Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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THEBOOKOFHAGGAI
Lesson4,Chapter2Continued
TheMinorProphetsasagroupwere,barelyafewdecadesago,seenasan
interestinghistoricalrecordoftheancienttimesinwhichtheirprophecieswere
aboutIsrael’sfuturefromtheirperspective,butinthepastfromours,andlittle
else.So,theirrelevancewasseenasnil,andtheywereamongtheleaststudied
ofthe66BiblebooksastheyseemedtolackanyapplicationtoaBeliever’slife.
Today,however,thisviewpointneedstobere-examined.Intheyear2024,as
weseewherethisworldstands…withitswarseverywhere,unspeakable
atrocitiesoccurringconstantly,risinggodlessnessandtheshunningofmorality
asaWesternculturalnorm,suddenlywhatwaspredictedishittingverycloseto
home.But,willanyoneevennotice?
Whenwereopenthesebookstoseriousstudy,toourastonishmentitlooksvery
muchtodaylikeitdidsomanycenturiesago,onlywhatwaspredictedis
happeningonamuchlargerscalethantheprophetscouldhaveimagined.What
BelieverinGodcannotwonderifthepredictedendoftheworldaswehave
knownitisfinallyuponus?TheBookofHaggai,andthenZechariah,raisesthe
alarm-levelevenfurtherand,therefore,makeswhatiscontainedinthemallthe
morerelevanttousthaneverbefore.Becausethatisthecase,thenhowIwillgo
aboutteachingthistoyounecessarilywillinvolveacertainamountof
exhortationtoturntheknowledgeyouwillgainintoactionyouwilltake.
Otherwise,knowinghasnopointtoit.And,Ipromiseyou,asitalwaysiswith
God,HisWordcanoftentimesmakeusuncomfortable,becauseitcanbe
offending,convicting,anditrequiresustofaceourselvesandthentochange.
Whetherornotweembracewhatwelearnandmakethatrequiredchangeisthe
bottomline.
WeclosedinHaggaichapter2lastweekwithadiscussionaboutwhatthebiblical
term“shaking”meanswhenitappliestosomethingrareandspecialthatGod
does.ThiswasinreferencetoHaggai2verses6and7.
CJB
Haggai2:6-7
6
ForthisiswhatADONAI-Tzva'otsays:"Itwon'tbelong
beforeonemoretimeIwillshaketheheavensandtheearth,theseaandthedry
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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land;
7
andIwillshakeallthenations,sothatthetreasuresofallthenationswill
flowin;andIwillfillthishousewithglory,"saysADONAI-Tzva'ot.
GodshakingsomethinghappenswhenHebringsaboutamassivechangeeither
throughblessingorthroughchaos.Theeffectedthingcanbenarrowin
scope…liketoasingleplaceorpeople…oritcanbeallencompassing…liketothe
entireearthandevenextendingtoalltheknownUniverse.Inthebiblicalrecord,
therehasbeenbutonethinghappenthatisdescribedasa“shaking”andthat
waswhenYehovehdescendeduponMt.SinaitogiveIsraelHisTorah.Exodus19
describesitasasceneofthicksmoke,lightning,thunder,ashofarblastcoming
fromtheskythatwassoloudthatitterrifiedthepeople,andtheentiremountain
shookviolently.But,anothershakingisprophesiedtocome,anditistooccur
inadevastatingfashionintheEndTimes.Noticethepattern.Thefirstshaking
wasbeneficial,thesecondshakingwillbecatastrophic.Thus,inlightofthis
pattern,wehaveinYeshua’sfirstcominggreatbenefit,butinHissecondcoming
greatcatastrophe.So,thissecondshakingwillbewhenYehovehcomestojudge
thenationsfortheirbadtreatmentofIsrael.Themotivatingfactorthatwillcause
Yehovehtoshaketheworldisthenations’generaldisregardforGod’slawsand
commands,givenintheformofacovenantatthatfirstshaking,andthis
becausethatdisregardistheunderlyingreasonforsuchdreadfultreatmentof
Hispeople,Israel.
