Holiness Motivates Us to do God’s Work - Haggai

Haggai 2:10-14 (ESV)
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.

Haggai is a prophet that was sent by God to motivate the people to finish the work that God had sent them to do.  The work had become difficult and the reward was not easily seen.   So, the prophet is sent to motivate them.  He was, in those times, a modern day motivational speaker.  But, he was not sent to motive them to do something from their own efforts.   We can summarize this section of the prophet’s message this way:  We can become motivated by striving for personal Purity:  God's blessing is awaiting those who strive for personal holiness (2:10-19)  Sin is easier transmitted than holiness.  Holiness takes God’s intervention.  Hope motivates us to holiness: 

1 John 3:2-3 (ESV)
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

When the people heard from God about His desire for their holiness, they were motivated to want to obey Him.   In the reasoning of Haggai’s argument he is stating that corruptions is easily transmitted, but not holiness.  Holiness is from the heart and provided only by God.   As God produces holiness in our lives we are motivated to do the work of God; which was Haggai’s point of prophesying.   As we seek God’s holiness by the ministry of the Spirit, God produces that holiness inwardly and gives us motivation (an hunger and/or appetite) for His work outwardly.  That is Haggai’s message.