Remember... #11

 Read Zechariah 11

Background: Having given several visions and messages to encourage the people in their rebuilding and to live differently than they had before the exile, God now addresses leadership in particular.  The "shepherds" of Israel had especially let God and His people down in the demise of the Land. First Israel, the Northern kingdom, then Judah in the South had kings who sold out to foreign nations and their gods, forgetting Who it was who had given them the land and all its blessings.  As their hearts turned cold toward God, they also became hardened to the needs of others; they treated their people as sheep that could simple be bought and sold, with no care for their well-being.  

Key Verses:  9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Thoughts:  As Israel and her leaders continued down their path of disobedience and turning their backs on God, He had come to the point where He annulled the covenant he had made with them.  Along the way He also divided the two nations, keeping Judah as pure as possible as long as possible before it too had to be punished and exiled.  In this paragraph we see the passage quoted in the Gospels about the price Judas received for betraying the Great Shepherd, Christ. This, of course, was the ultimate rejection of God and His plan.  Like Judas and the leaders of Israel, God was sending a warning not to fall back into the same state of affairs.

Remember... #10

 Read  Zechariah 10

Background: God had been doing and saying everything He could through Zechariah to both comfort and challenge His people after they had returned from exile.  He wanted to encourage them to not give up on the rebuilding of the temple, wall, and city of Jerusalem, but He also wanted to warn them not to fall back into the same disposition their forefathers had which brought about the exile in the first place. They were not to worry about the surrounding nations that had and were harassing them; He would take care of them. In this chapter He promises that He will provide the rain they need, the leaders to shepherd them, and the assurance that they are indeed His people.

Key Verses:8

 “I will whistle for them and gather them in,
    for I have redeemed them,
    and they shall be as many as they were before.
9 Though I scattered them among the nations,
    yet in far countries they shall remember me,
    and with their children they shall live and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt,
    and gather them from Assyria,
and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon,
    till there is no room for them."

Thoughts: Halfway through the chapter, Zechariah quotes God's words.  He would whistle for them as a shepherd would his sheep, saying it was time to go home.  Though they were scattered everywhere, He was going to bring them from far away.  Though at that time there were not many returnees, making it seem dead and impossible to rebuild, God was going to make Jerusalem a bustling city again. This was, of course what it would be by the time Jesus walked through the city, but even more so what it will be like when the New Jerusalem will be when He comes again. God would, did, and will restore all things, just as He promised.

Remember ... #9

 Read Zechariah 9

Background: God had given Zechariah several visions to share to reassure His people that He was going to use them to rebuild Jerusalem, the Temple, and its walls, and that their punishment of the exile for rebelling was completed.  They needed to know God still had a plan for them. Throughout his sharing of those visions, Zechariah also challenged them to not fall back into the same rut of repeated sin their forefathers had lest they ruin the wonderful opportunity God was affording them.  God now reveals that He will be punishing all those surrounding nations and peoples which had arrogantly abused Israel during that time and were now harassing them.  These nations had presumed that they were better than Israel and therefore justified in their cruelty.  

Key Verses: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Thoughts: God now revealed that He was going to do something in the futures that would bring to completion His plan for His people. We recognize the first verse above as being fulfilled by Christ at His triumphal entry, and the promise of Peace that He would bring when both Israel and Judah, the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, would be united.  After these verses He goes on to picture for them the full restoration He would someday bring with all its glory. 

Remember #8

Read Zechariah 8

Background:  Yesterday we looked at the first two responses of God to His people's question about fasting.  In this chapter we find the second two.  Thirdly, God promised to restore His people to the city of Jerusalem, but even more importantly, His presence in the city with them.  They city would come alive with families and God's one big family.  Fourthly, He was promising to bring peace, protection, and productivity back to the city, so that it would no longer be a place of shame, but instead one of prosperity and success.

Key verses: 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, 15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; 17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”

Thoughts: Since God was making all these promises to them, and not continuing with the judgment He had been carrying out on their forefathers, He was calling on them to live differently than they had: lives full of justice, truth, and kindness. He then closes the chapter by saying that they were no longer to fast, but to feast and celebrate all that God was doing.  He was going to bless them so much that other peoples would come and want to be a part of what God was doing.  God was not done with them as His people. 

