Under Construction: Lessons From the Book of HaggaiSample

Great visions

The Bible contains lots of prophecies and visions about the future. Many of these contain numerous layers. They have been partially fulfilled already, but not yet fully. That makes them relevant to their immediate audience, but also to subsequent readers! Today’s verses are an example of such a prophecy.

The rebuilding of the temple met the resistance of neighboring people groups and came with huge costs that the people could not afford. But, the Lord says here, He will take care of that. He will make the treasures of the nations come in!

That must have sounded unbelievable in the people’s ears. But let’s read some verses from the book of Ezra, chapter 6. Here the Persian king Darius commands the governors who opposed the building work: “Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.” Moreover, he tells them to pay all the costs of the temple, including the animals needed for the sacrifices, from the taxes collected in their region. Speaking of “the treasures of the nations”…!

These amazing developments give us solid hope that other promises will come true as well, and that one day “all the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” (Psalm 86:9)