Is Christ Thy Desire?

Last night in our Christmas Eve Service we sang the familiar carol: Hark the Herald Angels sing[1].  In this beloved carol, in the fourth stanza we sang:  Come Desire of nations come, fix in us Thy humble home. Rise the woman's conqu’ring seed. Bruise in us the serpent's head. Adam’s likeness now efface. Stamp Thine image in its place . . ..”   Notice the title given to Jesus: Desire of Nations.  Other song writers in carols like O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Angels from the Realms of Glory, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, etc. all include this name of Christ, our Savior.

Desire of Nations!  What a name!  It comes from the prophet Haggai.  ““This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:6–7, NIV).

Israel, while building the Second Temple needed the encouragement of the prophet to keep building. This Second Temple would not have the glory of the first.  The people were discouraged.  So the prophet tells them what God says.  “This phrase indicates a future period in which all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the King (compare Zech 14:16) and bring silver and gold (see v. 8).” ^[2]   But then God says, “I will fill this house with glory.  In all honesty the prophet was likely speaking of things, not a person.  “Here Haggai probably echoes Isaiah’s promise of an Israel made rich by the wealth of the nations (Is. 60:5). In other words, he speaks of the Messianic age.”^[3] But the older songwriters interpreted the treasures of the nations to be Christ; for indeed He is. “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” (Psalm 145:19, NIV)

John Flavel, a 17^th Century English Puritan preacher wrote:

“To this great discouragement the prophet applies this relief: that whatsoever should be lacking in external pomp and glory, should be more than recompensed by the presence of Jesus Christ in this second temple. For Christ, "the desire of all nations," he says, shall come into it . . . In these words we have both the description of Christ, and an arrow pointing at the time of his incarnation: he is called "the desire of all nations," and the time of his coming in the flesh is clearly implied to be during the time of the second temple. “ [4]

Flavel goes on to ask and answer the question, “Why is He called the Desire of the Nations?”   Here’s an abbreviated summary of his points.  He is called the Desire of the Nations because:

1. Because He is appointed by the Father to be the remedy for sins and sorrow;
2. Because in Him is inherently the capacity to supply all the needs of all the nations;
3. Because He stands apart from all other religions and pursuits of treasure. He alone satisfies;
4. Because the Scriptures which to show the universal span of His kingdom; and
5. Because “when God opens the eyes of men to see their sin and danger by it, nothing but Christ can give them satisfaction.”

John records the coming of Christ “to His Temple” in these terms: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NIV)

Spurgeon ends a sermon on the same topic in this manner: “Dear hearer, I would send thee away with this one query in thine ear—Is Christ thy desire?  Couldest thou say, with David, "He is all my salvation and all my desire"? Could you gather up your feet in the bed, with dying Jacob, and say, "I have waited for thy will, O God"? By your desire shall you be known. The desire of the righteous shall be granted. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart.” [5]

Good questions to consider on the Christmas Day, 2014. 

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[1] Charles Wesley | Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, © Words: Public Domain

^[2] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Hag 2:7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[3] Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Hag 2:7). Nashville: T. Nelson.

[4] http://www.puritansermons.com/sermons/flavel2.htm

[5] http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/3442.htm