Haggai 2:11-The Lord Commands Haggai to Ask the Levitical Priests Two Questions Pertaining to the Mosaic Law Lesson # 33

Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year, the Lord spoke again to the prophet Haggai: 2:11 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘Ask the priests about the law. 2:12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’ ” The priests answered, “It will not.” 2:13 Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.” 2:14 Then Haggai responded, “ ‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’ says the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean. 2:15 Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. 2:16 From that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. 2:17 I struck all the products of your labor with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’ says the Lord. 2:18 ‘Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed, think about it. 2:19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I will bless you.’” (NET)

The third message which appears in the book of Haggai is recorded in Haggai 2:11-19.

Like the first two, this third message was communicated by the Lord to the prophet Haggai according to Haggai 2:10.

As was the case with the first two messages, the exact manner in which Haggai received this third message is not identified for the reader.

However, unlike the first two messages, the third message 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.

This is indicated by the contents of Haggai 2:14, which records the Lord asserting that the remnant of Judah was unclean in His sight.

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.

The Mosaic Law contains 365 prohibitions and 248 commands and thus 613 laws or regulations.

They were a revelation of the will of God for the Israelites in relation to the covenant He established with them through Moses at Mount Sinai and they also revealed the holiness of God.

In addition, they revealed that like the Gentiles, the nation of Israel were sinners by nature and practice and thus in need of God’s grace, mercy, which flows from His attribute of love.

These laws revealed the infinite chasm which existed between sinful humanity and a holy God, thus, they revealed the human race’s need for a Savior.

These laws governed the religious, social, economic and political life of the nation of Israel and in Haggai’s day, the remnant of Judah.

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.

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.

In Haggai 2:11, the term kōhēn, “the priests” pertains to certain Jewish men in the remnant of Judah whose responsibility was to perform service for the God of Israel in the temple.

It pertains to Jewish men whose performed various responsibilities in the temple related to the worship of the God of Israel.

The word refers specifically to the Levitical priests who not only performed various duties in the temple with regards to the worship of the God of Israel but also performed medical diagnosis as well as policy functions and teaching the Jewish people the Word of God.

Now, the tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe in Israel, which received this great honor as a result of taking their stand with Moses against the idolatry of the Israelites at Sinai according to Exodus 32:26.

God has chosen the entire nation of Israel to be priests (Exodus 19:5-6), but when the nation failed, the Levites who backed up Moses (Exodus 26-28), were commissioned for the priesthood (Numbers 3:5-9).

The Levites manifested the violent nature of their progenitor by killing three thousand idolatrous, uncontrollable mob of Israelites, which was justified since it was sanctioned by God and was in obedience to Moses’ command who was himself a member of the tribe of Levi.

This tribe never received an inheritance of their own land but were apportioned forty-eight towns and pasturelands among the twelve tribes, including Ephraim and Manasseh according to Numbers 35:1-5 and Joshua 21:1-41.

The Lord gave the tribe of Levi a perpetual priesthood (Numbers 18:1, 8), which began with Aaron (the brother of Moses) and was to be carried on by his natural sons (Exodus 28:1).

If you had any defects, you were disqualified from the priesthood and excluded from service in the Tabernacle of the Temple (Leviticus 21:17-23).

The priesthood: (1) Taught the Law (Leviticus 10:11). (2) Offered sacrifices (Leviticus 9). (3) Maintained the Tabernacle and the Temple (Numbers 18:3). (4) Functioned in the Holy Place (Ex. 30:7-10). (5) Ceremonially inspected unclean persons (Leviticus 13; 14). (6) Judged disputes (Deuteronomy 17:8-13). (7) Collected taxes from the people (tithes) (Number 18:21, 26; Hebrews 7:5).

The Levitical priests received certain portions of the sacrificial offerings (Numbers 18:8-14) and they received one tenth of one regular tithe that Israel paid (Numbers 18:21-28; cf. Leviticus 27:30-33).

Thirteen cities were assigned to them (Joshua 21:13-19).

A special tithe went to them every third year (Deuteronomy 14:27-29; 26:12).

They were also given the redemption money for the firstborn in Israel (Leviticus 27) and the priests received a percentage of the booty of war (Numbers 31:25-27) and also received a portion of the showbread (Leviticus 24:5-9).

There were three branches in the tribe of Levi which were not of the Aaronic line (Numbers 4): (1) Kohathites: Responsible for the articles of furniture, vessels and veil. (2) Gershonites: Responsible for coverings, hangings and door. (3) Merarites: Responsible for planks, bars and cords.

There have been seven different orders of priests serving God in history: (1) Jesus Christ’s Great High Priesthood (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:1, 5-6, 10; 6:20; 7:14) (2) Universal royal priesthood of church age believers (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). (3) Priesthood of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:1, 17; 23, 26-28; 8:1; 9:11; 10:21). (4) High Priesthood of Aaron (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8-9) (5) Priesthood of Aaron sons (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8-9). (6) Levitical priesthood (Numbers 1:47-54; 8:5-22). (7) Priesthood of Israel (Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6).

The priesthood of Aaron, his sons and the Levites meant that they were set apart to serve the Lord and Israel exclusively in the tabernacle worship (Leviticus 22:9; cf. Exodus 28:1, 4, 41; 29:1, 44; 30:34; 31:10; 35:19; 39:41).

They were not to incur uncleanness (Leviticus 21:1)

Some exceptions to uncleanness by touching a corpse are listed in verses 2-3 (cf. Ezekiel 44:25).

They were not to shave or mutilate themselves (Leviticus 21:5; cf. Ezekiel 44:20) nor marry any but a virtuous Israelite (Leviticus 21:7; cf. Ezekiel 44:22).

They were not to drink wine before entering the sanctuary (Leviticus 10:9; cf. Ezekiel 44:21) and were disqualified by physical defects (Leviticus 21:17; cf. 21:18-22).

They were not to allow outsiders to eat the sacred offerings (Leviticus 22:15-16; cf. 24:9; 1 Samuel 21:4; Matthew 12:4) and were not to own land in Israel (Numbers 18:20; cf. Ezekiel 44:28).

They were not to offer unacceptable sacrifices (Leviticus 22:20; cf. Malachi 1:7-9) and were to obey God’s law meticulously (Leviticus 22:31; cf. Ezekiel 44:24).

The priests supervised the sanctuary and were the only ones in Israel who had access to holy things (Numbers 3:10; cf. 4:5; Ezekiel 40:45-46; 44:16; Joel 2:17) and tended the sanctuary lamps (Exodus 27:21).

They carried the ark (Deuteronomy 31:9; cf. Joshua 3:8, 15, 17; 4:9, 16; 6:12) and supervised the sacrifices (Leviticus 1:5; cf. 1:8; 2:2; 1 Chronicles 9:30).

The priests led the nation as role models (Malachi 2:6), as teachers (Ezekiel 44:23; cf. Leviticus 10:10; Deuteronomy 31:10-13; Ezra 7:6; Malachi 2:7), as judges (Deuteronomy 17:9; cf. 19:17; 21:5; 2 Chronicles 19:8; Ezekiel 44:24) and as encouragers in battle (Numbers10:8; cf. Joshua 6:4; 2 Chronicles 13:12).