V.10-17 God explains why they did not succeed in their work. They were in a bad state of soul. A real message for us. We need constantly to ask God for a tender conscience. When we go on carelessly, we lose our ability to understand spiritual things, and we drift farther away. When we have a tender conscience, then God lets us see some of the careless things in our life. If we confess and forsake them, then we begin to learn a little more. We grow in our soul step by step.
V.12-13 We are not made clean by association with what is clean, but we are soiled (contaminated) by associating with what is unclean. A good thing to remember.
V.1-19 If there is a pure heart toward God, He will bless us in our soul.
V.20-23 We are not to try to set the world right. Speaking reverently, if God has not set it right, we cannot. Here we see into the future — judgment is coming.
V.23 Zerubbabel becomes a picture of Christ. He was God’s pledge (promise) that Christ would come.