So the other day I read Haggai (ESV). I read it again today from my parents' porch in Houston and still didn't get the full meatiness, but a few lights came on. Here are a couple of nuggets:
* Blessing is tied pretty tightly to obedience. Obedience seems to be defined, in this instance, as remembering the House of the Lord. Haggai 1:3-11 explains the hardships faced by the Israelites as consequences of their neglect for the temple. The temple was lying in ruins while the people rebuilt their own homes.
* The Lord actually drove the people's obedience. Haggai 2:15-19 makes it sound as if the Lord were rewarding the people's obedience. This is true, but when we look at the events of this book, we see as many as six "sermons" from the prophet: first, a pronouncement of guilt (1:1-2); then a more detailed explanation and a call to build (1:3-11); then an encouragement to begin (1:13); then an encouragement to persevere (2:2-9); then two final words from the Lord on the same day: one explaining the source of holines (2:10-19) and one promising blessing to Zerubabbel, the governor (2:20-23). Between the second and third messages, we see the people obey and honor the Lord with fear (1:12). After the third message ("I am with you , declares the Lord"), the Lord "stir[s] up the spirit of Zerubabbel... and the spirit of Joshua... and the spirit of all the remnant of the people." All the people come together to work. We learn in the prophet's next message that their obedience will be rewarded, but there's a sense in which God is providing the very obedience that he requires. It was so good to ponder this morning the twin truths that human obedience is both (a) a decisive action and (b) enabled by God. I've been needing that.
* Haggai 2:10-19 really threw me at first. I'm not sure I "get it" yet, but here's my take. On the one hand: God makes things (like sacrificial meat) holy, but it isn't a comunicable holiness. On the other hand: unclean people contaminate all that they touch, as is the case with the work of the Israelites' hands. Only God can "redeem" the curse of unholiness. It can't happen through holy meat touching food through a garment. In contrast, Haggai asks the priests if someone who touches a dead body can make food unclean -- and the answer is yes, most certainly. Then the prophet declares the people of God to be unclean -- not just unholy (which is kindof a given), but as unclean as a corpse. Not only that, but God apparently sees everything they do as unclean food, not fit for consumption, worthy to be thrown out on the dung heap, including all their offerings. Presumably, this included even the offerings made for cleanliness. Again, we see the theme of satisfying cleanliness coming only from God. He provides what he requires. (Isn't there a Caedmon's Call song about this? "All that he asks he provides?" By the way, this is the cake part. Sorry that wasn't more clear, earlier in the post.)
* It's interesting that the prophet makes the jump (same passage) from talking about cleanliness/holiness to talking about blessing. There are some translation problems in this part (vv. 15, 16 and 18), but it seems like God is linking blessing to "doing what is right." Somehow, God is choosing to cleanse his people like the holy meat and look upon their work as righteous and worthy of blessing. He asks his people to consider how life has yielded no easy blessing and to prepare for abundant blessing, beginning from their first act of obedience.
(I want to connect Haggai's message about unclean works, holy meat, and blessing with Christ's work, Christ's sacrifice, and the blessings of union with Christ. I really think it's there. You could even go in the direction of the Lord's Supper.)
* Finally, the last message from the Lord through Haggai really intruiges me. After talk of war and upheaval, the Lord chooses Zerubbabel to be a signet ring. The end. Amazing, huh? You've got to imagine that Z. was scratching his head about that one. What does it mean?
If I were really going to pursue these leads, I would have to dig into Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Zechariah and Ezra, and then look for extra-Biblical resources. Anybody know some good minor prophet commentators? I think I can trust Eugene Merrill on Haggai, at least.
Posted by nickles at June 28, 2006 04:38 PM | TrackBack