Haggai 2
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.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,
.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,
.3  Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
 4  Yet 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:		   2 - Residue Same Hebrew word as translated "remnant" at hg0112ff.
  3 - Who is left? It is believed that the temple built under Solomon's rule was larger and showed more gold and precious stones. See ezr0311ff. Some, including Haggai probably remembered it from their childhood. See on hg0102.

Be strong and work for I am with thee.
.5  According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
.6  For 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;
 7  And 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.
.8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
.9  The 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.		   5 - Word ... covenanted The Lord pledged that He would be with His people ex2945. Compare am0210.
  6 - Little while ... shake the heavens This may be considered a foreshadowing of the times just before us. The glory of the house or temple being neglected in the time of Haggai then represents the neglect of people to confirm and strengthen their connection with God as seen the the heavenly sanctuary he0801.
  7 -  Shake all nations in addition to the shaking of verse 6.
  9 - Glory ... greater  The Second Temple was to be filled with the glory because Christ would present Himself there col0209. This was to be according ot the pattern where the glory presence of God would appear in the tabernacle above the mercy seat. See le1602. 
  9 - Peace Christ (Messiah) would present Himself as the Prince of Peace je0614. The fulfillment is pictured in the story of the birth of Christ lu0214.
 10 ¶ 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,
.11  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
 12  If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
.13  Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
 14  Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.		   12 - Holy flesh This is the flesh of certain animal sacrifices since they are consecrated to God le0625. The garment would not communicate the prohibition. How often we go beyond the requirements of God, making up rules that He never gave.
  13 - Unclean This was serious. Death is the result of sin ge0217, ez1804. The death of Christ saves us from eternal death. We are never to have an attitude of unconcern for this way of salvation. This rule is among those pointing forward to the Messiah and although we need to remember the lesson, we can understand from the story of Jesus and do not continue to observe those ceremonies pointing forward to it.
  14 - Nation ... unclean "heretofore not in such an obedient state of mind as to deserve to be called My people (Tit 1:15). Here he applies the two cases just stated. By the first case, "this people" is not made "holy" by their offerings "there" (namely, on the altar built in the open air, under Cyrus, Ezr 3:3); though the ritual sacrifice can ordinarily sanctify outwardly so far as it reaches (Heb 9:13.14), as the "holy flesh" sanctified the "skirt," yet it cannot make the offerers in their persons and all their works acceptable to God, because lacking the spirit of obedience (1Sa 15:22) so long as they neglected to build the Lord's house. On the contrary, by the second case, they made "unclean" their very offerings by being unclean through "dead works" (disobedience), just as the person unclean by contact with a dead body imparted his uncleanness to all that he touched (compare Heb 9:14). This all applies to them as they had been," (JFB)
 15  And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
 16  Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
 17  I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
 18  Consider now from this day and upward, 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.
 19  Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.		 -
 20 ¶ And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
.21  Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
 22  And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
.23  In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.		   23 - Signet Compare je2224.

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