Amos, part 4, Blessings

The Old Testament book of Amos can be divided into four parts. Last week we looked at the first three.

Part 4: Future kingdom blessing and restored Israel. Let’s read it all: 9:11-15

 11 “In that day
   “I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
   I will repair its broken walls
   and restore its ruins—
   and will rebuild it as it used to be,
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
   and all the nations that bear my name,”
            declares the LORD, who will do these things.
 13 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
   “when

Amos, parts 1, 2, and 3: Judgments and Controversies

Amos’s name means “burden.” Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II who brought the kingdom to the height of its power. Amos’s warnings seemed improbable yet within 50 years the kingdom was utterly destroyed.

Amos is in 4 parts.

Part 1: Judgments on surrounding peoples.

Look at Amos 1: 6, 7, 10, 12:

 6 This is what the LORD says:
   “For three sins of Gaza,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because she took captive whole communities
   and sold them to Edom,
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
   that will consume her fortresses.
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
   that will consume her fortresses.”
12 I will send fire on Teman
   that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”

Wow! Fire on the wall! (This is explained in

The Old Testament Book of Joel (Plague, Prophecy, Restoration and Judgment)

The name Joel means “Jehovah is God”. What a wonderful name for a prophet. Joel did indeed write this book. He was a contemporary of Elijah and Elisha.

There was an actual plague of locusts in the land - read chapter 1 verse 4– the palmerworm, locust, cankerworm and caterpillar are all developmental stages of the desert locust which as recently as 1915 devastated Palestine. All of chapter 1 deals with an actual event.

All of the prophets seem to follow this theme: repent before the judgment. There will be judgment and then there will be an eventual blessing for Israel.

Hosea Reveals God's Adulterous Wife - What?!

The book of Hosea was written by the prophet Hosea. Hosea was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Isaiah and Micah and prophesied around the years of 758 B.C. to 725 B.C. during the reign of king Uzziah.

The major theme of the book of Hosea is that Israel is Jehovah’s adulterous wife, apostate, sinful and rejected, but ultimately to be purified and restored. The book is in 3 parts: the dishonored wife, the sinful people and the ultimate blessing and glory of Israel.

Here is a summary of the story of Hosea: