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Day 2 Haggai 2 Haggai 2:1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, says the LORD, and work: for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts: 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remains among you: fear ye not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, says the LORD of hosts. 10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 Thus says the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. 13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. 14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. 15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: 16 Since those days were, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the press fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. 17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, says the LORD. 18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it. 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. 20 And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, 21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; 22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. 23 In that day, says the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, says the LORD of hosts. What makes one person better than another? What claims do people have giving them authority over a group of people? In every place on earth there are people who hold positions of leadership and authority. Yet God told Haggai that all the people who came against Judah, holding any kind of position over them, would be brought down and his people would be placed in those positions, and God would bless them. It isn’t anything you do or don’t do that places you in the position you have, but whether you trust God. You can name the various leaders in your community and nation, and you can tell yourself what kind of person he or she is. Yet God will cause all those who stand against him to tumble and fall, and the wicked will be no more. As Christians, you wait for the day when Jesus returns and sets everything in order, casting down Satan and all those who follow him, and sets up his kingdom of peace. Until that day, you are to live and work to the best of your ability, and if you find yourself in a leadership position, know God put you there for a reason – to do his work. Let’s pray: Father, your will be done in the earth. Help me do the work you set for me to do and do it with the best of my ability. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 6 April 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay