picture originally uploaded by James Jordan

In one voice, the people exclaimed thanksgiving to the Lord, singing

“For He is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

In this little song, they were remembering the songs of Solomon’s court when the Temple was dedicated to the Lord. By God’s grace, Solomon rose to glory and power and wisdom in a way that attracted the awe and attention of all the world.

He built a glorious golden Temple to the Lord so that all Israel and eventually all the nations could stream to Mt. Zion and proclaim praises to the Lord Most High. And now with the foundations of a new Temple laid, the people sang and rejoiced in hopes of restoring the glory of Solomon’s Temple.

Even as many of the people rejoiced, some of the people wept. They actually remembered Solomon’s Temple. Living in the last days of the kingdom, they still remembered the glory of the Temple. They remembered Josiah’s restoration of the Temple and the glorious renewal that swept the land under Josiah’s rule.

His faithfulness to the Lord brought hope of a return to the glory of ancient Israel. The glory of David’s warriors. The glory of Solomon’s rule. Many in the land anticipated and longed for a renewal of this glory in the Holy City and throughout the land. But Josiah was killed in battle and their hopes died with him.

Shortly after his fall, the nation begin to fall. Corrupt and wicked leaders made foolish decisions and bad gambles, leading not simply to their demise but the demise of the kingdom. Babylon crushed the people, destroyed the Temple, burned Jerusalem to the ground, and dragged the nation to captivity in Babylon.

Now 70 years later, a tiny band of struggling people begin to rebuild the Temple and the nation. But the glory still feels like it is gone. They are too poor and too few to rebuild a Temple like the one Solomon built. The young people rejoice, but the old people weep for they cannot stop remembering.

They not only remember the glory of Solomon’s Temple, they remember the glory of the Exodus. Moses led over 600,000r 600,000
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja! Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin fighting men out of Egypt. Joshua led the children of these warriors across the Jordan and into the Promised Land.

But all those days of glory are passed.

A little over 40,000r 40,000
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja! Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin struggled out of Babylon. They are a broken people. How can they ever recover from the blows inflicted by captivity? This Temple they are building will never compare to the glory of what once was.

Haggai writes to the grieving new settlers and assures them that the glory of this latter house will actually surpass the glory of the former house. But how can this be?

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:1Proverbs 25:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
25 ¹ These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.  

WP-Bible plugin)
This smaller, austere Temple built during the reconstruction of Israel is more glorious than the stronger, more luxurious Temple built during Solomon’s reign. And after this Temple another Temple will eventually come, and it will be the most glorious of all. This newer Temple will be be smaller, more fragile and eventually destroyed.

But on the third day it will raise again.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. Jesus comes to reveal the glory of God. Peter, James and John rejoice on the Mount of Transfiguration for the glory of God has been revealed. But this is not the great glory. This is a step toward the glory.

As Jesus spends his final moments with the disciples, he prays about the impending cross. He asks the Father to “glorify His son.” Soon the greatest glory of all will be unfolded, the glory of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross.

This next week the church begins to celebrate the cross. We are celebrating the glory of God. And even as we celebrate, we prefer to look away from the horror of the suffering Savior. But this is the greater glory. The body is broken for us, and the blood is shed for us.

And even as we partake in the feast of His love, we hear His call to “Follow Me.” He is inviting us, compelling us to follow Him in the path of love. Even as we seek to obey and follow the call, we may look back to “greater glories.”

We may be like the ancient exiles who looked back to Solomon’s Temple. We may look back to the glory of the twelve disciples. We may long for the glory of the church in Acts. We may look back to earlier times in our own lives when the glory seemed so full and real.

But he is calling us forward to the cross.

He is calling us to walk from glory to glory. He is calling, leading and drawing us into greater glory. He is calling, leading, and drawing us into the cross. We are being hid with Christ in God. For in that hidden place of glory, in the place of trust, in that place where we no longer control the glory but fall in weakness before Him. He is revealing a glory that we won’t fully grasp until the full light of day.

Let us join in one voice with thanksgiving to the Lord, singing

“For He is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

Popularity: 4% [?]