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4.1-5 the indictment. Amos begins to list the travesties of Israel. Amos uses strong language by calling them Kine (cows). The cows of Bashan were well fed and strong because of the lush vegetation of the area. This is much more than an insult in itself. The illustration is a full grown cow leading her calves. This is not just about the Israel of now, but for many years the offspring will be led into captivity. These cows have oppressed the poor and gotten fat off the reward of their mistreatment of the poor. So the prophet mocks them with his words; come to Bethel and transgress, to Gilgal and multiply transgression. He continues to mock them by saying offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven. This is an apt reference to all their sacrifices being polluted.

4.6-13 God’s defense. God is always fair. Here Amos presents his defense of God and God’s long suffering. God tried. God sent cleanness of teeth (famine), want of bread (poor crops), drought (no rain), God even selected cities to rain on and not to rain on another, but Israel just did not get the message. The voice from God the jilted lover said, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. God then went further in trying to get through to his beloved people. God sent blasting and mildew, the worms destroyed their crops, pestilence and war, until life literally stunk in their nostrils, and still Israel never made the turn to her God. God gave a sample of the judgment to come by overthrowing some of them like Sodom and then plucking them out of danger just in the nick of time. Nothing in all of this impacted this people that God loved so much. A frustrated God now announces: prepare to meet thy God. He that formed mountains and creates the wind, the all powerful God who has loved such fallen mankind, has reached the end of His patience with a disobedient nation. With a formal declaration of His name He steps back and allows judgment to descend on Israel.

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3.1-3 you only have I known. This is one of the most endearing statements God ever made to Israel. The Hebrew word yada is a broad term. It has the connotation of knowing in many ways. It speaks of God taking time and care to truly “know” the nation of Israel above all nations of the earth (Ez 20.5). God revealed himself and extended himself to Israel and Israel’s response was indifference, and now the great God of heaven feels all the feelings of a jilted lover. God cannot walk with Israel unless they both reciprocate. God chose Israel out of all the peoples of the earth, and her response was to be unfaithful.

3.4-8 the yearnings of God. God is speaking like a lion roars or a bird caught in a snare. There is cause for His complaint. The voice of Amos is God crying out to the nation, please listen to me. Israel did not see the future of the next three decades but God did, and the future was bleak for this backslid nation.

3.9-15. The mind of the country preacher presents a vivid unforgettable image in this passage. The image of a nation torn in pieces by powerful nations around them. As a lover, God had held off these nations from invading Israel, but now He announces these nations will be free to plunder and ravage Israel. When these nations have satiated their unholy lust on God’s people the final result will be like a shepherd who finds only pieces of an attacked and torn animal. There will only be two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be taken. God as a jilted lover responds with lifting His protection and Egypt and Damascus are loosed on weak defenseless Israel. Israel never got the revelation that God was their refuge and strength. As a final coup de grace, God announces their houses of Ivory shall perish. All of their pride and accumulated possessions will be plundered by Philistia and Egypt.

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2.1-3 Moab. The genesis of Moab was the same as Ammon (Lot’s daughters), and the result was much the same also. Interesting the view of God; the burning of bones of the King of Edom. God’s judgment is reserved usually for actions toward His people. If this holds true, this would refer to the time Edom was a vassal of Israel after the war involving Joram and Jehoshaphat against Moab. The Moabites dug up the bones of the King of Edom and burned them to add insult to injury. If this is indeed the reference of the prophet, then it clearly shows God is also concerned about the peripheral issues of His people also.

2.4-5 Judah. This is one of the sermons that ingratiated Amos to the socialites of the Northern Kingdom. The long simmering issues with the Southern Nation of Judah were ongoing. To hear a judgment against Judah made these Israelites rejoice and feel smug. Little did they know their sermon was coming soon. Both Israel and Judah had violated the law of God and were equally on God’s radar. Both nations were on a countdown to destruction.

