt. Nothing but faith can reconcile these two things — wretchedness and the love of God.

Sighing and lamenting over what marked the past will not achieve anything substantial today. The days now past were days of responsibility for the saints who lived through them, and who are now in heaven. But today is our day. We have our responsibility to do the work of the Lord, until He takes us out of the sphere of service too. The rest of God is still before us; today is the time of labour.

The prophet encourages the Jews. He tells them that the Spirit was with them when they came out of Egypt, because God granted the Spirit to them at that time. The Spirit remained and was with them still, despite the captivity... the words of Haggai mean that what God gave when they came out of Egypt was not lost, but still remained with them.

In their present circumstances there was nothing that matched this miraculous display of power. God had indeed delivered them from Babylon. But no cloud by day, or pillar of fire by night, had marked their way. No rock was struck to quench their thirst. No manna came to meet their hunger. All the outward signs of power were gone. Yet in the mercy of God, the Spirit remained with the same power. That power now showed itself, not in outward display, but in spiritual power. It enabled faith to rise above every enemy and to care for the glory of the LORD.

This is not the Spirit given in the special power, still less His personal presence, granted when Christ went up to heaven and the church was formed on earth. Instead, God had worked by the Spirit in Israel at the first. In the same way He would work in grace even after the captivity in Babylon.

If He is with us, we rest in what He is for us. Then we measure our enemies and our difficulties, not by what we are or by our own resources, but by what He is in all His own almighty power... He would draw their eyes to Himself, so that they could work in faith and fear no enemy. Their God was with them, and He had thrown His unbreakable shield around them.

There was no angel striking down the firstborn, no miracle done for them, not a word about plagues on their enemies. There was only this: "My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not." Whenever Israel was afraid of their enemies, they had no strength. But when they looked to the Lord, they forgot their enemies.

Note too how God had been true to His covenant word in Haggai: "My Spirit remains in your midst." Zacharias and Elizabeth are filled with the Holy Spirit. John was to be filled from his mother's womb. And the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon.

He threw them back on two things. First, on the trustworthy word He gave at the beginning of His dealings with them, to direct their ways. Second, on the guidance and power of His Spirit, who was still among them. What resources are still available for believers today? We would have to answer that we still have the true word of God... and then that the Holy Spirit, poured out on the Day of Pentecost, still lives in believers. So if we do not grieve Him, His power is still available for us.

Verse 6 raises another interesting matter. It was especially relevant in the day Haggai prophesied, but it is just as important today. "For thus says the LORD of hosts" — a sentence appearing many times in this book — "Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land." The people were living under the decrees of a man who had seized the kingdom by cunning, pretending to be the rightful king. But about these outward conditions the Lord of hosts makes known that He is in full control of them all.

First comes the announcement, "I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land." Have these violent shakings happened? Kingdoms have been shaken in politics, and the earth has often been shaken physically and in other ways. Even so, this prophecy is still to be fulfilled... Critics object to this view because this shaking of everything is to come in "a little while." So they apply it to the nearer political events of that period. But prophecy often foreshortens the future. Besides, the little while is not man's little while, but God's. With Him a thousand years is as a day. Also, in the political events after the Jews returned from Babylon, not all nations were involved.

In these words the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews gave a free rendering of a prediction first spoken by the prophet Haggai. He quoted them to stress the word "once." Let us note it well! "Once more" — then of course, since no further shaking will take place, it will be the final thing. It will be an act of God. So the next verse of the chapter explains: "This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain." So we know how everything that sin has undermined will end.

Others think the desire of all nations will be the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely they are right. Examine Haggai 2:6-9, and that will appear very plain. The words "The Desire of all nations shall come" stand between the Lord of hosts shaking all things in judgment and His filling the house of the Lord, the Temple, with His glory. That glory will surpass even the scene at the first dedication by King Solomon, when the priests could not stand because of the overwhelming glory.

Now Christ personally can hardly be spoken of as the "desire" of all nations, since when He appears in glory, so that every eye sees Him, "all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him"... But the nations have always desired such peace and fruitfulness, such prosperity, and quietness and assurance for ever, as is predicted in Isaiah 32:15-18. These very desirable things will only come to pass and be enjoyed when the Lord Jesus comes again.

In the day of the remnant the world empires looked very imposing, and the work of the remnant in connection with the house of God appeared to be very insignificant. But whatever the outward appearance might be, in fact the remnant were engaged with a work that will last. That work will be displayed with all the glory of the Lord when the mightiest kingdoms of the earth have crumbled to dust and passed away.

We are brought to what is forever stable and beyond all risk of change or decay. Unless our souls are truly settled in this truth, we cannot serve God acceptably. Our thoughts and hopes will be taken up mostly with things that belong to the earth, which will soon be shaken.

A lack of appreciation was clear among the people of God in Haggai's day. Their own low state of soul kept them from seeing how low the house of God had sunk. So God sent the prophet to wake their interest and to revive their appreciation of the things of their God. He is saying in effect, "You may not think much of My house, but I will establish all that I have said in relation to it, and I will fill it with My glory." The fulfilment of this looks on to a future day. But it also involves the coming of the One blessed Person who alone could bring it about. So the "desire" must take in the Messiah.

The question is, who is the desire of all nations? It deserves a closer look, because critics have worked hard to explain away the Messianic meaning of this sentence. Some read it as "the desirable things of all nations", that is, costly treasures brought in to beautify the temple. But the Hebrew is a strange phrase. The subject is a noun, feminine and singular; the predicate is plural and masculine. The word "chemdath" — desire — is the same one used in Daniel 11:37, the desire of women. Word for word it would read: "And the desire of all nations, they shall come."

