The Blessing of Holy Submission – Hag. 2:10-23
We human beings know innately that submission to God results in his blessing being poured out on us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we know it’s true in the depths of our souls. We even practice the principle ourselves. We reward our children for obedience. Employers reward workers would do the best job. Society in general is designed to reward people who follow the law and punish those who don’t. We do what we do because God has put it in us.
Thus far in Haggai, we’ve seen the first 2 (of 4) prophecies. The first was essentially a call to the Israelites to get back to work on the temple. The second was a follow-up prophecy to answer the doubt the people were still experiencing. God encouraged his people to think about the former days of Israel’s glory; the former days of the temple’s glory. He promised he would be with them and protect them if they got back to work. The end result would be a temple more glorious than ever.
Today’s study will look at the third and fourth prophecies. They also detail what God will do for Israel as a result of her holy submission to his Word. The key word in today’s study is ‘holy’. If you can grasp what holiness actually is, you should have no trouble understanding what God is promising here. He is promising to bless the his people in response to their faith.