Bible Story of the Day: The Temple

https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Bible-Story-of-the-Day-The-Temple

Bible Story of the Day

Scripture is the story of Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. There are over 400 prophecies and representations of Jesus in the Old Testament alone. The Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Christ, and the New Testament points back to Jesus. The Bible is a record of redemption through Jesus Christ who conquered sin and death when He died on the cross and resurrected three days later. The New Testament was written almost 2000 years ago. Some of the Old Testament was written over 4000 years ago. The Bible Story of the Day not only shows Jesus throughout scripture but shows how scripture is relevant to our lives today. Seeing Jesus in scripture is a major step into understanding who our God is, and how He impacts and affects our lives in every moment. I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your mind to understanding the verses and how they affect your life and gives you a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will post a link to the chapter that each passage is from, so that you can read further on your own.

The Temple

Haggai 2:3-9

³ ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? ⁴ But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ⁵ ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’⁶ For thus says the Lord 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.⁷ I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ⁸ ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ⁹ ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of hosts.” (NASB).

Luke 2:27-32

²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,²⁸ then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹ “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
³¹ Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.” (NASB).

Where is Jesus and What Does This Mean to Us?

“Investing in social capital reminds us that there is no such thing as a “self-made man.” Although individual effort may create great wealth, each of us relies on resources and social infrastructure that originate ultimately in God.” (Theology of Work Bible Commentary). There are numerous messages and views involved in this passage. I posted several verses to help aid in the context of what was happening during that period. The Israelites had been freed from captivity and God had instructed them to rebuild His temple. This would be considered the “Second Temple. The First Temple was built during the time of Solomon, also known as Solomon’s Temple, but destroyed by Babylon during the invasion around 586 B.C. Zerubbabel is accredited with being responsible for rebuilding the Temple. He was the governor of the province and lead the first wave of Jews out of Babylon.

The first point of this to be made is that God provides. As noted in the quote from the commentary above, there is no such thing as a self-made man. God created all and owns all. Anything we have, we have received from the Lord for the purpose of glorifying Him. There are those that do not use their riches to glorify God, and they will be dealt with in time. God speaks to Zerubbabel and tells him that the silver and gold belong to God and that it has always been God that has protected and provided, and now it is time for the people to recognize their God by rebuilding His Temple.

Jesus is speaking to Zerubbabel in this passage. Jesus is the Lord of Hosts. He has been proclaimed the King of kings and the ruler of God’s army. Additionally, Jesus is God. John 10:30, “I and the Father are One.” Jesus proclaims in verse 9 that He will come to the Temple and give peace. The message from this passage was that:

1. Jesus owns everything and provides to all and He requires His provisions to be used to build a Temple for Him.
2. Encouragement that He has always been with His people and that He will fill His house with glory.
3. He puts Zerubbabel and others on notice that He will be physically coming to the Temple, and will be bringing peace

I can only imagine Zerubbabel standing in front of the magnificent ruins of Solomon’s Temple. This temple was large, beautiful, and a huge undertaking to build. It lay in ruin at Zerubbabel’s feet and He is called to rebuild it with far less resources than Solomon had. The Book of Ezra and other chapters in Haggai describe the difficulties in rebuilding. Jesus then encourages Zerubbabel. Solomon did not have more money than Jesus. Solomon got his wealth from Him. Zerubbabel will be able to rebuild because Jesus will provide. Jesus has always provided. Not only will He make sure the Temple is built but He is coming to visit the temple. AS if there wasn’t enough pressure.

Jesus kept his promise to Zerubbabel. He came to the Temple and offered peace. Many of the Jews did not accept His gift. Jesus is here for us, to encourage us, protect us, and provide for us. It does not matter what ruins lay at your feet. Jesus will help you through it and provide for you what you need because He owns it all. Jesus is now the Temple that offers us the gift of peace.

Resource

• Hag 2 NASB – The Builders Encouraged
  The Builders Encouraged – On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet saying, “Speak now to Zerubbabel