I believe that "the desire, or object of desire, of all the Gentiles" is as literal and, what matters more, more true, as far better suiting the grandeur of the verse than that which some would force on us, "the precious things," meaning the gold and silver, etc., which are distinctly named afterwards. It must be borne in mind that the most literal version is not necessarily the most faithful or best.

It is fair to ask in what sense the Messiah could be the desire of all the nations. We need not say He is their desire in the sense of something they feel inside. But in Himself He is the precious treasure of all nations, and one day they will own Him as such. In the past or the present, which of them has prized Him as they ought? He is not only the hope of Israel; He will bring true riches and blessing to all other nations. The world can never be fully happy until He comes. I see no more difficulty in this phrase than in what Malachi says to the Jews: "The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight" (Malachi 3:1). Jews and nations alike have been far from feeling the worth of Jesus as they should.

You can hardly call Christ Himself the "desire" of all nations. When He appears in glory, and every eye sees Him, "all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him" (Rev. 1:7). Yet the nations have always wanted the peace and fruitfulness, the prosperity, and the quietness and assurance for ever that Isaiah 32:15-18 promises. These very desirable things will only come, and be enjoyed, when the Lord Jesus comes again.

First comes the announcement, "I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land." Have these upheavals happened? Kingdoms have been shaken politically, and the earth has often been shaken in physical and other ways. Yet this prophecy is still not fulfilled. The Holy Spirit bears witness to it in the New Testament, for we read in Hebrews 12:26-28... This settles the question: the prophecy is future.

When the shaking of all the nations comes according to Haggai's prophecy, we shall see men in their utter misery, in the complete failure of all their efforts to put things right, discovering that what they want — peace, righteousness, prosperity, plenty — will never come through an earthly dictator... The nations will at last discern that only the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the Prince of peace, can bring in their desire, that desire being purified and lifted through the sorrows of the great tribulation. Their desire will be the Son of God at last, and in Him they will find every desire amply fulfilled.

It weakens the truth to speak of "the second temple", as the rabbis in their unbelief did. Scripture, as we may see in Haggai, is careful to hold in faith the unity of God's house. It is "the LORD's house" while it lies in ruins (Hag. 1:9), no less than when it is magnificent. So even in the grand future, "I will fill this house with glory."

That "wood" would stand in contrast to the silver and gold of verse 8, "The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of hosts". Why did He not give it to them? He could have given them all the gold of Solomon again if He had so desired... If the power of those days is not seen now, that is not because God could not bring it in. He could do it at any moment. But if God wants us to go on with what looks small, you can be sure He will support us. And we will discover how precious our present place is, because it makes room for Christ.

The hostility of Antiochus IV, the corrupt patronage of Herod the Idumean, the blasphemous claim of the antichrist to be God — none of them destroys God's title and rights. It stays His house all through, whatever the unfaithfulness of His people, and however complete Satan's triumph looks.

The Lord of hosts declares that He owns the silver and the gold; all of it rightfully belongs to Him. When Christ was born, wise men from the east came and laid their costly gifts at His feet. In the same way, the nations will one day come and offer their treasures to the Lord in His temple at Jerusalem. Christ, the desire of all nations, will receive their homage. They will delight to bring their finest treasures to adorn and serve His house, and to glorify His name. By doing this they will confess that the silver and the gold are His.

Both the nations and the Jews have despised Him, but He will then come as the centre of everything desirable — at once its giver and the one who draws it out. He draws out for God's glory what people value most. But what is all that wealth, which is Jehovah's and will then be owned as His, next to the glory itself?

Nabal claimed full and absolute right over everything God had given him, calling it "my bread," "my water," "my flesh." God gave him the chance to serve His anointed, the future king; but he had no faith, and he lost everything, even his own life. God alone has absolute right over all things. He says, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine," yes, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Man is only a steward, and must give account of everything to God.

Money and the things of this life are called "the mammon of unrighteousness" because the rights of the rightful Owner of all are refused. God says, "The gold and the silver are Mine," but how much of it is poured out in selfish pleasure, and how little of it is used for His work and glory!

The Lord may use His people as His instruments to supply His servant's needs. Even so, the servant must always look to the Lord alone... He has said: "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine" (Haggai 2:8), and "every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills... the world is mine, and the fullness thereof" (Ps. 50:10, 12). So it is a small matter for God to meet the needs of His servants, as many have gladly proved over the years.

It is important to read the ninth verse in the right way, as our Authorized Version is incorrect. The Hebrew does not say, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former." It says, "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former." The house of course is the temple. The visible glory once lived in the former house. Greater glory is coming, on the day when He appears. With His coming and that restoration, He will give peace.

The ordinary rendering is not only weaker, but confusing. It gives the idea that we now hear of one house, now of two. The true version makes verse 9 agree completely with verse 3... The balance is restored at once when we hear the prophet say, "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former … and in this place I will give peace." It is the same house in God's mind, as it is the same place. It may be defiled, or even torn down to its foundations and rebuilt again and again. Still it keeps the mark of oneness that the inspiring Spirit stamps on it.

Solomon's Temple was destroyed long ago, and other buildings have taken its place. But Haggai 2:9 teaches us that in God's sight the house has been one all along... Even the Temple that Herod built to glorify himself, the Lord Jesus called "My Father's house" (John 2:16). Perhaps even more striking, the Temple where the Man of Sin will sit carries the name "the Temple of God" in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1.

