Book of Amos

BACKGROUND:

Prophet: Amos of Tekoa, called from a shepherd's quiet life to a confrontational ministry at the political capital of the nation
Setting: Prosperous Israel/Northern Kingdom in reign of Jeroboam, 783-745 B.C.
Message: “God is about to destroy his people because of their sins”!

MESSAGE:

“The Lord roars from Zion and from Jerusalem he utters his voice; and the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up.” (1:2) At this time in the history of the Northern Kingdom, God's people are getting fat and happy at the expense of the poor. Their theology was twisted: they had come to see and relate to Yahweh as a simple God who needed only to be appeased by extravagant worship in order for them to keep receiving blessings of prosperity.

“Those who recline on beds of ivory and sprawl on their couches, and eat lambs of the flock and calves from the midst of the stall who improvise to the sound of th harp, and like David have composed songs for themselves, who drink wine from sacrificial bowls while they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.” (6:4-7)

Amos proclaimed the true identity and expectations of Yahweh, likening him to a roaring lion, wild and powerful; declaring him to be the God of the powers of nature; and proclaiming his stern expectation of social justice and absolute obedience.

We discussed the uncomfortable familiarity of this message . . . perhaps in our times, now, a few are prospering at the expense of many impoverished people. What kind of a God do WE believe in? As a prosperous nation, are we confused about who God is and what God expects of us?

One of Amos' powerful images is a plumb line. He declares that God will drop a plumb line among his people: a measure of uprightness. We are challenged to consider how "straight and true" we are!

Book of Nahum

Little is known about Nahum, whose name means COMFORT or COMPASSION. He was from Elkosh, southwest of Jerusalem, and close to the Egyptian/Philistine border, and during the time of the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon. He may have been a temple priest for the book has the character of priestly curse against the enemy. In that way it is different from the other literary prophets of the Old Testament, since he concerns himself not with national corruption, but with the defeat of a hated oppressor. He is animated by an intense faith in Yahweh, who is the universal judge, whose jealousy and avenging wrath will not fail to destroy the guilty. The prophet does show the importance of a dedicated leadership and ultimate failure of injustice in a national policy and practice.

Book of Micah

Micah was a Judean, whose prophetic career was contemporary with Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. He came from a small town (Moresheth-Gath) near the Philistine border and the fact that this area was on the road for foreign invaders may help to explain two prominent features of his message:

1. His view of international affairs
2. His love for poor farmers and shepherds, whom he felt were the backbone of the nation

Some Jewish scholars believe he was a descendant of the prophet Eliezer (II Chron. 20:37) and led by circumstances to reactivate the old family prophetic tradition. He and Isaiah strongly influenced Hezekiah to institute a reform that later inspired Josiah in the Deuteronomic temple reforms.

Micah believed prophecy was not a possession but a possessor and his major message THE WORD OF THE LORD saw that the complacency and corruption of the religious structure emanating out of Jerusalem was incurable.

Book of Daniel

Purpose of the book:

In a time of misgivings and anxiety after the success of the Maccabean Revolt (c. 165 B.C.), under the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, the allegorical Book of Daniel offered encouragement for the Jewish national cause, encouraged loyalty to God in the face of persecution, and promoted hope for a future that could be even more wonderful than the golden past.

Hero of the Book: Daniel (“God is my judge”)

“This man and his companions were loyal to God, faithful in observing the law, and God saw them safely through their trials.”

Chapters 1-6 are stories about Daniel and his friends in the foreign court. Each one depicts Daniel and company remaining faithful in their obedience to religious practices prescribed in the law of Moses, in spite of threat to life and limb. In all these, Daniel and his friends are blessed by God amidst persecution and adversity.

Chapters 7-12 are a compilation of visions and prophesies.

The Book of Ezekiel

Ezekiel was a prophet of the Babylonian exile. He grew up in the environs of the Jerusalem temple; he was the son of a Zadokite priest, Buzi. Ezekiel probably was trained for the priesthood, or had already become one.

We know little about him in exile at Tel-Abib ("Hill of the Storm God") except that he was married. In 593 during a thunderstorm he had a wondrous vision of God and received the call to be a prophet.

The Zadokite priesthood rose to power during Josiah's reform movement and became the recognized priesthood in charge of true worship at Jerusalem. Without getting into all of the arguments about dates and authorship, the text cites Ezekiel as living and prophesying in the first half of the 6th century while in Babylon. We do know that the book was heavily edited so it is diffiicult to ascertain whether he wrote in poetry or prose.

Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city of Jerusalm (597 B.C.) and carried the young king, Jehoiachin, with 10,000 (II Kings 24:14) or 3,023 (Jeremiah 52:28) fellow Hebrews (probably royalty) into captive exile. He appointed Zedekiah as a puppet king. Many Hebrews hoped and prayed that Jehoiachin would soon return to rule. But rebellion in Jerusalem led to its destruction in 586.

Thirteen oracles are included in the book with some basis for dating them although they do not appear in chronological order over a period of 23 years.

Notes by Harrell Guard