He is here too!

“Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”(Haggai 2:19 ESV)

God has always dwelt with His people. In the Old Testament, in the Wilderness and early time in the promised land, there was the Tabernacle, which God instructed Moses to build. It was Solomon who built the first Temple of God in Jerusalem. Jesus dwelt with His people, the Word that had become flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus, speaking of His body, said destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. Believers in Christ, members of the church are each an individual temple, Christ lives in us.

In Haggai 2:18, he wrote, “Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider:” which leads us to verse 19. The foundation of the Lord has been laid. The seed of Israel has been planted, but like the seed of the ground, one cannot anticipate the yield of the crop. It was so with Israel. Like the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, the four main fruit trees of Israel, Israel itself had not yet yielded a crop. Yet God promised, through Haggai, He would bless them.

The gospel message of Haggai is not the building of a new tabernacle or a new temple in Jerusalem. It is about the ongoing growth of the people of God. It is a work that is primarily God’s but also falls on the people of God as commissioned by Christ. It is through God that the Spirit invites the elect to realize their salvation in God.

There is another link to the gospel, and that is through Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel is a descendant of David. While God discarded his grandfather Jehoiachin, God restored the Davidic line through Zerubbabel, leading us to Christ.   

God said He would bless His people. It is through His grace and mercy that sin and defilement are overcome. It is God’s promise, and God always does what He says He will.

On this, you can rely.

Peace and Grace!