The LORD told the people of
Israel that he wanted them to “consider” from the the
twenty-fourth day of the second year of Darius' reign “the day
that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid”, and in
chapter two and verse nineteen of Haggai's prophecy the LORD inquires
again concerning their harvests and how He will bless them. We read:
Is
the seed yet in the barn? yes, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and
the pomegranate, and the olive tree, has not brought forth: from this
day will I bless you.
The
verse begins, “Is the seed yet in the barn? yes, as yet
the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree,
has not brought forth:” Haggai
began with the question, “Is the seed”
or “sowing, offspring, descendants, posterity and children” “yet
in the barn” which refers to
“the storehouse or granary” “Yes as yet the vine”
or “vine tree such as the grape” “and the fig tree”
which refers to “the fig fruit”, “and the
pomegranate” or “pomegranate
fruit” “and the olive tree” which refers to “the olive fruit”
“has not brought forth”
or “not lifted, bore, carried or sustained”. The LORD's questions
once again referred to the lack which the people experienced in their
harvests because they did not make Him the priority in their lives.
The
verse continues, “from this day will I bless you.”
Haggai added, “from
this day” or “time, year and
period” “will I bless you” which
refers to “kneeling, adoring and saluting”. The LORD's promise to
the people of Israel was that His blessing would be upon them from
the day they made His temple the priority in their lives.
When we
think about the LORD's words through Haggai, we should understand the
importance and the benefits to making His kingdom first in our lives.
The people of Israel were experiencing lack in their harvests, and
they should have seen this as evidence of their neglecting the LORD's
work and only concentrating on their own. We have the opportunity to
serve Jesus Christ and His kingdom in this world, and should we find
ourselves deficient in areas of our lives, perhaps we should examine
whether the LORD and His Kingdom is our priority or not. May the LORD
help us to discern where our true precedence lie.
Next
time through Haggai the LORD speaks another time on the twenty-fourth
day of the ninth month, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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