Thisterribleshakingthatthenationsoftheworldaregoingtoexperience…which
isGod’sfuriouswrath…doesn’thavetobeexperiencedbyallpeople.Amost
welcomeGod-principleisthatHedoesnotpunishtheinnocentalongwiththe
guilty.HealsodoesnotpouroutHiswrathuponthewickedandtherighteous
together;ratherHemakesadistinction.Weseeaprimeexampleofthiswhen
IsraelwasinEgypt.GodpouredoutHiswrathuponEgypt,butHemadea
distinctionbetweentheEgyptiansandtheIsraeliteswhoalsolivedthere.He
protectedtheHebrewswhomHeset-apartfromallothersanddeemedthemas
Hisrighteousown.InanotherexampleofGodmakingdistinctions,intheNew
Testamentwereadaboutthismysterioushappeningthathascometobecalled
TheRapture,inwhichintheEndTimesthosewhomGoddeemsrighteouswill(in
someway)beremovedfromthisplanetbeforeHepoursoutHiswrathupon
everyoneelse.TheChurch…moreprecisely,theConstantinianChurch…haslong
considereditselftobethatrighteousgroupthatisgoingtobewhiskedawayto
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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asafeplacebeforeGod’sshakingoftheworldandthecosmosbegins.However,
perhapsweneedtorethinkwhethertheChurchaswehaveknownitsincethe
300’sA.D.isthatgrouporassemblyofBelieversinYeshuathattheNew
Testamentspeaksabout.Thatshakingisalmostuponus,andeachofusneedto
besurejustwherewestandwithGod.Ifwearelacking,weneedtoknowwhere
theproblemlies.
While,ontheonehand,Idon’twanttogettoopreachyonwhatI’mabouttosay,
ontheotherhandIdon’tthinkitcanbesaidoftenenoughbecauseofthedanger
itexposes:theChurch…inthesenseofwhatIhavelabeledasTheConstantinian
Church…hasalwaystreatedtheJewsandnowIsraelbadly.Thereasonforthis
badtreatmentisthathistoricallyithasnoregardforGod’slawsandcommands
(whichareexpressednearlyexclusivelyintheLawofMoses).Infact,thegentile
ChurchformedbytheEmperorConstantineandhisRomanBishops,has
expresslyabolishedGod’sextensiveseriesoflawsandcommandsfromits
foundationalfaithprinciples,anddemeansanyBelieverinChristthatattemptsto
followthem.Here’swhyIregularlybringthisup:wecanlabelourselvesinaway
thatdefieswhatweactuallyare;oratleastinawaythatcanbequitedifferent
fromhowGodseesus.Oftenitisdoneinignorance,whichcanputBelieversin
averyprecarioussituation…weareinadangerweoughttoknowabout,buttoo
oftenwedonot,andsogomerrilyalongassumingalliswell.
ChristhadthistosayasHespoketothecrowdsintheSermonontheMount.
CJB
Matthew7:13-14
13
"Gointhroughthenarrowgate;forthegatethatleads
todestructioniswideandtheroadbroad,andmanytravelit;
14
butitisanarrow
gateandahardroadthatleadstolife,andonlyafewfindit.
Believinginsomebroad,buthazyandinclusiveideaoftheexistenceofGod,or
ofaSavior,andtheacceptanceofanykindoffaithasagoodfaith,isadelusion.
Thesamegoesforunderstandingwhothehistorical,biblicalYeshuais,andwhat
HetaughtwhenHewasonearthversusthemanycontrivancestaughtinitsplace.
Anyoldbelieforunderstandingwon’tdo.Theroadtobecomeamemberofthe
KingdomofHeaven…whichisthegoalforwhyMessiahsacrificedHislifeand
thusprotectsusfromHisFather’swrath…isnarrow;fewwillchooseit.Andthose
whodofindthemselvesonahardroaduponwhichwe’lldiscoverfarfewerfellow
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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travelersthanwemightliketothinkweoughtto.Thisrealitytellsusrightaway
thattherequirementsandthedegreeofdifficultyforone’sentryintothe
Kingdomaresteep;notcheap,andnoteasy.Yeshua’sbrotherJacob(inthe
modern-eraNewTestamenthisnameischangedtoJames),makesaremark
thatchimesrightinwith,andperhapsfurtherfleshesout,whatYeshuataughton
thismatterofbeliefandfaith.Jamessays:
CJB
James2:17-20
17
Thus,faithbyitself,unaccompaniedbyactions,isdead.