Remember... #7

Read Zechariah 7

Background: Having shared his eight visions about God's restoration of Israel, then the ceremony of installation for the High Priest as a sign of home and comfort, Zechariah now records the interaction of the people with God through the priests concerning a pressing question: "Should they continue to observe all the fasts they had begun during the exile which commemorated all the steps of the fall of Jerusalem?" God gives four answers to their question. Chapter 7 covers the first two. First, they were to search their hearts to see that they had not been fasting for God; it was a self-righteous ceremony they did to try to look righteous and manipulate Him. Second, they were to demonstrate repentance through changed actions.  God had constantly called them to demonstrate they understood who they were by the way they treated one another: with humility and justice.  But they repeatedly refused to do so.  Any fasting or sacrifices would be meaningless without changing their actions.

Key Verses:

12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Thoughts: The key was their hard-heartedness.  If they did not change that, they would end up in the same situation all over again.  When will we ever learn?

Remember... #6

 

Read Zechariah 6

Background: God gave Zechariah yet another vision - this time of four chariots going in the four directions, looking to give a report to the Lord about the condition of the earth. They found that things were at rest, at peace, and returned to give their report.  Upon hearing that report, the Lord then gave a command for Zechariah to call together the leaders of Israel to make a crown and place it upon Joshua, making him the High Priest.  This was not just to be an encouragement to Joshua personally, but also a sign to the people that there would be someone to oversee temple worship again.  It indicated that the rebuilding of the temple would indeed be completed by God.  Also involved in this rebuilding would be The Branch, who would be of the same mind. Together they would stand as witness that God would do what He promised to do.

Key Verses:

15 “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Thoughts:  The intended purpose of this message was to encourage the people to believe God, and also to act upon what He was calling them to do. They were to trust and obey His directions, and then they would see His promises come true.  So should we. 

Remember #5

 Read Zechariah 5

Background: In this chapter Zechariah shares two visions God gave him to encourage His people. First, he saw a flying scroll.  This of course means he was to consider the Word of God, but there was something unique about this scroll - it had the same dimensions as the Holy Place in the Tabernacle.  God was going to examine His people to the full extent of His Law and He was going to purge all evil from the land accordingly, leaving the land and its people holy for His use.  The second vision was that of a woman in a basket.  We are also told the basket was full of evil.  The woman represented all the wickedness of goddess worship which could be found in the land.  Once again, God was going to purge His land and His people by dumping the woman, and the evil, out of the basket.  Two angels were going to take her back to Babylon and cast her out there, purifying God's land.  

Key verses:

3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely[b] shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. 4 I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

Thoughts:  Though God was judging evil and removing those who refused to repent and change, the real emphasis was on this as a promise: God was going to restore and revive the land, bringing it back to full use for His glory.  It was to encourage them that God indeed was at work.

Remember... #4

 Read Zechariah 4

Background: God gave Zechariah yet another vision to encourage the people that He indeed was going to restore the Jerusalem and the temple: the vision of the lampstand and two olive trees. Zechariah was unclear as to what they meant.  The lampstand, of course, meant that the temple would once again be functioning.  Included in the explanation was a promise that Zerubbabel would be used of God as the leader to accomplish this.  When he asked about the two trees, God explained that there were two leaders - the other most likely Joshua the High Priest whom we have already discussed.  Since the lamp was "powered" by olive oil, the picture was of unending supply - that the fire would never be extinguished.

Key Verses: 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Thoughts: God made it clear that He was not relying on Zechariah, Zerubbabel, Joshua, or any other person to accomplish this work; the Holy Spirit would be present through it all, just as He had at creation.  He also went on to address some murmuring that had been going on that the new temple and city were not as glorious as the old - that they were a small thing.  They were not seeing things properly; never call what God is doing a small thing. 

Remember... #3

 

Read Zechariah 3

Background: God gave Zechariah eight visions to pass on to the people of Israel which God intended for the purpose of reassuring them that He had not forgotten them, but was going to restore and rebuild both the temple and the city of Jerusalem.  He was going to give them prosperity and protection while He had them carefully carry out a planned rebuilding process. Today we get to the fourth vision: that of the High Priest Joshua being cleansed and installed into ministry.  The people were down and discouraged, afraid that they were no longer worthy to be God's people, due to their past sin.  God wanted to turn them away from that mindset to focus on Him and what He could do by His grace, mercy, and power.

