You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
The people had come back from exile. They worked hard, yet nothing they earned stayed with them, and Haggai lists their losses one by one before naming the cause.
Every Clause Names a Loss
The verse is not one complaint said four times. Each phrase marks a different emptiness, and each one has a match in the soul.
Hamilton SmithThe result then, as now, comes out in the words, "You have sown much, and harvested little" — great activity but little return. This neglect of the house of God also leads to spiritual starvation, for the prophet says, "You eat, but you never have enough." It brings no spiritual satisfaction: "You drink, but you never have your fill." It leaves the spiritual affections cold: "You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm." And it carries no reward: "He who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes."
Busy for Themselves
Nobody in Haggai's day was lazy. They aimed all their energy at their own comfort while God's house lay in ruins.
William KellyThere was diligence for themselves; but what was the result? Bitter disappointment, as always, must come to the people of God who live for themselves instead of trusting the One who especially looks after the faithful. Our business is to care for His things; His gracious work is to care for us in our own things and indeed in all things.
Who Made the Holes
A leaking bag looks like ordinary wear and tear. But where did the damage come from?
W. T. P. WolstonI believe it is often proved with us, as you find it stated of Israel in Haggai's day. They were living in panelled houses, and the house of God was lying waste. Self was uppermost, but God was watching over His people. His hand was on them, and so we read, "He who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes." How did the holes get there? I believe the Lord cut them.
Losing the Very Thing You Chase
They lost the very thing they were working for. The Lord's own teaching names that pattern.
Edward DennettAs our own blessed Lord taught, "Whoever would save his life will lose it," so it was with the remnant. They set their hearts on rest, ease, and prosperity in this world. They wanted to find their "life" in their comforts, and they lost it, for they had left God out of the account. They made themselves, and not God, their object. They put their own things first and grew indifferent to His honour, claims, and interests. So they forfeited the very blessings they were working for... Let us never forget that there is such a thing as a present judgment of God. He notices the conduct of His people. As a Father, in His government and care, He deals with them according to their state of heart. He dealt with them this way to exercise their souls, to wean them from their selfish aims, and to call them back to the purpose for which He had brought them home.
Blaming the Wrong Causes
A shrinking income always has an explanation ready to hand.
Truth & TestimonyThey earned good money, but it trickled away as in a bag full of holes. No doubt they blamed the recession, the political instability of the time, the abnormal weather conditions. It never occurred to them that God was trying to get through to them.
The Call That Answers It
The verse sits under the command to consider their ways. That call is the way out, not just the accusation.
Edward DennettAgain, the Lord calls His people to consider their ways. This is blessed work for His saints at all times. We always tend to deceive ourselves into believing that all is well, above all in times of decline. It can be so even when we may be under the chastening hand of God for our unfaithfulness... Considering our ways in the presence of God should in fact be our constant and habitual work. There all delusions disappear; there, in the pure light of His holy presence, the secrets of the inmost heart are revealed.
Summary
- Sown — They sowed much and brought in little. The problem was not a lack of effort. It was the direction of that effort.
- Starved — Food, drink, clothes and wages each fail in turn. Neglecting God's house starves the soul in the same four ways.
- Cut — The holes in the bag were not accidental. God's hand was on His people while self stayed uppermost.
- Forfeited — They put their own things first and lost the very blessings they were working for. Whoever would save his life will lose it.
- Considered — The remedy is the call itself. Consider your ways in God's presence, where self-deception cannot survive.