Haggai: Haggai 1:9-11-The Reason Why the Remnant of Judah Was Impoverished

Haggai 1:9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.” (NIV84)

The prophet Haggai under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit asserts in Haggai 1:9 the remnant of Judah was expecting much but instead there was little.

This is followed by a second declaration which is in addition to the first and asserts that when the remnant of Judah brought this small harvest home, the Lord blew it away.

The Lord through the prophet poses a question to this remnant as to why the He did this to their harvests.

He promptly answers by asserting that the reason He did this was because of His temple, which existed at the time in a state of disrepair while each member of the remnant of Judah was busying themselves with their own homes.

These assertions in Haggai 1:9 make clear that the Lord was disciplining the remnant of Judah for failing to complete the task of rebuilding His temple in Jerusalem while they busied themselves with their own homes and this discipline is based upon Deuteronomy 11:17 and 14-15.

In Haggai 1:10, the Lord through the prophet Haggai declares that because of the remnant of Judah, the heavens and specifically the earth’s atmosphere have withheld its dew with the result that the earth has withheld its produce.

This statement is presenting the result of the previous statement in Haggai 1:9 that the remnant of Judah harvested little which in turn was blown away by the Lord because they failed to complete the rebuilding of His temple.

Therefore, a comparison of these two statements make quite clear that the earth’s atmosphere withheld its dew and consequently, the earth its produce as a direct result of the remnant of Judah failing to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple.

They emphatically assert that the Lord was disciplining the remnant of Judah for failing to complete rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem by causing the earth’s atmosphere to withhold its dew so that the earth would withhold its produce.

In other words, each citizen belonging to the remnant of Judah was the reason why the Lord was disciplining the nation because they failed to complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.

Dew is of great importance in Palestine because the area possesses a dry summer subtropical climate.

In fact, the entire Mediterranean basin experiences this climate in which a stationary high pressure system does not allow moisture to penetrate the region during the summer.

This system eventually shifts to the south during the winter which allows moisture to penetrate.

Consequently, the land is dependent upon dew throughout the summer.

It is not unusual and in fact the norm that there are heavy dews in this area because of the significant difference between night and day temperatures.

Consequently, during Old Testament times, there would be famine in this area if it did not receive dew or rain for a long period of time.

Deuteronomy 33:28 and Proverbs 3:20 teach that dew is a gift from God and Haggai 1:10 teaches that God will withhold it to discipline His people.

Leviticus 26:4, 20 and Psalm 67:6 taught Israel that if they obeyed the Lord, then He would send rain in its season and the ground would yield its crops.

However, if they disobeyed, then He would make the sky like iron and the ground like bronze and the ground as a result would not produce its crops.

Haggai 1:11 brings to an end the first of four messages in the book of Haggai which are communicated by the God of Israel through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, the governor of the remnant of Judah and Joshua the high priest of this remnant.

Ultimately, these messages are addressed to the remnant of Judah.

Now, here in verse 11, the Lord through Haggai decreed for a drought against the land as well as the hill country of this remnant.

Consequently, this drought will be against the grain, new wine, fresh olive oil as well as each and everything which grows out of the ground since a drought would adversely affect these products.

Thus, this drought is against this remnant as well as their animals since human beings and animals are adversely affected by drought and the failure to produce crops which provide for them and their animals.

The Lord then summarizes this declaration by asserting that this drought will be against each and everything produced by this remnant.

This declaration of a drought in Haggai 1:11 advances upon and intensifies the previous declarative statement in Haggai 1:10, which records the Lord asserting that because of the remnant of Judah, the heavens have withheld its dew with the result that the earth has withheld its produce.

Therefore, the advancement and intensification it that the Lord not only has He withheld the dew for the crops of the remnant of Judah, but He has also called for a drought which will withhold the rain for their crops.

In other words, the Lord is removing all types of precipitation whether dew or rain which will result in crop failure resulting in the devastation of the nation’s economy.

Consequently, this drought will adversely affect the lives of this remnant as well as their animals.

This judgment of a drought recorded here in Haggai 1:11 is the direct result of the remnant of Judah failing to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem which would be the location in which they would worship the God of Israel and this judgement is divine discipline upon the nation.

The purpose of which is to cause this remnant to repent, which would require them to confess their sins to the God of Israel in order to be restored to fellowship with Him and obedience to the command to complete the rebuilding to His temple in Jerusalem in order to maintain that fellowship with Him.

Haggai 1:11 makes clear that the God of Israel is sovereign over not only His creatures but also His creation and specifically, it reveals that He is sovereign over the weather since this passage teaches that He can and will hinder rain and dew from falling on the earth in order to accomplish His purposes.

Because of the chiastic structure Haggai 1:4-9, the first declaration in Haggai 1:9 parallels or corresponds to the first declaration in Haggai 1:6 that the remnant of Judah planted much but harvest little.

Also because of this chiastic structure, the Lord’s question, which He poses to the remnant of Judah and His answer to this question in Haggai 1:9 parallels or corresponds to the rhetorical question He poses this remnant in Haggai 1:4.

Furthermore, Haggai 1:7 is paralleled by or corresponds to Haggai 1:5 because of this chiastic structure.

Lastly, this chiastic structure also indicates that the emphasis of Haggai 1:4-11 is Haggai 1:8 in which the Lord commands the remnant of Judah to complete the rebuilding the temple by procuring lumber for the project.

Haggai 1:10-11 explains the meaning of the second economic disaster which was drought.

A comparison of Haggai 1:4-9 with Haggai 1:10-11 reveals that the reason for the drought is the same reason for the first economic problem the remnant of Judah was experiencing, namely, the failed to complete rebuilding the Lord’s temple.

The rhetorical function of Haggai 1:10-11 and its interpretation as divine discipline for failing to complete the rebuilding of the temple is based upon Deuteronomy 11:17, 14-15.

By obeying these instructions from the Lord through the prophet Haggai as recorded here in Haggai 1:4-11, the remnant of Judah would demonstrate the fact that they repented from their collective sin of not completing the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple.

Consequently, this would bring to an end the Lord disciplining them for such disobedience.

So therefore, the message of Haggai 1:4-11 is designed to remove the discipline the remnant of Judah was experiencing so that the Lord could bless them instead.

Leviticus 26:4, 20 and Psalm 67:6 taught Israel that if they obeyed the Lord, then He would send rain in its season and the ground would yield its crops.

However, if they disobeyed, then He would make the sky like iron and the ground like bronze and the ground as a result would not produce its crops.