The time is not come

In the second year of Darius – Ezra 4:24; 5:1; Zech 1:1, who was the son of Hystaspis, and the third king of the Persians, as the most and best think. … This man whether the sixth king, or rather the third, knew that God’s wrath was upon his predecessors for hindering the building of the Temple. In his second, the Temple is taken in hand again, and finished in his sixth, Ezra 4:24; 6:15. … the high priest … These two, both governor and high priest were good men, yet needed incitation¹ and encouragement; and the Prophet is directed to them, as being by their places and persons the best directors to the people.

Haggai – we read nothing of his parentage or country in the Scripture; he doted that thought him an angel. … Son of Shealtiel – adoptive son to Shealtiel, being of the royal line, probably he was the chief branch thereof, uncle to him; but by nature, or by generation, son of Pedaiah; or else there were two Zerubbabels, sons of two brothers, Pedaiah and Shealtiel. … Joshua – a type of the great Deliverer; one Joshua leads them into Canaan, another restores the temple. … The high priest – by lineal descent according to the law, chief of power in church matters, as Zerubbabel was chief in civil things: to these the prophet is sent to stir them up to the building of the temple.

In the second year of Darius the King – That is, of Persia; he is spoken of as if he was the only king in the world; and indeed he was the then greatest king in it; and therefore is emphatically called “the king”. … It seems therefore more probable, according to Josephus, and others, that this was Darius Hystaspis, who was chosen king by the nobles of Persia, upon his horse’s neighing first as Herodotus relates.

this people say – They were but a parcel that came in respect of the rest that stayed behind; yet these that were forward to come, were backward in the building of the Temple: the fault is laid upon the people. The time is not come – Some think the seventy years of captivity not ended till now. But that is a gross error, Ezra 1:1; Dan 9:1–⁠2; Isa 44:28. … Yet all this frees them not of their carnal affection to their own ease, and of the neglect and contempt of God’s worship; in that they sat down so quietly and contentedly so long a time under these interdicts, without due laboring to have them removed.

Say – discourse thus among themselves, and discourage all that were forward. The time is not come; the proper season of rebuilding the house of God seems to be not come, for since the prohibition by Cambyses in the days of Cyrus, and through all the time of Cambyses, and in the first year and part of the second of Darius, we have no commission to do it, but are required not to do any thing in this affair without further order, Ezra 4:21.

Is it time for you? – The Prophet’s reproof of that pretense, v. 2. A sharp pointed reproof by the interrogation. O ye – Silly worms; ye ungrateful wretches; ye so lately and graciously delivered from exile; and brought back into your own country; … to dwell, etc. – To dwell and delight yourselves in your ceiled houses; to adorn them; to be thus addicted to your own private commodities, and pleasures, and to be so ungrateful to God, as not to let him have his house, but to let it lie waste: showing thus, that they sought not only their necessities, but their very pleasures before God’s honor. David did otherwise, Ps 132:2–⁠6; 2 Sam 7:2. Let not us be so ungrateful for our deliverance from our spiritual captivity under the Romish Babylon, as not to build up a house and spiritual Temple to God in our souls.

Then – when the people were thus sluggish, made excuses, and delayed doing their duty, then at that time came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet: see Haggai 1:1. Is it time? – you think it full time to build your own houses, you judge it seasonable enough to lay out much cost on adorning them, what pretence can you make that it is not seasonable to build my house? … Houses – it seems to intimate some of them had more than one house, a city and a country house, and whilst God’s house lay waste; they thus lavish out their wealth on private worldly conveniences, but grudge the charge on God’s house. Can you thus live without a temple, an altar, a sacrifice, and yet cannot live without stately houses? Do you owe so much to yourselves, and so little to your God? so much to your bodies, so little to your souls?

[Is it] time for you, O ye, to dwell in your panelled houses – They could not only find time, leisure, and convenience to build houses to dwell in; but to wainscot them, and line them with boards of cedar, as the Targum; as bad as the times were complained of; and could sit in them, indulging themselves in luxury, ease, and sloth; and why then was it not a fit and convenient time as well to build the house of the Lord in? and this house [lie] waste? or, “and shall this house lie waste?” or, “when this house lies waste?” not indeed in its rubbish and ruins, as it was demolished by the Chaldeans, and left; but with a bare foundation, laid some years ago; and ever since neglected; the superstructure not carried on, and much less built up to be fit for service; and therefore might be said with propriety to lie waste and desolate, being unfinished, unfit for use, and no regard had unto it. David was of another mind, 2 Sam 7:2 and truly religious persons will be more concerned for the house of God than for their own houses.