Haggai | Knowable Word

How Haggai Can Help with your Priorities

April 2, 2025 By Peter Krol

Samantha Decker learned something about her priorities from Haggai 1. I bet you and I can as well.

The Israelites were planting, eating, drinking, dressing, and earning wages, but ultimately, it was all fleeting and futile. They were busy with the wrong things.

So often, we’re like the Israelites. We pursue productivity, job success, endless pleasures, do-it-all parenting, and even ministry opportunities over God’s commands and will. Like the Israelites, we need to consider our ways.

Decker’s applications of the text might not be the same as yours ought to be. But nevertheless, she demonstrates well the skill of applying Scripture to head, heart, and hands.

Check it out!

Your Children can Benefit from Minor Prophets

March 17, 2023 By Peter Krol

To this day, one of my favorite children’s Bibles is Mark’s Marvellous Book by Alan Mann. Mann does something truly remarkable in that he teaches children a book of the Bible instead of a self-curated selection of abstract narratives (as though they were Aesop’s fables or even snapshots from history). Mann’s book follows the contours of Mark’s gospel, such that his readers come away not only with a broad theological vision of Jesus, but with Mark’s particular message about Jesus.

Isn’t that something? We’ve got access to so many wonderful children’s Bibles that teach biblical history and theology. But what if there were also children’s Bibles that primarily taught the Bible (the books or literature of the Bible, along with each book’s primary message)? What if children’s Bibles could be a training ground or launchpad for children to grow in the knowledge of God—as he has revealed himself in Scripture—thereby motivating them to grow into reading those very Scriptures with eyes of faith and understanding?

Please let me know if you have seen other children’s Bibles that do this. Because I had never seen it done before or since Mr. Mann’s marvellous book. That is, until Christian Focus sent me review copies of John Brown and Brian Wright’s God’s Daring Dozen, Box 1 and Box 2.

Magnetic Beauty

I’ll return in just a moment to how well these books teach God’s word. But because first impressions are, well, first, let me say that these books are remarkably beautiful and attractive to read.

Box 1 contains:

Haggai’s Feast
Obadiah and the Edomites
Habakkuk’s Song
Zephaniah’s Hero

Box 2 has:

Joel & the Locusts
Jonah’s Journeys
Nahum & the Ninevites
Malachi’s Final Message

A planned third box will complete this Jewish “Book of the Twelve” with volumes on Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zechariah.

The two boxes are bright, colorful, and quite sturdy. The dimensions of the books—akin to a full-sized Dr. Seuss book—were quite a bit larger than I was expecting. Pulling the boxed sets from the shipping package provoked squeals of delight and hasty claims of ownership from the mouths of numerous Krol children, to the point where I began wondering if I would get the books back in time to prepare for this review.

The artwork within the books follows suit: Clean design, bright colors, attractive fonts. I simply cannot praise the look and feel of these volumes highly enough. It is most important to have strong content. But if that content is unattractive, it’s not nearly as motivating to read.

Inspiring Precision

Brown and Wright succeed in their primary goal of teaching not only the story but especially the message of each prophet. Have you ever read parts of the Bible and joked with someone that “you’ll never see that in a children’s Bible”? Well, now you can’t. Because it’s all in here. And it works. For kids.

For example, in Nahum & the Ninevites, the flood of destruction sweeps the city away, followed by the flames of destruction. “Maidens moan and beat their breasts. Hearts are melting, knees are knocking, bodies are shaking, and faces are pale… Dead bodies everywhere… Nineveh enticed and enslaved many nations like a seductive sorceress. Therefore I will humiliate her publicly.”

At the book’s climax comes an image of a prophet passing out the scroll he has written, while the ruins of a city lie smoldering in the background. “Those who hurt other people and worship other gods and refuse to repent will most certainly face God’s terrible judgment, for He does not leave the guilty unpunished.”

Now before you freak out, you ought to know two things:

This is precisely what the book of Nahum says (Nah 1:3, 8; 2:7, 10; 3:3-5). If you’re not comfortable with children reading it, then why have you given them Bibles?
Every volume in this series moves the prophet’s message forward to the good news about Jesus Christ. So even Nahum & the Ninevites ends with assurance that God will defeat all our enemies, Jesus will rescue all who call on his name, and those who bring such good news have beautiful feet (Nah 1:15; Rom 10:15).

Each volume in God’s Daring Dozen begins and ends the way the book of the prophet begins and ends. Along the way, Brown and Wright follow the prophet’s own structure in order to highlight the message. The prophet’s own words are quoted (and not only paraphrased or summarized), and New Testament quotations of the prophet are brought in at appropriate times.

On account of these many great strengths, I found myself inspired, after reading each volume, to go back and read the biblical book itself. God’s Daring Dozen will grant children confidence that they can read these books in the Bible, too.

Present Weakness

Nothing on earth is perfect, so let me be honest about the flaws.

They could probably be even longer than they are. Each volume can be read aloud in about 10 minutes.

And… Box 3 hasn’t been published yet, but I wish it was.

That’s all I can think of.

Conclusion

With God’s Daring Dozen, we have eight (soon to be twelve) books of the Bible presented to children in a way they can understand. In a way that clearly communicates the original author’s main point. In a way that shows the relevance of God’s word to people today. In a way that highlights the grace and lordship of Jesus Christ in all Scripture. In a way that will inspire readers to eventually set these books aside and dig directly into God’s word.

