Obadiah

“In that day,” declares the Lord, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?” (8). Obadiah prophesied against “Edom”, the nation descended from Esau whose land bordered Israel’s. They had “gloated” over Israel’s misfortunes (12) and thought themselves secure (3). But Obadiah looked forward to a day when God would turn the world’s assumptions upside-down, and those secure in their power and worldly wisdom would come to nothing (16,19), while exiles would return home.

“But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy” (17). Reaching out for God’s deliverance – Mount Zion - means letting go of false sources of security, so that our refuge in is Him alone (Hebrews 12:22-24).

Amos 6-9

“Woe to you who are complacent in Zion” (6:1). Amos prophesied to northern Israel (“Mount Samaria”) that they had misunderstood God’s covenant. God had blessed them with His Word and an invitation to belonging, but it was no excuse for idolatry or mistreatment of the poor. “You strum away on your harps like David ... but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph” (6:5-6). God detested their pride (6:8) and declared that they, like all nations, would encounter the “shaking” of his judgment (9:7,9).

“I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins” (9:11). Jesus lived out true obedience to the Father, and on the cross, he bore the cost of repairing our ruins. Through him, we all can experience restoration.

Revelation 9

“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk” (20). John’s visions showed scenes of terrible judgment, and tragically, people experiencing these plagues were not turning to God in repentance. While suffering can drive men and women to seek God, in this case, amid chaos and confusion, John saw that people continued to live in violence and immorality (21).

Rather than following the world’s obsession with the idols of wealth, power, and human glory, John’s visons urge us to “take to heart what is written” and worship Jesus (Rev 1:3).

Revelation 8

“When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (1). This dramatic silence introduced something seemingly ordinary: the prayers of God’s people. An angel was given incense and “the prayers of all God’s people” to offer together on the heavenly altar. “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God” (4). Then the angel took the fire of this same altar and threw it down to earth, and it produced “thunder ...lightning and an earthquake” (5), and judgment (6-13).

Our prayers are significant. Though we don’t understand how, they play a part in mountains being thrown into the sea (8) and God putting things right in His universe (13).

Psalm 145

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (8). “Every day” the psalmist participated in praising the God who is rich in love. According to the psalmist, praise and exaltation are active; God’s people proclaim, tell, speak of, meditate on, and celebrate His “mighty acts” of deliverance and redemption (4). When we speak of God’s goodness, we encourage the next generation (4) and witness to those who don’t yet know Him, encouraging “all people” to “call on him in truth” (12,18).

“The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down” (14). If we are “bowed down”, recounting God’s past goodness strengthens our own faith, reminding us He will lift us up again.

Amos 4-5

“There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts” (5:12). The rich women of Samaria oppressed the poor and lived for entertainment and comfort (4:1), and yet they bragged about their religious rituals. Through Amos, God told Israel that He rejected their meaningless sacrifices and offerings (4:5). The God who “made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn” cared for the vulnerable in Israel (5:8).

“Seek good, not evil, that you may live” (5:14). God is not interested in empty religious activity. He calls us to know His heart and love people made in His image, imitating His ways of justice, mercy, generosity, and compassion.

Amos 1-3

“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins” (3:2). The prophet Amos began with declarations of judgment against Israel’s neighbors - Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, etc. - because of their terrible war crimes (1:6,13). Amos then condemned Judah (the southern kingdom) for idolatry and Israel (the northern kingdom) for selling “the needy for a pair of sandals” (2:6) and sexual abuse (2:7). Called to be light, God’s people had instead become like everyone else.

“I brought you up out of Egypt ...” (2:10). God rescued Israel and called them to live differently, just as He saves us for a purpose: that we flee sin and walk in love and holiness.

Joel 3

“But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel” (3:16). God reassured His people that even though they were not part of a conquering earthly empire like Assyria, Babylon, or Egypt, they belonged to Him. He saw the plight of their children sold into slavery (3:1-3), and He promised to restore them. They could rely on His justice. Yet their own hearts had to turn to Him, along with “multitudes in the valley of decision” (3:14).

“In that day ... a fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house” (3:18). God is still the refuge of His people. God’s life-giving fountain flows from Christ, the hope of Israel and the whole world.

Joel 1-2

“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love ...” (2:13). The prophet Joel spoke to a people threatened by terrible invading armies, like locusts that destroy everything. Joel knew that Israel’s sin had caused God’s wrath, and he urged the priests to proclaim a fast and call people to repentance (2:15-17). Whether facing urgent calamity or God’s final judgment (the “day of the Lord”), Joel’s answer was the same: Return to the Lord.

“I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (2:28-32). Joel prophesied not just cataclysmic disaster, but world-changing hope. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people would receive His Spirit, enabling them to take His salvation to the whole earth (Acts 2:17).

Revelation 7

“... there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language ...” (9). John’s next vision depicted an angel holding off destruction until God’s people were “sealed” (1-4). The first were “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” (a symbolic number), and then John saw a great, mixed “multitude” who had come out of tribulation (9,14). Redeemed and “sealed”, God’s people did not need to fear judgment.

