Duguid’s recent commentary on these three oft neglected prophets is a great resource for preaching and teaching particularly due to his “Application” sections where he demonstrates how to properly apply these books in a New Covenant setting.  The whole task of applying Old Testament books to our New Covenant setting is so often misunderstood and poorly done.  Too easily a sermon from these books becomes a self-help message, a building fund drive (“rebuild the Temple!”), legalism or even prosperity gospel.  Some texts will easily fit these erroneous ends unless you understand how the whole Bible fits together, and Duguid gives great guidance in understanding these books in their canonical setting.

For example, on Haggai 1 Duguid writes: “It is not hard to preach a guilt inducing sermon from Haggai 1″ (34).  He then lists several common wrong ways of using this text.  Then he writes:

Instead, as Duguid shows the point of this text is the work of building the body of Christ, His church, which is a task beyond us, requiring the atoning work of Christ and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

This is a very useful commentary.