Haggai 2:14-The Citizens of Judah Were Unclean Prior to Obeying the Lord’s Command to Complete the Rebuilding of His Temple Lesson # 36

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)

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.

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 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 contrasts 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 ceremonially unclean does not become ceremonially clean by touching ceremonially clean food or the garment holding this food.

Haggai 2:13 teaches that a ritual or ceremonial uncleanness is contagious in that a person who is ritually unclean as a result of touching a corpse will cause the ritual defilement of food which is clean.

Now, the questions in Haggai 2:12-13 are rhetorical since God does not ask them to seek information from them but as a device familiar to every teacher and are designed to gain the attention of these priests and ultimately the remnant of Judah.

So therefore, Haggai 2:12 teaches the citizens of the kingdom of Judah that holiness is not communicable or transferable, however, Haggai 2:13 does teach that ceremonial uncleanness is.

These two verses teach that ceremonial uncleanness is transmitted much more easily that holiness since anything touched by an unclean person becomes unclean.

The purpose of Haggai 2:12 and 13 is therefore to illustrate the spiritual condition of the citizens of the remnant of Judah while on the other hand, Haggai 2:14 makes explicit as to what is implied in verses 12 and 13.

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.

Now, as we noted in Haggai 2:12, the Lord here in Haggai 2:12-13 is not concerned as to how the Levitical priests will rule on the hypothetical situations but rather, He is concerned with the application of this ruling.

This is indicated by the Lord’s statement in Haggai 2:14, which presents the application of these rulings and is given in 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 pose 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.

As was the case in Haggai 1:2, the expression kēn hāʿom-hazze (כֵּ֣ן הָֽעָם־הַ֠זֶּה), “the people” here in Haggai 2:14 expresses the Lord’s displeasure with the citizens of Judah prior to their obedience to His command to complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.

The Lord did not call them “My people” because of His great displeasure with them.

These two expressions here in Haggai 2:14, kēn hāʿom-hazze (כֵּ֣ן הָֽעָם־הַ֠זֶּה), “the people” and wĕkēn-haggôy hazze (וְכֵן־הַגּ֨וֹי הַזֶּ֤ה), “this nation” appear also as titles in Exodus 33:12-13, Deuteronomy 4:6, Psalm 33:12, Isaiah 1:4, 9:2–3, Jeremiah 33:24 and Zephaniah 2:9).

However, only in Exodus 33:12–13 and Haggai 2:14 do they appear together with the demonstrative “this.”

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 is also comparing 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 is expressing 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.

Ezra 3:1-7 makes clear that although the temple was unfinished, the altar in which to offer sacrifices to the Lord was operational.

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.

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.

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.

In fact, the defilement or ceremonial uncleanness of the citizens of the remnant of Judah described in Haggai 2:10-19 contrasts with the changed situation “from this day” (cf. Haggai 2:15).