“This is what the LORD Almighty says:
‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.
‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.
‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty.
‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
(Haggai 2:6-9)
Last we hung with our exiles, they were picking back up their tools and getting to work after a month of holy days. He spoke into their fears that the work would never amount to much as this Temple would clearly be less grand than Solomon’s.
Still encouraging their hearts through the prophet, God reminds our exiles Who He is. The Name He uses for Himself, the LORD Almighty, is Jehovah-Sabaoth.
The God of Angel Armies.
What a glorious Name to remember when we’re tempted to fear. All the armies of heaven are at His disposal. The battle is the LORD’s. Even as we join Him in spiritual battle, our weapons are not what the world uses. David defeats Goliath not with sword or spear, but trust in a God Who fights for His people.
And what does this powerful God remind them? He can shake the whole earth: the heavens, the sea, the nations. It all ultimately belongs to Him. Scholars disagree about whether this verse is simply addressing wealth, as He next refers to gold and silver, or the coming Messiah.
I think it’s both.
If Yahweh wanted this Temple rebuild to be full of more opulent jewels than Solomon’s, He could make it happen. But He also promises that the True Treasure, the real Desire of All Nations, will be what ultimately make this House glorious. That is how He can encourage their hearts.
The Temple Jesus learned in as a boy and taught in as a Man was Herod’s rebuild of this Temple. The building our exiles were working on was brought down to the foundations when Herod took over 19 years before Jesus was born. But the temple the Lord walked in was still Zerubbabel’s temple.
When this God of Angel Armies took on flesh and came to live among us, all of heaven had a front row seat to our exiles’ Temple being more glorious than Solomon’s. God was walking around in it with skin on. What gold could compare?
“‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
I like God’s timing. The first Advent was the beginning of this peace. When angels announced to simple shepherds first how God was born a baby. When, suddenly, it didn’t matter how powerful or smart or rich or beautiful you were. God had come to us. No more striving. No more sacrifices. He had come to be the One Answer to a million questions.
A weary world rejoices.
Oh no, we’re not there yet. We who trust in Jesus alone have eternal peace with God. But this world is in limbo between the two Advents: His first coming clothed in humility and His second coming clothed in glory for all to see. That’s when swords will be beaten into peaceful farm equipment and military will no longer be necessary.
This is the kind of vision that can help us endure. Keep us moving forward.
“In this place I will grant My Peace.”