Haggai 2:8-9 (ESV) – “’The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”

My daughters like to go shopping. One of my “favorite” things they do is talk about using “their” money to buy something. They have no money that didn’t come from me to begin with. It is humorous as a dad. They only have anything because I give it to them. If they tried to pay me back, I’d have to supply what they needed to give me anything. It is cute for my girls to do that. But the same thing is true for us as individuals when it comes to God.

He gives us everything we have. Anything we give to God by way of resources are only “ours” because He gave them to us. We see this in Haggai 2:8-9. We read, “’The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”

We read God say, “the silver is mine, and the gold is mine.” Why does God say this? Because as the Jews are seeking to rebuild the Temple that was destroyed, they are not going to be able to build it to the same glory. Solomon built the Temple with such glory and splendor that it stood alone in greatness. Many of those alive during the book of Haggai saw the former glory of the Temple. Now they seek to build it again, but there is no way to duplicate what it was. 

But God encourages them. He reminds them that anything they can give to build the Temple is already His. The silver is His. The gold is His. They can’t give Him anything that He didn’t first give them. He is able to not only receive what little they have to offer, but He can use it for His purposes just as easily as He can something else. In fact, God promises them that the glory of the new Temple will surpass the former one. It won’t be because they offer better sacrifices or items for the Temple, but because it all belongs to God anyway. He alone chooses to bless and put His peace on it. 

This is encouraging to us today because we are reminded that He gives us everything we have. 

Be thankful to God today for all He has given you. But also, remember that He can use any and everything you have to give Him and doesn’t need spectacular offerings for them to be effective offerings. Your gifts and abilities can be used in mighty ways.

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why is today’s passage meant to be an encouragement to the people?
- What does God mean when He says the silver and gold are “mine”?
- How does this passage teach you about your contributions to God’s Kingdom and God’s ability to use them?  

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