Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Haggai 2:10 - 2:19

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Haggai 2:10 - 2:19


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A Warning Admonition Concerning False Righteousness

v. 10. In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month,
a little more than two months later, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai, the prophet, again by direct inspiration, saying,

v. 11. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ask now the priests concerning the Law, saying,

v. 12. If one bear holy flesh In the skirt of his garment,
namely, the meat of sacrifices which had been offered, and with his skirt do touch bread or pottage, any of the holy food that was sodden, or wine or oil or any meat, such as was used in offering sacrifices or in connection with sacrificial meals, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. This was in agreement with the Law, Lev_6:20-27; for though the garment itself was sanctified by such consecrated food, it could impart no holiness to one who, by neglecting the will of the Lord, had become unholy.

v. 13. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body,
by touching a corpse, touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean, again in perfect agreement with the Ceremonial Law of the Jews, Lev_22:4; Num_5:2; Num_9:10.

v. 14. Then answered Haggai and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, saith the Lord,
in His presence as Ruler and Judge; and so is every work of their hands, everything that they might undertake; and that which they offer there is unclean. The children of Israel were in disgrace because of their neglect to finish the house of the Lord, and though their land was holy land, consecrated to the Lord, yet its fruits found no favor in His eyes and could not serve to make the people clean by a mere outward service, as long as their hearts were not in the right relation to Him, so that they were constrained to give Him the worship which lie desired.

v. 15. And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward,
by applying their hearts to this problem, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the Temple of the Lord, before its reconstruction was resumed;

v. 16. since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures,
a stack of sheaves which promised a yield of twenty bushels or pecks, there were but ten; when one came to the press-fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, thinking that the harvest should have brought that much, there were but twenty.

v. 17. I smote you with blasting,
with blight of the fruits and grains, and with mildew, from excessive moisture, and with hail in all the labors of your hands, the harvests over which they had worked so hard; yet ye turned not to Me, saith the Lord, all His punishments did not have the desired effect.

v. 18. Consider now from this day and upward,
applying their hearts to the consideration of that which pertained to their best interests, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's Temple was laid, consider it, for the entire period of time since the Jews, in accordance with the decree of Cyrus, had first laid the foundation till the day of the assembly at which these words were spoken, was a time during which the blessing of the Lord was not poured out in its fullest measure, because all their labor for the new Temple had been fitful.

v. 19. Is the seed yet in the barn?
They were still suffering as a consequence of the shortage. Yea, as yet the vine and the fig-tree and the pomegranate and the olive-tree hath not brought forth, the results of their former lack of zeal were still in evidence; from this day will I bless you. Times would now change, since they were showing evidence of the change which had come over their hearts. If men turn to the Lord in true repentance, He may turn to them in mercy and give them blessings of this life in rich measure.