Key Verses:

 And the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here. 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

Thoughts: The key word above was "assured;" The Angel of the Lord assured Joshua, and through him, the people as a whole.  God was watching over them all, and every one of them were a part of His people and would be used in His plan.  They were not to be discouraged by their past, but to be encouraged as they moved forward to rebuild and see what God had in store for them.  So are we. 

Remember... #2

 Read Zechariah 2

Background: In chapter 1 Zechariah began with a word of challenge and encouragement to his people, sharing the visions God had given him indicating that He was going to restore their prosperity and protect them from all the surrounding nations that sought to harass and hinder them in their work on the temple and the wall.  In this chapter God gives him a vision of a plumbline, showing that the whole city would be rebuilt with a plan God had in mind. He was not done with them yet.

Key Verses:

10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. 11 And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Thoughts: God called the people to rejoice - not only because He was going to restore, rebuild and give them a secure city and land once again - but mostly because that meant He was coming back there to live; He was choosing to return His presence with them and they could be with Him.  He had remembered His promise; they should remember Him and His faithfulness.

Remember... #1

 Read Zechariah 1

Background:  The people of Israel had been in exile for seventy plus years when Ezra led the first group  back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.  Having dealt with supply issues and opposition by surrounding peoples, the project was interrupted and the people became discouraged.  There was a temptation for them to fall back into a lack of trust in and obedience to God.  God raised up prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to challenge and encourage them to not lose heart, not give up, and continue both the work on the Temple and the city walls, as well as the future God had in mind for His people.  He gave Zechariah visions to reassure them that He was going to bless them again. 

Key Verses: 

13 And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. 15 And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.

Thoughts: Having shown Zechariah a grove of myrtle trees, God also showed him three horsemen who were riding through the land making sure everything was at peace.  In the conversation that ensues, God also promises that He was returning in mercy to restore His people, to rebuild Jerusalem.  They were to remember that He was always faithful. They were the ones who had not been faithful.  He then gave a vision of four craftsmen that would rebuild the city from every corner, undoing what had been done by the four horns (nations) that had destroyed them from every direction. 

True Justice #7

 

Read Micah 7

Background: Three times now we have heard the evidence against Israel and Judah concerning their rebellion against God and rejection of His call to repent and obey Him. As Micah looks over the situation, all he sees is violence, corruption, bribery, hatred, and mistrust of anyone and everyone.  As a result, coming judgment is certain and immanent. All there is to do is wait.

Key Verses:

7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.

Thoughts: Micah chooses to continue to trust in God and wait for His salvation. All the nations which have been used by God to discipline His people, thinking it was because they were all-powerful, will be leveled and humbled before God.  With hope, Micah looks to the ultimate conclusion of all things:

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity

    and passing over transgression

    for the remnant of his inheritance?

He does not retain his anger forever,

    because he delights in steadfast love.

19 He will again have compassion on us;

    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.

You will cast all our[f] sins

    into the depths of the sea.

20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob

    and steadfast love to Abraham,

as you have sworn to our fathers

    from the days of old.

True Justice #6

 Read Micah 6

Background: For the third time, God returns to court with His case against His people. This time, He calls on the mountains and hills to listen; they have an even more objective view than the nations of the world. He begins by interviewing His people, asking them why they have turned their backs on the One Who had delivered them and provided for them.  The then gives a classic charge against them:

Key Verses: 
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Thoughts:  God then has His people do some self-examination: What is it that God really wants from us? It is not offerings to "buy Him off;" it is a heart of humble obedience and showing others the love and mercy that God has shown to us.  In the closing paragraph God then points out all the ways that His people had violated this principle with violence, greed, dishonesty, and self-centeredness. The result would be that they would lose everything they had been living for. It would all be taken away, and so would they. 

True Justice #5

 Read Micah 5

Background: In our reading yesterday, we found that Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah was sure. They were going down the same path as Israel had, and were bent on continuing that way.  But Micah also gave words of future hope.  That hope is further extended in this well-known chapter and a promise we read every Advent season:

Key Verses:

2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
    to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.

Thoughts: A great Ruler and Shepherd was going to come. His greatness would not just be in that area, but to the ends of the earth. Micah then returns to talk about the more immediate future. The Assyrians would try repeatedly to capture Judah, but never succeed.  But after Assyria an empire would come which would scatter them across the world.  This too would end when a Remnant returned, and God judged the nations that proudly had harassed them and refused to obey Him. 

