Erica's Bible Study and Journal

Everyone is at least familiar with the story of Jonah. Immediately, a man in the belly of a whale comes to mind. However, there is a lot more than that going on here. Jonah, it appears,  was accustomed to hearing from God. When God told him to go to Nineveh and decry their wickedness, Jonah wasn’t shocked that God spoke. Rather he didn’t want to do what God told him to. He decided to outrun and hide from God so he boarded a ship going to Tarshish, which I imagine was in the opposite direction of Nineveh.

It sounds funny to read that this man who knew all-knowing, all-powerful God thought he could hide. But if we examine our own hearts, how often do we do what we know we shouldn’t and hope that God isn’t watching. If I started to list the times I tried to hide from God, I’d have to start a separate blog just to write it all.

After the ship to Tarshish set sail, a storm erupted with such force that it almost shattered the ship to pieces. All the sailors prayed to their gods and started throwing the cargo into the sea in an attempt to make the ship lighter. While all this was going on, Jonah was asleep. I don’t think he would have slept but for the fact he knew what was going on. He knew, I think, that God was at work.

The shipmaster woke Jonah up and instructed him to pray to his God to spare them. They decided to cast lots (I’m not sure how that worked) to determine who was the cause of this storm. It must have seemed supernatural in every way for them to think a person was to blame. I imagine they left shore, and there was no sign of rough weather, when suddenly there was a storm. The lot indicated that Jonah was the cause.

They immediately began to question Jonah. They wanted to know who he was, why this thing was happening, and what to do to stop it. Jonah told them that the storm would stop if they threw him overboard. That must have been a very difficult suggestion to make. He hadn’t read the next chapters so he didn’t know that God had already prepared the way to save him. It is possible that Jonah would rather die than go to Ninevah.  The men prayed to God and asked Him not to hold them responsible for what they were about to do and threw Jonah into the water. The sea immediately calmed down and all those on the ship feared God. God had found a way to use Jonah’s stubbornness to make believers out of these idolaters.

The last verse of this chapter says that God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah to preserve his life. He spent 3 days and 3 nights inside this smelly, disgusting fish. It was dark, and wet, and utterly retched. And it could have been avoided if Jonah had obeyed God in the beginning. It is amazing the situations we can find ourselves in when we are disobedient!

Obadiah is prophesying against the Edomites. They were descendents of Abraham but they came from the familial line of Esau rather than Jacob. Their pride had deceived them into believing that they were untouchable by God or man. God tells them that even if they built their home in the stars, He would still bring them down. When thieves stole, they only took what was valuable or what they could carry. Something was left behind. And when grapes are gathered, there are still some grapes left on the vine. But God was going to ruin them completely. Nothing of their former glory would be left.

All the men the Edomites had aligned themselves with were going to turn against them. They pretended to be their allies but they were setting them up for destruction. Those that thought they were wise would soon find out they knew nothing. They would be shamed and destroyed because their pride led them to believe it was ok to turn against their bothers, Israel.

When Israel was being subdued and judged by God, the Edomites took advantage of them. They were happy to see them destroyed and actually helped as much as they could. They looted the cities. They prevented them from escaping by blocking any routes that the other nations had missed. Those that managed to get away, the Edomites captured and gave to the enemy. Everything they had done against God’s people would be repaid to them. When Israel was restored they would be like fire and the Edomites would be like kindling. Israel would consume them and retake everything they had lost.

In this final chapter of Amos, God continues judging Israel. From the previous chapter we know that once the judgment begins, the people run to their idols for help. We find God here standing on the altar and directing their destruction. There is nowhere for them to hide. Wherever they ran to He would be there. His eyes that once looked lovingly at them now looked at them to destroy them.

A person who has not read the bible before but has heard of the judgment of God is usually apt to conclude that the God of the bible is heartless, cruel, and bloodthirsty. There are even some who have read it that take that stance. Both groups fail to see that God had a plan for man when he created him. From the time man was given a choice he chose sin over God.

Some may ask why it is sinful for us to want our own way. Why would God want to tell us what to do? Well our way runs counter to God’s way. He created us and he knows what is best for us. Everything God instructs is for our good not our harm. Just like a parent warns their child not to touch a hot surface, or not to walk on broken glass, God tells us what to avoid so we do not hurt ourselves. Think how often people hurt themselves through illicit sex, love of money, love of alcohol and drugs. They don’t do these things thinking they want to destroy themselves, but ultimately they do.

Now if God tells us to obey Him and that so doing will result in our betterment, then it stands to reason that disobeying would lead to our harm. What kind of God would He be to let us run amuck without consequence? I don’t want an unrepentant murderer to receive the same reward I get for trying to obey God. There is no justice in that. And God is justice. He has to judge sin or He is nothing He says He is. And even though He has to judge, He is always patient and merciful. If He judged at the instance of offence, we’d all be toast. If you were God how many people would you wipe out in a day? Instead He warns us, nudges us, and gives opportunity after opportunity to us. Just like he did with Israel. He gave them prophet after prophet and warning after warning and they would have none of it.

So, here Israel is appointed to annihilation. However, not everyone would die. God would still preserve His people. All those that sinned and thought nothing would happen to them would die. A day would come where His people would be restored to their land and they would be fruitful. They would rebuild the city and they would plant the crops faster than they could gather the harvest. God would establish them and they would never be removed from their land again.

For hundreds of years there was no Israel. But they are a growing nation even at this moment. God’s word spoken thousands of years ago is being fulfilled.

In the previous chapter, Amaziah the priest interrupted Amos. His visions continue here. God showed Amos a basket of summer fruits and asked him what he saw. Amos remarked that it was indeed a basket of summer fruits. God then said the time of judgment was upon Israel and the time of mercy was over. The fruits are compared to Israel because just as summer fruits were ripe and ready for picking, so were the people of Israel ripe for judgment.

The songs they sang would turn to howling in grief and suffering. Dead bodies would become so common that they would eventually discard them in silence. Judgment was coming to those that had continually cheated the poor out of everything they had. They had made human life a commodity that they bartered to fulfill their own greed and lusts. God swore that he would never forget what they had done.

Those days of judgment would be supernaturally dark days. All their celebrations would be mourning, their songs would be lamentations, and all their rich clothing would become sackcloth. Their heads would be made bald in their mourning, which would be mourning as a family grieving an only son. For them an only son was the future of the entire family. He was their heir and carried their name on. To lose him was death for them all.

Worse than this, God was going to send a spiritual famine. There would be no one to speak for God and the people would be longing for it without any satisfaction. They would look everywhere for some sign of God and His truth and there would be nothing.

I would like to thank all my friends for your kind words, encouragement, and prayer.  My husband is still in pain (sciatica) but he was able to return to work today.  As always, God heard the cries of His people!