For before these days there was no hire for man
Society before the temple was built
A neglected temple always means a ruined society.
These words are not to be applied locally or parochially; they express an eternal and unchangeable principle: a neglected God is a frowning heaven, a frowning heaven is a desolated earth. We must more and more insist upon the importance of the religious spirit in its relation to policy and commerce and agriculture, and the whole mechanism and build and meaning of society. Unless we cultivate our own spirituality to a high degree we may soon be tempted to forego this argument, or allow ourselves to be victimised into the belief that it is not an argument but a sentiment. The first thing which the Christian man has to do is to keep up his spirituality to the very highest point. By keeping up spirituality I mean the cultivation of that insight which sees more than surface, more than so called phenomena; that penetrating insight that sees behind all these things a Spirit, a Providence, ruling, moulding, and directing all things. We walk by faith, not by sight: Lord, increase our faith! We see nothing as it really is; the reality is beyond the appearance. Why be satisfied with the door? smite it that it may fly open, and let the opening door be an invitation to enter and partake of the hospitality of God. Always in Biblical history, when men turned from God, God turned away from them: “Therefore it has come to pass: therefore I scattered them with a whirlwind among all nations: he that honoureth Me I will honour, he that despiseth Me I will lightly esteem.” This is not arbitrary, this is not the changeable rule of a changeable court; this is simply the utterance of an eternal necessity. The sun says, He that will not have me shall have darkness and death. Is the sun cruel? Nay, the sun is clement and pitiful by announcing that fact; the sun offers its dower of light and warmth and comfort. So when we speak in Gospel words about the wicked being driven away in his wickedness, and about man neglecting to build the temple, and therefore having no harvest to reap, we are not delivering the arbitrary decrees of some fancy created Jove; we are announcing the law of the universe, whoever made it. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
A Divine call to a Divine work
The call is urged on two considerations--
I. The wretchedness consequent on the neglect of duty. They were then destitute of three elements essential to the well-being of any people.
1. Industry. “There was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast.” The people were purposeless, lazy, and in a state of general lethargy and collapse. No great project inspired their interest, engrossed their attention, enlisted and marshalled their powers. The lack of industry is a curse to any people; it is an injury to health, as well as an obstruction to material and social progress. Another element of well-being of which they were destitute was--
2. Peace. “Neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction.” The lack of earnest occupation naturally led to intestine broils and contentions. Nothing is more natural and more common than for people without employment to wrangle and dispute with one another. Men who are full of business have no time to quarrel.
3. Social unity. “For I set all men everyone against his neighbour.”
II. The improvement which ensues on the resumption of duty. “But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous,” etc. This means, but now, as you have resumed the work and rebuilt the temple, I will bless you. There are three blessings here promised.
1. Temporal prosperity. “For the seed shall be prosperous,” etc. Material nature is in the hands of God, and He can at any moment make it a curse or a blessing to men. Here He promises to make it a blessing.
2. Social usefulness. On the resumption of the great duty which Heaven had enjoined on these returned captives they should be a blessing,
3. Divine favour Where there was Divine displeasure there would be Divine favour. (Homilist.)