Haggai 2:14

In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Sacrifices without obedience (in respect to God's command to build the temple) could not sanctify. Now that they are obedient, God will bless them, though no sign is seen of fertility as yet. Verse 10. IN THE FOUR AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE NINTH MONTH - three days more than two months from the second prophecy (); in the month Chisleu, the lunar one about the time of our December. The Jews seem to have made considerable progress in the work in the interval (Haggai 2:15). Verse 11. ASK NOW THE PRIESTS - propose this question to them on the law. The priests were the authorized expounders of the law ...

10-19 Many spoiled this good work, by going about it with unholy hearts and hands, and were likely to gain no advantage by it. The sum of these two rules of the law is, that sin is more easily learned from others than holiness. The impurity of their hearts and lives shall make the work of their hands, and all their offerings, unclean before God. The case is the same with us. When employed in any good work, we should watch over ourselves, lest we render it unclean by our corruptions. When we begin to make conscience of duty to God, we may expect his blessing; and whoso is wise will understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. God will curse the blessings of the wicked, and make bitter the prosperity of the careless; but he will sweeten the cup of affliction to those who diligently serve him....

Verse Haggai 2:14. _THEN ANSWERED HAGGAI _- SO IS _THIS PEOPLE_] As an _unclean_ man communicates his uncleanness to every thing he touches, so are ye unclean; and whatever ye have hitherto done is polluted in the sight of God. For your neglect of my temple has made you unclean, as if you had contracted legal pollution by touching a dead body....

ASK NOW THE PRIESTS CONCERNING THE LAW - The priests answer rightly, that, by the law, insulated unholiness spread further than insulated holiness. The flesh of the sacrifice hallowed whatever it should touch, but not further; but the human being, who was defiled by touching a dead body, defiled all he might touch Numbers 19:22. Haggai does not apply the first part; namely, that the worship on the altar which they reared, while they neglected the building of the temple, did not hallow. The possession of a truly tiring does not counterbalance disobedience. Contrariwise, one defilement defiled the whole man and all which he touched, according to that James 2:10, “whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”...

EXPOSITION HAGGAI 2:1 Part II. THE SECOND ADDRESS: THE GLORY OF THE NEW TEMPLE. Haggai 2:1—§ 1. _The prophet comforts whose who grieve at the comparative poverty of the new building with the assurance of the Divine protection and favour._ HAGGAI 2:1 IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, IN THE ONE AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE MONTH. The seventh month is Ethanim or Tisri, answering to parts of September and Ootober. The twenty-first was the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles ...

THEN ANSWERED HAGGAI, AND SAID,.... To the priests, and before the people; and made an application of these things to them, which was the thing in view in putting the questions: SO [IS] THIS PEOPLE, AND SO [IS] THIS NATION BEFORE ME, SAITH THE LORD; not only those people that were present and at work at the temple, but those that were absent, even the whole body of the people; who, though they were pure in their own eyes, yet were not so before the Lord; who knew their hearts, and the spring of all their actions; what were their ends and views in all they did: as a garment carrying in it holy flesh could not sanctify other things touched by it that were common and profane, but left them as they were; so their ritual devotions, and externally holy actions, did not and could not sanctify their impure hearts, but left them as unclean as before; nor did they sanctify their common mercies, t...

Haggai 2:1. _In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,_ God's people need to be spoken to very often; and every time God speaks to them, he takes account of it. Let us do the same: let us not think it is such an unimportant matter for us to hear a gospel sermon that we need not take note when we hear it. Oh, that the Word of the Lord were more precious to us in these days! Let us praise God for it, and not reckon it to be so common a thing that we take no more notice of it than we do of eating our breakfast or sitting down to our supper. Haggai 2:2. Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying Who is

CHAPTER 2:10-19 The Fourth Address A few months later Haggai delivered another address of moral instruction and admonition. The question the prophet asks first is answered by the priests negatively. This is followed by a second question, “If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?” This they answered affirmatively; for he that is defiled puts defilement upon everything he handles. When they had given the right answers, the prophet makes the moral application. “So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith Jehovah; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer thereon is unclean.” All their works and offerings were unclean, because they were in that condition. They had to be cleansed first. Separation from evil, from that which defiles, was therefore demanded. So it is today. The order is “cease to do evil” and then “learn...

HAGGAI'S SERMON ON DEC. 24. Haggai bases his exhortation on a pronouncement of the priests concerning the infecting power of holiness and uncleanness respectively. In the question put to the priests, holiness has its primitive sense of a physical state (_i.e._ taboo); but in the argument which Haggai bases on their answer a more spiritual sense of the word is intended. The law (Haggai 2:11) is a mistranslation; render Ask now the priests concerning _tomb. Torah_ (p. 121, Deuteronomy 1:5 *, Proverbs 3:1 *) means strictly instruction as to right and wrong, and though with the definite article it may mean _the_ instruction _par excellence_, viz. the Law, it never loses its more general meaning. The priests a

THEN, &C. This is the application of verses: Haggai 2:11. THERE. Referring to the altar which was set up before the building of the Temple. See Haggai 2:15. Compare Ezra 3:2; Ezra 3:3, with Haggai 2:6....