HAGGAI‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‬‬

Haggai delivers a message to Israel that his spirit has been present with them since before Egypt. Based on our knowledge of history, it is easy to see this as an obvious statement, but the Jews of that day had never seen Egypt. This is because God’s knowledge of them was different than their knowledge of God. God included them in an overarching narrative that spanned generations. His hand was on their nation, from family to family. So while it was specific and individual in the present, it was legacy minded and pervasive beyond constraints of time and location. God was always with them. In western culture, we tend to see God wholly opposite of this, believing God to be merely personal rather than corporate in his interests. But the downside to this for us is the lack of his corporate blessings to our families and futures. The downside for him is that it is a lie about who he is. He shouldn’t have to continually introduce himself and his blessings to new generations. We should be doing that for him. We should acknowledge and teach our children that God has had his hand upon his people throughout the ages and find peace in the fact that we have been, will be and are, so very loved and provided for.