Contamination
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Introduction
Introduction
Contamination is an event that can occur and has the potential to cause catastrophe up to and including physical harm and even death. We do much to prevent contamination - we have tamper proof lids, plastic seals, etc. We have process by which we test products to check for contamination. Contamination destroys the purity, safety and integrity of something and the only safe thing to do is to throw it out. Such is the danger of food contamination is when in doubt - throw it out.
Sin has a contaminating effect and it effects the cleanness of something. God separates things into clean and unclean - holy and unholy and pure and defiled or contaminated. Haggai’s third message the LORD gives for him to deliver is pointed towards this idea of contamination and defilement. We need to hear this message as well as many misunderstand clean vs unclean, holy versus unholy, pure vs defiled. We like ancient Israel misunderstand spiritual contamination and holiness.
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a ruling.
12 If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”
14 Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before me—this is the Lord’s declaration. And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled. 15 “Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple,
16 what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty. 17 I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to me—this is the Lord’s declaration.
18 From this day on, think carefully; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; think carefully. 19 Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”
Inquisition
Inquisition
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a ruling.
12 If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.”
13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”
The date that this message was given is the 24th day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius. This is the 24th of Kislev or December 18 a little over two months later. There is no major holiday or feast associated with this date. During the two months in between these messages from Haggai the prophet Zechariah began his ministry. The message for Haggai began with the request from God for him to go and inquire of the priests for a ruling on a matter. A ruling would be a authoritative rule from the instruction of the law of the Moses. Haggai asks two questions in the next two verses.
Question 1 is concerning holiness. If a man carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy? Now consecrated meat was the meat from an animal that was presented on the altar and it was now consecrated or considered holy. It belonged to the LORD and was set apart for His use. Haggai asks If a garment containing consecrated meat touches food, does the garment make the food holy? The priest answered “No” - this is correct. Even though the garment is holy and set apart because of the sanctified meat it does not make other things holy. Holiness is non-transferable, you cannot touch something holy and because of the contact become holy.
Question 2 is concerning contamination or defilement. Suppose somebody touched a dead body and became defiled and then touched any of these same things - would it be defiled? The priests answered that yes it becomes defiled. Defilement and contamination is easily transferable, who or whatever touches something or someone contaminated also becomes contaminated and defiled.
Holy acts have no power to make anything or anyone holy. Only a holy God can make someone or something holy. Yet contamination and defilement can spread to anyone or anything merely through touching it. The people had a misconception (and it is alive today as well) that worshipping in a temple would automatically cleanse unholy persons. Over and over again God through the prophets called for obedience over sacrifice.
1 Sam 15:22
22 Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
Though many might argue I dont entertain the thought that mere contact or association with holiness - aka remaining in a Christian bubble will preserve one. A holy environment is not a panacea.
A drop of some contaminate into a container will contaminate the entire container. Holiness is not contagious but impurity is. A sick person - child or adult cannot “catch” health from contact with a healthy person or child; but one who is healthy can become sick by contact with a contagious or contaminated person.
The concept of clean and unclean - pure vs contaminated were important concepts to the Jews for one who was unclean was to be separated from the rest and required to ceremonially be made clean again. In some cases a proper sacrifice was required to restore fellowship with the LORD. It is far easier to become contaminated and defiled then it is to restore purity and holiness.
Illumination
Illumination
14 Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before me—this is the Lord’s declaration. And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled. 15 “Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple,
16 what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty. 17 I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to me—this is the Lord’s declaration.
The questions from Haggai were to lead to the next part of the truth God wanted to illuminate for the people. So this people - in the same way this people are contaminated and defiled. In fact the whole nation is - Israel is defiled — this is the LORD’s declaration. No one can argue or present their case or find loop holes the LORD has judged and declared them to be contaminated, to be defiled, to be unholy. They are people of sin around sin in a world of sin and they are contaminated before the LORD God. On top of that God declares every work of their hands and even the offering they bring is defiled. In the same way as what the priests explained would defile the people have defiled and contaminated everything they have touched. The one who is holy cannot impart holiness to anything else but only maintains the holiness of that which was already holy, and the one who is contaminated contaminates everything they touch. The people may have thought themselves holy again, being back in the holy land and in the holy city for 16 years, but they are in fact defiled and contaminated because of their disobedience. Their mere presence in the holy land does not make them and what they do holy. If our hearts are wrong before God nothing we do is holy to God. Everything we do will be adversely affected. If we disobey in the smallest thing we will pollute and contaminate whatever our hands touch. No amount of work or worship will ever sanctify our sin, but the smallest amount of sin will contaminate all of our work and worship.
