Haggai 2:12-Ceremonially Unclean Food Does Not Become Clean Through Contact with the Garment Carrying Holy Meat

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)

As we noted in our study of Haggai 2:12, the third message which appears in the book of Haggai is recorded in Haggai 2:11-19 and asserts that the Jewish remnant was defiled by sin (2:11-14).

The Lord asserts that their poor harvests are the direct result of their disobedience to His law (2:15-17).

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.

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 who 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, here 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 first hypothetical situation deals with a citizen of the remnant of Judah carrying holy meat in the fold of their garment.

The second presents a contrast with the first and deals with this holy meat in the fold of a person’s garment touching that which is bread, stew, wine, olive oil or food of any type.

The Lord then poses a question to these priests which is rhetorical since He does not ask it to seek information from them but is a device familiar to every teacher.

It is designed to gain the attention of these priests and ultimately the remnant of Judah.

This is the fourth rhetorical question which we have encountered in the book of Haggai, which is another feature which demonstrates the literary ability of Haggai.

So therefore, in order to understand or grasp the meaning of Haggai 2:12, one must understand the concept of holiness in the Old Testament since 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.

In the Old and New Testament, to be “holy” with regards to a person meant that this person was set apart to worship and serve God exclusively in contrast to false gods worshipped by unregenerate people.

With regards to objects, to be “holy” meant that this object was set apart exclusively for the worship of God.

As we noted, Haggai 2:12 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.

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.

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 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 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.

Now, the reader must understand, the Lord in Haggai 2:12 is not concerned as to how the Levitical priests will rule on the hypothetical situation He presented to them but rather, He is concerned with the application of this ruling.

The purpose of Haggai 2:12 and 13 is to illustrate the spiritual condition of the citizens of the remnant of Judah.

They were ceremonially unclean because they were in a state of disobedience which was reflected in their priorities.

They were concerned with the upkeep and enhancement of their own homes while the Lord’s temple was being neglected.

Consequently, the Lord was disciplining them which is described in Haggai 1:5-6, 9-11 as well as Haggai 2:15-17.

Therefore, Haggai 2:12-13 are actually addressing the state of apostasy of the remnant of Judah prior to obeying the Lord’s command to complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem and emphatically does not describe this remnant after obeying the Lord’s command to complete the rebuilding of His temple.

Also, 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 also emphatically not describing this remnant after their obedience to Haggai’s first message.

This is all 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 hardships parallel the ones described in Haggai 1:5-6 and 1:9-11.

However, Haggai 2:18-19 assert 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.

He would never make this promise if they were ceremonially unclean.