Let the Prophets Speak

The prophet laments the lack of honesty and integrity in his generation. Like a harvester of figs that can find no ripe fruit to pick, there are no honest and trustworthy people anymore. All levels of leaderrship are corrupt, and people can't even trust their closet friends and family. But I the prophet will trust in God. He will bring be out of the darkness. So to the people of Israel, though...

God calls Israel to court, "What wrong have I done?" "I took you out of Egypt, I saved you from Balak,"  shouldn't the people have some gratitude?  It is not gifts of sacrifices though that i want from you, but justice, kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah describes the humility of the original King David and his origins. This is why I chose them to be the leaders in the days of the Messiah.  The Jewish people scattered among the nations will be as dew and rain that brings the message of God to all the nations. Those that try to resist and refuse to humble themselves before God will be destroyed, while those that learn of God will be redeemed.

In a prophecy very reminiscent of his contemporary prophet Isaiah, Micah tells us of the day in the future that God will once again reign supreme. The nations of the world will come to Zion to learn His ways, and world peace will be established. We will beat our swords into plowshares, and justice will be the rule of the land. The nations that gloat now over Israel;s destruction don't understa...

Micah turns his attention to the corrupt leadership. It is your responsibility to know true justice, he tells them. Instead of justice, you are full of bribery and deceipt, and you take advantage of those who need justice the most. The corruption includes all levels of leadership, the false prophets who promise good fortunes in return for donations, and the priests who teach "torah" for a fee. It...

Premeditated and planned oppression of others is the worst form of sin. God has no patience for this. You won't listen to my true prophets, and you mock them, but liars and arrogant people you listen to.

Micah, the prophet from Maresha echos the prophecies of his contemporaries Hosea and Isaiah as he predicts the destructiuon of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The children of Jacob have sinned, and God's wrath will descend upon them.

Obadiah tells of the arrogance of Edom, their pride and refusal to recognize God. He tells of their refusal to help their brother Israel, and much worse, how they collaberated with Israel's enemies and celebrated the suffering of their brothers. For this reason Edom will be destroyed, their pride will be struck down. One day, the Jeiwsh people will return to Zion, and Edom and all the other na...

Some traditions regarding who the prophet Obadiah was, and why he focused his prophecy against the nation of Edom. Why Edom? So many prophets singled out the treachery and evil of the people of Edom. In this introduction we trace the history of Esau's descendents and their enmity with the people of Israel. Their philosophical differences, their jealousy, and their constant fighting despite bei...

The chapter starts with the frightening and total destruction coming to the people. No matter where you run, God will find you.  But the punishment will never be total, God promises. The people will survive, and the righteous will return one day to rebuild the land.

Amos is shown a vision of a basket of figs, the end of summer fruit. This is a vision of the days at the end of times God says, when I will no longer look past the sins of the people. Oppression of the poor, taking advantage of the underprivileged, this will not be tolerated or overlooked. The very land itself cannot tolerate the lack of justice. The days will come when the land will be overcome w...

The High Priest reports the "rebellious" Amos to the King, and tries to banish Amos from the kingdom. Amos is not afraid, my message is from God, not from me, as I am just a humble shepherd. If you don't take heed to God's message, you will suffer the unfortunate consequences.

God shows Amos two visions of utter destruction, locusts and fure, but the prophet's prayer saves the people. Then God shows Amos a vision of measured justice, and appears as a worker constructing a wall with a plumb line. Measured justice will have to come, a constructive justice meant to build the nation, instead of destroy it.

God asks the people of Israel, look at the other nations, are you any better than they? You are living a lifestyle of luxury, which was obtained through injustice and oppression. You are not acting like the first among nations, rather you have turned yourselves into a corrupt and immoral society. As such I have no reason to treat you any different than the others.

The path to God includes two steps, a demonstration of remorse for the evil ways, and a committment to the path of God. But the path of God is not a path of prayer, sacrifices and rituals. Not even songs and gatherings for God and holidays. Rather, what God wants is for justice and righteousness to pour in torrents, this is what God has always wanted from His people.

The people have fallen to the point where they can no longer help themselves, they can no longer repair their corruption on their own. But if they seek God, love good, hate evil, establish justice and righteousness, there is hope for them to reestablish their relationship with God.

The people rebelled out of arrogance when God gave them everything, so He tried to punish them. They still did not listen, so He made it worse and worse. Nothing worked, they still turned away. God sarcastically tells them to go ahead and worship their idols, but warns of the inevitable consequences. The prophets ends by beseeching the people, please prepare ypourselves to meet God. The way you tr...

The special nature nature of the relationship between God and His people brings special responsibilities. Any relationship requires give and take, and has ups and downs. We must read the signs that abound in the world around us and recognize their lessons and their meaning. A society full of injustice and repression will nnot last, the enemies understand this, so the people should understand this...

Amos continues his critique of the societies around him and focuses closer to home. The corruption of money over justice, bribery over righteousness, lies over truth, and disrespect for God's laws. this will lead to the destruction iof Israel and Judah.

We are introduced to one of the early prophets, a humble shpherd from Tekoa. God is patient, but some things are unforgiveable. Five things are unforgiveable for God; Humiliating others, making them suffer more than necessary, being ungrateful, acting out of anger, and acting selfishly. You can make mistakes a few times, but once they become ingrained in a society, it becomes impossible to cleanse...

Time for judgement for the nations of the world. God teases the nations, "Come to the valley of judgement with your weapons and swords!" But this will clearly be of no help when the judge is God Himself. The truly innocent will be exonerated, the wriongs of histiory will be righted, and God will reign in Zion.

Once the people join together before God, the spirit of God will pour upon all living beings. all classes of society will be prophets. No longer will there be any divisions. Unfortunately though, before that day, there will be a reckoning for those who are too arrogant to call in the name of God.

Joel describes the natural disaster as if an enemy army was conquering the land, but despite the destruction, there is hope. Joel instructs the people to rend their hearts, return to God, and pray together. In their hearts the people will find the right path as God has given them a teacher of righteousness. The people will prosper once again, the nation will be saved.

We start a new book of Joel, in which Joel responds to a terrible natural disaster, a plague of locusts that has devastated the entire population. Unity among the classes, approaching God together, is the response prescribed by the prophet. Notably, the prophet refuses to blame wrongdoers or anyone for the calamity, rather he asks everyone to come together before God and pray.

In the stirring final chapter of Hosea's prophecies, we learn of God's eternal love for His people. return to me, as my anger has subsided. My Love for you is generous, be wise, and return to God. It is your deeds and words I am looking for, not your sacrifices and gold and silver. If only we understood this ...