-
The Temple to Remain as Nations Are RockedParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
-
-
Since it was His will, then the builders would be doing His will and His work. They would therefore have his approval and his backing and support, no matter who and how many were against them. He, in fact, would be building the house through the Israelite builders as his instrumentalities. This was all-important, just as it is stated by Solomon in Psalm 127:1, where he remarks: “Unless Jehovah himself builds the house, it is to no avail that its builders have worked hard on it. Unless Jehovah himself guards the city, it is to no avail that the guard has kept awake.”
7. (a) Who was most concerned with the rebuilding of that house, and why? (b) That they might not be fearful because of the enemies, what did Jehovah now say through Haggai?
7 As the matter concerned the pure worship of the one living and true God, Jehovah himself was involved as being that God. He was the One who would do the building. In view of that they did not need to be weakened through fear of the overwhelming numbers of the enemies. That is why he inspired his prophet Haggai to say: “‘But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and be strong, O Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest.’ ‘And be strong, all you people of the land,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and work.’ ‘For I am with you people,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.
-
-
The Temple to Remain as Nations Are RockedParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
-
-
8. In what respect did those temple builders have to be strong, and how was a similar thing true of the apostle Paul in Corinth?
8 That Israelite remnant, who were charged with the rebuilding of the temple, had to be strong in faith. They would show their faith by their work at temple building. Why not? For Jehovah of armies was with them. As the Jewish Christian apostle Paul later on said to the congregation at Rome, Italy: “What, then, shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who will be against us?” (Romans 8:31) Such a divine assurance is very strengthening, as this same Paul experienced when doing God’s work in the Grecian city of Corinth in the first century C.E. Concerning this, the account in Acts of the Apostles tells us: “Moreover, by night the Lord said to Paul through a vision: ‘Have no fear, but keep on speaking and do not keep silent, because I am with you and no man will assault you so as to do you injury; for I have many people in this city.’” Did Paul show faith and do as told? The account says: “So he stayed set there a year and six months, teaching among them the word of God.”—Acts 18:9-11.
9. (a) Likewise, in what quality should those temple builders be strong, and under whose leadership? (b) What was it that God concluded with their forefathers that they should remember, and why now?
9 Just so, too, the repatriated Israelite remnant needed to be strong in their reliance upon Almighty God and do His work. The foremost officials among them, Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua, were responsible to take the lead, and the rest of the remnant would follow along and work with them.
-