The Greater Glory of Small Beginnings Text: Haggai 2:1-9
Introduction: The Tyranny of Nostalgia
We live in an age that is simultaneously obsessed with the future and enslaved to the past. We have our technocrats promising a digital utopia just around the corner, while at the same time, a significant portion of the populace is consumed with a debilitating nostalgia for a golden age that probably never was. This is a spiritual condition. We look at the state of our nation, our culture, and even our churches, and we compare it to some half-remembered photograph from a bygone era. We look at the crumbling foundations and then think back to when the walls were high and the paint was fresh, and the result is a paralysis of the will. We are discouraged. We are tempted to believe that our day of small things is a sign of God's disfavor.
This is precisely the disease that had infected the returned exiles in the days of Haggai. They had been stirred from their selfish lethargy in chapter one and had begun the work of rebuilding the temple. But after about a month of labor, they stopped, leaned on their shovels, looked around, and their shoulders slumped. The old men who remembered the staggering grandeur of Solomon's temple looked at their pathetic little foundation, this ramshackle project, and they wept. And their weeping infected the younger generation. The comparison stole their joy and their strength. It seemed like nothing.
Into this very specific, very human moment of discouragement, God speaks. And what He says is a direct assault on our human-centered way of measuring success. God's accounting is not like our accounting. His metrics for glory are not ours. This passage is a divine corrective for every Christian, every church, and every family that has ever been tempted to despise the day of small things. It is a command to lift our eyes from the size of our building project and to fix them on the covenant-keeping God who owns all the materials and who has a blueprint that involves shaking the entire cosmos.
The Text
On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet saying, “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying, ‘Who among you remains who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now, be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares Yahweh, ‘be strong also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land, be strong,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares Yahweh of hosts. ‘As for the promise which I cut with you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is standing in your midst; do not fear!’ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says Yahweh of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts. ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.”
(Haggai 2:1-9 LSB)
The Honest Discouragement (vv. 1-3)
God begins by acknowledging the reality on the ground.
"Who among you remains who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?" (Haggai 2:3)
Notice that God does not rebuke them for their assessment. He does not say, "What are you talking about? It looks fantastic!" He doesn't gaslight them. From a human point of view, their evaluation was entirely accurate. Compared to the magnificent temple of Solomon, a wonder of the ancient world, this new construction project was a sad affair. The problem was not with their eyes, but with the conclusion their hearts drew from what their eyes saw. The problem was that they were measuring by sight.
This is the trap of comparison. It is the sin of judging God's present work by the standards of a previous work, instead of by the standard of His eternal promises. We do this constantly. A church plant compares itself to the established church down the road. A young man compares his spiritual progress to that of a seasoned saint. We look at the "glory days" of Western Civilization and then look at our current mess and conclude that all is lost. But God is never constrained by past methods or past glories. His purpose is always moving forward, and He is not intimidated by what seems like "nothing" in our eyes.
The Covenantal Command (vv. 4-5)
God's answer to their discouragement is not a sentimental pep talk. It is a series of sharp, covenantal commands grounded in a massive reality.
"But now, be strong, Zerubbabel... be strong also, Joshua... and all you people of the land, be strong... and work; for I am with you... My Spirit is standing in your midst; do not fear!" (Haggai 2:4-5)
The command is threefold to the leaders and the people: "Be strong." This is the same command given to Joshua as he prepared to conquer Canaan. It is a command to exercise faith-fueled courage. And this strength is not for sitting around and feeling strong; it is strength for a purpose: "and work." The antidote to discouragement is not introspection; it is faithful, obedient labor.
But on what basis can they be strong? God gives them two unshakable foundations. First, His presence: "for I am with you." This is the great promise of the covenant, from Abraham, to Moses, to David, and ultimately fulfilled in Immanuel, God with us. The glory of a temple is not in its square footage, but in the presence of the God who deigns to dwell there. Second, His promise: "As for the promise which I cut with you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is standing in your midst." God is telling them to look further back than Solomon. He is directing them to the bedrock of their existence as a people: the covenant made at Sinai. The same Spirit that descended on the tabernacle is right here, right now, standing in their midst. God's faithfulness is not a fluctuating commodity. Because His presence and His Spirit are with them, the logical conclusion is, "do not fear!"