This assures us that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem; Ezekiel even gives its plan and measurements. That rebuilt house — one in God's mind with the house the exiles were building — is the house that will be filled with glory. God has always filled HIS house with glory. He filled the tabernacle put up in the wilderness (Ex. 40), the temple in the kingdom (2 Chr. 5:14), the church at Pentecost (Acts 2); and the last house built on earth will be no exception. But what is the "glory"? It is the Lord's own presence — the sign of which was the cloud... For the glory of the Lord is the display of what He is — whether seen with the eyes or seen by faith — the sum and excellence of all His attributes.

God will fill it with more glory at the end than at the beginning, and the peace of the LORD Himself will have its home there. This will happen in the last days. He who will fill it with glory has indeed come. Yet even while He was making eternal peace for our souls, the world was in such a state that He had to say to the people, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." When He has shaken all nations, He will come in His glory and set peace in the earth.

Some give the name Jerusalem as 'the foundation of peace,' others as 'the possession of peace.' Sadly, its history has been anything but peaceful. But Haggai 2:9 is still to be fulfilled: "in this place I will give peace" — surely pointing to the meaning of the name.

Their present building may be far poorer than Solomon's, but it is linked to one that will surpass Solomon's. The cloud of glory may not fill their present temple, but it is linked to one that even greater glory will fill... Haggai treats the temple of their "day of small things" (Zech. 4:10) as one with the glory-filled temple of the coming kingdom. So he lifts their present work to a very high level.

His prophecy is carefully dated, and noting this we see it divides into four sections, though all were spoken in the second year of Darius... The third was on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Hag. 2:10); the fourth, though distinct from the third, was given on the very same day (Hag. 2:20). God always recognises the validity of His own governmental actions. He had set Israel aside as a nation, and the times of the Gentiles had begun; so the dating is that of the ruling Gentile power and not that of the Jews.

The message in this section is addressed to the priests... Its object was to teach the nature of true separation to God, and that His blessing was connected with keeping it. This principle holds in every age, because it rests on the holiness of God Himself. (See Leviticus 11:44-45, and 1 Peter 1:16.) In Malachi we read that "the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 2:7). For this reason Haggai was sent "on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month," two months after his last message, to ask the priests these questions about the law.

Of course the priests answered truly when they said "No." He who is holy imparts no holiness to anything else. "Then Haggai said, 'If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?'" This time the answer was just as precise: yes. He who is defiled passes on defilement... As with the unclean condition of a man, so the nation of Israel defiled whatever they took up. All works and offerings are unclean. There must be personal cleanness before one can act or offer aright.

It is necessary first of all to be clear about what is meant by a holy thing. It is that which is set apart for the service of God... So it was not something holy in itself, holy by its own nature. God is holy in that way, and such holiness must exclude evil, just as light excludes darkness. But a holy thing in Scripture is what is consecrated, set apart for God... And whatever was holy in this way had no power to sanctify other things.

The root of all failure with the remnant of that day, as with the people of God in this day, can be traced to a low moral condition. In other words, outward activity in the service of the Lord will not prosper unless a right moral condition goes with it.

The common notion is that you can cleanse the world by going into it and associating with it. Instead, you cannot fail to be defiled yourself... The notion of this day is that you can benefit or set right what is evil by association with it. That is a fallacy, and it must end in disappointment, if not in dragging you where you never intended to go. In itself the principle is nothing less than a giving up of God.

Still, we are allowed to see that however great the failure of God's people, if they repent and act in obedience to the word, they will be blessed. So, as soon as the remnant take up the work of the house, the LORD can say, "from this day on I will bless you."

Let us not think that the finest offerings we ever made, whether of praise and worship or of service, were marked by perfection. They were not... But we have a great High Priest who bears the iniquity of our holy things, and presents to God our defective worship or service in His own perfections.

This message is for the priests, and it links back in history, as verse 18 shows, to Ezra 3:8-13. Its object was to teach what true separation to God means, and to show that His blessing was tied to keeping it. This principle holds in every age, because it rests on the holiness of God Himself. In Malachi we read that "the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 2:7). For this reason God sent Haggai "on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month," two months after his last message, to ask the priests these questions about the law.

Before we come to the application of these truths, which the Lord Himself made through His servant the prophet, it will be good to consider how important they are. No priest, instructed in the law, could have answered in any other way. Read, for example, the directions for the Nazirite (Num. 6), and the directions found everywhere in Leviticus about cleansing and defilement. All of them carry principles of the deepest significance for believers in every age, for us now. That is so even though we rejoice in the truth that Christ by one offering has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

Then comes another message (verses 10-19), but here it is moral instruction. We are best able to judge what is moral when we have the Lord Himself before us… Of course the priests answered truly when they said "No." He who is holy imparts no holiness to anything else.

The people, who neglected the LORD, had become, in effect, profane. What is holy cannot make profane things holy; but an unclean thing defiles what is holy, for holiness excludes evil. The presence of evil destroys holiness by the very fact that it is there. The one exception is holiness of a nature that, by its own existence, shuts out everything contrary to it — such as the nature of God.

The application Haggai had to make of these questions was meant to search the people and sober them. They had been stirred up to put their hands to the work of building the house. That would tend to breed self-satisfaction, as though all was as it should be. Haggai told them plainly that it was not so, and that what was imperfect and unclean marked their best work.

