Jacob was the father of 12 sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel which form the Jewish nation as it exists today. He died at an old age with all his sons around him. The Lord revealed Himself to Jacob, forgave him, and blessed him through his whole life.
The suggestion in these verses is that people make too many plans without consulting the Lord. No matter what our wishes for the future are, we must remember that sooner or later our lives end! While we have our lives on earth, we must all learn to trust God more.
How often do we sing songs, in church, or at home, throughout the day, without really thinking about the words? In this verse the psalmist is speaking to his own soul to lift the focus. At the same time he is encouraging all of us to sing from our hearts.
If we read something silently, we take it in, just using our one sense – sight. But if we speak what we are reading, then we use a second sense, - hearing. The fact is that we remember much more what we have read if we use two senses instead of one.
The Lord is speaking in this closing verse, of an event very much in the future, when Jesus would be born. And people would discover that he, Zerubbabel, was in the lineage of the Saviour of the world. What a privilege! The signet ring was a sign of high authority.
Many of us have been in meetings when a prophetic word is given to a specific person. Sometimes those people are embarrassed, often because of their own reactions. But also because of the message the prophet delivers. It takes discernment for people who give prophetic words to do so correctly!
Many in our world today are praying for a turning in the world situation. Many prophets are declaring that we are on the edge of something big when many people in high positions who have deceived the public will be brought to account. There are conflicting news stories out there.
Certain dates can remind us of life changing days. This prophetic word from the Lord, brought by Haggai, is noted on a specific date, which they were to remember as the day they had a change of heart. The equivalent date in line with our calendar is December 18th 520BC.
How often have we thought that we could not afford to give much to God because we had this or that to pay this month? We know He will understand, because He is a loving forgiving Lord. That is true, but He wants to be our very best friend too.
God did something that only He could do. He diminished their provisions, and suddenly they were all realising that when they thought they had enough grain left for the winter, they had only half what they expected. The same with their wine production! This was a recurring theme for God.
EN 
FR