Busted
I know what it feels like, as an individual, to be busted by the law (see: Choose Now). Try to imagine an entire nation hearing the word of the Lord through His prophet Haggai, “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; he who earns, earns wages to put it into a purse with holes.”
It doesn’t stop there.
Because God is upset with Israel that they have let His temple fall into disrepair due to wrong priorities; they saw to their own houses, but not God’s: “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.” Then God adds, “Because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.” Wow. Did He miss anything?
Israel was hurting.
They were facing economic disaster and starvation because they had abandoned the priorities God had set for them. They were experiencing the consequences of disobedience. Are there lessons for our nation that can be learned from this?
Has God changed since Haggai’s time (around 500 BC)?
No. A couple posts ago (Logic and Truth) I made this statement, “We don’t have prophets today, but we have the Bible.” It’s worth repeating. In Jesus’ time on earth, He gave what is known as “the sermon on the mount.” In it, He said, “…your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things (food, drink, clothing), but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The Israelites had their priorities out of whack
…and it cost them dearly. I wonder if America isn’t on the verge of God’s judgment? Spiritual renewal—revival—starts with one person who catches the vision of 2 Chron. 7:14, “humble, pray, seek God, turn from wicked ways”) and sets it in motion. Think about your part in this. Thanks for reading.