The common idea is that you can cleanse the world by going into it and mixing with it. Instead, you cannot fail to be defiled yourself… On the negative side, we are bound to separate from what dishonours the Lord. On the positive side, we are bound to follow what is good, according to His will, with those who have His glory and will at heart. Isolation is wrong. But the Christian has a binding duty to separate from what is evil in the Lord's sight — and to separate so as to unite, according to God's word, with those who call on Him with a pure heart.

The message in this section is for the priests. Its object was to teach the nature of true separation to God, and that His blessing was tied to keeping it. That principle holds good in every age, because it rests on the holiness of God Himself. In Malachi we read that "the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 2:7). For this reason Haggai was sent "on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month," two months after his last message, to ask the priests these questions about the law.

First of all we need to be clear about what a holy thing is. It is something set apart for the service of God. So "holy flesh" might be, for example, part of an animal that had been devoted to God in sacrifice. It was not, therefore, holy in and of itself, by its very nature. God is holy in that way, and such holiness shuts evil out, just as light shuts darkness out. But a holy thing in Scripture is something consecrated, set apart for God. Israel as a nation was holy in this sense, because God had taken them out from all the other peoples of the earth and separated them to Himself.

Of course the priests gave the right answer when they said "No." He who is holy passes on no holiness to anything else. Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The answer was just as precise: yes. He who is defiled communicates defilement… As with the unclean condition of a man, so the nation of Israel defiled whatever they took up. All works and offerings are unclean. There must be personal cleanness before anyone can act or offer rightly.

Scripture calls the altar "most holy," and whatever touched the altar became "holy." Haggai 2:12 shows a contrast to this. Holy meat (that which had touched the altar) did not make anything else holy by touching it. The altar speaks of the person of Christ, the "most holy." Direct contact with Him makes one holy, but a secondary contact does not. In the same way, one who has personal faith in the Lord Jesus Himself is saved, but no one is saved by contact with a believer.

On the one hand, we learn that what is holy cannot cleanse by association. On the other hand, what is unclean can defile by association. So the common notion that we can cleanse the world by associating with it, or help the people of God by associating with the corrupt systems they may be found in, is a fallacy, and worse. To act like this is not only no help to others; we ourselves become defiled.

But Jonathan cannot sanction the place; Jonathan's presence did not make Saul's camp or court anything other than what it was. The only impression the soul gets of Lot in Sodom is of a tainted Lot, not of a sanctified, purified Sodom.

Let us not think that the finest offerings we ever made, whether of praise and worship or of service, were marked by perfection. They were not. The flesh is still in us, and in subtle ways it tarnishes the fairest things we offer. But we have a great High Priest. He bears the iniquity of our holy things, and presents our defective worship or service to God in His own perfections.

Note that the answers the priests gave Haggai rest on the sure word of God. They mean two things. First, a holy thing has no power to make anything holy. Second, uncleanness must defile everything it touches.

A holy thing is something set apart for the service of God. So "holy flesh" might be part of an animal that had been given to God in sacrifice. It was not something holy in itself, absolutely holy by its very nature. But whatever was holy in this way had no power, as we learn from our passage, to make other things holy.

Something holy cannot make unholy things holy. But something unclean defiles what is holy, because holiness shuts evil out. The presence of evil destroys holiness simply by being there. There is one exception: holiness of the kind that, by its own existence, shuts out everything contrary to it — such as the nature of God.

Everyone knows what happens if you put a rotten apple in a box of good ones: the rot soon spreads. Yet no one imagines that adding a few sound apples to rotten ones will make the rotten ones good.

The second principle only confirms the conclusion above. Uncleanness must defile — but what uncleanness is meant? It is the uncleanness of a man who was clean until a dead body made him unclean. Now death is the fruit of sin, and so sin is the source of the defilement. Now apply this to ourselves. The uncleanness here is not that of a sinner before God. It is that of a believer who has become defiled by evil associations. The solemn lesson about such a person is this: like tar, he stains everything he touches. What a responsibility this puts on each of us in our fellowship with God's people!

One is unclean because of a dead body, and whatever he touches becomes unclean. The thing he touches never has to touch the dead body itself. The moment it touches the man who touched the dead body, it becomes unclean.

As with the unclean condition of a man, so the nation of Israel defiled whatever they took up. All works and offerings are unclean. There must be personal cleanness before one can act or offer rightly.

Their works and offerings were all unclean, because they themselves were unclean. They needed cleansing first. So separation from evil, from what defiles, was necessary. So it is today. The order is "cease to do evil" and then "learn to do good."

The prophet had warned them about the imperfection that marked their work. Then he assured them that God's blessing rested on them despite it... So it is today. There are elements of failure and uncleanness in all our service. But despite that, if the heart is right, we may expect spiritual blessing from God.

The priests were right when they said "No." A holy person passes on no holiness to anything else… A defiled person passes on defilement… Israel was like a man in an unclean condition: the nation defiled whatever they took up. All works and offerings are unclean. A person must be clean himself before he can act or offer in the right way.

Israel was a holy people, separated to God. (The restored remnant stood in the place of the nation before God.) But that gave them a responsibility. They had to live in keeping with the place God's sovereign grace had put them in… At this moment God's mind was on the building of His house; their minds were on their own houses. So they were out of communion with the One who had called them. They were living for themselves, and not for the Lord… In practice they had become defiled… unclean through contact with the dead body of their own selfish thoughts and desires. And what was the consequence? The work of their hands was defiled, and so were the sacrifices they laid on the Lord's altar.