“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd” (17). Because Jesus is at the center of God’s throne, we do not live in fear of catastrophe or judgment but look forward to His kingdom.

Revelation 6

“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks” (15). In John’s vision, four horses and riders (including Death) “were given power” (8) to unleash war, famine, and catastrophe on the earth. John’s audience knew that disasters usually fall heavily on the poor, but in this case, “the rich and privileged” also hid from divine judgment (16). In the end, when God appears, everyone faces Him.

John saw “under the altar” the souls of martyrs (9), waiting for God to make things right. One day, the world’s list of winners and losers will be turned upside down, as Christ returns to judge, comfort, and renew His creation.

Psalm 144

“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle” (1). The psalmist prayed that God would “part the heavens”, come down, and vanquish his enemies (5-7). He and all Israel wanted peace so they could live as God’s people, free from violence, with children like “well-nurtured plants”, provision, and productive work (12-15). Even though the psalmist recognized the brief, fragile nature of human life (3-4), he knew that God cared and was willing to act for His people.

The Lord is still our “loving God” and “deliverer” (2). He gives us strength in the battle so that we can resist temptation, live in peace, and speak courageously for Him (Acts 4:23-31).

Hosea 14

“Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously” (2). Hosea’s book ends with words that provide a pattern for repentance and restoration. He urged the people of Israel to acknowledge that no human leader or empire could be their refuge, and military power was not their salvation: “Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses” (3). Israel also needed to reject idolatry and false self-sufficiency: “We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made” (3).

Finally, Hosea called on Israel to throw themselves on the mercy of God. “For in you the fatherless find compassion” (3). God always forgives and restores us when we run to Him. “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely” (4).

Hosea 13

“You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper” (9). The people of Israel had escaped Egypt, crossed the desert, and found a refuge in the Promised Land because of the Lord. “I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat” (5). He was Israel’s “helper” - their protection, provision, and guide. Yet their abundance made them forget their need for the true God, and they fell back into idolatry, making elaborate silver idols just like their neighbors (2,6).

“You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me” (4). We can’t worship God plus anyone or anything else. He alone deliverers us from sin and death (14), and He calls us to exclusive allegiance.

Hosea 12

“The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah ...” (2). Through Hosea, God reminded the people of Judah that their troubled ancestor Jacob wrestled with the angel of God. After years of dishonesty, he “wept and begged for his favor” (3-4), and he encountered God at Bethel. But now, instead of seeking God, Jacob’s descendants were enamored with “lies and violence” and prideful about their wealth (1,8). Hosea urged them to repent and seek God, like Jacob did, and to “maintain love and justice” (6).

“The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt ...” (13). God uses prophets (like Moses and Hosea) to call people out of bondage and back to Himself. He calls us to listen and find freedom.

Hosea 11

“It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them” (3). Hosea used tender, familial language to describe how God had treated Ephraim/Israel with a father’s love: “When Israel was a child, I loved him” (1). God brought them out of Egypt and “raised” them, yet they sacrificed and burned incense to idols (2). Deeply attached, God grieved over them: “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?” (8).

“When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west ...” (11). God grieves over our rebellion and self-destruction. His powerful, sacrificial love keeps “roaring” and calling us home.

Revelation 5

“I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside” (4). John wept because no one on earth was good enough to open the book of God’s great promises; all humanity had failed and forfeited God’s blessings. But one of the elders said “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah ... triumphed” (5). The Lamb, Jesus Christ, can open the scroll because His death “purchased for God” people from all nations (9).

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God” (10). We are not shut out from God’s promises, because of Jesus. Through Him we are included, restored, and given a holy purpose.

Revelation 4

“Day and night, they never stop saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (8). John’s vision gave courage to believers who had seen their friends jailed and martyred. He saw “a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it” (2). This Someone was blazing with color, surrounded by a rainbow, and worshipped by 24 elders on thrones and spectacular creatures. John heard thunder and saw lightning, punctuated by songs of praise.

“You are worthy, our Lord God ... for you created all things” (13). Amid terrible persecution or ordinary trouble and anxiety, our comfort is that the King of all things - life, death, past, present, and future - holds us in His hands.

Psalm 143

“For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life” (11). The psalmist’s cry for help was not only about his own desire to be rescued from trouble. He asked for mercy and God’s powerful intervention in the face of an enemy who was crushing him, so that he could live and follow God. He prayed, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,” and then, “Show me the way I should go” (8). His prayer, “Rescue me” (9), was accompanied by “Teach me to do your will” (10).

“May your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (10). God wants to lead us on “level ground” so that instead of chaos, we can find the strength and stability to serve Him well.

Hosea 9,10

“Do not rejoice, O Israel… .” Rather than facing their history and decline, Israel wanted to live in denial. Hosea reminded them of two national scandals. In verse 9, he reminded them of the record in Judges 19 of a gang rape by “the men of the city.” In verse 10, he referenced the events of “Baal-peor” from Numbers 25. Their wealth had deceived them (Hos 10:1,2). What hope could Hosea offer the nation?

“Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground; it is time to seek the Lord until he comes to rain righteousness on you” (10:12). There is still time for us.