This short epistle deals with one specific problem: the reception and aid of the brethren who will be passing through as they perform their deeds of ministry. In short, this epistle is about the importance of hospitality.
The children of Israel were to keep themselves separated from the other nations but, by intermarrying with the different nations around them, they had compromised and taken on their abominations. The answer for them, though it might seem harsh, was to separate from their heathen marriages.
The message of Haggai, chapter two, is a message of coming glory (see Haggai 2:3, 7, 9; compare 1:8). The importance of the message is shown in the time in which it was given.
The Levitical sacrificial system had five separate and distinct offerings that could be made to the Lord.
It is not enough that the offering is brought; it must be acceptable to God. God must receive it.