They had been stirred up to put their hands to the work of building the house. So there would have been a tendency to self-satisfaction, as though all was as it should be. The prophet told them plainly it was not so. What was imperfect and unclean marked their best work. A humbling lesson for them — and for us also. If God in His mercy gives us some little reviving today, how easily the defilements of the flesh creep in.

Many people think we can cleanse the world by associating with it, or help the people of God by associating with the corrupt systems they may be found in. That idea is false, and worse than false. Acting on it is no help to others, and we ourselves become defiled — for what is unclean defiles by association.

On the one side, we are bound to separate from what dishonours the Lord. On the other side, we are bound to follow what is good, according to His will, with those who have His glory and will at heart. Isolation is wrong. But for the Christian, separating from what is evil in the Lord's sight is a binding duty. We separate so that we may unite, according to God's word, with those who call on Him with a pure heart.

All their works and offerings were unclean, because they were in that condition. They had to be cleansed first. Separation from evil, from what defiles, was therefore demanded. So it is today. The order is "cease to do evil" and then "learn to do well."

Let us not think that the finest offerings we ever made were perfect, whether in praise and worship or in service. They were not. The flesh is still in us, and in subtle ways it spoils the best things we offer. But we have a great High Priest. He bears the iniquity of our holy things, and He presents our flawed worship or service to God in His own perfections.

God could not bless them while staying true to His holiness and His love for His people — not while their hearts were turned away from Him, and not while they were using His grace, which had brought them back from captivity, as a way of gaining their own ease and comfort. So He dealt with them in judgment. He disciplined them, to wake them out of their spiritual dullness, and to teach them the lesson God's people always need: their true blessing and prosperity can only be found in the Lord's ways, not in their own. This explains the prophet's words, "And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward" — that is, look back over the past, since "upward" here means taking a backward view.

A second lesson is this: God's ways of government with His people aim to make them take their condition to heart. That is why He uses His rod... Every stroke of God's rod should set off deep searching of heart. Where it does not, it is a sure sign that heavier discipline from His hand is coming.

Just as an unclean man makes unclean what he touches, so the nation of Israel defiled whatever they took up. All their works and offerings are unclean. A person must be clean himself before he can act or offer rightly.

the common notion that we can cleanse the world by association with it, or help the people of God by association with the corrupt systems in which they may be found, is a fallacy, and worse, for to act thus is not only no help to others, but we ourselves become defiled — for that which is unclean defiles by association.

It is striking to notice that the Lord did not begin to bless them until the foundation was in place. He waited through those three months to test His people's hearts and the reality of their return to Him. He was working in them a sense of what their past condition had been, and so preparing them to receive the blessing He was about to give. It is always like this in His ways with His people. His heart towards them never changes, but how His heart shows itself must depend on their condition. His heart is always to bless, and if He holds back blessing, it is only because of their spiritual state.

There cannot be a more striking fact than this — the blessing God has given goes far beyond what their largest thoughts ever looked for... To many it was just a practical matter of doing the will of God, and so a settled duty of keeping clear of what dishonours the Lord. But who ever expected what He has given since: the opening up of His word, the recovery of forgotten truth, and the enjoyment of His presence...? The blessing has come and will come beyond all our thoughts, if by grace we simply hold to the Lord with full purpose of heart.

This explains the prophet's words, "And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward." That is, they were to look back on the past. The word "upward" here means taking a backward look... Verses 15 to 17 describe how He dealt with them while they were neglecting His house. God could not bless them while their hearts were turned away from Him. That would go against His holiness and against His love for them... So He dealt with them in judgment. He chastised them to wake them out of their spiritual sleep. His aim was to teach them the lesson God's people always need: their true blessing and prosperity lie only in the Lord's ways, and not in their own.

What made their failure more striking is that God was no longer keeping up His throne in Israel. Even so, He did not relax His moral government... It was the Lord who blighted their selfish efforts. He was dealing with the unbelief of the returned remnant, and with the neglect that came from it. It was not because He did not love them, but because He did. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." When the Lord allows people to go away without rebuke, that is the clear and sure sign that every practical bond is broken — if any bond ever existed. It shows that He now disowns them, at least for the time.

Ever since they stopped building His house, bitter disappointment had been their lot. All their self-seeking brought them no gain, but steady loss. The Lord had withheld the blessing He gives His earthly people in earthly things... All this must be considered from the standpoint of the Jew. Even so, the principle holds good for us as well. The promise in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you," also refers first of all to the believing Jew. Yet it has its application for us... Neglect of the things of God always brings the same bitter disappointment.

And why did He send this blight on everything they worked for and everything they expected? Let us write the answer permanently on our hearts: "Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house."

The aim of God's ways in government with His people is that they should lay their condition to heart. This is why He uses His rod... He still acts on the same principle in government... And nothing shows how unfeeling our hearts are more clearly than this. We pass through trials, whether personally or in connection with the Church. Then we pay little or no attention to the purpose God had in view, and flatter ourselves that all is well. Every stroke of God's rod should produce deep searching of heart. Where it does not, it is the sure forerunner of harder chastenings from His hand.

Three months passed between the day the people started work on the Lord's house and the day they laid the foundation. It is striking to notice that the Lord did not begin to bless them until the foundation was laid. He waited during those three months to test His people's hearts and the reality of their restoration. He also waited to work in them a sense of their past condition, and so to prepare them to receive the blessing He was about to give. It is always so in His ways with His people. His heart towards them never changes, but how He shows it must depend on their condition.