2.6-16 Israel. The joy of judgment on Judah was short lived, for in the next breath, Amos prophecies about Israel. The list of grievous issues is long and detailed. As Amos lists the flagrant violations of God’s law, the heart of the people sank lower and lower. God had reached His breaking point with this Northern Kingdom. The sins of selling out the righteous for money, ignoring the meek (God’s choice in people), sexual impurity, drinking the wine of the condemned, all in juxtaposition to God destroying their enemies, bringing them out of Egypt, raising their sons to be prophets, finally caused God to feel like He was pressed under a cart full of sheaves. The clock had ticked down to the final moment and judgment had arrived. Amos was the voice announcing that moment. There was to be no escape nor deliverance. Omnibus rebus bonis finis est, for all good things there is an end.

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1.1-2 Amos begins by documenting the moment of his prophecy according to a well known earthquake. This earthquake was also mentioned by Joel and Zechariah. It is a reminder of God’s great power in nature.

1.3-5 Damascus. This capital city of Syria had a long history of cruelty toward Jerusalem. This judgment brought great satisfaction to the Jewish populace of the Northern Kingdom. The phrase for three transgressions and for four is a rhetorical way of saying the offender is guilty of many offenses. The plain of Aven is an area where idolatry was deeply entrenched. The house of Eden (pleasure), probably has reference to the King of Syria’s palace.

1.6-8 Gaza. This prophecy was a prophecy against Philistia as a whole, as it names several cities of that country. Philistia took the whole populace of Israel captive and delivered it to Edom. This is mentioned in Joel 3.3-8. The prophecy that Philistia will be cut off and perish has been fulfilled.

1.9-10 Tyrus. Tyre did not remember the covenant that King Hiram made with David and Solomon. This agreement had been in place for many years and no King of Israel or Judah had ever warred on Phoenicia. Judah honored her side of the treaty but Phoenicia sold the people of Israel to others (Joel 3.4-8). God expects promises to be honored and kept.

1.11-12 Edom. The judgment of Edom is enunciated clearly in the book of Obadiah. Edom pursued his brother Israel with the sword. One of David’s most admired qualities was he never lifted a sword against another Israeli. To fight and betray a brother is a cause of great angst in the heart of God.

1.13-15 Ammon. Long an enemy of Israel and Judah, Amos asserts this evil and wicked nation will meet it’s demise for it’s unspeakable atrocities against God’s people. Beginning in the time of the Judges, through the wars of Hazael the King of Syria, and Sihon the King of the Amorites, the nation of Ammon had ripped up women with child and committed unspeakable cruelties. As punishment their capital was to be burned, the nation put in exile, and their kingdom destroyed. The message of this chapter is clear: God keeps records and will bring every work into judgment.

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Things had never been better. Israel was at the pinnacle of her national power. Trade and commerce were at an all time high. For the first time in many generations there was no threat of war. Merchants began to pile up profits. The people had luxuries they had only heard of. New homes were springing up everywhere. Beautiful ivory laid furniture was in the homes of the affluent. Meat, wine, body lotions were all common place in every home. 

Then one lone voice rose above the din of pleasure. From the southern kingdom a lone prophet had come to town with a new message. Amos first two sermons ingratiated him with the rich elite socialites of Jerusalem. Everything was going well. Then, Amos’ third sermon exploded their carefully constructed lives. Amos called these expensively coiffured socialites a bunch of cows. The priest challenged the Prophet and judgment fell quickly. 

Amos was no professional prophet. He was a herdsman from lowly Tekoa in the south. He addressed a religious group of people who were regular church goers. They were comfortable and looking forward to the Day of the Lord. Suddenly a prophet was bringing bad news. God said “I hate, I despise your religious festivals”. God wanted justice. Amos focuses on the injustice of Israelite society. 

The rich were abusing the poor to get luxuries. They paraded their devotion to God like future Pharisees. They wanted God to fit neatly into their lives. Amos informed them God must be master over all of life, even business.

Amos was rough and unpolished. He did not fit in their cultured, opulent life style. His language is coarse and plain. His allusions are from the country. He speaks of baskets of fruit and plumb lines. The simplest person in society could understand his plain language. All men understand the language of cruelty and inhumanity. Amos predicted coming judgment. From the moment he spoke these words, Israel began to spiral downward. In the next thirteen years five Kings took the throne. Three were assassinated. Within thirty years Israel had been dismantled by Assyria. 

Amos again illustrates that God used Prophets as His direct mouthpiece to the people because the priesthood had failed in its function. 

