WE see in these closing verses of the prophecy of Haggai, that the Lord felt it necessary to give the prophet another word on the same day that he had given the previous prophecy recorded in verses 10 to 19. From this we can deduce that somehow the people needed another word from the Lord to strengthen them and remove all doubts and fears as they trusted the Lord, and continued to obey the Lord's command to continue in the building of the temple. This message was given to Zerubbabel the governor, that is the leader of the people as a nation. Perhaps it was Zerubbabel himself whose faith was faltering; or perhaps the Zerubbabel felt that his authority to lead and govern the people was not strong enough to keep the people in obedience to the Lord. Whatever the problem was, God spoke a word again to strengthen Zerubbabel in his work of governing the people, and so giving the people the assurance that in obeying and serving Zerubbabel as their governor, they would be safe and prosper.

THE ASSURANCE.

Let us look, first of all, at the assurance that was given to Zerubbabel, and through Zerubbabel, to the people.

In the first place God gives the assurance that he has a plan for his people for their protection and prosperity, which was dependent on their continued obedience to his command to build the temple. The plan was for the protection of his people, and their defence from all their enemies. God assures Zerubbabel that he is Almighty, and the nations are in his hands, and he has supreme control over the nations. He does this by indicating that he has his purpose which was to overthrow all the power of the nations by his mighty power. As creator, God would shake the heavens and the earth. In other words God would control the elements of the world to enforce his power and authority and defend his people. Then God assures Zerubbabel that by his mighty power all the nations were subject to him, and he would overthrow nations and their rulers, and all the military power of the nations would not be able to overthrow his might. This is expressed in the prophecy that God would overthrow the military might, the war chariots and their drivers, and this would be done by turning the sword of brothers against each other. This is a picture of God keeping his people safe by causing the might of the nations to be exhausted in fighting between themselves, so giving them no time or strength to fight against the people of God.

The second assurance given to Zerabbabel was that God would give him his signet ring. In other words God would strengthen the hand of Zerubbabel to lead and direct, by confirming his appointment and authority to govern and lead the people, and cause the people to look up to him for his direction, and be obedient to his authority. The signet ring was the sign of authority given by God, and would be confirmed by the power of God.

Zerubbabel is told by God that God had his ‘day’ when he would do all this, and the words ‘on that day’ expressed the assurance that the plan of God to keep and defend his people was already set, and would most surely arrive. It is plain that ‘on that day', was a time in the more immediate future that God would act in the way of this prophecy, and so Haggai, in passing on this prophecy, was giving this assurance to strengthen the hand of Zerubbabel and by Zerubbabel strengthen the hand of the people, and give them encouragement and purpose to give themselves to the work of the Lord.

The third assurance that God gave Zerubbabel by the prophet Haggai, is found in the words at the end verse 23 where God tells Zerubbabel through Haggai that he had chosen Zerubbabel for this task of leading the people of Judah. That it was a certain deal that God had chosen Zerubbabel is in the fact that it was the Lord Almighty who had chosen Zerubbabel. When God chooses he makes sure by his mighty power that the one chosen would be successful in his appointed task, because those who God chooses for any particular work, God sees that he is equipped and enabled to fulfil the task he was chosen for. Together with this assurance is the fact that in God's election God's purpose in that election can not fail.

This is a wonderful comfort and assurance to all of us who truly believe in Jesus unto salvation. The truth is that we believe because we were in Christ for salvation before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1: 4). God chose us and gave us to Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, and Jesus in his prayer to the Father in John 17, is able to say that of those given to him by the Father none have been lost (John 17: 12). In fact there is such certainty in God's election that Paul could say in Romans 8: 30 that in the certainty of God's election we are not only justified, but also glorified, so certain is our security in God's eternal choosing of those he gave to Jesus for salvation. However there is a sure test of election of which we read in Ephesians 1: 4 and that is that God chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight. Election brings faith in Jesus, and a sure work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and continue this precious work until we are brought safely to Christ's eternal kingdom. If there is no growth in holiness then our belief we are chosen by God must be suspect.

The fact that the Lord was with Judah, and the temple was built, and eventually the promise of the Messiah was fulfilled, tells us that the ‘day’ came, and Judah was kept by the power of God.

APPLICATION.

This is the final word of the Lord to his people by the prophet Haggai, and its application for Judah, history confirms; but what application can be found for the strengthening of God’s people today, and in the future. This is the question God’s people have always asked all down history.

The core application is found in the words ‘On That Day’. These words have a powerful message to give the true people of God in every generation. It tells us that God is working his purposes out. We pray and our prayers seem to remain unanswered. Our trouble is that we see things from our perspective and not from God’s perspective. When we look at things from God’s perspective the words ‘On That Day’ assures us that God is working and his plans are sure, and will most surely be realised in the good time of God. ‘In That Day’ tells God’s people that the future is mapped out in God’s eternal plan, and so God’s people are safe in God’s almighty hands. In the present as we pray we believe in this almighty and wise plan, and so we patiently wait for it. In our own particular life time we may not see the plan worked out, but by faith we may be sure it will be worked out.

We live by faith in the day of the Lord as speaking of God’s purpose for his people which encompasses all time and eternity, and though we may not see it in our life time, it is still sure. What we experience is God’s blessings in a smaller way in that we experience the defence of his people in bringing them through even in the worst time. Like Abraham we step forward in obedient faith, trusting in God’s Day, and like Abraham we are encouraged on the way even though like him we do not see the fulfilment of the promise in our life time, but by faith appropriate it. Abraham’s history tells us that he lived in the promised land without actually possessing any of it. But by faith Abraham knew that in ‘God’s Day’ his descendants would inherit the promised land, and in God’s Day they did.

In the same way Abraham and the Patriarchs believed the promise that they would be fathers of a great people, and in the fulfilment of the promise of the coming of the Messiah, that nation, the new Israel, the true people of God who received the promise of salvation in Christ, came into being, and has been growing all down history.

As there was a ‘day’ for God’s saving Judah in the time of Haggai and later, so there is always ‘that day’ for God’s people, all down history, where God’s purposes for his people are worked out, and this will continue until the whole redeemed people of God will be gathered into God’s eternal kingdom.

The next thing that this final prophecy of God to Haggai assures us of is of God’s almighty power to fulfil his purposes. The prophecy given to Zerabbabel tells us that whatever the powers are on the earth at any time in history, God’s power is able to subdue them, and cause them to conform to his will.

This is so hard to lay hold of when we see the evil powers in the earth seeming to work their evil ways as they please. It is so hard to believe when we view the godless way our own nation is living, where all attention is given to gaining pleasure for self, and where God is expelled from all thinking and governing in our land. It is so hard to believe when we see the visible church living in way that is not subject to the Scriptures, and the word of salvation which the Scriptures proclaim. It is so hard to lay hold of when in a desire for God’s glory we pray for his blessing, and the blessing we hope for does not seem to come. The powers of evil and unbelief seem to triumph. However as God reminded Judah through Haggai that his almighty power was able to order all things, and the powers of people are subject to his almighty power, it is so today for God’s people. Our God, the one true and only God, by his almighty power orders all things in heaven and earth, and he is well able to defend his people, and realise all his eternal purposes for their good.

This needs to be applied in our day in our daily living. As we pray we lay hold of the almighty power of God, and trust in his sovereign purposes, and continue faithfully to seek to glorify his holy Name in all we do and say, and in faith pray on for the words of the Lord’s prayer to be fulfilled - ‘Hallowed by thy name, Thy Kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’

CONCLUSION.