God could not bless them while their hearts were turned away from Him. His holiness and His love for His people both forbade it. He had brought them back from captivity, and they were using that grace as a way to gain their own ease and comfort. So He dealt with them in judgment. He chastised them to wake them out of their spiritual sleep, and to teach them the lesson God's people always need: their true blessing and prosperity is found in the Lord's ways only, and not in their own.

They sowed much, and reaped little. They ate and drank, but were not satisfied. They earned good money, but it trickled away as in a bag full of holes. No doubt they blamed the recession, the unstable politics of the time, the strange weather. It never occurred to them that God was trying to get through to them. "Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins."

Hail is rain chilled into ice. The mercies of heaven, once despised, turn into pitiless judgment.

Just as a man in an unclean condition defiles what he touches, so the nation of Israel defiled whatever they took up. All their works and offerings are unclean. There must be personal cleanness before anyone can act or offer rightly.

It shows that the root of all failure with the remnant of that day, as with the people of God today, traces back to a low moral condition. In other words, it warns us that outward activity in the Lord's service will not prosper unless a right moral condition goes with it.

The people were in such a state, and so hardened, that they felt nothing under the Lord's chastisements — they did not turn to Him.

He still acts on the same principle in His government. Much of the chastening that falls on His people is meant to make them lay their condition to heart. And nothing proves more plainly how unfeeling our hearts are than this. We pass through trials, alone or along with the Church, and we pay little or no attention to what God had in view, and flatter ourselves that all is well. Every stroke of God's rod should set our hearts searching. Where it does not, heavier chastening from His hand is sure to follow.

Still, we are allowed to see that however great the failure of God's people, if they repent and obey the word, they will be blessed. So as soon as the remnant take up the work of the house, the LORD can say, "from this day on I will bless you."

Compare Haggai 1:13-15 with this scripture. It was exactly three months from the day the people started work on the LORD's house to the day the foundation was laid. That time would have gone into the needed preparation. It is striking that the LORD did not begin to bless them until the foundation was laid. He waited those three months to test His people's hearts and the reality of their restoration. He worked in them a sense of their past condition, and so prepared them to receive the blessing He was about to give... His heart is always to bless. If He holds back blessing, it is only because of their spiritual state... At the end of that time they had reached what was nearest to the Lord's heart: the foundation of His temple. So He announces that from that day He would bless them. Now they were walking in keeping with the place God had put them in.

Sadly, the remnant of Haggai's day had been acting on a false principle. The result: the work of their hands was unclean in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD dealt with them in governmental discipline and struck them "with blight and with mildew."

At this moment God's mind was on the building of His house; their minds were on their own houses. Out of communion with the One who had called them, they were for themselves and not for the LORD. They were taken up with their own things, and not with His. In this way they became defiled in practice... They were unclean themselves, so they polluted everything they touched. Nothing they did was acceptable to God — not their daily work, and not the worship they professed.

The second cause for discouragement, both in the past and today, is the slowness with which blessing comes. ... For the Jews this was a blight on material prosperity. With us the flow of spiritual blessing may not come at once. Lessons on the principle of association have to be learnt. The holy cannot make the unclean holy, but the unclean can make the holy unclean.

Still, we may see this. However great the failure of God's people, if they repent and act in obedience to the word, they will be blessed. So, as soon as the remnant take up the work of the house, the LORD can say, "from this day I will bless you."

Some of us may have proved as much in God's dealing with us spiritually... To many it was simply a practical question of doing the will of God, and so a fixed duty of keeping clear of what dishonours the Lord. But who ever expected what He has given since? The opening out of His word, the recovery of forgotten truth, the enjoyment of His presence, and the blessing of many others far and wide through it, even if indirectly.

The blessings promised here to Israel belonged to this life, in keeping with the system they lived under. But the principle of blessing, as we have often shown, is the same for believers now. Whenever God's people walk with hearts subject to His word, in communion with His own mind, they are on the sure and certain path of blessing and soul-prosperity... And whenever a believer's heart responds through grace to God's call to walk with Him like this, this word — "From this day I will bless you" — will prove as true as it was when the prophet spoke it to Israel.

God could not bless them while their hearts had turned away from Him. That would fit neither His holiness nor His love for His people. They were using His grace — the grace that brought them back from captivity — as a way to get their own ease and comfort. So He dealt with them in judgment. He disciplined them to wake them out of their spiritual sleep. He wanted to teach them the lesson God's people always need: their true blessing and prosperity lie only in the Lord's ways, and not in their own.

This shows that the root of all failure in the remnant of that day, as in the people of God today, goes back to a low moral condition. In other words, it is a warning: outward activity in the Lord's service will not prosper unless a right moral condition goes with it.

Another cause of discouragement, then and now, is how slowly blessing comes. The first move for God followed the prophetic word spoken on the 1st day of the 6th month (1:1). By the 24th day of the 9th month (2:18) there were still signs of shortage. For the Jews this was a blight on material prosperity. With us the flow of spiritual blessing may not come at once.

It is striking to observe that the Lord did not begin to bless them until the foundation was laid. He waited those three months to test His people's hearts and the reality of their restoration. He waited to work in them a sense of their past condition, and so to prepare them for the blessing He was about to give. It is always so in His ways with His people. His heart towards them never changes, but the showing of His heart must depend on their condition. His heart is always to bless, and if He withholds blessing, it is only because of their spiritual state.

How God delights to bless! But obedience must come before this blessing.