Now from this day on think carefully, before one stone was placed on another what state were you in? What state were you in? Contaminated or holy? The results of their hands was everything they did was polluted and brought nothing back to them. The harvest was poor, economy was in decline, and the work of their hands was contaminated with blight. mildew, and hail. God reminded them that they hearts were defiled and therefore the work of their hands was defiled. It remained defiled and He said they still didnt turn to Him. No amount of good work, no amount of “God” work can make one holy and uncontaminated. Only God Himself can make one holy and uncontaminated and it is only when they turn to Him.
It is only those cleansed by God who can serve God with clean hands and hearts. Without this cleansing the people’s gifts to God — no matter their cost or frequency — are unclean. We read in Ezra that some gave gifts of great sacrifice in great scarcity.
Righteousness does not come from what one does for God; it only comes from what God has done in the hearts of men. Too many in Haggai’s day as well as too many today wrongly think their work for the LORD can bring sanctification which only comes from God.
1 So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
Holiness is a prerequisite for acceptable worship, sacrifice, service for God and the blessing of God.
Implication
Implication
18 From this day on, think carefully; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; think carefully. 19 Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”
God then prompts Haggai to proclaim the implication or application for them. From this day on, think carefully. From the 24th of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid think carefully. Consider thoughtfully all that happened. Consider where they are at now and do whats necessary and required. You want a different result from what you have you have to do something different. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. When you do the same thing you get the same results. Right now they are depleted of seed and produce from regular to the extravagant and “extra”. Looking back the past three months they have had no harvest of staples or luxuries. They were to think carefully on this because from this day on the LORD promises to bless them. Be careful not to look too soon for signs of blessing or you may only find discouragement. God promises blessing to those who put their priorities right and cleanse themselves properly but the blessings may not come immediately. Now that they were obeying and were cleansed before God now their hands were working in holiness and the work for God would be holy and they could receive blessings.
Maybe it’s been fifteen years since you started doing what the Lord called you to do but you have since neglected it. Do it now. Be obedient to what He’s told you to do. If He’s called you to pray, pray. If He’s called you to study the Word with intensity, get back to studying. If He’s called you to witness, witness. If He’s called you to be a singer, write songs and sing. If He has called you to be a musician then play with all your heart. If He’s called you to be hospitable, open your house regularly. If He’s called you to the mission field, go. Don’t say the time is not now. Neglecting to do what He’s called you to do will lead to great emptiness in your life - and contaminating everything else that you do.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Sin contaminates the work of God and robs us of His blessings. It was sin that brought the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the nation. It was sin that hindered the rebuilding and renewing of the Jewish nation in their land.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
To contaminate is easy, it is much easier to spread contamination than to prevent contamination. A container of pure water contaminated by a single drop. There is much out there than can contaminate us and by proxy our hands and their work and their offering to God.
To impart holiness is impossible, we cannot impart holiness or spread holiness as holiness is status or position. Holiness cannot be transferred by anyone to anyone - or by doing anything such as attending church, being baptized, taking communion, doing good works, or through moral living.
Recovering Lost Holiness Requires God, when through sin or disobedience we lose holiness in our lives we cannot recover it on our own. Neither if we are in Christ have we lost our salvation but we lose the ability to work or offer to God that which is acceptable. There is a way back to God but it requires turning to God and relying on God.
27 He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Holiness cannot be passed on or inherited corruption and pollution can be. If you hang around and mess with sin you cant help but be affected and contaminated. On the other hand you cannot simply come to church or hang around the church and be made righteous. It doesnt make you a Christian. God doesnt have grandchildren only children, because everyone must come before God for themselves to be made and declared holy by Him through obedience to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the forgiveness of sin through Him.
Communion
Communion
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.