The Coming Cosmic Disturbance (vv. 6-7)
Now God radically shifts their perspective. He tells them to stop looking back at Solomon's gold and to start looking forward to His world-shaking agenda.
"For thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. And I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory...'" (Haggai 2:6-7)
This is not a small, provincial promise. This is eschatology breaking into the present. God is going to shake everything that can be shaken. The author of Hebrews picks up this very verse and applies it to the first coming of Christ and the establishment of His unshakeable kingdom (Hebrews 12:26-28). The political turmoil, the rise and fall of empires, all of it is simply the overture for the arrival of God's kingdom in Christ.
And what is the result of this shaking? "They will come with the desirable things of all nations." Many have stumbled here, thinking this refers to literal gold and silver being brought to a physical temple. But that is to shrink a glorious promise down to the size of our materialism. The true treasure, the most desirable thing of any nation, is its people. This is a prophecy of the Great Commission. The shaking of the nations is the work of the gospel, and the result is that the elect from every tribe and tongue and nation will come streaming into the house of God, the Church. They are the glory. Redeemed humanity is the treasure God is gathering to fill His house.
God's Unlimited Resources (v. 8)
As a parenthetical but crucial point, God reminds them who is funding this entire operation.
"‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ declares Yahweh of hosts." (Haggai 2:8)
Their budget was small. Their resources were laughable. But they were working for a God who holds the title deed to the universe. This is the Creator/creature distinction applied to economics. God is not a needy potentate, hoping we can scrape together enough to fund His ambitions. He owns it all. All the silver in every mine, all the gold in every vault, belongs to Him. The issue is never a lack of resources on God's part. The issue is a lack of faith and obedience on our part. When God orders a work, He will fund the work. Our task is to "be strong, and work," trusting that the Owner of all things will provide what is needed.
The Prophetic Climax (v. 9)
Here we come to the stunning conclusion, the promise that must have seemed utterly unbelievable to the men leaning on their shovels.
"‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares Yahweh of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9)
Greater glory? How could this be? This little building could never outshine Solomon's. The answer is that God was changing the definition of glory. The glory of the first temple was the shekinah cloud, a symbol, a placeholder for the presence of God. The glory of this second temple would be the substance itself. The greater glory was a person. For in the fullness of time, God the Son, the Logos made flesh, would walk into this very temple. Jesus Christ would stand in its courts, teach, heal, and cleanse it. The physical presence of the Creator of the universe is an infinitely greater glory than any amount of gold or cedar.
And in this place, Jerusalem, God will give peace, shalom. This is not merely a ceasefire. Shalom is comprehensive restoration, reconciliation, and wholeness. Where and how was this peace given? It was given on a Roman cross, erected on a hill in that very place. Jesus, as the Prince of Shalom, purchased our peace with God through His own blood. The peace was not given in the temple building, but in that place, the city of Jerusalem, where He accomplished our salvation.
Conclusion: Building the True Temple
The application for us is direct and potent. We are now the temple of the living God (1 Cor. 3:16). The Church is the house that God is building. And so often, our efforts seem small. Our church is not a megachurch. Our family is struggling. Our personal progress in holiness feels like "nothing."
The command of God thunders down to us today: Be strong, and work. Do not be discouraged by what your eyes see. Do not be paralyzed by nostalgia for a former glory. Our strength comes from the same place theirs did: "I am with you." Christ has promised to be with us to the end of the age. And His Spirit is standing in our midst. Therefore, do not fear.
We are part of a cosmic shaking. The gospel is advancing, and the desirable things of the nations, the elect of God, are being gathered in. The glory of this present house, the Church, is greater than any temple made with hands, because it is filled not with a symbolic cloud, but with the indwelling Spirit of Christ Himself. He is building His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. So take up your tools. Be strong, and work. For the glory of this house is the glory of Christ, and in this house, He gives true peace.