The blessings promised here to Israel were material, in keeping with the arrangement they lived under. But the principle of blessing, as we have often shown, is the same for believers now. Whenever God's people walk in obedience of heart to His word, in tune with His own mind, they are on the sure and certain path of blessing and prosperity of soul.

But who ever expected what He has given since? He has opened out His word. He has brought back truth that was forgotten. He has given the enjoyment of His presence, and through it blessing has spread to others far and wide, even if indirectly. … The blessing has come and will come beyond all our thoughts. It is ours if by grace we cling to the Lord with full purpose of heart.

The feeble efforts of those who "fear the Lord" are the victories of His grace in them... He does not change; He does not consume; He encourages. When we reach the realm of God's "I am"s and God's "I will"s, we stand on clear and firm ground. There we may count on the power of His arm and on the grace of His heart.

His prophecy is carefully dated, and when we notice this we see it divides into four sections, though he spoke them all in the second year of Darius. The first word came on the first day of the sixth month (Hag. 1:1), the second on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Hag. 2:1), the third on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Hag. 2:10), and the fourth, though distinct from the third, came on that very same day (Hag. 2:20). Our first point must be that God always treats His own acts of government as valid. He had set Israel aside as a nation, and the times of the Gentiles had begun. So the dates follow the ruling Gentile power and not the Jews.

This closing prophecy... came on the same day — the twenty-fourth day of the month — as the one just before it. The link between the two is as clear as it is beautiful. The message before it ended with the words, "From this day on I will bless you." The blessing of the remnant in the land at once became a prophecy of the restoration and blessing of Israel in the kingdom. But that involves two things, as the prophetic scriptures show everywhere: the appearing of the Messiah, and the judgment of the nations. These are the two things found in this short prophecy.

This last message is for Zerubbabel. So, while it brings the greatest encouragement to the remnant, it has in view above all the man who led the people to obey the word of the LORD.

The people of God in that day were surrounded by nations that had been handed the government of the world. They used their power without mercy, then as now, to crush anyone who crossed their will. Faced with all this power of evil, the remnant had only to obey the word of the LORD and, in simple faith, get on with the work of the LORD. It was no part of their business to oppose the world, overthrow its power, or try to right its wrongs. The LORD tells them that He will deal with all the evil of the world in His own time.

In our day it is not for the people of God to try to put the world right... Our part is simple obedience to the word. We are to "contend for the faith," "building" ourselves up in our most holy faith, "praying" in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and "waiting" for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 14, 15, 20, 21).

The gracious power of Jehovah will set up the throne of David on the judgment of the Gentile kingdoms. The picture of His special closeness and choice looks on to "that day." Zerubbabel, though only a governor, is clearly a picture of Christ as King. As David's son and heir in his own day, this was all the more fitting for him. The Messiah alone will fully set up the kingdom of Jehovah here below and keep it for ever, as long as the earth lasts.

Among those nations the signet ring was a mark of honor. Kings gave it to their prime ministers, handing them full authority. So this pictures the Lord Jesus Christ receiving rule and authority from God.

Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was unfaithful — a signet ring pulled off God's right hand (compare Jer. 22:24). Christ is the opposite. He is the signet on God's right hand, sealing all God's purposes for the nations and for His chosen people Israel.

Three times in one short verse we find "says the LORD," or "says the LORD of hosts." Stooping to the weakness of His people, Jehovah lays a foundation for their faith that cannot be moved... So, though the promise still waits, the day is not far off when the One who made it will carry it out, to the joy and blessing of His longing chosen remnant of Israel.

This final prophecy came through Haggai to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah. It came on the same day as the message just before it — the twenty-fourth day of the month. The last words of the earlier message were, "From this day on I will bless you." Now the blessing of the remnant in the land became at once prophetic of the restoration and blessing of Israel in the kingdom. But this involves two things, which the prophetic scriptures reveal everywhere: the appearing of the Messiah, and the judgment of the nations.

Zerubbabel has been dead more than twenty-three centuries, and yet this shaking of the nations has not come. What could be clearer? The great event foretold here is the overthrow of all earthly thrones. It comes when the Messiah, Zerubbabel's descendant, establishes His rule in righteousness over the nations of the world.

This does not refer to the first coming of our blessed Lord. Writing to the Hebrews, the apostle applies the passage to the future (Heb. 12:26-27). That future time is the one just before the appearing of Christ, when He comes with His saints to set up His kingdom on the earth. What a contrast to the thoughts of man! He works to make things last and stay steady, and dreams as he works of a time of peace and plenty — but without God.

This final message from the LORD's messenger is entirely about the future. It is addressed only to Zerubbabel, the governor, a son of David. He tells this leader that the heavens and the earth will be shaken, as in verse 6. When that day comes, the throne of the kingdoms will be overthrown. The power of the kingdoms of the nations will be destroyed. For in that day the falling stone, which pictures the second coming of Christ, will put an end to Gentile rule… He will be made a signet. Among those nations the signet ring was a mark of honour. Monarchs gave it to their chief ministers, handing over all authority to them. So this pictures the Lord Jesus Christ receiving rule and authority from God.

The second prophecy returns to the shaking of all things… It encouraged the people at the time it was given, a time when they greatly needed it. Yet in naming Zerubbabel, this prophecy looks to One who will be the true seed of David and the heir of his crown according to God, when God shakes the heavens and the earth.

