“‘Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee,’ saith the Lord. ‘And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people.'” Zechariah 2:10,11
From a spiritual standpoint, what is the determining factor between the past and that which is to come? From Scripture we discover again and again that it is God. He is the great Initiator, the One who creates, maintains, cares for, and saves. He is the great Intervener, the One who literally, actually, returns, works, reveals His presence and power, not only with regard to the blessing of men, but more so concerning their deliverance from sin and death, from Satan and the curse. He is the One who comes in His majesty, and yet “tender” mercies, to meet the individual believer where he or she is in the present moment. His coming, and dwelling, and working determine what is done with respect to the past, and what the future holds. It is at this point that He always directs the attention of man to Himself, that man will hear what He has to say. If man would go forward from this present moment, in the context of the life truly counting for eternity, then God must meet him, reveal Himself to him, and work in him the willing and the doing of His good pleasure. It is for this reason that God the Father told the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, after an overwhelming manifestation of the glory of God: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him.” (Matt. 16:5)
In the book of Haggai, we find the Lord reasoning with the believers at Jerusalem. The subject had to do with the rebuilding of the temple, but also, and more importantly, the acceptable worship of God. In his dealing with the people, and its leaders, He speaks to them of limited blessing, the imperative intervention of God, and His call to them to choose how they will proceed. He speaks at least twice using the phrase, “…consider, from this day and upward.” 2:15,18) He calls their attention to the partial blessing of God in the past, not even half of what God desired to give. He also told them that He had afflicted them with mildew, and with hail, in all the labors of your hands. (2:17) This was due to them turning away from God, “…yet ye turned not to Me.” (v. 17) The point is, with respect to going forward from the present moment, will the believer truly turn to God alone, and wholly, for all, seeking first His kingdom with all the heart? Or will he live in the grayness of doubt, half-heartedness, and partial blessing? The Lord, in His message to the people, then asks the question, and this with respect to the work on the temple: “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.” (v.19) The Lord’s point is that the work is not yet finished, the objective has not been attained. What then must they do, and how are they to do it? It is at this crucial moment that the Lord gives the people a basis for their faith, one which will propel them forward, not only with the certainty of success, but primarily with God’s manifest blessing. The Lord gave them a promise to believe and live by: “…from this day will I bless you.” Here is the declared committal of God to meet the needs of the people, according to the fulness of blessing, for the accomplishment of His purposes and will. Will the people truly turn unto Him, and this fully? Only by the blessing of God can the will and purposes of God be accomplished. He is looking for those who will, from this day forward, by His grace, commit themselves to walk before Him with clean hands and a pure heart.
Dear Father, Bless us that the ends of the earth will fear Thy name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.