Submission to God is the essential call woven throughout the message delivered to Israel. The Lord God, in His holiness and sovereignty, demands complete dependence and authority over how His people should live, for He alone is transcendentally different, superior, and separate. He has called His people to be holy, reflecting His nature through a life of outgoing concern for others, which flows from His own holiness. Yet, Israel turned their backs on Him, following other gods and ways of life, showing no spiritual resemblance to their Father, despite the advantages of His law, providence, and protection. God desires clear evidence of godly living to verify their claims of being His people, but in Israel, He saw opposition in every area of life. True religion, as He defines it, involves sacrificing oneself in service, speaking truth, and showing concern for the weak, not merely attending services or making offerings. Israel's religion had form but no substance, as they did not grieve for their sins or change their conduct, continuing to cheat, steal, and lie. Even when He provided examples of pure living through the Nazirites and warnings through prophets, Israel forced the Nazirites to break their vows and muzzled the prophets, rejecting His call to holiness. The responsibility to submit to God extends to all, as He warns against drifting away from His truth through syncretism, blending falsehood with His ways. Obedience to His law and living a life of holiness are priorities after repentance, producing character in His image. Grace and law are harmonious, both vital for maintaining the correct relationship with Him, as seen in the giving of the law at Mount Sinai after redemption. Israel's failure to obey, despite their sacrifices, separated them from fellowship with Him, showing that blood and law are essential for restoration. God holds a plumb line against His people to test their spirituality and morality against His standard, revealing whether they are truly His. Israel failed this test, as their moral standards degenerated, and they did not measure up to His holiness. Submission requires seeking Him daily, not taking His grace for granted, and setting one's will to obey, for He gives His Spirit to those who act in faith first. Seeking good and not evil, hating evil and loving good, and establishing justice are commands that lead to true life as He lives it. The Sovereign Lord, the God of hosts, has every right to expect obedience from His covenant people, promising to keep His commitments, whether blessings or cursings. He desires salvation for all, even if it requires painful trials to produce His character in them. True security comes from Him alone, not from possessions or false religious zeal, and He urges His people to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. The call to submit is urgent: seek the Lord and live, for He is eager to give blessings to those who prepare to meet Him through righteous living.

Submission to God is a vital aspect of the Christian journey, akin to the transformation an immigrant undergoes when fully embracing a new homeland. Just as an immigrant must turn from old ways to adopt the values and lifestyle of their new country, so must we turn from our former lives to align with God's way. This process of conversion, as illustrated in Matthew 18:3, requires a complete turnaround, a shift from selfish ambition to humble submission. Jesus Christ teaches that unless we are converted and become as little children—marked by humility, trust, and deference to Him—we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This conversion is not self-initiated but is a passive act, orchestrated by God's grace, for only He has the power to save us from destruction and set us on the right path. This turning to God involves a dual process of changing both mind and conduct. As seen in Acts 3:19, we must repent, altering our internal perspective, and be converted, transforming our external way of life. Submission to God means yielding to His will, trusting in His guidance, and allowing Him to direct our steps. It is through this submission that our sins are blotted out, and we experience times of refreshing—seasons of rest and joy in His presence. Ultimately, submission to God is about a lifelong commitment to His way, continually turning back to Him whenever we stray, and relying on His strength to sustain us on the path to His Kingdom.

Submission to God is essential in our relationship with Him, requiring a humble acknowledgment of His sovereign authority and loving wisdom. Prayer is not about forcing or cajoling Him to align with our narrow and shortsighted ideas, but about harmonizing with His will, as He forms us into His image. It involves worshipfully coming to Him, committing our way to Him, and patiently allowing Him to deal with our requests as it seems best to Him. True prayer reflects an attitude of dependency and need, expressing not our will, but His, as seen in the plea, "not my will, but Yours, be done." Humility plays a major role in producing obedience and fostering a good relationship with God, manifesting itself in ready submission to His will and an expression of dependence upon Him. This quality is essential for growth, witnessing for God, glorifying Him, receiving honor from Him, and achieving salvation. The order of these things is clear: humility leads to submission, which leads to obedience and ultimately honor. Honoring, praising, and requesting of Him are conscious acknowledgments of our dependency, destroying pride and vanity while encouraging the growth of humility, which in turn produces more intense submission. When we pray, we must set aside our own will and accept God's, asking only for what aligns with His purpose and what Christ Himself would ask. Real prayer is communion with God, necessitating common thoughts between His mind and ours, where His desires become ours flowing back to Him in prayer. God intensely desires that His thoughts become ours, reflecting His image, and much of this communication happens through prayer. Even when His answers differ from our expectations, if we have truly left it with Him, we can trust it is indeed His response, fitting His greater purpose for us.