The last verse of the chapter surely had some application to the man himself. Kingdoms would be overthrown, as predicted in Daniel 11, but he would be like a signet ring, by which God would establish His decrees. How this worked out for Zerubbabel we do not know. But we believe the Spirit of God had in view not so much a temporary exaltation of this man, as the permanent exaltation of the One he pictured — our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the face of all this power of evil, the remnant had only to obey the word of the LORD and in simple faith occupy themselves with the work of the LORD. It was no part of their business to oppose the world, or overthrow its power, or try to set right its wrongs. They are taught that the LORD, in His own time, will deal with all the evil of the world.

Three times in one short verse we find "declares the LORD," or "declares the LORD of hosts." He stoops to the weakness of His people, and so lays an unshakable foundation for their faith.

Zerubbabel has been dead more than twenty-three centuries, and yet this shaking of the nations has not come. What could be clearer? The great event foretold here is the overthrow of every throne on earth. Then the Messiah, Zerubbabel's descendant, will set up His righteous rule over the nations of the world.

For now the throne of the earth is in the hands of the Gentiles. They have corrupted it and used it for their own evil purposes. It has certainly become a throne of godless tyranny and oppression — one that exalts man and shuts out God. The crucifixion of Christ has already declared its true nature, for the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ.

We know who sits on that throne — the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan. He will be thrown into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:2-3). The strength of the kingdom, moreover, is in the hands of the beast and the false prophet, who will be thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

In my view, the judgment in verse 22 is not the judgment of the throne of the beast. It is the judgment of the nations who will come up against Jerusalem in that day. Everything that sets itself up against Jehovah's rights at Jerusalem will be overthrown. God established those rights according to His own purposes, and they were bound up with the house the people were building.

This is the judgment of the living, or at least the part of it that concerns the nations that gather against Israel. It comes after the destruction of the Beast, along with the kings and armies under him, whom the Lord destroys when He appears.

"...overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother." Often in Bible history the enemies kill one another, as Jonathan saw (1 Samuel 14:20), and Gideon (Judges 7:22), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:23), and Egypt (Isaiah 19:2)... It seems God will deliver Israel this same way in a future day. As to our enemies we are to "fear not" (2:5). God will clear the scene, but He will also fill it.

By His gracious power Jehovah will set up the throne of David on the judgment of the Gentile kingdoms... Zerubbabel was only a governor, yet he clearly pictures Christ as King. He was David's son and heir in his own day, so this was all the more fitting. The Messiah alone will fully set up the kingdom of Jehovah here below and keep it forever, while the earth lasts.

Those powers used their strength without mercy, then as now, to crush anyone who stood in their way. Faced with all this power of evil, the remnant had only to obey the word of the LORD and, in simple faith, get on with the LORD's work. It was no part of their business to oppose the world, to overthrow its power, or to try to put its wrongs right. The LORD tells them that in His own time He will deal with all the evil of the world.

We have had what we may call the word of rebuke, then the word of encouragement, and then the word of warning. Now comes the word of exaltation, spoken directly to Zerubbabel, who was a prince of David's line, as Matthew 1:12 shows. The last verse of the chapter surely had some application to the man himself. Kingdoms would be overthrown, as Daniel 11 predicts, but he would be like a signet ring, by which God would establish His decrees. We do not know how this worked out for Zerubbabel. But we believe the Spirit of God had in view not so much a temporary exaltation of this man, but the permanent exaltation of the One he pictured: our Lord Jesus Christ.

Zerubbabel has been dead more than twenty-three centuries, and yet this shaking of the nations has not come. What could be clearer? The great event foretold here is the overthrow of all thrones on earth, when the Messiah, Zerubbabel's descendant, will set up His rule in righteousness over the nations of the world.

Zerubbabel, the son of David, is a picture of Christ, the Son of David. He will then receive the throne of His father David. He will be made a signet. Among those nations the signet ring was a mark of honour. Kings gave it to their chief ministers, handing over full authority to them. So the Lord Jesus Christ is pictured as receiving rule and authority from God.

These verses point again to the future, when all nations will be shaken. Then God will take the true seed of David — still called "Zerubbabel my servant" here, a picture of Christ as the prince of the house of David — and make Him as a signet. Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was unfaithful, and he was like a signet torn off God's right hand (see Jeremiah 22:24). Christ is the opposite. He is the signet on God's right hand, sealing all God's purposes for the nations and for His chosen people Israel.

Jehovah's gracious power would establish the throne of David after He had judged the Gentile kingdoms. The picture of His special closeness and choice looks ahead to "that day." Zerubbabel was only a governor, yet he is clearly the picture of Christ as King.

Adam failed in the trust God gave him. So did Noah, and David, and everyone else God made responsible. But from the beginning God had in view not Adam, nor David, but Christ. God's choice rested on Him. His thirty-three years on earth proved that choice right. God's heart will take special delight in honouring that blessed One, who as a Man has fully justified God's choice.

The coming of Christ will not only mean blessing for Israel and the nations. It will also be the occasion of His own glory. He who was crowned with thorns will be as Jehovah's signet. He will be glorified, for Christ will carry out all that God does, and it will all be for Him.

Faced with all this power of evil, the remnant had only to obey the word of the LORD and, in simple faith, give themselves to the work of the LORD. It was no part of their business to oppose the world, or overthrow its power, or try to put its wrongs right. They are told that the LORD will deal with all the evil of the world in His own time.

Thrones and kingdoms would be destroyed, but Zerubbabel would be as a signet on the Lord's hand, "for I have chosen you." Today the weakest believer can say: "It is not that I chose You, for, Lord, that could not be; this heart would still refuse You, but You have chosen me."