18
ButsomeonewillsaythatyouhavefaithandIhaveactions.Showmethisfaith
ofyourswithouttheactions,andIwillshowyoumyfaithbymyactions!
19
You
believethat"Godisone"?Goodforyou!Thedemonsbelieveittoo-thethought
makesthemshudderwithfear!
20
But,foolishfellow,doyouwanttobeshown
thatsuch"faith"apartfromactionsisbarren?
OftenintheNewTestamentwearecautionedthatdeclaringwithourmouths
thatChristisLordisnecessary,butitisn’tenough.KnowingwhoGodis,isone
thing;butifGod’sWordisalsonotupheldinourlives,andifwedon’tdisplay
thoseinstructionsaswhatitisthatinformsanddrivesourchoicesandbehavior,
thenGod(ingeneral)doesnotacceptourdeclarationoffaithinHimandHisSon
assincereandthereforeitisnotvalidforredemptionandsalvation.Thereality
isthatnoneofusareperfectinthisregard.Weallharborsomedoubts,weallsin,
andweallhavesomeamountoferrorinourlivesaboutunderstandinganddoing
God’swill.Yet,thereexistssomecosmiclineinthesand,drawnbyGod,
concerningourchoicesandbehaviorthatonlyHeknowsexactlywherethatline
is.Itisalinewherebywearesafeononeside,butnotsafeontheother.And,
Godisthejudgeofthat;notmenoranyotherhuman.Whereweeachstandin
relationtothatlinebeginswithourtrustinYeshuaasLordandSavior,butit
doesn’tendthere.Thereisastandardofworship,behavior,andmorethatwe
aretoadoptandmaintainallofourlives.Infact,thatstandardisknownand
recognizableenoughsuchthatwearetoldintheBiblethatwewillrecognize
others(referringtootherprofessedBelievers)bytheirfruit…thatis,bytheir
worksanddeeds.So,althoughwe’renotthejudgesofit,whostandsonwhich
sideofthatlineisn’tnecessarilyentirelyhiddentousdespitewhatapersonmay
sayorbelieveabouthimself.Yeshuatellsushowwecanknow.Ithinkthe
followingstatementofHisinMatthewismeanttofirstandforemosthelpus
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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self-evaluatetodeterminewhereweactuallystand,andonlysecondarilyhelps
ustodeterminewhereothersmightstandwhoalsoprofessChrist.
CJB
Matthew7:16-23
16
Youwillrecognizethembytheirfruit.Canpeoplepick
grapesfromthornbushes,orfigsfromthistles?
17
Likewise,everyhealthytree
producesgoodfruit,butapoortreeproducesbadfruit.
18
Ahealthytreecannot
bearbadfruit,orapoortreegoodfruit.
19
Anytreethatdoesnotproducegood
fruitiscutdownandthrowninthefire!
20
Soyouwillrecognizethembytheirfruit.
21
"Noteveryonewhosaystome,'Lord,Lord!'willentertheKingdomofHeaven,
onlythosewhodowhatmyFatherinheavenwants.
22
OnthatDay,manywill
saytome,'Lord,Lord!Didn'tweprophesyinyourname?Didn'tweexpel
demonsinyourname?Didn'tweperformmanymiraclesinyourname?'
23
Then
Iwilltellthemtotheirfaces,'Ineverknewyou!Getawayfromme,youworkers
oflawlessness!'
