3 Then this word of Adonai came through Hagai the prophet: 4 “So is now the time for you to be living in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Therefore here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says:
‘Think about your life!
6 You sow much but bring in little;
you eat but aren’t satisfied;
you drink but never have enough;
you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
and he who works for a living earns wages
that are put in a bag full of holes.’”
7 “Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘Think about your life! 8 Go up into the hills, get wood, and rebuild the house. I will be pleased with that, and then I will be glorified,’ says Adonai.
25th Week in Ordinary Time
On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius … (Haggai 1:1)
What a curious way to start a book! Wouldn’t it be better to hear “Once upon a time” or “Long, long ago in a land far away”?
Not really. Many times when we read the Old Testament, it can seem so remote that we start to wonder if it really happened. It’s easy to be so familiar with these stories that we look at them as fables or fairy tales.
But the Bible isn’t a “once upon a time” story! The specific dates at the beginning of the Book of Haggai can help us see that Haggai was a real person, and so were King Darius of Persia, the governor of Judah, and the high priest to whom Haggai delivered his prophecy. Or to put it more bluntly, these things really happened!
The dates were probably inserted into Haggai’s prophecy by a later editor to clarify the historical chronology. But these details show us that God works in actual history. It’s similar to the way Luke begins his Gospel. He places the birth of John the Baptist “in the days of Herod, King of Judea, [when] there was a priest named Zechariah” (Luke 1:5). And he tells us that the birth of Jesus took place during the reign of Caesar Augustus (2:1).
Of course, not every part of the Bible is meant to be read as history. There are parables and fables and stories as well as historical accounts. Still, the point remains that God worked wonders in ancient times—and he continues to do so today. Think, for instance, of St. Polycarp, in the second century, being protected from the flames when he was burned as a martyr; or Narcissus turning water into oil for the Easter Vigil lamps in the fourth century. Think of people like Padre Pio, drawing people to conversion and reconciliation, or Mother Teresa, touching the poor with the hands of Christ.
God’s gracious involvement in history is a true story; it’s our story! His definitive action is not just in the past. He is working today, and he wants to act in our lives just as dramatically. So don’t look at salvation history as a fable. Instead, expect to see God’s personal extraordinary action right here, right now!
“Father, I want to see your works—not just once upon a time, but today!” Amen!
Psalm 149:1 Halleluyah!
Sing to Adonai a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Isra’el rejoice in their maker,
let Tziyon’s children take joy in their king.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
make melody to him with tambourine and lyre;
4 for Adonai takes delight in his people,
he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the faithful exult gloriously,
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats,
but a two-edged sword in their hands9 to execute the judgments decreed for them;
for this will glorify all his faithful.
Halleluyah!
Luke 9:7 Herod the governor heard about all that was going on and was perplexed, because it was said by some that Yochanan had been raised from the dead, 8 by others that Eliyahu had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 Herod said, “I had Yochanan beheaded, so who is this about whom I keep hearing such things?” And he began trying to see him.
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On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius … (Haggai 1:1)
What a curious way to start a book! Wouldn’t it be better to hear “Once upon a time” or “Long, long ago in a land far away”?
Not really. Many times when we read the Old Testament, it can seem so remote that we start to wonder if it really happened. It’s easy to be so familiar with these stories that we look at them as fables or fairy tales.
But the Bible isn’t a “once upon a time” story! The specific dates at the beginning of the Book of Haggai can help us see that Haggai was a real person, and so were King Darius of Persia, the governor of Judah, and the high priest to whom Haggai delivered his prophecy. Or to put it more bluntly, these things really happened!
The dates were probably inserted into Haggai’s prophecy by a later editor to clarify the historical chronology. But these details show us that God works in actual history. It’s similar to the way Luke begins his Gospel. He places the birth of John the Baptist “in the days of Herod, King of Judea, [when] there was a priest named Zechariah” (Luke 1:5). And he tells us that the birth of Jesus took place during the reign of Caesar Augustus (2:1).
Of course, not every part of the Bible is meant to be read as history. There are parables and fables and stories as well as historical accounts. Still, the point remains that God worked wonders in ancient times—and he continues to do so today. Think, for instance, of St. Polycarp, in the second century, being protected from the flames when he was burned as a martyr; or Narcissus turning water into oil for the Easter Vigil lamps in the fourth century. Think of people like Padre Pio, drawing people to conversion and reconciliation, or Mother Teresa, touching the poor with the hands of Christ.
God’s gracious involvement in history is a true story; it’s our story! His definitive action is not just in the past. He is working today, and he wants to act in our lives just as dramatically. So don’t look at salvation history as a fable. Instead, expect to see God’s personal extraordinary action right here, right now!
“Father, I want to see your works—not just once upon a time, but today!” Amen!
Psalm 149:1 Halleluyah!
Sing to Adonai a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Isra’el rejoice in their maker,
let Tziyon’s children take joy in their king.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
make melody to him with tambourine and lyre;
4 for Adonai takes delight in his people,
he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the faithful exult gloriously,
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats,
but a two-edged sword in their hands9 to execute the judgments decreed for them;
for this will glorify all his faithful.
Halleluyah!
Luke 9:7 Herod the governor heard about all that was going on and was perplexed, because it was said by some that Yochanan had been raised from the dead, 8 by others that Eliyahu had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 Herod said, “I had Yochanan beheaded, so who is this about whom I keep hearing such things?” And he began trying to see him.
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