FROM GLORY TO GLORY: THE GLORY OF THE LATTER
NOVEMBER 2, 2024
TEXT:
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. (HAGGAI 2:9)
Yesterday, we cast a cursory look at the topic above. Today, we shall continue from there, by the special grace of God. Today, we shall begin with a summary of the events that actually birthed the statement made in our given text.
The Israelites had just returned from captivity, which God had willfully sent them into as a form of punishment for their numerous sins. They were captured by the Babylonians, and the temple of God, which had so elegantly been built, was tragically destroyed and burnt down. However, years later, God remembered them and gave them the liberty to return from captivity. They then embarked on a project to rebuild the temple of God under the leadership of the likes of Ezra, Zerubbabel, Haggai, and others. God helped them, and they were able to come up with a structure. Unfortunately, it was clear to all and sundry that the structure on the ground was by far inferior to the one built by Solomon, the last king of the United Kingdom of Israel. They were not even close to each other in terms of beauty, size, elegance, and architectural design. Of course, some of those who witnessed the second rebuilding were alive to witness the original temple built by Solomon before captivity took place, thus it was relatively easy for them to understand the huge differences between the two.
Prophet Haggai knew this and encouraged the people, including Zerubbabel and Joshua, the High Priest, that what they had seen or witnessed in times past was nothing compared to what God had in His agenda. God instructed them via the prophet that by the time He was done, the seemingly inferior temple would once again become an arena of God’s glory (Haggai 2:7). Haggai told them not to focus on their present condition but to hope in God to operate and restore their losses in many folds. God then admonished them on the steps to take to ensure the manifestation of this promise.
Applying the above to our normal lives, one lesson that vividly comes to mind is that your current situation does not determine your future. The fact that you are down today does not mean it will continue to remain like that. Even if it doesn’t seem like it today, God is still willing and eager to catapult us to a glorious stage far greater than the level we previously found ourselves.
A further reading of the scriptures later showed the manifestation of the promise in the given text, especially considering the fact that years later, Jesus stood to teach God’s word and correct the Jewish scholars’ religious misconceptions in that same temple (though by that time, there had already been modifications and remodeling by the infamous Herod the Great, the brutal King of the Jews).
SEARCHLIGHT: God is willing to have our lives live in real manifestation of His fresh glory from time to time and wants us to come out from a life of staleness.
PRAYER: O LORD, catapult my life from staleness to newness and freshness, in the Mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE READING: Daniel 1-3, Mark 3
PST. MICHAEL OMOLE
