GOD’S WORD FOR JANUARY 7 ~ ~ Psalm 31:7 ~ ~ “I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,

For You have considered my trouble;  You have known my soul in adversities”

We’re reading about two more of the “minor” prophets Haggai and Zechariah, in the book “How to Read the Bible” by Dr. Michael Youssef.

HAGGAI: A TIME TO REBUILD

The book of Haggai consists of two chapters, written around 530 BC, just before construction began on the new Temple.  God speaks through Haggai, saying, “these people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”  The prophet then delivers God’s responses:

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while (God’s Temple) remains a ruin?”

God sent Haggai to remind the people that prosperity and blessing are gifts from God.  Those who put their own selfish interests ahead of God’s commands will lose His blessings.  The theme of the book of Haggai is God’s promise of abundant blessing for those who put Him first in their lives.

ZECHARIAH: THE KING IS COMING!

Zechariah was written around the same time as Haggai.  It is sometimes compared to Revelation because it opens with a series of apocalyptic visions.  Zechariah reveals that the coming Messiah will not appear as a mighty king in royal robes, seated on a warhorse.  Instead (in a prophecy of the Lord’s arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday), He will come humbly, a man of lowly birth, riding on a donkey:

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  (Zechariah 9:9)

Near the end, God speaks of the future day of the Lord, when all the nations that seek to destroy His people will themselves be consumed – and the whole world will know that the crucified Jesus is the glorified Lord over all.

“On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.  And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.  They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”  (Zechariah 12:9-10)

Zechariah also contains this prophecy of the return of Jesus the Messiah to bring the final war to a close:

“Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights on the day of battle.  On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south …Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him….it will be a unique day – a day known only to the Lord – with no distinctions between day and night.  When evening comes, there will be light.

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem….”(Zechariah 14:3-5 and 7-8)

The prophecy of Zechariah is the promise of God’s protection through the upheaval of the last days – and the promise of ultimate victory.

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Psalm 37:28&34

For the LORD loves justice,

And does not forsake His saints;

They are preserved forever,

But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.

Wait on the LORD,

And keep His way,

And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

He will thrust out the enemy from before you,

And will say, ‘Destroy!’

Hebrews 13:5

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we may boldly say:

The Lord is my helper: I will not fear.  What can man do to me?

Amplified version:

I will never (under any circumstances) dessert you (nor give you up nor leave

you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless), nor will I

forsake or let you down or relax my hold on you (assuredly not)!!!

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CHARLES SPURGEON

     I will strengthen you.

    Isaiah 41:10

When called to serve or to suffer, we take stock of our strength, and we find it to be less than we thought and less than we need. But let not our heart sink within us while we have such a word as this to fall back upon, for it guarantees us all that we can possibly need. God has strength omnipotent; that strength He can communicate to us; and His promise is that He will do so. He will be the food of our souls and the health of our hearts; and thus He will give us strength. There is no telling how much power God can put into a man. When divine strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance.

Do we not remember seasons of labor and trial in which we received such special strength that we wondered at ourselves? In the midst of danger we were calm, under bereavement we were resigned, in slander we were self-contained, and in sickness we were patient. The fact is that God gives unexpected strength when unusual trials come upon us, We rise out of our feeble selves. Cowards play the man, foolish ones have wisdom given them, and the silent receive in the self-same hour what they shall speak, My own weakness makes me shrink, but God’s promise makes me brave. Lord, strengthen me “according to thy word.”

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