BB: June

1: Justice and Mercy

Hosea 1–3; Joel 2; Amos 5; Micah 6

Tonight we enter the Minor Prophets: Small books with massive truths.

These prophets reveal not only the sins of Israel, but the heart of God.

They show us that God is both just and merciful, righteous and gracious, firm and forgiving.

Judgment and mercy are not contradictions in God; they are the two sides of His covenant love.

1. HOSEA — GOD’S LOVE FOR THE UNFAITHFUL

Hosea 1:2 NASB 2020

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife inclined to infidelity, and children of infidelity; for the land commits flagrant infidelity, abandoning the Lord.”

Hosea is commanded to marry Gomer, a woman who will betray him.

This is not humiliation - it is revelation.

Hosea’s marriage is a prophetic picture of God’s relationship with Israel.

Israel:

Chased other gods

Broke covenant

Gave their hearts to idols

Forgot the One who redeemed them

But God does not abandon them.

He pursues them.

He disciplines them.

He calls them back.

God’s Pursuing Love

Hosea 2:14 NASB 2020

“Therefore, behold, I am going to persuade her, Bring her into the wilderness, And speak kindly to her.

God does not force Israel back, He woos her.

He draws her.

He speaks tenderly.

His goal is not punishment but restoration.

God’s discipline is always redemptive.

Return to the Lord

Hosea 6:1–3 NASB 2020

“Come, let’s return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let’s learn, let’s press on to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, As the spring rain waters the earth.”

Hosea calls Israel to return, not through ritual, but through repentance.

He says:

‘He has torn, but He will heal’

‘He has stricken, but He will bind us up’

‘He will revive us’

The same God who wounds is the God who heals.

Not because Israel deserves healing, but because God is faithful.

2. JOEL — TRUE REPENTANCE AND GOD’S MERCY

Joel 2:12–13 NASB 2020

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; And tear your heart and not merely your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in mercy And relenting of catastrophe.

Joel confronts Israel’s superficial religion.

They tore their garments, but not their hearts.

They showed outward signs of mourning, but inwardly they were unchanged.

God calls for genuine repentance:

Sincere

Deep

Heart-level

Rooted in truth

God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness.

His character is the reason for repentance, not fear of punishment.

The Outpouring of the Spirit

Joel 2:28–29 NASB 2020

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will have dreams, Your young men will see visions. “And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

God promises that in the future, He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh.

Sons, daughters, young men, old men, servants, no division by age, gender, or status.

This points forward to Pentecost, fulfilled in Acts 2.

It is God’s way of showing that restoration comes not through law-keeping, but through the Spirit’s power.

3. AMOS — TRUE WORSHIP AND JUSTICE

Amos 5:21–23 NASB 2020

“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.

God rebukes Israel’s worship - not because the rituals were wrong, but because their lives contradicted their songs.

They had ceremonies without obedience, praise without righteousness, religion without repentance.

God says:

‘I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.’

This is a terrifying truth: It is possible to worship passionately and still be rejected by God.

Let Justice Roll Down

Amos 5:24 NASB 2020

“But let justice roll out like waters, And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

God demands justice.

Not social activism.

Not political posturing.

Biblical justice is righteousness expressed in how we treat people.

It is defending the vulnerable, protecting the weak, refusing corruption, and living uprightly before God.

4. MICAH — WHAT GOD REQUIRES

Micah 6:8 NASB 2020

He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah simplifies the entire prophetic message into one profound statement:

Do justly

Love mercy

Walk humbly with God

Do justly: Make righteousness visible.

Love mercy: Forgive freely, reflect God’s heart.

Walk humbly: Surrender pride, live in dependence on God.

5. THE HOPE BEHIND THE JUDGMENT

The prophets are not books of doom.

They are books of hope.

God disciplines Israel because He loves them.

He restores them because He is faithful.

Judgment is the doorway to renewal.

Brokenness is the soil of restoration.

CLOSING APPLICATION

What do we take away tonight?

God loves the unfaithful and pursues them (Hosea 1–3)

Repentance must be genuine and heartfelt (Joel 2:12–13)

Worship must be matched by obedience (Amos 5:21–24)

God requires justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8)

God’s justice protects His holiness

God’s mercy restores His people

God disciplines to heal, not destroy

The blueprint of justice and mercy teaches us this:

Sin is serious. Holiness is demanded. Mercy is available.

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2: Return and Restoration

Ezra 1–3; Nehemiah 1–6; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3–4

Tonight we study the return from exile: Not just physically returning to Jerusalem, but spiritually returning to God.

Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah show us what restoration looks like when God rebuilds His people.

These books are not stories of human success but of divine faithfulness.

God keeps His promises.

God restores His people.

God finishes what He begins.

1. GOD MOVES THE HEART OF A PAGAN KING

Ezra 1:1 NASB 2020

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

Restoration begins not with Israel, but with God.

Cyrus is a pagan king, yet God stirs his heart to release the Jews.

God uses ungodly rulers, empires, and circumstances to accomplish His will.

This is a reminder:

• God is sovereign over nations

• God directs kings like streams of water

• God fulfills His Word through unexpected agents

The return from exile is not political coincidence: It is prophetic fulfillment.