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2.1-2 the trumpet. The sounding of the trumpet was a call to religious gathering. Here the prophet uses the metaphor to signal God is sounding a trumpet. This will be repeated in the New Testament by Paul and John the revelator in the books of 1 Corinthians and Revelation.

2.3-11the day of the Lord. This is a major theme of the Old Testament. Joel is sounding the alarm that the day is approaching rapidly. Joel likens it to a scorched earth scenario. This is common among the peoples of that day. Armies many times used this technique to render an opponent helpless. In the case of God it is a reflection of the completeness of His anger and judgment. The analogy of locusts is to chariots and war horses. The destruction will be complete. The day of the Lord will be terrible and who can abide it?

2.12-17 the appeal to return. It is not too late. God is still reaching for His people. Turn to the Lord with weeping and mourning. God is slow to anger and merciful. Begin with the priests and a call to repentance. This is the second time Joel metaphorically sounds the trumpet.

2.18-27 the beauty of God’s judgment is it did not last forever. It was for a season. The prophet now shifts his eye to the restoration of the people of God. There will be restoration of the very things the locust destroyed. Wheat, corn, wine, oil, and all the beasts of the field will again be plentiful. The fruit trees will again bear in their season. The promise is to restore everything taken away by the locusts. The prophet now moves into the great prophecy of the coming of the Spirit of God fulfilled in Acts chapter 2.

2.28-32 this prophecy is one of the turning points of the Old Testament and points to the great outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Acts 2. God reveals His will to indwell every person who will allow Him to live inside them. In the bigger picture of planet earth, the destruction caused by the fall of Adam and Eve will be restored by the spiritual rain that falls in Acts chapter 2. This is the restoration God has provided for all of mankind. Mankind was destroyed by sin in the garden and now God has provided complete restoration through His in dwelling spirit.All things destroyed by the fall are now restored in Jesus Christ. Peter confirms this when he preaches the first message of the New Testament era in Acts 2. Peter quotes this passage as proof of God’s spirit indwelling believers. The moment in Acts 2, when the Holy Ghost falls is the pinnacle of all God’s purpose and promise to humankind. From that moment, the eternal purpose of God is made manifest; God came to earth to save all of mankind.

Chapter 3

3.1-8 The prophet extends the eye of prophecy to all the nations of the world. There will be a gathering of all nations into the valley of Jehoshaphat. This is referring to the great battle of Armageddon in the future. The battle of Armageddon will balance the scales of all the wrongs listed in these verses by the nations that opposed God.

3.9-16 the greatest battle of all history is now spoken of. The gentile nations are awakened. Plowshares are beaten into instruments of war, and pruning hooks into spears. This is the great harvest of the ages in which God will bring mankind to answer for his rebellion. There will be reactions from nature in the sun and the moon. The stars will go black. God will roar out of heaven and proclaim His rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is the ultimate war of good verses evil, and good triumphs forever.

3.17-21 the aftermath of war. God will restore earth and He himself will rule as King. Earth rejoices with plentiful crops and abundance. Jerusalem takes her rightful place as the capitol of the world. In these final sweeping verses, Joel captures the promise of the ages of almighty God to His faithful followers. The devastation at their feet left from the invasion of locusts that represent judgment, will give way to the glorious morning of Christ’s rule on Earth. All things will be restored and God shall fill all in all.

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Joel

Introduction

Is a natural disaster an act of God? When earthquakes strike, or famines continue, are these the acts of God or are they just the result of life on planet earth? This Theist verses Deist argument has been around for 2500 years. Plato and his school discussed this ad infinitum. The prophet Joel had no hesitation. He boldly proclaimed this was God working among men. 

The book of Joel is about a locust invasion. A swarm of locusts that covered the land and destroyed everything in sight. Joel’s vision was God leading these locusts into battle like a General leads his troops (2.11). Joel encouraged the priests to call a national day of prayer and fasting to lead the people back to God. He promised if the people would return to God they would eat in plenty (2.26). Joel proposed this disaster could bring a backslidden nation back to God.

It was an uphill task for God’s prophet. Joel’s vision was that God’s people would love God all the time, not just in times of disaster. It is human nature to turn to God in times of great tragedy. This book is an eternal appeal to all mankind to love God in the times of prosperity, and in the times of dearth.

