Almost immediately following the record of Jesus' prayer that the Father would forgive, the Holy Spirit gives a wonderful example of that very thing—the repentance, faith, and forgiveness of one of the thieves crucified beside Jesus.

The Lord has a message for Zerubbabel personally. He confirms emphatically that He will overthrow the kingdoms of earth. The Lord also affirms that on that day, He will take Zerubbabel and make him as a signet. Thus, Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, represents David's greater son, the Lord Jesus, whose kingdom will fill the earth and will stand for ever!

On the day that Jesus multiplied a boy's lunch of five loaves and two fish to feed to satisfaction 5,000 men, plus women and children, He also multiplied miracles. Five remarkable displays of Divine omnipotence on that one day. God's purpose: That you would see Jesus to be the Son of the living God and the only source of eternal life.

On the three-month anniversary of the right response of the remnant to Haggai's challenge to begin rebuilding the Lord's house, the word of the Lord comes again through Haggai. Consecration is not accidental; defilement happens easily. So consider from this day forward the Lord's ways—He opposes the defiled, but He blesses the obedient!

Verse 17 contains the apostle Paul's third reason for preaching the gospel, but it also contains an emphasis on faith. Using language common to identifying beginning and ending, start and finish, faith is said to occupy both points when it comes to God's revelation in the gospel to a human heart.

Jesus' praying in the garden gives us an example of one learning (experientially) obedience. In the face of extraordinary suffering, He submits His will to the Father's. That is where our praying that we enter not into temptation needs to be focused!

Shortly after the remnant in Jerusalem resumes work on rebuilding the temple, the Lord through Haggai asks them to look to the past and to the future comparing the glory of the house of the Lord with the present situation. God does this to encourage them to be faithful in their small work seeing where it fits into the glorious work of the Lord of hosts.

The apostle Paul's third reason for preaching the gospel is because of what the gospel reveals. It reveals the righteousness of God, but far differently than the way the law of God reveals it. When the law of God reveals the righteousness of God, it condemns me (because of my sin), but when the gospel of God reveals the righteousness of God it saves me (because the Son of God's righteousness is credited to my account).

In the context of Jesus' admonishing His disciples to pray that they enter not into temptation, and just prior to His arrest, Jesus prays. His prayer is a verbal affirmation of the submission of His will to God the Father's will. So ought we to pray!