The glory of the temple

“‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” Haggai 2:9
Haggai ministered to Israel after the return from the Babylonian captivity. One of the first things the people did when they returned was to start rebuilding the temple. We read in Ezra 3:12 that some of the people were upset about the second temple, because it was so small and basic compared to the glory they remembered of Solomon’s temple. This is what God is referring to in His words through the prophet Haggai. Glorious though Solomon’s temple was, this second temple would be even better.
The glory would not be greater because of what the house looked like physically, but rather, because of what God would do there. The second temple was refurbished by Herod the Great, and it was this same temple that Jesus was brought into as a baby for His circumcision, the same temple where He taught. In other words, this seemingly less glorious temple would be the one that Messiah would enter – something that never happened in the first temple.
There is a lesson here relating to us too. We might not be the most physically or intellectually stunning person. But God can take ordinary people and make them glorious, by His Spirit indwelling them. Paul wrote, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7). Don’t worry if you come across as a plain clay pot. It’s the treasure inside that makes you valuable.