Haggai 2.11-14-The Remnant of Judah Was Defiled By Sin Before They Obeyed Haggai's Command to Rebuild the Lord's Temple (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday July 9, 2023

Haggai: Haggai 2:11-14-The Remnant of Judah Was Defiled By Sin Before They Obeyed Haggai’s Command to Rebuild the Lord’s Temple

Lesson # 15

Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’ ” The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” 14 Then Haggai said, “ ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’” (NIV84)

The third message which appears in the book of Haggai is recorded in Haggai 2:11-19 and like the first two, this third message was communicated by the Lord to the prophet Haggai according to Haggai 2:10 and was addressed specifically to the Levitical priests of the remnant of Judah according to Haggai 2:11.

Although, this third message was addressed to the priests, the priests were to communicate this message to the remnant of Judah since this message is about them and intended for them, which is indicated by Haggai 2:14, which records the Lord asserting that the remnant of Judah was unclean in His sight.

Like the first two messages, the third message was communicated during the second year of Darius’ reign, however, this third message was communicated on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of his reign and this corresponds to the Jewish month Kislev, which in our calendar would be December 18, 520 B.C.

This date is significant because it was on this day, five years later, that temple was rededicated.

This third message asserts that the Jewish remnant was defiled by sin (2:11-14) and asserts that their poor harvests are the direct result of their disobedience to His law (2:15-17).

This defilement of the nation looked back to the period prior to this remnant resuming the work of completing the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple (cf. Haggai 1:2-4) because the defilement contrasts with the changed situation as indicated by the phrase “from this day on” in Haggai 2:19.

In Haggai 2:11, the Lord who rules over the armies commands the prophet to ask the priests of Judah certain questions with regards to the law, which of course is a reference to the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Haggai 2:12-13 indicate that the Lord wants Haggai to ask the Levitical priests of Judah two questions pertaining to the purity regulations found in the Mosaic Law and Leviticus 10:10 teaches that one of the functions of these priests was to make a distinction between what is holy and what is not.

Now, in Haggai 2:12, through the prophet Haggai under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Lord who rules over the armies solemnly presents to these priests two hypothetical situations followed by a rhetorical question and the answer to this question by the priests of the kingdom of Judah.

The purpose of these questions is designed to emphasize with the priests that the remnant of Judah is unclean and thus the work which they were performing.

This verse teaches that food which is not ceremonially clean does not become ceremonially clean by coming into contact with meat which is ceremonially clean and thus holy and thus, to understand this verse, one must not only grasp the Old Testament concept of holiness but also the issue of transferability of holiness.

Haggai 2:12 is drawing on the vocabulary of Leviticus 6:27, which deals with the sin offering and in fact, the priests’ response to the Lord’s question is correct according to Leviticus 6:27.

Haggai 2:12 is not concerned about direct contact with the holy meat because the garment is in direct contact and thus has become holy as a result of being in contact with this meat and not with a holy portion of food but rather, this passage is concerned about direct contact with a holy piece of food.

The issue revolves around whether or not indirect contact will result in holiness.

The ceremonially unclean bread, stew, wine, olive oil or food of any type will not become ceremonially clean by coming into contact with holy meat in the fold of a person’s garment.

Consequently, the priests are ruling that holiness is not transmittable to ceremonially unclean food through indirect contact with a piece of ceremonially clean or holy meat.

So therefore, the priests ruling in Haggai 2:12 makes clear that holiness is not contagious, however, Levitical 6:27-30, 11:24-28, 22:4-7, Numbers 19:11 and 22 teach that ritual uncleanness or defilement is contagious.

The first and second hypothetical situations in Haggai 2:13 speak of a citizen of the remnant of Judah, who is ceremonially or ritually unclean as a result of coming in contact with a dead body touching one of the various food items listed in Haggai 2:12.