TheseareYeshua’srecordedwords,andnotminenoranyoneelse’sopinions.To
bolsterwhatitisthatI’mtryingtosaytoyou,there’stwopointsIwantto
highlight.Thefirstiswhatismeantby“OnthatDay”.OnthatDaymeanstheday
ofGod’sjudgment.ThisisanEndTimesevent,thatnodoubtbeginswithGod’s
greatshakingoftheearthandtheskies.ItisthesameasTheDayofthe
Lord…JudgmentDay.Itisaterrifyingday…theworsttheworldhaseverknown…
whenwhowethinkwearerunsheadlongintowhatGodsaysweactuallyarein
Hiseyes,andtheconsequencesofGod’sdecisionwilldetermineourlivesfrom
thatmomentforward...permanently…forthebetterortheworse.Thesecond
pointis,whoaretheseworkersoflawlessnessandhowdowerecognizethem…
theonesthatYeshuasaidthateventhoughtheyclaimbeliefinHim,Hedoesn’t
recognizethemasactuallybelongingtoHim?ThosethatHerefusestorecognize
arethosewhobearbadfruit…theirdeedsandwaysarebadeventhoughthe
professedBelieversHeistalkingaboutnodoubtthinkthemgood…andthe
reasonforthisdisconnectbetweenwhatisbelievedandwhatistrueisbecause
(accordingtoYeshua)theseparticularBelieversare“workersoflawlessness”.
So,whatmakestheseparticularpeoplelawlesstoGod?Isthisspeakingabout
commoncriminals?Andifso,whoselawsarethesepeoplemockingand
shunning?TheRomanlawsofNewTestamenttimes?Howaboutformodern
people.IsthisreferringtoAmericanlaw?Europeanlaw?Internationallaw?The
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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onlylawthatGodandHisSoncareaboutisGod’slaw,andthatwashanded
downtousintheformoftheLawofMoses.Godwon’tbejudgingusbasedupon
thelawsofourownindividualtowns,statesornations…whicharesovastly
differentfromoneanotherandbuiltuponpoliticaltheories,culturaltraditions,
andmanmadeagendas.WewillbejudgedbyGodNOTaccordingtoournations’
lawsystems,butratheraccordingtoHis.ItisthedisregardofHislawsystem
thatmakesapersonaworkeroflawlessness.So,whatwouldyoucallthose
ChristiandenominationsandtheirmembersthatdenouncetheLawof
Moses…thelawsystemandmoralcodeofrightandwrong,goodandevil,as
givenbyTheFather…assomethingdeadandgone,orperhapsareonlyforthe
JewsbutnotforgentileBelievers?ItistheLawofMosesthatinformsusabout
whoGodis,whatHisrequirementsofusare,whatkindoflifestyleswearetolive,
howwearetotreatothersandhowtoworshipandobeyHim;andwithoutthat
wesubconsciouslyconstructourownGodandSavior,aswellasourownsystem
ofhowitisthatwearetobelieveandbehave,whichcanbefarfromthetruth.
Enoughsaid;I’llleavethatwitheachofyoutoponder.
OnemorethingaboutGodshakingtheearthandwhatitwillresultin.Amongthe
nationsoftheworld,andamongthegreatestofalltheconvulsions,willbe
politicalonesbecausethesearethegovernmentsthatleadeveryculture,society,
andnation.IntheBibleerathepoliticalsystemsofallsettlednationswereas
monarchies.Aswelearninfollowingthecoursesofpropheticfulfillments,those
fulfillmentsarealwaysprocesses,andnotjustoneimmediateeventthat
happenssuddenlyandthenit’sover.Matthew24explainsthatnationswillrise
againstnations;thisisthebeginningoftheEnd.Wealsoreadthatwhenthe
nationsgatheragainstIsrael,thishardlymeansthattheworldcomestogetherin
harmonytobattleGod’speople.TheworldwillcometoexterminateIsrael,but
thenationswilleachcomefordifferingreasons.Infact,withacarefulBible
readingthereseemstobeafewdifferentgroupsthatwillform,asallies,when
theycometobattleIsrael.Theworldwillnotbeunifiedexceptintheirgoalof
eradicatingGod’speople.Rather,eachnationorgroupofnationswillcomeforits
owngoodreasons,andlikelymuchofitwillhavetodowiththehopeofbeingthe
onetogainpoliticalandeconomiccontroloftheregion.And,asaresult,their
differencesandcompetingdesireswillrisetothesurface,andtheywillfightand
annihilateeachotheraspartofGod’sprocessthatHehassetintomotionto
destroythenations.