Ture Justice #4

 

Read Micah 4

Background: Having pronounced judgment against Judah for following after Israel in their rebellion against God, in this chapter God pronounces a hope far beyond any national restoration they could hope for.  He speaks of "The Mountain of the Lord," His place in HIs temple where all the nations of the world would come for truth, wisdom, and peace.  Everyone will want to go there. He said all this for Judah to put into perspective what was going to happen soon: they would be defeated by enemies, left without a king, and be taken into captivity to Babylon.  It would be from there that God would deliver them. It would be a place of peace and submission to the sovereignty of God.

Key Verses: 6 In that day, declares the Lord,
    I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
    and those whom I have afflicted;
7 and the lame I will make the remnant,
    and those who were cast off, a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
    from this time forth and forevermore.
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
    hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you shall it come,
    the former dominion shall come,
    kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.

  Thoughts:  As a result of these truths, God called on Judah to stop their crying and complaining about their fate.  God had the big picture under control and restore them in due time.  They were to live out the truth that He is the Lord of the Whole Earth. 

True Justice #3

 

Read Micah 3

Background: Having taken us through the initial lawsuit of God against His people, Israel and Judah, with the charges, evidence, punishment, and hope for restoration, He now takes us through round two of the court process, again beginning with "Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel." The leaders themselves are being called out for how they had set an example and created an atmosphere of injustice, immorality, and idolatry in the land.  They had also rejected the pleas of the prophets to repent and re-establish justice in the land. Because of that a dark cloud of desolation would come over the land and they would have no land or people to rule.

Key Verses: 9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
    and make crooked all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
    its priests teach for a price;
    its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the Lord and say,
    “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
    No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
    Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
    and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Thoughts: These words tell of the coming exile.  Notice that Micah is now focused on the Southern kingdom of Judah with its capital at Jerusalem.  They would befall the same fate as her northern counterpart, Israel.  The exile would be long enough that the barren city would be covered with full-grown trees.  

True Justice #2

 Read Micah 2

Background: Having described the coming judgment on Israel and warning Judah to not weep over their fall, Micah now points out the evidence that Judah is now following in the same path.  Their lifestyles are full of covetousness, greed, dishonesty, oppression, and pride.  God will not sit back and watch silently. He was sending His prophets to whom they refused to listen, so He would speak in a louder fashion. They were willing to listen to drunken fools, but not to the Lord.  They were turning His land, the promised land, into an unsafe place where women, children, and the poor felt unsafe.  Therefore, they were going to have to leave that land:

Key Verses: 
12 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;
    I will gather the remnant of Israel;
I will set them together
    like sheep in a fold,
like a flock in its pasture,
    a noisy multitude of men.
13 He who opens the breach goes up before them;
    they break through and pass the gate,
    going out by it.
Their king passes on before them,
    the Lord at their head.

Thoughts: Despite all of their sin and rebellion, God still holds out a message of hope and promise.  He would gather a remnant from the whole house of Israel - northern and southern kingdoms, and bring them back as one flock. A special King would be sent to set them free and lead them as their shepherd.  This flock would include a noisy multitude of men - even bigger than the two nations combined.  Despite the stubborn rebellion of God's people, He still had and has a bigger plan in store. 

True Justice #1

Read Micah 1

Background:  Reading the opening chapter of Micah is like walking into a courtroom where a trial is just getting underway.  God the Judge is presiding and giving his charge to the Jury, made up of the nations of the world.  He Himself is also the prosecutor presenting all the charges and evidence against the accused: the peoples of Israel and Judah.  They were guilty of idolatry and all the immorality and injustice that brought with it.  Not only did God announce the charges and evidence, He also elaborated on the punishment such a crime deserved. 

Key Verses: 

8 For this I will lament and wail;
    I will go stripped and naked;
I will make lamentation like the jackals,
    and mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her wound is incurable,
    and it has come to Judah;
it has reached to the gate of my people, 

to Jerusalem.

