Posts that reference the book of Amos

An Appointment with Amos: His Secret

By Paula Wiseman

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

God is not obligated to reveal Himself
His plans
His ways
But He chooses to.

Amos says, “Surely.”
Certainly.
No question.
God reveals His secret.

In the Old Testament, He spoke through the prophets.
He warned of judgment.
He offered comfort.
He promised blessing.

In the Gospels, He spoke through Christ.
He warned of judgment.
He offered salvation.
He promised the Kingdom.

Now He speaks through Scripture.
He warns of judgment.
He offers hope.
He promises His presence.

If we want to know,
If we want to understand,
He has told us His secret.

Listen.
Read.
Know.
Act.

What a wonder!
What grace!
That God, the King, would take us into His confidence.

The question is
Do we care to know His secret?

Agreed

By Paula Wiseman

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Amos 3:3

The answer is no.

They must agree on destination,
Departure, direction, speed.

The prophet challenges us to consider
Our walk with God.

Is it a walk with God?
Or are we walking,

Deciding for ourselves the destination
The departure time, the direction and speed of the journey.

God will not leave His way to join us.

And if we are not walking WITH God
We are walking AWAY from God.

There is no in between.

Last month while we were at Disney World, one afternoon we staked out a spot on the curb so we could watch the parade. The crowd grew and the anticipation heightened until finally the loudspeakers blared the music and the procession began. All the characters and supporting cast passed by to upbeat music and lively choreography. And while it was Disney World, and the whole thing made some sense just for that fact alone, it fit together better if you paid attention to the song. Granted, I didn’t pay rapt attention. I was busy trying to identify the characters, point them out to my youngest one and take pictures, but the order the characters appeared wasn’t random. It was purposeful, and the song clued you in on that.

We have times in our lives – maybe more often than not – that are a lot like watching a parade, and not necessarily for the fun and excitement. People and events pass before us and we struggle to understand how and why things happen at that time, to those people (or us), in that way. We get busy trying to identify and explain it all, and we forget it’s following a plan. However, if we pay attention the lyrics, to the Word, then we begin to grasp the hows and whys.

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

See that. The Lord doesn’t do anything outside the plan revealed in His word. He gave us the plan so we wouldn’t lose hope when things seem bewildering at best or an insane mess at their worst. Our frustration comes because He doesn’t spell out in specific intricate detail what He’s doing and why. We want to know Mickey and Minnie will be on the lead float, followed by Pinnochio in a mock-up of Gepetto’s shop. There will be twelve floats in all with three dozen other characters walking, and three dozen cast members. (I really didn’t count. I was on vacation.) But we feel secure with that level of detail. At least I do.

And that’s the thing. Perhaps God doesn’t tell us everything so that our security rests, not in our knowledge of the details, but in the One who arranges them.

Study Tip: Micah

By Paula Wiseman

The Minor Prophets are so named not because their messages were any less important or inspired but because their writings were shorter. Often God called them to deliver one specific message and then they went back to their vocation. We're in the process of looking at what makes these short books relevant and worth a closer look.

Micah was another country boy, like Amos, called by God to deliver a harsh message, but, he preached to Judah while Amos preached to Israel. He was also a contemporary of Isaiah, and some scholars believe Micah delivered his message to the regular folks while Isaiah used his connections to address the upper class.

During Micah's day, there was relative peace and prosperity in Judah. However, the northern kingdom of Israel was about to fall to the Assyrians. A flood of folks were making their way south to escape the Assyrian threat, and bringing their Baal worship with them. A denunciation of idolatry is a major theme of Micah's message.

What to look for in Micah

The Case: The language and style of Micah is like that of an impassioned prosecutor making his case. Note the three times he uses the word "hear" (or "listen" in some translations) at the beginning of chapter 1, chapter 3 and chapter 6. Those mark off three sections, maybe three separate messages. What is the charge in each section? What evidence does he give? What hope does he offer the defendant, Judah?

The Last Days: (Or "that day" or the "latter days", especially in chapter 4) What will happen on "that day" or during those days?

The Lines: Micah 5:2 may be the most familiar verse in the book due to its Christmas message. How does it fit in context though? Another well-known verse is 6:8. It's quoted a couple of times in the New Testament. How does it fit in context?

Habakkuk is up next!

Study Tip: Amos and Obadiah

By Paula Wiseman

The Minor Prophets are so named not because their messages were any less important or inspired but because their writings were shorter. Often God called them to deliver one specific message and then they went back to their vocation. Some are very familiar like Jonah. Others like Nahum or Zephaniah are not so well known. Over the next several study tips, we'll look at these short books and point out what makes them relevant and worth a closer look.

Amos was a farmer who was tapped to bring a message to Israel- don't be fooled into thinking that just because economic times were good, it's a sign of God's favor. We can date his message pretty reliably from 1:1 where he says "two years before the earthquake". A major earthquake occurred in 760BC during King Uzziah's reign. This makes Amos a contemporary with Isaiah.

What to look for-

Amos starts with a series of messages to the neighboring nations. Who are they? What sins are mentioned? What judgment is promised?
Then he turns his attention to Israel. What are her major sins? What means has God used try to get Israel's attention so far? Has it worked?
Finally, Amos sees a series of visions in which Gods uses everyday objects to help illustrate the point. Two visions are positive. Three are negative. What are the objects and the messages?

(BONUS: Did you notice the locusts? How do they compare with Joel's locusts? Are they positive or negative?)

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, a one chapter quick hit for the nation of Edom. The people of Edom were the descendents of Esau and there were generations of bitter, bad blood between Edom and Israel.

How is Edom characterized? What are the people like? What have they done?
How does/will God respond? What is the final outcome for Israel and for Edom?
Notice the repeated word "day". How is it described? What will happen on that day?
What does Obadiah tell you about the fate of the enemies of God's people?

I love that even after difficult messages of warning and judgment, God finishes with a clear word of hope and restoration. Thankfully, with God, the bad news is never the last word.

Next week: Jonah and Nahum