ilst you live your treasures beyond the
reach of change, and will find them multiplied a thousand-fold when you
die and go to God, your portion and your joy for ever.

BRAVE ENCOURAGEMENTS

'In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month,
came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2. Speak
now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to
Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of
the people, saying, 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in
her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes
in comparison of it as nothing? 4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel,
saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high
priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord,
and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts: 5. According
to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt,
so My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 6. For thus saith
the Lord of Hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will
shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7.
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of
Hosts. 8. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord
of Hosts. 9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than
of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I
give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts.'--HAGGAI ii. 1-9.

The second year of Darius, in which Haggai prophesied, was 520 B.C.
Political intrigues had stopped the rebuilding of the Temple, and the
enthusiasm of the first return had died away in the face of prolonged
difficulties. The two brave leaders, Zerubbabel and Joshua, still
survived, and kept alive their own zeal; but the mass of the people were
more concerned about their comforts than about the restoration of the
house of Jehovah. They had built for themselves 'ceiled houses,' and
were engrossed with their farms.

The Book of Ezra dwells on the external hindrances to the rebuilding.
Haggai goes straight at the selfishness and worldliness of the people as
the great hindrance. We know nothing about him beyond the fact that he
was a prophet working in conjunction with Zechariah. He has been thought
to have been one of the original company who came