Haggai Zechariah And Malachi

Follows the pattern of the series in discussing the content and background in dating the authorship of the books, and in offering a section-by-section presentation of the NEB text with commentary.

The Old Testament is not just a collection of disparate stories, each with its own meaning and moral lessons. Rather, it’s one cohesive story, tied together by the good news about Israel’s coming Messiah, promised from the beginning. Covering each book in the Old Testament, this volume invites readers to teach the Bible from a Reformed, covenantal, and redemptive-historical perspective. Featuring contributions from twelve respected evangelical scholars, this gospel-centered introduction to the Old Testament will help anyone who teaches or studies Scripture to better see the initial outworking of God’s plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ.

The last three books of the Old Testament, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, have not always received the attention they deserve from the church. This is in some ways surprising, since the Gospel writers quote Zechariah 9-14 more often than any other biblical source in explaining Christ's sufferings and death. The application sections show how the person and work of Christ are anticipated in these prophets. One reason for the tendency to neglect these three books lies in the fact that they address a community who were living in a day of small things, with little glory and no great triumphs to show off to a watching world. In a day like ours, which puts such a premium on charismatic leaders whose ministries exude glory and success, they may be viewed as something of an embarrassment. But if, like the apostle Paul, we are content to be broken vessels without glory in ourselves so that the glory of Christ crucified may be all the more plainly displayed, then we shall find much blessing in these books. In them, we shall read of the comfort and challenge that come from the presence of the living God in our midst, even when his glory is not on public display. In them, we shall also read of the anticipation of the day when the glory of God would come to earth in the person of Christ and bring about the long-promised salvation of his people.

Verhoef's study on the Books of Haggai and Malachi is part of The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, a series which devotes considerable care to achieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation. The commentary itself is based on the author's own translation of the Hebrew text.

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. The books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi contain messages to God's people who, after experiencing deliverance from exile, still struggled with doubt, discouragement, and despair in the Promised Land. The prophets called them to faith as they awaited an even greater deliverance yet to come. Through this 12-week study, readers will see the faithfulness of God as he restores his presence among his people through the temple—a foretaste of the promised Messiah, who is the true temple and ultimate fulfillment of God's promises. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Despite the return of the Hebrews from the Babylonian exile, selfishness, apathy and despair crippled their community spirit. In response to this distress, God raised up three prophetic voices in Jerusalem. Haggai rallied the people to rebuild the Second Temple. Zechariah was given visions of the return of the glory of the Lord to Zion. Malachi preached repentance, covenant justice and restoration of proper temple worship. Andrew Hill's excellent commentary on these oracles shows how they remain timely for the Christian church?s worship and mission in the world.

In this Apollos Old Testament Commentary, Anthony Petterson offers detailed commentary on the prophetic books of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, setting them in their wider biblical-theological context. He shows the connections between the post-exilic world and our own, and explains how these books contain a vital message for the church today, living in the gap between promise and reality.