'Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' saith the Lord; 'and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak 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. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you. Fear ye not.' (vv.4-5)
Here the Lord speaks through Haggai the above words of encouragement concerning the rebuilding of the temple; "be strong, and work." In other words, don't worry about the outcome, just remember your labor for the Lord is never in vain. For what is the most splendid cathedral if God is not in it, influencing all by his presence and Spirit? Nothing.
No doubt the older returnees from exile, possibly including Haggai himself, remembered the original glory of Solomon’s temple. Unquestionably the new temple was nowhere near as splendid as the old one (v. 3). God knew it, the people knew it, and the leaders knew it. Furthermore, the book of Ezra records that when the new temple was dedicated, shouts of joy were mixed with sounds of weeping (3:10-13). Feeling discouraged was a natural result of recalling the nation’s and temple’s former glory, and why it had been lost—because of their sin and God’s judgment of conquest and exile.
In the face of these very human emotions, God Himself encouraged the people to “be strong” or “take courage” (v. 4, Josh. 1:6-7). The size and beauty of the temple wasn’t the point. The point was that God was their God, and He was with them once again—the same God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and shepherded them throughout their history (v. 5). Their responsibility was faithfully to do the work of rebuilding, not to mope around comparing their lives to the supposed “good old days.”
In other words, do not let a few critics discourage you. The chief glory of the temple is not the splendor of the building, but His presence within it - "As I covenanted to be with you when you came out of Egypt, so I will fulfill My covenant; for My Spirit remains among you, fear not." (Exodus 29:45-46).
The Truth: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 8:9)
