11. (a) By what allegory does Haggai point out the priests’ neglect? (b) What has resulted therefrom?

¹¹ The third message (2:10-19). Two months and three days later, Haggai addresses the priests. He uses an allegory to drive home his point. Will a priest’s carrying holy flesh make holy any other food he touches? The answer is no. Does the touching of something unclean, such as a dead body, make the one touching it unclean? The answer is yes. Haggai then applies the allegory. The people of the land are unclean by reason of their neglect of pure worship. Whatever they offer appears unclean to Jehovah God. Because of this, Jehovah has not blessed their labors, and in addition he has sent on them scorching heat, mildew, and hail. Let them change their ways. Then Jehovah will bless them.

It also stresses that the service of God itself does not make one clean unless it is pure and whole-souled, and that it must not be contaminated by unclean conduct. (Hag. 2:10-14; Col. 3:23; Rom. 6:19)