Thoughts: Even though God was the rightful judge and well within His rights to demand justice, He was not at all vindictive.  He was in mourning that it was necessary to bring these things to court and demand that the defendant "serve his time."  He was also saddened that having seen Israel suffer for her sin, Judah was following down the same path.  In the remainder of the chapter, God instructs the towns of  Judah not to come to the aid of, mourn for, or feel sorry for Israel.  Instead, they should learn their lesson and repent.

Totally Lacking #9

 

Read Amos 9

Background: This last chapter of Amos gives the final vision he was given by God concerning judgment on Israel.  There was no turning back because no repentance was forthcoming.  God had come to visit the temple at Bethel, the place of the false worship of Israel. He commanded His army to tear down the columns that supported the roof, causing it to crash in on the false worshippers.  Those who ran away - be it up, down, or for the hills were all pursued and captured or killed.  Those who decided to surrender to try to avoid their punishment were killed.  It was a scene of total devastation. Yet, God would preserve those who did trust in Him.

Key verses: 11 “In that day I will raise up
    the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
    and raise up its ruins
    and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and all the nations who are called by my name,”
    declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
    and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
    and all the hills shall flow with it.
14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
    and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
    and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant them on their land,
    and they shall never again be uprooted
    out of the land that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

Thoughts: Once again, God takes us beyond the judgment and punishment to a future restoration. He would raise up, repair, and rebuild the booth of David. His house, and the House of the Lord would once again become a place of joy and abundance for all who come under God's care.

Totally Lacking #8

 

Read Amos 8

Background: In chapter 7 we looked at the first three of five visions God gave Amos concerning His judgment on Israel.  The first two were averted because of Amos crying out to God in repentance on behalf of the nation, but the third was not. This chapter gives the fourth vision: The basket of summer fruit. Like summer fruit, Israel was ripe - overly ripe for harvest. Her sins were so complete she was close to rotting on the vine.  Their lack of concern for the poor, dishonesty, and injustice were becoming like the Nile River at flood season: rising up and wiping everything out. Judgment would come that would replace their constant merriment into constant misery.

Key Verses: 11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
    “when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
    and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
    but they shall not find it.
13 “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
    shall faint for thirst.
14 Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria,
    and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’
    they shall fall, and never rise again.”

Thoughts: Their judgment would be more than physical: they would have a spiritual famine. The whole religious system of the Northern Kingdom of Israel would collapse to never be restored. Wherever they would go, they would never find fulfillment.  Their only hope would be to return to the God of Judah, the true God of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Totally Lacking #7

 

Read Amos 7.

Background.  We have seen God's message through Amos that judgment was coming on Israel and her surrounding nations, including Judah.  He had confronted Israel with her false worship, flagrant idolatry, and refusal to take repentance seriously.  He now gives Amos five visions of what judgment will look like for Israel.  In the first two, Amos cries out to God for mercy and God relents from sending judgment at that time, but with the third vision things change.  The first vision is that of locusts devouring the land, much like we see in Joel.  The second vision is that of a drought and wide-spread fires burning through the land.  These both were averted.  The third vision is that of the plumb line. Israel just does not "measure up," and as a result must be torn down and rebuilt.  This time Amos does not call out to God on their behalf, and King Amaziah accuses him of being a traitor, telling him to go back home to Judah and prophesy there.

Key Verses: You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
    and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
17 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
    and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
    and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
    and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Thoughts: Amos' response to Amaziah is both personal and representative. Amaziah's family would suffer, he would be taken captive and die in custody, and his people would be taken away into a pagan place.  All would receive what they deserved: judgment for their refusal to repent.  Amos had not come there because he wanted to, but because God had sent him. He had done everything he could for Israel.

Totally Lacking #6

 

Read Amos 6

Background: As we said at the beginning of this book, Amos was from Judah but was called to preach to Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  He begins this chapter with the warning: 

Key verse: Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel comes!

Thoughts: Judah and Jerusalem needed to beware the tendency to sit back and glory over the fall of Israel, finding joy in the fact that the rebellious nation was "getting their just rewards." Judah was not far behind.  They were living a life of gluttony and pleasure, ignoring the fact that all around them nations stronger at the time than they were finding themselves taken away.  Amos then turns his words back toward Israel:

 The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:

“I abhor the pride of Jacob

    and hate his strongholds,

    and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

Pride once again, is what goes before the great fall.  The men of the nation would be few in number after all the defeats they would have in battle, and the capital city of  Samaria would fall a great fall.  