2. REBUILDING THE ALTAR — WORSHIP COMES FIRST

Ezra 3:2–3 NASB 2020

Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, rose up and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses, the man of God. So they set up the altar on its foundation, because they were terrified of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening.

The first thing the returning exiles rebuild is not the wall, not the economy, not the military - but the altar.

Worship is the foundation of restoration.

Before you rebuild your life, you rebuild your relationship with God. Fear surrounded them.

Enemies threatened them.

But they restored worship first.

Because worship is not optional - it is central.

3. REBUILDING THE TEMPLE — PRESENCE AND PURPOSE

Ezra 3:10–13 NASB 2020

Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David of Israel. And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His favor is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout of joy when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, because the people were shouting with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.

When the foundation of the temple is laid, two sounds fill the air:

• Shouts of joy from the young

• Weeping from the old

The younger generation rejoiced because they saw God at work.

The older generation wept because they remembered former glory.

And the text says the sounds mingled so that no one could distinguish the joy from the weeping.

This is what restoration looks like:

• Joy for what God is doing

• Weeping for what sin destroyed

• But worship rising above both.”

4. NEHEMIAH — REBUILDING THE WALLS WITH PURPOSE AND OPPOSITION

Nehemiah 1:4 NASB 2020

Now when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah begins with a broken heart and a burden from God.

He weeps before he works.

He prays before he plans.

Restoration starts in the heart long before it reaches the hands.

Nehemiah’s rebuilding reveals three truths:

1. God gives the burden

2. God opens the door

3. God strengthens the work”

Opposition Will Always Come

Nehemiah 4:1–9 NASB 2020

Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry, and he mocked the Jews. And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy people of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore the temple for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in a day? Can they revive the stones from the heaps of rubble, even the burned ones?” Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him, and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox were to jump on it, it would break their stone wall down!” Hear, O our God, how we are an object of contempt! Return their taunting on their own heads, and turn them into plunder in a land of captivity. Do not forgive their guilt and do not let their sin be wiped out before You, for they have demoralized the builders. So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. So all of them conspired together to come to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

When the work begins, opposition rises.

Sanballat mocks.

Tobiah threatens.

The enemies plot.

Fear spreads.

Nehemiah does not quit.

He prays.

He organizes.

He arms the workers.

He keeps building.

Every great work of God attracts spiritual resistance.

Opposition is not a sign you are wrong: It is a sign you are right.

The Wall Completed

Nehemiah 6:15–16 NASB 2020

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

The wall is completed in fifty-two days: An impossible task completed in an impossible time.

Even the enemies of Israel admit:

‘This work was done by our God.’

Restoration is not the result of human effort but God’s enabling.

5. HAGGAI — PRIORITIES REBUILT

Haggai 1:4 NASB 2020

“Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains desolate?”

Haggai rebukes the people for wrong priorities.

They were building comfortable homes while God’s house remained unfinished.

Misaligned priorities lead to spiritual drought.

Haggai reveals:

• You can work hard and still struggle

• You can earn much and still be empty

• You can build everything except what matters

Restoration requires putting God first.

Consider Your Ways

Haggai 1:7 NASB 2020

The Lord of armies says this: “Consider your ways!

God calls Israel to evaluate their lives.

Blessing flows from obedience, not from effort.

6. ZECHARIAH — RESTORATION BY GOD’S SPIRIT, NOT HUMAN POWER

Zechariah 4:6 NASB 2020

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of armies.

Zerubbabel cannot complete the temple through human strength.

God reminds him that divine work requires divine power.

The Spirit removes obstacles.

The Spirit empowers obedience.

The Spirit completes what God begins.

Joshua the High Priest — Cleansed by God

Zechariah 3:1–4 NASB 2020

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.”

Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest standing before God in filthy garments.

Satan stands to accuse him.

But God rebukes Satan and clothes Joshua in clean garments.

This shows:

• God defends His people

• God cleanses His servants

• God silences the accuser

• God removes iniquity

Restoration is God’s work from beginning to end.

7. THE COMPLETION OF GOD’S PURPOSE

Ezra rebuilds worship.

Nehemiah rebuilds walls.

Haggai rebuilds priorities.

Zechariah rebuilds hope.

And together they teach us:

• God restores through His Word

• God restores through His Spirit

• God restores through His leaders

• God restores through obedience

• God restores for His glory

Restoration is not the return to what was.

It is the rebuilding of what God designed.

CLOSING APPLICATION

What does return and restoration teach us?

1. Restoration begins with God stirring hearts (Ezra 1:1)

2. Worship comes before work (Ezra 3:2–3)

3. Restoration requires both joy and repentance (Ezra 3:10–13)

4. God empowers the work despite opposition (Nehemiah 4–6)

5. Priorities must be realigned for blessing (Haggai 1:4–7)

6. God’s Spirit accomplishes what human strength cannot (Zech 4:6)

7. God Himself cleanses and defends His people (Zech 3:1–4)

The blueprint of restoration teaches this:

When God restores, He restores completely: Spiritually, relationally, and purposefully.