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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Let’smoveonwithHaggaiverse8,byre-readingfromtheretotheendof
chapter2.
RE-READHAGGAICHAPTER2:8–end
Westernerscansometimesforgetthatforamonarch…especiallyforanancient
king…everythingthatexistsinhiskingdomornationbelongstohim.Thepeople.
Thefieldstheyfarm.Theanimalstheyuseforworkandfood.Thetreesinthe
forest.Themoneythepeoplemake.Everypossessiontheyhavebelongstothe
king.Dependingonthewhimofaking,alittleormuchofthesevariousthings
canbeleftinthehandsofthepeople.WhenwereadaboutGodbeingakingin
theBible,wewoulddowelltoaddthewords“likeaking”.Certainly,thepeople
ofthebiblicalerashadabettergrasponwhatitmeanttoberuledoverbyaking
thanwedo,today.Atthesametime,wemustbecarefulnottoascribetoGodall
thehumanattributestypicaloftheofficeofanearthlyking.TheBibledescribing
Himasakingisbutawayforhumanstoemployourhumanvocabularyto
understandGodalittlebetterandtograspthegreatandabsolutesenseofHis
sovereignty.Oneofthemaindifferencesisthathumankingsareallabouttheir
ownneeds;whileGodhasnoneeds.
Thus,whenwereadinverse8thatGodssaysthat“thegoldandsilveraremine”,
itistobeunderstoodinthewaythatancientpeopleunderstoodkings.Since
Yehovehisfigurativelyspeakingthekingoftheworld,theUniverse,andall
thingsseenandunseen,theninthebroadestsenseitgoeswithoutsayingthat
thegoldandsilverontheearthbelongtoHim.Onamorelocallevel,thisverse
alsolikelyhasinmindthevariousobjectsmadeofgoldandsilverthatbelongin
theTemple,andthatatonepointmuchoftheworld’sgoldandsilverwillpour
intoJerusalemtoacknowledgeGod’sownership,andtobeonceagainusedin
theTempleanditsservices.
SuchareturnoftheTempletreasures,longagolootedbyBabylon,andthe
replacementofsomeobjectsandfurnishingsthatlikelyhadalreadybeenmelted
downandusedtoaddtoaking’sstorehouse,isalsoawayofrepresenting
Yehoveh’sreturntoJerusalembecauseHissovereigntyhasbeenrestored.So,
whilethestatementthat“thegoldandsilveraremine”istruth,acomplimentary
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
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truthisthatGodwillreturntoJerusalemandtheTemple,andtherewillbe
worldwideacknowledgmentthatHeiskingaboveallkings,andsotherewillbe
anoutpouringoftheworld’srichestoHim.
Verse9speaksofgloryintermsofhowsplendidtheTemplewillbe.Clearlythis
isnotthepropernounformofglory…thatis,TheGloryasaparticular
manifestationofGod,becauseGod’sGloryattributedoesn’tdiminishandthen
increaseagainanymorethandoestheHolySpirit;but,theappearanceofthe
splendor(gloryinthatsense)oftheTempledoes,andthatiswhatthesubjectis.
IimaginethatinHaggai’smind,andothersinhiserathatreadthisprophecy,
thoughtGodwastalkingabouttheTemplethatwascurrentlyunderconstruction.
ThatwouldprovenottobesobecausethisnewTemplewouldbemuchmore
modestthantheoneitreplaced…Solomon’s.Rather,thisprophecycontinuesto
pointtowardsanEndTimesTemple(butintruththereisnotaconsensusamong
scholarsthatthisisthecase).SomeBiblescholarsthinkthatbecauseonce
HerodtheGreatbecameking(centurieslater),andheexpandedand
tremendouslyenhancedtheexistingandratherplainTemplebuildinguntilit
becameregardedasaWonderoftheWorldthatpeoplecamefromfarandwide
tosee,thatthisprophecycouldstillbereferringtotherebuiltTempleofHaggai’s
urging.OthersseeitasIdo:itcanonlybereferringtoEzekiel’sTemple…the
so-calledMillennialTemple…fromwhereYeshuashallruleandreign.ATemple
that,asEzekieldescribesit,willfaroutshineevenHerod’sTempleatitsgreatest.