Totally Lacking #5

 Read Amos 5

Background: Apparently, Amos' confrontation of the people of Israel about their sin drew some response - just not the right response.  Having set aside the worship of the true and living God at the temple in Jerusalem, they just brought more offerings more often to the false temple of the golden calf at Gilgal. Rather than changing their ways, they "gave their change," thinking they could buy God's approval and forgiveness.  

Key Verses: 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
5     but do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter into Gilgal
    or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
    and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 Seek the Lord and live,
    lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
    and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 O you who turn justice to wormwood
    and cast down righteousness to the earth!

Thoughts: What God wanted was what He always wants: for them to seek Him and to live by His holy standards of righteousness and justice.  He wanted them to stop worshipping the stars and worship the One Who made them.  He then points out that He been sending them prophets to remind them, but they kept refusing to listen to them.  After another call to seek Him, he goes on to tell them that judgment was coming, and it was not going to be pretty.  Though they spoke of the "Day of the Lord" with anticipation, waiting for God to come judge their enemies, that Day would also be for them. They were looking at things completely wrong.  He was tired of hearing all their supposed songs of worship when their hearts were so far from them.  There soon would be singing no more.

Totally Lacking #4

 

Read Amos 4

Background: Having spent the last two chapters pronouncing the coming judgment on Israel, one might hope that they would repent and be spared, but it becomes very evident in this chapter that any sign of remorse or repentance was only on the surface and that no since confession or worship were taking place. They were still oppressing the poor, while living the party life. They increased their sacrifices, but at the fake temple in Bethel.  God had sent all sorts of signs of discipline: famine, pestilence - even some of the same signs He had sent to Egypt and Sodom and Gomorrah, yet they did not take the hint: they continued in rebellion against God, ignoring the warnings of judgment.

Key Verses: 12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
    because I will do this to you,
    prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
    and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth—
    the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

God repeats Himself to be very clear: It is HE who is doing this. They needed to prepare to meet God.  In context here that has only an unfavorable tone to it: they would meet the scary side of God: His offended holiness.  He was acting upon His rights as Creator and the One Who has revealed Himself. He is also the "God of Hosts" Who has angel armies to carry out His work and His Will.  How often does God need to speak before we listen?

Totally Lacking #3

 

Read Amos 3.

Background:  In chapter 2, Amos finally made his way to the real recipients of God's warning: the people of Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  He has pointed out many of the ways they had rebelled against Him. In this chapter God reminded them that they were His family, and as such He needed to discipline them. God was not going to do so without warning; that wouldn't be right.  So He was making an announcement through His prophet. God told them that He had sent invitations to come and surround Samaria (Israel) and to deliver her from her bondage to sin; they were to do this by defeating, plundering, and exiling them. This would be deliverance for those who were being oppressed or too young to know better.

Key verses:12 Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
    and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.

Thoughts: Amos is speaking as a shepherd and as a prophet of God. He understands what God is doing. He had "delivered" sheep from attackers before.  Often there were only remnants left.  God was going to punish the rich, oppressive, idol-worshippers who had brought all this sin into the land.  But there would still be a remnant of His sheep who still loved and served Him whom He would care for. 

Totally Lacking #2

 Read Amos 2

Background: Amos continues what he started in chapter 1: announcing judgment on nations surrounding Israel for their violations of God's law and His heart.  Here he first addressed Moab, which had 'burned the bones to lime" of the king of Ammon; there was a total lack of respect for human life.  Next Amos addressed Judah, Israel's closest "neighbor", and her lack of obedience to the Law of God.  Finally, Amos gets to his main target: Israel herself.  Whereas with all the others Amos begins his accusation with "for three, as for four"... here he actually goes into details on their offences: there was no justice for the poor; they committed all kinds of incest; they worshipped pagan gods; they not only "forgot" the goodness of God - they tried to drown out those who would seek to remind them.

Key verses: 13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
    nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.

Thoughts: Here we see Amos' agricultural lifestyle used to illustrate what judgment will look like: Their enemy will press their bodies down hard in a cart, getting as many in as they can, just like a farmer would press as much wheat as he could into each cartload.  Everything Israel would try to draw from would fail: their speed, strength, and courage would all fail them, and they would run away with nothing - not even the "shirts on their backs." 