The concept of being defiled or becoming ceremonially or ritually unclean as a result of touching or coming in contact with a dead body, whether human or animal appears often in the Mosaic Law (cf. Lev. 5:2; 6:8; 21:11; 22:4-6; Num. 5:2; 6:6; 9;6, 7, 10; 19:11-16).

This hypothetical situation is followed by a rhetorical question which asks the Levitical priests of the kingdom of Judah if a person who is ceremonially unclean as a result of coming in contact with a dead body touches the various food items listed in Haggai 2:12 will they become unclean according to the Mosaic Law?

As was the case with the rhetorical question in Haggai 2:12, the one here in Haggai 2:13, which the Lord poses to these priests is rhetorical since He does not ask it to seek information from them but is a device familiar to every teacher, namely, it is designed to gain the attention of these priests and ultimately the remnant of Judah.

In Haggai 2:14, the prophet Haggai is employed by the Lord to give His response to the answers the Levitical priests of the kingdom of Judah provided Haggai in response to the two rhetorical questions the Lord had him posed to them as recorded in Haggai 2:12-13.

This verse contains three declarations from the Lord.

The first asserts that “this people, indeed, this nation is unclean in My judgement” and corresponds to the two answers the priests of Judah provided Haggai in response to the two rhetorical questions he posed to them in Haggai 2:12-13.

Therefore, this is expressing the idea that the uncleanness of the remnant of Judah in the Lord’s judgment corresponds to the ceremonial unclean food items mentioned in Haggai 2:12-13.

The second declaration refers to every kind of work produced by the hands of the citizens of the kingdom of Judah and presents the result of the first statement.

Therefore, it is expressing the idea that every kind of work produced by the citizens of the kingdom of Judah were unclean in the Lord’s judgment “as a result of” the people being ceremonially unclean themselves.

This second declaration compares the uncleanness of the citizens of Judah prior to their obedience to the Lord’s command to complete the rebuilding of His temple to their work they performed with their own hands.

It expresses the idea that the citizens of the kingdom of Judah were ceremonially unclean and as a result “likewise” their work was unclean as well.

The third and final declaration presents the result of the second and asserts that what the citizens of Judah offered as sacrifices to the Lord on the altar of the unfinished temple in Jerusalem was unclean.

Therefore, this third statement is expressing the idea that everything the citizens of Judah offered the Lord as a sacrifice as an expression of worshipping Him was unclean in His judgment “as a result of” the work of their hands being unclean which was the result of these people being ceremonially unclean themselves.

The assertion in Haggai 2:14 that this remnant was unclean in the Lord’s sight and all that they offer was also unclean as a result is emphatically not describing this remnant after their obedience to Haggai’s first message but rather prior to receiving this first message.

Thus, it describes this remnant prior to obeying the Lord’s command to complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem and this interpretation is indicated by a comparison of Haggai 1:12-14 with Haggai 2:15-19.

Haggai 2:15-17 asserts that before one stone was laid on another for this temple, this remnant was suffering agricultural hardships and which hardship parallel the ones described in Haggai 1:5-6 and 1:9-11.

However, Haggai 2:18-19 asserts that the Lord would bless them from the day Haggai communicated this third message to them.

Furthermore, Haggai 1:12 asserts that this remnant immediately obeyed Haggai’s first message to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple, which demonstrated their respect for the Lord.

Haggai 1:13 asserts that the Lord promised this remnant that He was with them as a result of their obedience.

Haggai 1:14 identifies specifically how the Lord was with them in that it describes Him as energizing the souls of Zerubbabel and Joshua and the remnant of Judah in order to complete this task.

The Lord would never be present with this remnant if they were still in apostasy and ceremonially unclean and He would never make this promise if they were ceremonially unclean.

Lastly, this remnant’s obedience to the Lord’s command to complete the rebuilding of His temple took place chronologically in time in response to the first message and thus before the third message, which mentions this remnant’s uncleanness.

The Lord’s assertion that He was with this remnant also took place chronologically in time before the third message was presented to this remnant, which mentions this remnant’s uncleanness.