From“thisplace”,wearetold,Godwillgrantshalom;well-being.Wearenotto
understandtheterm“thisplace”asmeaning“fromthisTemple”butratheras
“fromJerusalem”,theplacewheretheTempleislocated.Andthisshalom…this
divinelycausedwell-being…willbecastfirstuponthelong-sufferingresidentsof
Jerusalem,andthenintimebeextendedtotheentireworldthatwillbeunder
theruleofYeshua.
Inverse10,wemoveontothenextintheseriesofpropheticvisionsgivento
Haggai.Itoccurredonthe24
th
dayofthe9
th
month.The9
th
monthoftheHebrew
calendarisKislev…atimefromaboutmid-Novembertomid-December.Thiswas
stillduringonlythe2
nd
yearofthereignofthePersianKingDarius.So,thisnew
prophecycameexactly3monthsfromthedaytheTemplerebuildingprojecthad
resumed.TheprophecybeginswithaquestionYehovehsaysistobeaskedofthe
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
9/12
LevitePriesthoodabouttheTorah…morespecificallyitisabouttheLawsof
Moses.Itisinterestinghowthetypeandformofthisquestionwillmanyyears
laterbeusedasakindoftemplatebytheRabbisoftheSynagoguesystemto
elucidateteachingsaboutRabbinicalJudaism.So,thequestionthatishere
askedofthePriests…whoinHaggai’sdaywerestilltheteachingauthoritiesof
religiousmatters…couldlegitimatelybeclassifiedasHalakhah,eventhoughthe
termHalakhaheventuallymorphedintomeaningtheinstructioninJewish
religiouspracticesandtraditionsthatwasdonenotbypriestsbutratherby
non-LevitereligiousauthoritiescalledRabbis.
Thequestionisquitespecificandtechnical,andiscontainedinverse12.
Althoughitisoftenassumedthatthequestionisaboutapriestcarryingsome
meatbyplacingitinafoldofhisgarment,infactitdoesn’tappeartobe.It
simplyasksif“someone”iscarryingit,whichfarmoreimpliesanon-priest…that
is,aregularcommonIsraelite.Whatisbeingcarriedissaidtobeholy,sothis
meatwasanintendedsacrificethatmusthavebeenonitswaytothealtarand
hadnotyetbeenoffered.ItisabasicTorahprincipleaboutsacrificingthatonce
thegivermakesthementaldeterminationtogivesomethingtoGod,onthe
spiritualplanethetransactionhasjustoccurredinthesensethatwhateveristo
besacrificedisimmediatelytransferredtoGod’sownership.So,aworshipper
thatdeterminestooffersomethingtoGodandthenthinkshecanchangehis
mind,withoutconsequence,isquitewrong.Tonowwithholdthatsacrificeisto
robfromGod.Andbecausethisisthecase,thenthesacrificialmeatthatisonits
waytothealtarhasalreadybeenelevatedbyGodtoaholystatus.
Thequestionaskedis:ifthefoldofthislayperson’sgarment…theclothwhere
theholymeatisbeingcarried…happenstotouchsomeotherfooditemlikewine,
oroil,istheholystatusofthemeatthenessentiallytransferredfromthemeat,
tothegarment,andthenfromthegarmenttotheotherfooditems?Inother
words,cansomethingthathasindirectcontactwithsomethingholy(asopposed
todirectcontact)itselfbecomeholyasaresult?Theanswersomeunnamed
priestgivestothisquestionis“no”,itcannot.Thefirstthingtonoticeisthat,as
wetalkedaboutinanearlierlesson,sacrificingwasclearlyhappeningatthe
TempleAltar,eventhoughtheTempleitselfhadnotyetbeenrebuilt.Thisshould
nothavebeenoccurring.
