Come, Follow Me · Week 50 · December 7–13

Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14

This Week's Reading

This week's Come, Follow Me reading focuses on the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who encouraged the returning Israelites to rebuild the Lord's temple despite their small beginnings and past failures. These scriptures teach that God is deeply concerned with our priorities, urging us to consider our ways and place Him first in our lives. They promise that if we obey, He will fill His house with glory greater than before and bring peace to Jerusalem. Ultimately, these prophecies point forward to the coming of Jesus Christ, who fulfills the desire of all nations and establishes His eternal kingdom over the earth.

Key Passages

Haggai 1:2–11 This passage challenges us to examine our priorities, asking if it is right to dwell in comfortable homes while God's house lies in ruins, promising that neglecting Him leads to poverty and drought.
Haggai 2:4–9 The Lord encourages Zerubbabel and the people to be strong, promising that His spirit remains with them and that the future glory of His temple will surpass the former one.
Zechariah 1:3–6 These verses call for a return to God, reminding us that while our ancestors often ignored the prophets, God's words have always held true power to bless those who listen.
Zechariah 4:6–10 This text teaches that building God's work is not achieved by human might or power, but solely by His spirit, and assures us that He will see our small beginnings through to the end.
Zechariah 14:9–11 The prophecy looks forward to a day when the Lord shall be king over all the earth, bringing unity and safety so that Jerusalem is safely inhabited with no more utter destruction.

Questions to Ponder

In what areas of your life do you feel you are "dwelling in your ceiled houses" while neglecting the work of the Lord?
How can you practically apply the instruction to be strong and work, trusting that the Lord is with you even when progress seems slow?
What does it mean to rely on the Lord's spirit rather than human might or power in your personal challenges or Church service?
How does the promise that the Lord will be king over all the earth give you hope for the future and peace in difficult times?

A Thought to Take Home

These ancient words remind us that God cares deeply about our priorities and promises to bless those who put Him first, even when our efforts seem small or insignificant. We can find great comfort knowing that the Lord sees our humble beginnings and will bring glory to His work through us if we trust in His spirit rather than our own strength. As we study these scriptures, may we feel a renewed desire to build up the Kingdom of God and find peace in the knowledge that He is with us always.

Further study Haggai 1:2–11, Haggai 2:4–9, Zechariah 1:3–6, Zechariah 4:6–10, Zechariah 14:9–11

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This guide was prepared with AI from the scriptures and checked against the text; it can still make mistakes. For the Church's own guidance, read the official Come, Follow Me manual for this week. Nephite Atlas is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Key passages

Haggai 1:2–11

²Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built. ³Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? ⁵Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁶Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. ⁷Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁸Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. ⁹Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. ¹⁰Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. ¹¹And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Haggai 2:4–9

⁴Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: ⁵According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. ⁶For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; ⁷And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. ⁸The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. ⁹The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 1:3–6

³Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. ⁴Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. ⁵Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? ⁶But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

Zechariah 4:6–10

⁶Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. ⁷Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. ⁸Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ⁹The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. ¹⁰For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zechariah 14:9–11

⁹And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. ¹⁰All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. ¹¹And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.