10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: – Haggai 2:10 (NIV)
The date of this third message of the Lord through the prophet Haggai doesn’t appear to be one of significance…on the surface. We know that this day would translate into our current calendar as being December 18, 520 BC. We know there were no major religious festivals or observances happening, and we know that it was typically the month when seeds were planted for next year’s harvest. Yet, this specific date must be of some importance if it is spelled out for us like this. What could it be?
It was common practice all throughout the ancient Near East to hold dedication ceremonies to consecrate the site when temples were being constructed. These times of celebration would often take place when the building project would enter into a critical or significant juncture in the process. Some of these rituals would include times of singing, words of blessing being shared, even purification rites carried out. It’s likely that this “twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius” was the date of a consecration ceremony for the rebuilding of the Temple because we see in Haggai 2:18 that this is “…the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid.”
As you continue forward in our “21 Days of Prayer and Fasting,” what if today’s date turned out to be a significant one in your life? No particular holiday, no major historical events, no specific religious day of celebration – just the day when you decide you want to be consecrated…sacred…made holy. The day when you want nothing more than to dedicate your entire life for His purposes.
The Lord isn’t finished building you into the temple of the Holy Spirit that he desires you to be, but this is a critical juncture in your walk with Him. Will you respond by dedicating your life entirely to Him and His service? Will today be the day that your foundation as a temple of the Holy Spirit is laid?
As the old hymn, “Consecration,” so clearly and beautifully expresses:
Since Jesus gave His life for me, should I not give him mine?
I’m consecrated, Lord, to Thee, I shall be wholly Thine.
My life, O Lord, I give to Thee, my talents, time, and all; I’ll
serve Thee, Lord, and faithful be, I’ll hear Thy faintest call.
Consecration
WORDS: Mildred E. Howard, 1907. MUSIC: Andrew L. Byers, 1907. Public Domain.