Fear or Devotion

In Haggai 1, the lord is illustrated as an upset parent over his child who's not doing as he is told. The people lack respect for their creator, like a child that disobeys his parent. The parent then takes it out on the child through means of punishment. This could be a timeout, no desert after dinner, no games, etc. The lord takes his anger out on his children in a similar manner as he takes away the earth’s produce with droughts and throws away the people’s hard work into nothingness. By using aggressive measures such as these, the people and the child learn about consequences and take responsibility for their actions. The people must show their adoration towards their God by rebuilding his house in his honor, hoping for forgiveness for the neglect of its importance. Getting the point across to minors might come off as unreasonable. It might also take the form of child labor; since the lord is all powerful and could build a house for himself in a fraction of a second compared to the humans with their lack of coordination and strength, it might spark some detestation in the process. It might also have the opposite effect, as instead of hatred, the people instill fear in the view of their deity, as mentioned, “the people fear the lord” (12). Obedience, in some cases, is only accomplished through demonstration of power. The people still needed some convincing to drop their needs and build the lord his house, as the request was made “in the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month” (1), and the rebuilding began “on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month” (15). Their way of living must have gotten so unbearable and on the brink of extinction for them to be persuaded that performing this task would ensure their survivability. This brings up the question of whether the people ever actually respect and honor their lord, or if its done out of convenience for a better lifestyle. As with some children who cannot wait until they’re of legal age so as to leave home and never return, are the people of the lord waiting for an opportunity to escape their responsibilities and live duty free lives in the absence of faith? If that is the case, they are taking their time reaching the “adult” age when they no longer need supervision and can be trusted to roam the earth without guidance as all the religions practiced around the world reveal humanity’s lacking timeline towards that particular goal.