Dec 12

Reference links:

Amos 7:1-9:15 Revelation 3:7-22 Psalm 131:1-3 Proverbs 29:23

Overview of the Book of Amos Overview of the Book of the Revelation of John Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Today, Amos is shown visions of locusts and fire that the Lord was preparing for Israel. Fortunately for them, in both cases the Lord changed his mind when asked by Amos.

After that, we learn that Amos had traveled to Israel and was making public declarations that Jeroboam would die. Jeroboam, not surprisingly, was not fond of these ideas and told Amos to go back to Judah. Amos replied by saying that he just does what the Lord tells him to do.

The Lord then shows Amos a vision of ripe fruit to imply that Israel is ripe for punishment. The Lord then vows to punish Israel and describes that punishment. In addition to the normal language of punishment, we read this intriguing bit:

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.
Beautiful girls and strong young men
will grow faint in that day,
thirsting for the Lord’s word.

I find it interesting that this is given as a punishment when one of the primary sins of the people is neglecting the Lord for other gods.

Amos then receives a vision of God's destroying punishment. That punishment includes another interesting bit that speaks to the prophet's vision of his God's universality:

“Are you Israelites more important to me
than the Ethiopians?” asks the Lord.
“I brought Israel out of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Crete
and led the Arameans out of Kir.

Israel, in both its blessings and punishments, is no more special than any other people. How different this is from the presentation of Israel as God's especially chosen ones.

The book ends with a description of Israel's promised restoration.

New Testament

The church in Philadelphia is praised for their obedience in spite of their small strength. Because of this, they will be protected in the terrible times to come (which, as is commonly the case, is described as soon). Those who make it victoriously through those times will becomes citizens of the new Jerusalem.

The church in Laodicea is lukewarm. This, declares the vision of Jesus, is worse than being either hot or cold. The people of the church are well off and complacent and do not realize their own misery. But if they let Jesus in, they still have a chance to join the side of victory.

That ends today's reading the the letters to the churches.

Psalms and Proverbs

Today's proverb encourages humility.

Dec 11

Reference links:

Amos 4:1-6:14 Revelation 2:18-3:6 Psalm 130:1-8 Proverbs 29:21-22

Overview of the Book of Amos Overview of the Book of the Revelation of John Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Today we get a detailed description of the punishments that God brought upon his people for their sins. He seems to have an expectation that these punishments would make people turn to him. However, I am guessing these droughts, famines, blights, and plagues may very well have had the opposite effect and turned people toward worshiping other gods.

From God's perspective, he is punishing sinful behavior. From the people's point of view, Yahweh is failing to provide for them and so they turn to another god. Given Yahweh's early history as a God of battle and rescue, it would not be unnatural for famines and droughts to make the people think that he is not so effective as a god of farming.

God's response to this is to promise even more punishments and disasters. This shows that the God of Amos' vision lacks a fundamental understanding of human psychology. If a god chooses to rule by fear, people will only obey him on the surface. They will never truly internalize respect for what that god considers to be right living.

Thus, as the Lord continues to emphasize his power and the punishment he will bring, he is not helping his case any. He might end up winning back some obedience for now, but he is not winning any hearts in the long term. The God of Amos calls for justice and righteous living, but seems to have missed the message of inner transformation that later prophets realized their God must call for to encourage deep change.

Today's reading also contains a description of the day of judgment. It will be a dark and terrible day. Now, this may not seem surprising, but you should remember that Amos is the earliest recorded Hebrew prophet. Thus, when he says that people think the day of judgment is something to look forward to, he probably was reflecting the popular opinion.

New Testament

Today we read the message to the church in Thyatira. They receive some encouraging praise, but they  are tolerating one whom Jesus considers intolerable. They put up with the presence of Jezebel, a woman who encourages sexual sin and the eating of food offered to idols. She is specially picked out for punishment. Part of that punishment is the rather unjust striking of her children dead. Even if they are children of adultery, they should not be used as nothing more than tools to punish their mother.

The church in Sardis is told that they are dead and do not meet God's requirements. But those few who have not sullied themselves will someday walk with Jesus.

That's all the letters for today.

Psalms and Proverbs

Nothing strikes me as noteworthy today.

Dec 10

Reference links:

Amos 1:1-3:15 Revelation 2:1-17 Psalm 129:1-8 Proverbs 29:19-20

Overview of the Book of Amos Overview of the Book of the Revelation of John Overview of the Psalms Overview of the book of Proverbs

Old Testament

Today we start the Book of Amos. We'll be sticking with this one for a few days. As usual, background,

Beginning with a series of oracles condemning Israel's neighbors, Amos also threatens the northern kingdom with destruction, delivering three warnings of judgment followed by five vision of disaster. Ah epilogue, promising restoration and peace, was added by a Judean editor.

Sounds cheery. We also learn that

Amos was the first biblical prophet whose words scribes compiled in book form. He also introduced major themes that would thereafter become staples of Israelite prophecy. Active in about 750 BCE during the reign of Jeroboam II, Amos was an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah of Jerusalem.

On to today's reading! The first half to two-thirds of today's reading is declaration of the sins of various nations and the punishments they will receive. The sins are varied: defeating God's people in battle, taking others as slaves or selling others into slavery, exiling people, breaking treaties, excessive violence in war, desecration of corpses, and disobeying the Lord's instructions. The punishment is generally some combination of destruction or exile.

This catalog of sinful nations is followed by a detailing of the sins of Israel. Their sins are particularly worthy of punishment because they had a closer relationship with the Lord. This includes a declaration that the Lord never brings punishment without first announcing it to the prophets and a declaration that disaster comes to cities because the Lord plans it.

New Testament

In today's reading, the glowing Jesus vision dictates letters to three of the seven churches.

The church in Ephesus is told that they have done much well: they have been patient but don't tolerate evil. They, along with Jesus, hate the Nicolaitans, whoever they are (little is definitively known about them). However, they disappoint Jesus because they do not love each other or Jesus as much as they did in the beginning.

The church in Smyrna gets less praise and less advice. Instead, they are offered encouragement and sympathy to help them face their upcoming suffering.

The church in Pergamum is told that it is doing well, especially given that Pergamum is where Satan has his throne. This seems like a good candidate for a coded reference to current events. However, the church fails to live up the Jesus' standard because they show some tolerance for heretics.

I am guessing that tomorrow we will read letters to more of the seven churches.

Psalms and Proverbs

Given the positive attitude toward physical punishment elsewhere in the psalms, I am guessing the implication of this proverb is that since words alone are not enough, sometimes physical punishment is necessary.

Words alone will not discipline a servant;
the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.

This proverb is interesting in so far as I would have thought proverbs would define the fool as someone who speaks without thinking.

There is more hope for a fool

than for someone who speaks without thinking.