The Pulpit Commentary — Haggai — Section 18

,l<'w~ to the rebuilding or the temple. This book consists of four messages, which wero delivered in three months of the yea.r B.O. 520, and all refer to the work of temple restoration. His style, being somewhat interrogatory, has much vigour and vehe- mence. The grand subject of this whole chapter is duty-duty revealed, duty po.<tponed, duty vindicated. These two verses direct us to the revelation of duty, Her<' we have: 1. The time of its revelation. Every duty has its time, every truo work has its hour. Woe to us if tbat hour is neglected! 2. The organ of its revela- tion .. "Came the wor~ of the _Lord by Hag~ai." God speaks to humanity through rndrndual men whom 1n sovereignty he appomts. In all ages there are certain great men through whom God speaks to the world. They are his messengers. 3. The nrdP,T of its revelation. Haggai had to deliver the message to men nearest to him with whom ·he was most identified, and the men, too, who had the most power i~ influencing others. To the greatest man in the state, Zeruhbabel; to the greatest man in the Church, Joshua. I make two remarks as suggested by this subject. I. DUT'I' IS THE BURDEN OF DIVINE REVELATION. The great purpose of Haggal's mission was, in the name of God, to urge his countrymen to the fulfilment of a work which was morally incumbent on them, viz. the rebuilding of the temple. It was the purpose of God that the temple should be rebuilt, and he required the Jews to do that work. He could have restored the structure by a miracle or by the hands of others; but be imposed the building of it on the Jewish people for reasons best known to himself. What was the burden of Haggai's mission·1s in truth the burden of the whole Divine revelation-duty. It contains, it is true, histories of facts, effusions of poetry, discussions of doctrine; but the grand all-pervading substance of the whole is duty; its grand voice teaches, not merely to believe and feel, but to do; it regards faith and feeli~ a.s worthless unless taken up and embodied in the right act. It presents the ,,.uie of duty, it supplies the helps to duty, it urges the motives to duty, Thie fact shows two things. 1. That the Bible studies the real well-being of man. According to our constitution, our strength, dignity, and blessedness consist, not merely in our ideas and emotions, but in our settled character. But what is character? Not an assemblage of beliefs and emotions, but an assemblage of acts and ha.bite. 2. That unpractised 'l"eligion is spurious. There is the religion of creed, of sentimentality, of sacerdotaJ,ism, of routine. These are all spurious; it is the doer of the Word that is blessed; it is the doer of the Divine will that God approves. "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not," etc. (Matt. vii. 26). II. DUTY IS INCREASED BY SOCIAL ELEVATION. Thie is implied in the circum- stance that Haggai went directly with the message from God to the most influential men in the state, to "Zerubbabel the son of Shea.ltiel, Governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of J osedech, the b.igh priest." The former wa.s one of the head men in the state, the commander-in-chief at the head of the Jews in their return from their captivity in Babylon; the latter was the head man in the Ohwrch, he was the high priest. It was the duty of all the Jews to set to the work; but the obligation of these men, 011 account of their high position, had an increased force. These men had greater opportunities of knowing the Divine will, and greater facilities for carrying it out. The influence of men in high position is a great talent that God requires to be used. This fact serves two purposes. 1. To supply a W(]/f'ning to men in high places. The man who is in a hiuh position, and disregards his great responsibilities, is more an object of pity 1han e~vy. "Unto whom much is given, of him much will be required." Elevated positions in life invest men with an immense social power-power which God intended to bless but which is often used to curse men. 2. A lesson to ministers. Let the ambassadors ~f Heaven carry their messages first, if possible, to men in authority, Do not be afraid; none need your message more; none, if they receive it in faith, can render you better assistance in the great work of spiritual refol'mation. It is common to lecture the poor on duty. How seldom the Divine voice of duty is made to ring into the hearts of men in authority and power 1-D. T. Vere. 3, 4.-JJuty adjourned. "Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, 0 ye, to dwel~ in your_ c~iled houses, and this ho~se lie waste?" The seventy years of the Babylonian capt1v1ty had passed away. 'lhe Babylonian ewpire bad fallen; and Cyrus, the founder of the Persian empire, gave the OIi, 1. 1-15.J THE BOOK OF HAGGAI. l7