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Haggai 1 · Grade 5

A Bag with Holes

Name Date

Read and Think

Haggai 1:1 dates this message to the first day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king, when Yahweh's word came by Haggai to Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. The people had returned to Jerusalem, but the temple was still in ruins. Their excuse was simple: the time hasn't yet come.

God's answer exposes their priorities. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? He calls them to consider your ways. They sowed much and harvested little, ate without being satisfied, and earned wages to put into a bag with holes. God explains why: because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. God's solution is direct: go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified.

This time the people listened. Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God. God's response was not a lecture but a promise: I am with you. Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the leaders and the people, and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Armies. Haggai 1:15 notes they began on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, just over three weeks after the first message.

Show What You Know

  1. What was the people's excuse for not building?

  2. What does verse 9 give as the reason for their poor harvests?

  3. What did God promise once the people obeyed?

  4. How long after the first message did the work begin?

Crossword

51243

Across

  1. With all the remnant of the ____.
  2. And the ____ of Joshua the son of Jehozadak.

Down

  1. Go up to the ____.
  2. The time for Yahweh’s ____ to be built.
  3. And ____ the house.

Think About It

  1. The people worked hard but felt empty, like a bag with holes. What happens when we chase our own things before God?

  2. God stirred up the people's spirits to work. What work might God be stirring you to do for him?

Memory Verse

Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh.

Haggai 1:8 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being with me. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why is it sometimes hard to put God first?
  • Who could you invite to help you do something good this week?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.