According to
Haggai the prophet, the LORD declared that He would “shake”
“the heavens, the earth, the sea and the dry land” as well as
“the nations”. He also shared that “the silver and gold”
were His, and because this was so, “the glory of this latter
house” or “temple of the LORD” “shall be greater than
the former”. In chapter two and verse ten of his prophesy,
Haggai once again gives us another date when “the LORD”
spoke to the people of Israel where we read:
came the
word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
The verse begins, “In
the four and twentieth day
of the ninth month,
in the second year of Darius,...” Haggai
began with the phrase, “In the four
and twentieth day”
or the “twenty fourth” “day”
which means “” “of the ninth”
or “the
ordinal number after eight and before ten”
“month in the second” or
“dual, two and twice” “year”
which means “a division of time marked by the revolution of the
earth around the sun” “of Darius”
whose name means “lord” and was “Darius
the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, king of the Chaldeans, who succeeded
to the Babylonian kingdom on the death of Belshazzar; probably the
same as "Astyages" the last king of the Medes”.
This is the fourth time Haggai has mentioned the date when the LORD
spoke to Israel through him.
The
verse goes on to say, “...came the word of the LORD by
Haggai the prophet, saying,...” Haggai
went on to add, “came the word”
which means “the speech, speaking, saying, utterance, business,
acts, matter, case and manner” “of the LORD”
which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah” who is “the existing One”
and “the proper name for the one true God” “by
Haggai” whose name again means
“festive” and was “tenth in order of the minor prophets;
first prophet to prophecy after the captivity”
“the prophet” or
“spokesman or speaker”“saying”
or “uttering, speaking or avowing”. It is significant that Haggai
was the one chosen for the task of speaking to the Israelites. Haggai
fulfilled the LORD's purpose by simply obeying the instructions he
was given.
When we meditate upon Haggai's words, we note once again
the importance of sharing the date of this statement from the LORD.
The LORD began sharing with the Israelites through Haggai in the
“second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the
first day of the month”, and now the LORD speaks again “in
the ninth month and the twenty-fourth day”. The progression of
time and the importance of the LORD's message should help us
understand that He has timing for us as well. When we think about
this concerning our relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, we will
desire to hear what He has to say and when He speaks, we must listen.
It is also worth consideration that Haggai's primary mission in life
was completed within just a few months time. Perhaps our time of
importance in the Kingdom of God will be accomplished in lesser time
than we think. May the LORD lead us to obey Him without consideration
for how long or short a time that will be.
Next
time the LORD tells Haggai to “ask the priests concerning
the law” , 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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