“Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel …” (Hag. 2:4, NKJV)
We are currently discussing the characteristics of the mantle or spirit of Zerubbabel, and have pointed out thirteen thus far.
The fourteenth characteristic is taken from Hag. 2:4-5: “Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’”
It is God Himself who is encouraging the remnant lest they lose hope. The terms of encouragement that are used here have a lot of nuances in their original Hebrew, which is reflected in the ways various translations have chosen to translate them:
- “be strong” (ACV)
- “take strength” (ABP)
- “cheer up!” (CEV)
- “take courage” (DRB)
- “don’t be discouraged” (ERV)
- “be of good courage” (Geneva)
- “’So get to work” (Msg)
- “be brave” (NCV)
- “take heart” (NET)
Despite the fact that believers in the Bride know what they have been called for, the extent of the task, the mere thought of what it entails, the enormous opposition and number of obstacles, the amount of work, the restrictions that personal circumstances bring about, etc, can have them lose hope. You are overwhelmed by the seemingly unbeatable giants that guard over the promised land. At times it is the long time spent waiting for the right circumstances that has you wanting to throw in the towel. This often causes you to be cheerless, depressed, pessimistic, even if earlier you were alive with possibility.
This crisis concerning vision and calling does not only happen to people who are weak in their “most holy faith” (Jude 1:20), or rather their third dimension faith, which is faith in their higher calling or election. Throughout Scripture great leaders and epoch-making frontrunners who are underway in fulfilling their calling is encouraged by God, or others, to continue. Have a look at the following examples:
- “Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, ‘Be strong and of good courage … ‘” (Deut. 31:23; repeated in Jos. 1:6 & 9)
- “And David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’” (1 Chr. 28:20)
- “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who have been hearing in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who spoke in the day the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord of hosts, that the temple might be built.’” (Zech. 8:9)
- “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13)
- “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Eph. 6:10)
When Paul is writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, in order to encourage him, he offers an important key to you and I who find ourselves in the same position as him: “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:1). Remember – when Jesus Christ is the term that is used, the focus is on Jesus as the son of God. If it is Christ Jesus, it is the Christ, the anointed of the Bride, that is focused on. This verse makes clear that there is a particular amount of grace that is nestled in the Christ, which can bring about that you are strengthened and fortified.
It is thus of utmost importance that the Bride is made aware, through the corporate mantle of Zerubbabel, of the specific grace that is within Christ, to help us. Paul makes it clear in Phil. 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Christ thus not only offers grace, but power, and according to 1 Cor. 1:24, also wisdom. Grace, power and wisdom are three empowering measures that, through our relationship with the true Body of Christ, enable us to overcome the hopelessness, cheerlessness, depression and fear about fulfilling the task we have been given. We just often don’t know how to access this IN CHRIST. Paul warns that we should know “the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Cor. 2:12).
[A side note: this grace, power and wisdom is received, in all three dimensions, primarily from God, as He is the Provider thereof (grace: Gen. 6:8; 2 Chr. 33:12; Prov. 3:34; 2 Cor. 8:1; Eph. 3:2 & 7; Tit. 2:11; power: Ex. 15:2; Deut. 4:37; 2 Sam. 22:40; Matt. 6:13; Rom. 1:20; 2 Cor. 13:4; and wisdom: Ex. 31:6; 1 Kings 4:29; Ezra 7:25; Prov. 2:6; Rom. 11:33; Eph. 1:8). In the first and second dimension He is obviously “the God of all grace” (1 Pet. 5:10), but in the third dimension there is a wider, additional grace, power and wisdom that is nestled in CHRIST, which can empower the Bride. Paul is most probably referring to this grace in 2 Cor. 1:15 when he speaks of it as a “second” grace. It is grace which “having spread through the many”, became greater (2 Cor. 4:15), or it is a greater grace, as James 4:6 notes.]
This grace, through which you have been called (Gal. 1:6), is part of the gospel of glory (2 Cor. 4:4), or then, the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:29). The Bride obtains this grace “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13).
It is important to note that individuals within the Body of Christ can only partake of this glory if they are actively functioning in the Body. Outside it it doesn’t exist! We see this beautifully illustrated at the hand of two examples from the book of Acts:
- We read in Acts 11:22-23: “Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.”
- “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts. 4:32-35)
This grace is clearly not the grace through which they were saved (Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:5 & 8); this increased grace becomes manifest in and through the testimony of the collective. For this reason the grouping within which you function as part of the Bride of Christ is called the “cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1), which in the Old Testament is referred to as the “ark of Testimony” (Ex. 25:22). It is for this reason that the Bride will triumph through “the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). In this way everyone in the Bride becomes “partakers … of grace” (Phil. 1:7), and the grace of God can be seen. Selah!
Within the testimonies of this corporate functioning grace is obviously increased for the individual (2 Pet. 1:2), and as they (according to Num. 4:5) are typologically covered with the veil (= Body of Christ – Heb. 10:20 & Eph. 5:30) as covering or clothing (Rom. 13:14), it thus also functions as a corporate mantle of the Anointed, and increases the power and the wisdom! This all occurs in and through the immense power of rhema-words in the community, “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6). We can thus understand what 1 Tim. 1:14 means: “And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”
Have a look at how beautifully it is phrased in Eph. 2:7: “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”. All who are part of the Bride are saved by grace, but also called by this other grace “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Tim. 1:9).
Seen in this light, it is absolutely understandable that the Bible concludes with this very specific sentence: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Rev. 22:21). In almost all of the letters to the churches this sentence is found – it is as if the apostles want to constantly draw the Body’s attention to having an awareness of this extraordinary grace, which will empower them to be able to do all things. It is thus also an absolutely apt conclusion to the gospel of Christ.
Back to the quoted section from Hag. 2:4-5 above, where Zerubbabel et al. are encouraged to ‘be strong”, “take strength”, “cheer up!”, “take courage”, “don’t be discouraged”, ‘be of good courage”, “get to work”, “be brave”, “take heart”. All of these actions are only possible through the grace of Christ, as through this the Bride finds its own testimony: “My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!”
Well then, Zerubbabel: take courage.
- Selah: Explain this spiritual principle to someone.
- Read: 13-18; Prov. 24-26.
- Memorise: 25:2.