Totally Lacking #1

 Read Amos 1

Background: Amos gives us very clear markers as to when he was called to speak for God: It was in the earlier 8th century B.C.  Jeroboam II was king in Israel, making it a time of economic abundance but spiritual famine.  Signs of Judgment were seen all around in the  nations surrounding Judah. God was naming names, pointing out the root causes, and telling them what to expect. The northern kingdom of Israel was beginning to experience drought, having chosen to worship the golden calf on their own hill instead of the true and living God in the temple at Jerusalem.  Syria would be dismantled because of the way they had mistreated some of the people of Israel.  Gaza would be burned for selling other peoples into bondage. The same thing would happen to Tyre because they did the same thing after having made treaties.  Edom would be burned for killing those they called brothers and defenseless women, while Ammon did worse yet, taking babies from their mothers' wombs.  

Key Verse: 2“The Lord roars from Zion
    and thunders from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel withers.”

Thoughts: God wanted them to know Who was judging them and why.  There was a definite connection between their behavior and their destruction, and he wanted them and everyone around to realize it. He also wanted His own people to realize He was watching them too. 

Not Nineveh! #7

 Read Nahum 3

Background: Having announced the coming judgment on Nineveh, the capital city of  the Assyrian Empire, Nahum then described in detail what the destruction would look like: total chaos where everything that the city had bragged about and depended on actually contributed to the chaos and their downfall.  In this chapter God reveals more of the why: Why was this judgment happening and why now? Simply put, things had been piling up like the dead bodies of the innocent lives they had taken: they promised to accept tribute to not attack a city, then did it anyway to take all the spoil; they forced their immorality and idolatry on the nations the conquered, adding inner destruction to the physical; they saw God allow them to be His hand of judgment on other greater societies, yet began to think of herself as "god"; they had become a gigantic political and economic monster which was about to self-destruct.  

Key verses: 18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;
    your nobles lie down to rest.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
    with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;
    your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
    clap their hands at your fall,
for who has not felt
    your endless cruelty?

Thoughts: This closing statement of the chapter and the book give the basic picture: God is saying: "I'm coming after you, and there's nothing you can do. There will be no Jonah to call you to repentance, and when you fall, no one is going to be sad.  

Not Nineveh! #6

 Read Nahum 2

Background: In chapter 1 Nahum announced God's judgment against Nineveh for her arrogance and ruthless and immoral behavior.  He was done using her as His tool for Divine chastisement on Israel, Judah, and their surrounding nations.  This was a message of comfort for Judah and those nations which had not yet been taken into captivity. Chapter 2 describes in detail what their fall will look like and how God will use the things they gloried in the most to actually aid in their fall: their red shields will blend in with the red of blood and the red of fire raging through their city; their many chariots of which the boasted would drive wildly through the city, adding to the chaos; people would be frantically running to get their treasures, which slowed them down in their escape; the elaborate irrigation and levy system would be attacked, using the wild waters to flood the city, adding even more to the chaos.  

Key verse: 13 “I am against you,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
    and the sword will devour your young lions.
    I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
    will no longer be heard.”

Thoughts: The bottom line was this: God was against them.  He would put to an end the way they went across the world defeating nations, taking plunder, and leaving nothing behind.  They strong lion (their nation symbol) was going to die. They would no longer have messengers coming to announce yet another victory in battle, because they would no longer even have an army or messengers to send. 

Not Nineveh! #5

 Read Nahum 1

Background:  Over one hundred years after Jonah's adventure in Nineveh, the Great City once again became the focus of the Lord's eye of judgment.  Having been used of Him to discipline the Northern Kingdom of Israel and many of her wicked neighbors, Assyria was also being used by God to discipline Judah during the times of her evil kings.  Having defeated Cush, Assyria began to believe that she indeed was "god", and there was no other power in the world like her.  He tactics became more and more inhumane and her immorality indescribable. God could no longer tolerate her as her rod of discipline.

Key verses: 2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished...

7 The Lord is good,

    a refuge in times of trouble.

He cares for those who trust in him,

8     but with an overwhelming flood

he will make an end of Nineveh;

    he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

Thoughts: God is totally balanced in His nature: He is a jealous God, but he never loses His head in a rage; He offers a refuge from the flood, but he also uses the flood to judge.  Because of this Nineveh would fall and fade from history, while God would faithfully preserve the remnant of His people who called out to Him.