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
10/12
Theninverse13,asecondquestionisasked.Ifthatpersoncarryingthemeatis
rituallyuncleanbecauseofhavingtouchedacorpse,isthatuncleanness
transferredtotheholymeat…eventotheoilandthewine?NOTbecauseofhis
garmenttouchingthefood,butbecausethatpersonhasdirectlytouchedeach
item.Theanswerisyes,theholymeat,oilandwinearenowcontaminatedwith
impurity.Herewehavedirectcontactoccurringbetweenthatwhichisunclean
(thepersonwhotouchedadeadbody)andthatwhichisholy(themeat),aswell
asthatwhichiscommon(theoilandthewine).Asareminder:somethingthat
hasastatusofcommonsimplymeansitisnotholy.Thereisnothingwrongwith
somethingbeingcommon,andasfarasfoodisconcerned,commonfoodis
perfectlyfinetoeat(thatis,itisnotontheprohibitedlistofedibleitemsasfound
inLeviticus11).
Let’stakeaminutetounderstandwhatisbeingcontemplatedandwhyitmatters.
ATorahprincipleisthat,theoretically,bothritualimpurityandholinesscanbe
transmittedtosomethingorsomeoneelsethroughtouch.Thiscancomefrom
inanimateobjectstouching,orhumanstouching,ortouchingbetweenhumans
andobjects.Suchathingactuallyhappenedfairlyregularlyasconcerns
uncleanness.Forinstance,adeadmouse(anuncleanthing)fallsintoanopenjar
ofwheat.Thewheatandeventhejarnowbecomeunclean.Bythesametheory,
somethingholycouldaccidentallytouchsomethingthatisnotholy,andthat
holinesscouldalsobetransferred.However,inpractice,becausethiswasan
unauthorizedtransferenceofholiness(and,Godaloneauthorizeswhatcanbe
deemedholy),thenshouldsuchatouchinghappentheunauthorizedobjectis
destroyedbyGod.WeseeagoodexampleofthisintheTorah,inNumbers16.
InNumbers16wereadofaLevitenamedKorah,whoalongwithacoupleof
otherfellows,leadsarebellionagainstMoses,Aaron,andthepriests.His
complaintisthatotherLevites…theclansofthenon-priests,likehisown…
shouldalsobeallowedtheprivilegetoburnincensebeforetheLord.Inother
words,thesemenwerejealousthatcertainclansofthetribeofLevihadbeenset
apartaspriestsandsocoulddoserviceattheTabernacle,buttheirownclans
werenot.So,Korah’sbandofrebels…about250strong…marchuptothe
Tabernacle,eachwiththeirownincensepans,intentonofferingincensetoGod
puttingcoalsintotheirpanstoburntheincense.Thosecoalswouldhavebecome
holytoinstantlymaketheserebels’censorpansholybecauseofsuchclose
Lesson4-HaggaiChapter2Continued
11/12
proximitytotheTabernacle.But,becauseGoddoesnotallowtheunauthorized
transferofholiness,immediatelyHesendsfiretodestroyboththerebelsandthe
pans.TherebelsbecausetheycametooclosetoGod’sholiness(whosemere
proximitywouldhavetransferredholinesstothem),andthepansbecausethey
hadholycoalsplacedinthem,which,theoretically,nowmakethepansholy.
So,werethe2questionsaskedreallyaboutquizzingthepriestsconcerning
holinessanduncleannessjusttoseeiftheyknewthecorrectanswers?Notatall.
Rather,thequestionsaredesignedtoteachanobjectlesson.Thelessonisabout
thebehavioroftheJudeanpeople.So,inverse14,Godseesthepeopleas
unclean,andthisisbecausetheTempleisstillnotrebuilt,eventhoughsome
progresshasbeenmade.Therefore,thesacrificesthathavebeenofferedonthe
altar…probablyforthepast15years…haveallbeendeemedunclean,and
thereforeunfit,sotheyarerejected.ThereturningJudeanshadtriedtocreatea
shortcut.Theyweresoanxioustostartsacrificingagainthattheyquickly
restoredthealtar(becauseitwasquickandcheaptodo),butlefttheTemple
buildingtolanguish(becauseitwouldbeharderandrequiremuchmoremoney
todoit).
