HOCF SERMON 2023

Haggai 2: Better Glory

HAGGAI 2:1-8 BETTER GLORY

on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[] the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,' declares the Lord. 'Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the Lord, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the Lord Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'

6 "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. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty. 9 '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."

1-2 Sang ika-21 nga adlaw sang madason nga bulan,[] ginsugo sang Ginoo si Propeta Haggai nga ihambal ini kay Zerubabel, kay Josue, kag sa iban pa nga mga Israelinhon nga nakabalik sa Israel: 3 "Sin-o sa inyo ang nakakita anay sang katahom sang sini nga templo? Ano ang pagtan-aw ninyo sini subong kon ikomparar sadto? Siguro daw wala-wala ini sa inyo. 4 Pero magpakabakod kamo! Obraha lang ninyo ang templo kay kaupod ninyo ako, ang Ginoo nga Makagagahom. 5 Amo man ini ang ginpromisa ko sa inyo mga katigulangan sang nagguwa sila[] sa Egipto. Kag karon ang akon Espiritu padayon nga nagapabilin sa inyo, gani indi kamo magkahadlok.

6 "Ako, ang Ginoo nga Makagagahom, nagasiling nga sa indi madugay uyugon ko sing kaisa pa gid ang kalangitan kag ang kalibutan, ang duta kag ang dagat. 7 Tay-ugon ko ang tanan nga nasyon kag pagadal-on nila diri sa templo ang ila mga manggad, gani mapuno ang templo sang malahalon nga mga butang. 8 Kay ang mga pilak kag mga bulawan akon. 9 Mas mangin matahom pa ang bag-o nga templo sang sa una. Kag hatagan ko sang maayo nga kahimtangan[] ang ini nga lugar.[] Ako, ang Ginoo nga Makagagahom, ang nagasiling sini."

SERMON:

Our Word tonight takes us back at the time when the remnant of Israel, after many years of captivity, return from Babylon. Prophet Haggai then received a Word from the Lord to tell the Zerubbabel who was the governor of Judah at that time and Joshua, who was the high priest at that time, to reconstruct the Temple that Solomon once built.

Prophet Haggai asked the remnants, those who were blessed to live long enough to see the Temple that King Solomon built, be in captivity and see it once again after so many years of captivity, but just that, what they saw when they came back was a ruined Temple.

Prophet Haggai asked the people to compare the glory of the Temple before the destruction and how it looks now before them. We may not know exactly how badly the temple was ruined during the captivity, but we can imagine that possibly the damage was so severe for God to even send a messenger in the person of Prophet Haggai to comfort and encourage the people to be strong and not to fear to work in rebuilding the temple.

We can just imagine how beautiful the Old Temple could have been, that just the thought of rebuilding it, scared the remnants of Israel. Imagine how the Old Temple was built. Solomon built the temple with the thought that he was building a temple for God. And so he used the finest materials he could ever gather in his wealth and power and made the most skillful workers he could find. Solomon made a temple so magnificent that perhaps the remnants thought, was impossible to match.