It begins with the plague of locusts, and moves to the call for repentance. The day of the Lord is coming and the prophet is calling for men to turn back to God. One of the greatest promises of the Bible is in this small book. It is the promise of the coming Spirit of God being poured out on all flesh. This would happen centuries in the future on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. The prophecy then moves on to the judgment of Judah’s enemies and the future eternal blessings on God’s people.

This small book of three chapters covers some of the most profound questions mankind has asked throughout history. The conclusion is succinct and powerful. Whether it’s is a swarm of locusts, or nuclear war, God is in control. Turn to God and your future will be blessed and secure.

Chapter 1

1.1-3 the prophet gives his ancestry as the son of Pethuel, which means enlarged of God. He calls to the aged among the people to see if anyone remembers such a plague as they now experience? He encourages them to not let this moment be forgotten in the generations to come.

1.4-12 the devastation is documented. The terms of four destroying insects are offered. These are the palmerworm, the locust, the cankerworm and the caterpillar. These also represent the stages of the plague and the results. First there was a worm, then a grown locust that left behind eggs that would hatch again and bring yet another plague of young locusts. This vivid imagery was poignant to farmers for all future crops were in jeopardy. They would no sooner get one crop grown before the eggs gave birth to new young hordes of locusts and the cycle repeated itself again. The cycle would never end. This was the story of the people of God over the last six hundred years of Israel’s history. The image of revolving failure was stark for the people to see. The total loss of meats, fig trees, corn, wine, wheat and barley, and pomegranates reflect the loss of joy in the hearts of the populace. They were facing a hopeless future.

1.13-20 the prophet starts with the answer; the priests. Joel calls the ministry to lament and howl and fast. The hunger is a result of the spiritual famine and leaving God. The natural disaster is a mirror of what has happened to the nation spiritually. The seed is rotten, the barns are broken down, and the beasts have no pasture. The future is bleak unless the people turn back to their God.

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1.1-3 We are not privy to know which Obadiah in the scripture this is, or if he is any of those listed in the Bible. The importance here is not the messenger, but rather the message. God does not leave out or hide details to be evasive. God chooses to put in the details He sees necessary. The issue is concerning Edom, the lineage of Esau. As Edom rises to battle against his brother Israel, God rises to battle against Edom. God made Edom small and despised. God exposed the pride of Edom’s heart to the world. God pulled away Edom’s bogus safety of the high craggy cliffs of Petra. Edom has ascended not only the rocky heights of Petra, but like Lucifer he climbed the heights of pride. This pinnacle will always cause a fall.
1.4-6 By man’s standard Esau’s descendants were very high and secure. By God’s standard, they were just another foolish pride to be cast down. The almighty lets them know his battle with them will leave no prisoners and give no quarter. Thieves or robbers would not utterly destroy, they would only take the valuables. God needs no valuables. God is not there to plunder. If men were gathering grapes, they would leave some behind. God has no such intentions. God has tolerated this feud for generations and now the judgment falls. One of the most poetic and focused moments in scripture is penned by an unknown author in an unknown time. “How are the things of Esau searched out?” The original language speaks of secret things. This goes far beyond visible things. Esau is about to be removed forever. The only thing left will be a vague memory of a once proud people.

1.7-9 the striping of Edom will include his confederates. Those he sought laughter and solace in will now oppose him and Edom will feel the lash of their derision. Edom is now going to feel the stab in the back he has subjected Jacob to. Jesus confirmed this in His teaching, “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged”. The wise and mighty men of Edom are now cut off by slaughter and a violent death.

1.10-14 the violence you have dispensed now overwhelms you Edom. You drink of the cup you have served for generations. The sword you wielded will now execute you. God documents His verdict on Edom. Edom stood by and watched as his brother Jacob was attacked and bloodied. This points to our obligation to help our brother. This is illustrated in the New Testament by the parable of the good samaritan. Jesus asked the pointed question “who is my neighbor”. God set down a principal that if you refuse to help your brother when he is in need you are not absolved of guilt. The calamity of a brother reaches into our realm of responsibility. We are our brother’s keeper.

