Amos & Obadiah
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Amos Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD God of hosts will be with you…. (5:14)
Theme: Punishment
Date written: 790 B.C.
Author: Amos
Chronological Order and
Approximate Dates
of the Minor Prophets
Obadiah 840
Joel 835
Jonah 760
Amos 755
Hosea 740
Micah 730
Nahum 660
Zephaniah 625
Habakkuk 607
Haggai 520
Zechariah 515
Malachi 430
Setting:
Bethel, the northern kingdom Amos is a shepherd and a cultivator of sycamore trees from a rural area south of Jerusalem. He is gripped by God and divinely commissioned to leave his homeland and preach a harsh message of judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel. He offers eight pronouncements— three sermons and five visions—warning of coming disaster because of complacency, idolatry, and the oppression of the poor. But because of the peace and prosperity of Israel during this period, his message falls on deaf ears.
The Skeleton
Chapters 1–2 Pronouncement of Judgment
The prophet Amos names specific sins of various nations and pronounces eight judgments upon the nations. Then Amos describes the transgressions of the people of Israel and Judah and warns of future destruction and condemnation from the Lord. Among the sins of the nations and the Jewish people is idolatry—the worship of false gods.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; And the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, And the top of Carmel shall wither.
God’s Judgment on the surrounding nations of Israel
3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.
5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, And him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: And the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord.
6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they carried away captive the whole captivity, To deliver them up to Edom:
7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour the palaces thereof:
8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, And I will turn mine hand against Ekron: And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God.
9 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And remembered not the brotherly covenant:
10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, Which shall devour the palaces thereof.
11 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because he did pursue his brother with the sword, And did cast off all pity, And his anger did tear perpetually, And he kept his wrath for ever:
12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
13 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, That they might enlarge their border:
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour the palaces thereof, With shouting in the day of battle, With a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
15 And their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together, saith the Lord.
Chapters 3–6 Reasons for Judgment In these chapters, Amos delivers three sermons expos- ing Israel’s sin. Among the problems in Israel are greed, excessive taxation, and cruel oppression of the poor. God condemns those who “crush the needy” (4:1), take bribes, and deprive the poor of justice (5:12). Though the people profess to follow God and offer sacrifices to Him, their hypocrisy is evident in their excessive lifestyle. There is a total absence of social justice and morality.
1 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, Against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? Shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, Which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, Which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
2 The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, That, lo, the days shall come upon you, That he will take you away with hooks, And your posterity with fishhooks.
3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; And ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
4 Come to Beth-el, and transgress; At Gilgal multiply transgression; And bring your sacrifices every morning, And your tithes after three years:
5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, And proclaim and publish the free offerings: For this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And want of bread in all your places: Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, And they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, And ye take from him burdens of wheat: Ye have built houses of hewn stone, But ye shall not dwell in them; Ye have planted pleasant vineyards, But ye shall not drink wine of them.
12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: They afflict the just, they take a bribe, And they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; For it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: And so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; Or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your feast days, And I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; For I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
24 But let judgment run down as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream.
Chapters 7–9 Visions of Judgment and Restoration Amos has five visions that depict what God will do to punish Israel. Yet in spite of all the people have done wrong, God still loves them and promises there will come a future day of restoration and blessing.
The Five Visions of Amos
1. Vision of the locusts (7:1-3)
1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.
2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
3 The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the Lord.
2. Vision of the fire (7:4-6)
4 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
5 Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee: By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
6 The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.
3. Vision of the plumb line (7:7-9)
7 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
4. Vision of the summer fruit (8:1-14)
1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: There shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, Even to make the poor of the land to fail,
5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? And the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, Making the ephah small, and the shekel great, And falsifying the balances by deceit?
6 That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes; Yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
7 The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8 Shall not the land tremble for this, And every one mourn that dwelleth therein? And it shall rise up wholly as a flood; And it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in the clear day:
10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, And baldness upon every head; And I will make it as the mourning of an only son, And the end thereof as a bitter day.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, That I will send a famine in the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, And say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; And, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; Even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
5. Vision of the Lord (9:1-10)
1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: And cut them in the head, all of them; And I will slay the last of them with the sword: He that fleeth of them shall not flee away, And he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; Though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; And though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, Thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, Thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: And I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
5 And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, And all that dwell therein shall mourn: And it shall rise up wholly like a flood; And shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, And hath founded his troop in the earth; He that calleth for the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.
7 Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; Saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.
9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, Like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, Which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Putting Meat on the Bones
Amos is not a professional prophet. He has not been to “prophet school.” He says, “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a ten- der of sycamore fruit” (7:14). He is a simple country boy. What is it then that makes him such a powerful spiritual force? In his testimony he gives us the answer: “Then the LORD took me…and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel’ ” (verse 15). Amos fearlessly prophesied by the Spirit of God within him (3:8).