Earlierintoday’slessonIspokeaboutthewelcomeGod-principlethatHedoes
notpunishtheinnocentalongwiththeguilty,nordoesHepouroutHiswrath
upontherighteoustogetherwiththewicked.Butnowwearepresentedwitha
not-so-welcomeGod-principle.Itisthatuncleannessanddefilementareso
contagiousthatitcaninfectotherthingsbeyondthemselves.Torefusetoobey
Godinoneareaofourlife(tosin)hasthepotentialtocontaminateourother
activities,justthesamewayuncleannessworksritually.Sinnotonlymakesus
guilty,itmakesusunclean.Itseemstobeahumanattributethatwethinkwe
cancompartmentalizeourbehaviorsuchthattheconsequencesofactionsinone
areaofourlifecanbetotallyseparatedfromactionsinanotherareaofourlife.
Infact,sometimesfromanoutwardviewpoint,thiscanindeedbesuccessful…at
leastforawhile.ButinGod’seyes,itdoesn’tworkthatway.Thisprinciplewas
memorializedintheLawofMoses,andtheIsraeliteswell-understoodit.Thatis
whytheywereinsucharushtomaketheirsacrificesandtoimmerseinorderto
regaintheirholyandcleanstatus.EspeciallyforthoseJudeansthathadbeen
hauledofftoBabylon,livingfarfromJerusalem,theyknewthatwhentheywere
inastateofsinandimpurity,itaffectedeverythingintheirlives…or,atleast,it
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hadthepotentialtodoso…andupinBabylontheyhadnomeanstosolvetheir
dilemma.WemodernBelieversneedtotakethistoheart.Thisprincipledidn’tdie
onthecrossalongwithOurSavior.Wecan’tbedishonestinourbusiness
dealingsbutthenexpectourdealingswithourspouse,ourfamilyandfriendsto
gountainted.Itmighttakesometimeforthebadeffectstoshowupandtransfer
fromoneareaofourlivesintoanother,butatsomepointtheywill.
AsregardstheJudeansdoingunauthorizedsacrificing,whatHaggaiis
addressingiscauseandeffect.BecausetheofferingstoGodwerenotaccepted,
thenGod’sblessingsontheJudeanswerewithheld.Andwhattheydidwrong
wastoavoidGod’sdirectiontorebuildtheTemplebecauseitwasn’tgoingtobe
easy.Further,theirsacrificingwasnotgivenintherightattitude,ormotivation,
andtheJudeanswereinastateofdisobedience.FromGod’sperspective,the
peoplewerespirituallyuncleanasaresult.
TherearesomanybenefitsandjoystobehadfromGoddeclaringusholy.But
holinessalwaysbeginswithobedience.TheJudeanshadtheideathatsincethe
verysoiloftheirlandwasholy,andthereforewhatevergrewfromitwasholy.
ThisiswhyintheirtimeinBabylontheywereconvincedthateventheproduce
theyatewasunclean,andthereforetheywereunclean.However,thatwasa
Traditionfilledwitherrorandnotthebiblicaltruth.ThesoilofJudahmayhave
beenholyinasense.But,whatevergrewuponithadnotbeenrenderedholy.
Ratheritwasmerelycommon.Thisgoesbacktothe1
st
questionGodaskedthe
prieststoanswer:cansomethingholytransferit’sholinesstosomethingelse,to
whichthepracticaleffectrequirestheanswertobeno.Nospecialstatusrests
upontheproduceoftheland.TheblessingfromGodwasnotinatransferenceof
holinesstothefooditproduced,butrathertheblessingwasintheformofthe
landproducingabundantlyforthepeople.Theself-evidentproofthatGodwas
withholdingHisblessingwasinthelackofabundance.And,thewithholdingof
theblessingwasbecausetheJudeansweredisobedientinGod’scommandto
rebuildHisTemple.
That’senoughfortoday.We’llcontinuewithchapter2nexttime.