1.15-16 divine retribution continues to be the pronounced edict of God on Edom. As you have done to others, so shall it be done to you. The day has come, judgment has arrived. Edom chose their reward by how they lived. This is the universal principal of God. Man chooses his judgment, God only pronounces it. You will drink what you have served others.

1.17-18 the promise of Jacob’s triumph. After centuries of letting the scales seem out of balance, God now reassures the world judgment will arrive in due time. It will flow from God’s chosen people. Esau and all his offspring will eventually be usurped by Jacob and his offspring. Jacob will be a fire and Esau will be stubble, and none shall remain of the house of Esau.

1.19-20 the spoil of war will be bequeathed upon Jacob’s offspring. The final verdict is pronounced. Edom you are forever judged, Jacob you are forever blessed. 

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Obadiah

Introduction

This book, like others in sacred canon, is sometimes looked at and pondered. It would be more plausible if it contained world views or clashing armies with world changing moments. Instead it is about a feud between two brothers that spans hundreds of years. So the question arises, why is this in the Bible? What eternal truth was so valuable that God said every generation needs to read this and adjust their life to be saved? The Bible is our roadmap to get to heaven and each book and chapter serves that purpose in some manner. So how does the story of twin brothers in a life long feud serve millenniums of pilgrims headed for a celestial city?

To add to the mystic, the author is anonymous. There is no certainty who he is for sure. Then add to the conundrum the date of the writing. It is also uncertain. We are left with the simple concept that God felt this scroll was important. This book is an important detail to the overall body of the Bible. It is the shortest book in the Bible. The author can be anyone from a King’s courier and temple confidant, to an unknown person. The message God is sending seems to be, focus on the content, not the container.

These twins, Jacob and Esau, struggled in their mothers womb. Even in their birth there was conflict with Jacob holding his brother’s heel. Throughout their life this open conflict continued. The details are recorded in the sacred canon. This book details how God views such issues. In the larger span of life, this conflict speaks to universal man. Life is a conflict. How we react and interact with that conflict determines not only our eternal salvation, but also our quality of life. The depth of the Bible is ever about layers of truth. Never more so than in this brief interlude in your daily reading. How you react to your brother is important to God. God documents your secret thoughts and and all your insidious motives. This is the far reaching meaning of this smallest of books. God watches if you rejoice when your brother struggles. God is documenting the moment if you assist in your brother’s demise. Just as God wrote down the motives and machinations of Esau and his lineage, He is documenting ours as well. The resounding echo of this small compendium is that we live carefully and cognizant of this. Jesus emphatically stated, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

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This was shared with me, I do not know who wrote it. Very sobering. 

Temptation Says, ‘Feed Me So I Can Destroy You’

Giving in to temptation can destroy you.

“I destroy homes, tear families apart, take your children, and that’s just the start. I’m more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold; the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold … Just try me once and I might let you go, but try me twice, and I’ll own your soul.

“When I possess you, you’ll steal and you’ll lie. You do what you have to just to get high. … You’ll lie to your mother; you’ll steal from your dad. When you see their tears, you should feel sad. But you’ll forget your morals and how you were raised, I’ll be your conscience; I’ll teach you my ways.
“I take kids from parents, and parents from kids, I turn people from God, and separate from friends. I’ll take everything from you, your looks and your pride. I’ll be with you always, right by your side … I’ll take and take, till you have nothing more to give. When I’m finished with you, you’ll be lucky to live.
“If you try me, be warned this is no game. If given the chance, I’ll drive you insane. I’ll ravish your body; I’ll control your mind. I’ll own you completely; your soul will be mine.
“The nightmares I’ll give you while lying in bed, the voices you’ll hear from inside your head, the sweats, the shakes, the visions you’ll see; I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.
“But then it’s too late, and you’ll know in your heart, that you are mine, and we shall not part. You’ll regret that you tried me, they always do, but you came to me, not I to you.
“You knew this would happen. Many times you were told, but you challenged my power, and chose to be bold. You could have said no and just walked away. If you could live that day over now what would you say?
“I’ll be your master; you will be my slave, I’ll even go with you, when you go to your grave. Now that you have met me, what will you do? Will you try me or not? It’s all up to you. I can bring you more misery than words can tell. Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell”
I pray we all avoid temptation….thanks for reading today.

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