Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

November 26– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“[The people of Israel] will rejoice when they see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

—Zechariah 4:10

Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah who rebuilt the temple when the people of Israel returned to the Land after their Babylonian and Persian captivity. The sight of seeing him hold the builder’s plumbline in his hand was a sign that the bricks and mortar were soon coming and that the Temple would be built.

The plumbline was in good hands. Here is the comfort that should come to every believer in the Lord Jesus. Even though the work of grace be ever so small in its beginnings, the plumbline is in good hands; a master builder greater than Solomon has begun to build the heavenly temple. He will not fail nor stop building until highest pinnacle is in place. If the plumbline were in the hand of any mere human being, we might be anxious about the building’s completion, but not so in the hands of Jesus.

The instruments God uses in building his temple are of the highest quality. If the Temple walls had been built in a hurry without proper oversight, they might not have been perpendicular; but the plumbline was in the hands of the chosen overseer. In the same way, Jesus watches closely the building of his spiritual temple. We are always in a hurry, but Jesus is always concerned to do things right. He checks the work with the plumbline, and whatever is out of line must come down, every stone of it. That’s why many projects fail and buildings fall. Thankfully, Jesus is God’s appointed superintendent; he has a steady hand, a true eye, and uses the plumbline well. The plumbline is constantly in the builder’s hand, and this is a sure indication that he intends to complete the job.

O Lord Jesus, if we could only see you at your great work. Zion, the beautiful city of God, has walls that are still in ruins! So, rise up, O Glorious Builder, and her broken walls will rejoice at your coming. [M&E]