I highly commend these books to you. You can find them at Christian Focus (Box 1, Box 2), Westminster Books (Box 1, Box 2), or Amazon (Box 1, Box 2).

Dear publishers: Please create more children’s Bibles like this!

Disclaimer: Though God sees everything, we humans cannot. Therefore I must disclose the fact that Amazon links will provide a small commission to this blog at no cost to yourself. Thank you for assisting our service to the only King and Lord of heaven’s armies.

Haggai: The Uncanny Correspondence Between Temple and People

April 30, 2021 By Peter Krol

Thanks to Haggai’s detailed dating of his messages, we can nail him down more precisely than nearly any other book of the Bible. His four messages were delivered within a 5-month period in the year 520 BC, on August 29, October 17, December 18, and December 18 (yes, he had two messages on that day in December). In 538 BC, Persian emperor Cyrus had permitted the people of Israel to return and rebuild their holy city and temple. But 18 years later, the work was not yet complete. Haggai, along with his partner Zechariah, was sent by God to support the people in this work (Ezra 5:1-2).

Literary Markers

Haggai clearly marks the sections of his short book by means of his precise datings of his messages:

“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (Hag 1:1).
“In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (Hag 2:1).
“On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet” (Hag 2:10).
“The word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month” (Hag 2:20).

The only place he gets any fancier than simply dating and delivering his messages is in Hag 1:12-15, where he narrates the people’s response to the first message. This leads us to distinguish the first message from the remaining three, suggesting perhaps we ought to consider those three as a group. So I will treat the book in two divisions, aligning with the chapter divisions.

Part 1 Walkthrough

The first message is spoken directly to both the appointed governor and the high priest (Hag 1:1b), in light of the populace’s defeater beliefs regarding the time to rebuild (Hag 1:2). They gain little from their distracted labor (Hag 1:6), and they retain little of what they seek (Hag 1:9-11)—all because their own dwellings have been a higher priority than Yahweh’s dwelling (Hag 1:4, 9b). Therefore, they ought focus on their top priority: Building the right house, that Yahweh may find pleasure and be glorified (Hag 1:7).

And in contrast to many other messages from many other prophets to Israel, this one provokes the people to obey! Why? Because the people feared Yahweh (Hag 1:12). This is certainly a beginning of wisdom on their part.

Such obedience comes with assurance: “I am with you” (Hag 1:13). When Solomon had finished building the first temple (1 Kings 8), Yahweh appeared to him with assurances as well (1 Kings 9:1-9). Those assurances involved linking the fate of the temple to the worship of the people. But now that they’ve turned from God, suffered exile, and returned, the assurance is a little different. There is much less focus on the fate of the house being built (though we’ll see some of that in Haggai 2—sort of), and a greater emphasis on Yahweh simply being with his people.

So it’s not only that the temple’s fate is connected to the people’s obedience, but also that the temple’s very purpose is becoming increasingly embodied in the people themselves. “God with us” appears to be a truth not limited to the temple precinct itself.

Part 2 Walkthrough

Haggai’s three remaining messages focus intently on this correspondence between temple and people. He leads us to believe the building of the temple is not primarily about obedience to a building project, but about the development of a temple-people in whom Yahweh can dwell more permanently.

The second message (Hag 2:1-9) is triggered by the disappointing reduction in visible glory of the second temple being built (Hag 2:3). Haggai assures them that more, unshakable glory is on its way (Hag 2:7-9). But the nature of that glory has little to do with the building itself. “Work, for I am with you … My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (Hab 2:4-5). As they build God’s house, he is faithful to build them into his more glorious house.

The third message (Hag 2:10-19) says almost nothing about the temple itself. It shows up only to mark a shift in epoch (Hag 2:15). The message is now about the people alone. Up to now, their uncleanness (unacceptability, lack of authorization to approach God) has been more infectious than any holiness available to them. But all that is about to change (Hag 2:18-19). God is going to do something with and among them that turns everything around, such that their holiness will become more infectious than their uncleanness.

The fourth message (Hag 2:20-23) furthers the argument of the third message by getting specific. The coming glory of the new “temple,” which will cause holiness to finally become more infectious than uncleanness, is rooted in the reestablishment of David’s kingly line. One kingdom will rise above all others on earth, and one king will represent Yahweh in a way that can never be shaken. The Chosen One will come.

Conclusion

There is an uncanny correspondence between temple and people. After the exile, God’s revelation through his prophets unravels more of the mystery. Yes, there remains a physical house. Yes, the people remain obligated to build it and serve Yahweh within it. But Haggai shows us that the house itself is fading from the forefront to become a picture of the people. Its purpose is their purpose. Its benefits are their benefits. And its existence is their assurance. God is with them. God will bless them. As they build his house, he is really building them into a dwelling for himself, through his Chosen King in David’s line.

Interpretive Outline

The people must build the temple – Hag 1:1-15
God will build his people
1. The new “house” will have greater glory – Hag 2:1-9
2. The people’s holiness will become infectious – Hag 2:10-19
3. The chosen king will be God’s representative – Hag 2:20-23

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.