Blessings for an Unclean People
Haggai 2:10-19 (ESV)
10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet,
11“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:12‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.”13Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”14Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.15Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord,16how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.17I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.18Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider:19Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”
Introduction
This is the 3rd time that God had spoken through the prophet Haggai. 1) In the second year of King Darius, on the 1st day of the 6th month (Elul) a. August or September, precedes the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), a period of reflection and spiritual renewal
b. Was the wake-up call to prioritize rebuilding the temple.
c. The work started on the 24th of the month.
2) On the 24th of the 7th month (Tishri)
a. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) commemorates Israel’s
journey through the wilderness and God’s provision.
A joyous festival, reflecting on God’s past faithfulness
and provision. Also a time of harvest thanksgiving
b. God spoke to encourage the people that the glory of the 2nd temple will be greater than that of the former.
3) On the 24th of the 9th month (Kislev)
a. November-December. Early winter when sowing is finished. Harvest is still far off.
b. God spoke, reminding the people of what they had gone through, what God has done, and what He is about to do.
I. God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant
The exiles are returning home.
a. God’s Sovereignty: He directs empires to fulfill His promises. i. Cyrus's proclamation letting the Jews return to Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-3)
Ezra 1:1-3
1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
2“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.3Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.
ii. Restoring Temple treasures
7Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods.8Cyrus king of Persia brought these
out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who
counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold,
1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers,1030 bowls of gold,
410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels;11all the
vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.
b. God stirred the hearts of the people: Revival begins, and gifts poured out.
c. Return to Jerusalem (1st wave)
i. About 50,000 people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Included the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and temple servants, those responsible for the religious and ceremonial functions of the temple, in anticipation of resuming worship and sacrifices.
ii. The returning Jews reclaimed their ancestral land. Ezra 2:1b
They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, d. Rebuild the altar and restore daily worship and feasts. i. Upon their return, the first priority for the Jewish exiles was to reestablish the altar of God to resume the daily sacrifices, which were central to their worship and covenant relationship with Yahweh.
They started well.
There has always been opposition. Ezra 3 says that even as they set the altar on its foundation and sacrificed the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, they did so with fear of the people of the land.
And as the laying of the Temple foundation began, the opposition only grew. The people of the land discouraged them, made them
afraid, frustrated their plans, raised complaints, and
even sent false reports to the king, who then issued an
order to stop the rebuilding of the temple.
Ezra 4:24
24Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
So for 12-14 years the temple foundation lay in ruins, due to the people’s complacency and misplaced priorities. In Haggai 1, God showed His displeasure as the reason for withholding His blessing on the people. God rebuked His people and called them to repentance and to prioritize the building of the temple.
II. God’s Rebuke and Admonition to Holiness
a. Seek Godly wisdom (v 11)
Seeking ruling from the priests, the teachers of the Law.
b. Lesson on Holiness and Defilement (v. 12-13)
Holiness is not transferable by mere contact. This teaches us that true holiness comes from a dedicated relationship with God, not just external rituals. Defilement can spread quickly. This serves as a warning to guard against sin and impurity in our lives.
c. God’s Judgement (v 14)
14Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean
God desires a heart that is pure and devoted to Him. In this they failed, so all the works are not acceptable to the Lord.
d. The gravity of their sin.
In terms of ceremonial law, their defilement was equivalent to that of touching a dead body. Which was the worst kind of defilement requiring 7
days for cleansing. And if not cleansed, they needed to be
put out of the camp.
“It is not yet time to rebuild the temple…”
● They were “allowed” to return primarily to rebuild the
temple. Not simply to re-establish their lives in the land. It should have been their priority.
● Since the temple was symbolic of God’s abiding in their midst, their neglect reveals the lack of importance for God’s presence in their lives.
e. Consequences of disobedience (v 15-17) and Haggai 1:6-11 Disobedience leads to spiritual barrenness and missed blessings.
Despite the people's initial disobedience, God remained faithful and continued to call them back to Himself.
In the 8th month ( 1 month before ), the prophet Zechariah declared the same message of God’s anger towards a rebellious people and call to repentance. Zechariah 1: 2-4
2“The Lord was very angry with your fathers.
3Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
4Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.
Their fathers did not, but these Jews responded and repented (Zech 1:6)
III. God’s Restoration of His Blessing (v 18-19)
This should remind us of God's patience and willingness to restore us when we repent. Israel had turned a page, and God made a promise: “From this day on, I will bless you”.
At that time, the barns were still empty, and the next harvest
was still months away. Is the blessing just for a harvest unlike
those from the years before?
It was much more than that. (Zechariah 8:12-15)
● Peace (v12)
● Abundance of harvest (v12)
● Blessing to the nations (v13)
● Bringing good to Jerusalem (v15)
Was the blessing to stop those who oppose the building of the temple? It was more than that. Because when those in authority sent another complaint to King Darius, the outcome was totally different. (Ezra 6:6-12) ● commanded keep away and to let the rebuilding continue.
● Cost is to be paid from the royal coffers and tributes from the provinces.
● Bull, rams or sheep for burnt offerings are to be provided
● Wheat, salt, wine or oil as priests required are to be given daily ● Severe punishment for those who disobey the edict.
Fulfillment of the promise in Haggai 2:7
7And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory,
Another blessing is the completion and dedication of the temple on the 6th year of the reign of King Darius.
And the blessing above all else would have been what God had declared through the prophet Haggai. “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13, 2:4) and “My Spirit is within your midst” (Haggai 2:5)
Conclusion:
God has time and again proved His faithfulness to His promises. We experience God’s discipline when we fail, when we sin and disobey. But God does not discipline because He rejects us, but rather to call us back to Him.
And when we do, God is able to remove the curse of sin. He has done it, completed it, 2000 years ago, when He bore our sins on the cross, died, and rose again. Praise God.