Fleshing It Out in Your Life Amos provides an excellent example for you today. He reminds you that you don’t have to be professionally trained to speak up for God when you see human injustice or sinful behavior, especially by those who claim to be Christians. Amos was a fiery spokesman for God not be- cause of education or birth, but because he was obedient when the call of God came. You too can be God’s person. Listen for His call and do what He asks. Then watch as
the power of God works through you as you serve Him.
Life Lessons from Amos
God cares about the poor and those in need, and so should you.
Whenever you have the opportunity to show compassion, you should act upon it.
It is wrong to enrich yourself at the expense of others.
If your heart is far from God and you are living in disobedience, then your words and actions mean nothing.
Complacency happens almost without notice. Check and renew your heart daily.
Judgment is certain for those who ignore God.
Where to Find It
Prophecy of Israel’s coming destruction Chapter 3
Israel’s reproof and disregard Chapter 4
Amos’s call to repentance Chapter 5
Scattering and restoration of Israel Chapter 9
The Five Visions of Amos
1. Vision of the locusts (7:1-3)
2. Vision of the fire (7:4-6)
3. Vision of the plumb line (7:7-9)
4. Vision of the summer fruit (8:1-14)
5. Vision of the Lord (9:1-10)
Obadiah
Obadiah No survivor shall remain of the house of Esau. (Verse 18) 📷
Theme: Righteous judgment
Time: 850 –840 B.C.
Author: Obadiah
Setting: Jerusalem/Edom
Theme Verse:
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau for stubble, And they shall kindle in them, and devour them; And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; For the Lord hath spoken it.
Obadiah, the shortest Old Testament book—one chapter long— and possibly the earliest of the prophetic books, is a dramatic example of God’s response to anyone who would harm His chosen people. Edom was a mountainous nation to the southeast of Israel. As descendants of Esau (Genesis 25–27), the Edomites are blood relatives of the people of Judah. And, of all people, they should rush to the aid of Judah when it was under attack. Instead, the Edomites gloat over Judah’s problems. They capture and deliver survivors to the enemy, and even loot Judah’s land. Because of Edom’s indifference, defiance of God, and treachery toward their brothers in Judah, Obadiah gives them God’s message of coming disaster.
The Skeleton
Verses 1–16 Edom’s Destruction
1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, And an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
2 Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: Thou art greatly despised.
3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; That saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, And though thou set thy nest among the stars, Thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If the grapegatherers came to thee, Would they not leave some grapes?
The people of Edom feel secure because their capital city, Petra, is hidden among high peaks that make the city easy to protect. The people of Edom are filled with pride and self-confidence. Their arrogance is evident in verse 3 as they marvel, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” When Jerusalem is attacked by an unnamed enemy, the Edomites do not come to help the people of Jerusalem, but in- stead encourage the attackers, help take some of the people captive, and even plunder the city. This angers God, who promises the Edomites that “though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down” (verse 4).
Verses 17–21 Israel’s Restoration Those who take pride in their power and defy the Lord will face judgment. God promises to completely destroy the Edomites and to restore His people to a place of prominence.
17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame, And the house of Esau for stubble, And they shall kindle in them, and devour them; And there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; For the Lord hath spoken it.
19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; And they of the plain the Philistines: And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: And Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; And the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, Shall possess the cities of the south.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Putting Meat on the Bones
Bible scholars aren’t sure about which invasion of Judah Obadiah refers to in his book, but the message is clear: God judges those who harm His children or aid in their harm. This was true of Edom in the past, and it will be true of any nation in the future.
Fleshing It Out in Your Life
On a more positive and personal note, if you are a child of God through Jesus Christ, you are under His love and protection. Noth- ing will befall you that isn’t under God’s directive hand. Ultimately judgment will fall on all who harm His chosen people, Israel, or His adopted people, believers in Jesus Christ.
Life Lessons from Obadiah
Those who persecuted God’s people in the Bible were always brought to justice. Likewise, those who are hostile to Christians today can expect to face God’s judgment.
When you see harm being inflicted upon fellow Christians, you should not worsen the situation by abandoning them, but rather, come to their aid.
Take no pleasure in the misfortune of others.
Pride and self-centeredness will reap destruction.
Where to Find It
Edom’s destruction
Verses 1-16
Israel’s restoration Verses 17-21
The History of the Conflict Between Israel and Edom
Israel descended from Jacob, and Edom from Esau.
Jacob and Esau struggled in their mother’s womb.
Esau sold his birthright to Jacob.
The Edomites refused to let the Israelites pass through their land after the Exodus.
Israel’s kings faced constant conflict with Edom.
Edom urged Babylon to destroy Jerusalem.
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