Haggai 2:9 says, 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. The former temple may have been filled with silver and gold, but this temple would be filled with the presence of the Messiah. As Christians, no matter how humble our house of worship may be, it will be greater than the most glorious building, because it is filled with the presence of God. Of course, our bodies are referred to as the temple of God, so wherever we are should be God's house. Verse ten adds, 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, Two months later, God's word came to Haggai again. We need to be ready to hear from God at any time. Verse eleven continues, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, God told Haggai to consult the priests. Haggai was a prophet but he wasn't called to replace the priests. We all have our individual calling today, and we are not called to do the work that someone else has been called to do. Verse eleven continues, 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. The question to the priests concerned Holy things touching ordinary things and whether they would still be holy if they did. The priests answered no. We cannot allow the holy things of God to be corrupted by the things of this world if they are to remain holy, or set apart for God, including ourselves. Verse thirteen concludes, 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. By God's direction, Haggai then asked the priests if someone who had been made unclean by touching a dead body if the things of God would be made unclean by their touch, and they said that they would be unclean. We as followers of Christ should be dead to sins, and if we touch it again, we make ourselves unclean to God. We must always attempt to avoid touching or doing the things that would make us spiritually unclean. Verse fourteen declares, 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. Haggai said that God had pronounced all the people of Israel as unclean, and until we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we will be also. Verse fifteen adds, 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: Haggai told them to consider their ways. Though they were called God's people, he asked them to consider if they were living by His law. Verse sixteen continues, 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. When they were living under God's leadership they had been blessed, but when they had turned away from Him, they found themselves lacking in what they had before. If we allow sin into our life, we will be spiritually lacking. Verse seventeen concludes, 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. God said that even when He destroyed their crops that they would not turn to Him. Empty religion or worship will never bring us a blessing from God. It will only bring us His punishment.
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