The prophecies of Obadiah have ties back to the hostility that began with enmity between Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:22-34; 27:1-46 NKJV). Esau was called “Edom” because of the red stew he ate (Gen. 25:30). Edom descended from Esau and was therefore related to Judah. Edom was one of Judah’s closest neighbors, but their relationship was less than friendly – stemming back to refusing Israel to pass through Edom on their way to Canaan (Num. 20:14-21). This hostility intensified in 2 Sam. 8:13-14 when David conquered Edom, and constant wars between the Edomites and the Judean kings resulted from this mutual hatred.             God is the God of all nations, and He calls each out for their unrighteousness wherever they are located. God condemned the foreign nations because of their mistreatment of His people and their failure to recognize Him as the only true God. Valuable lessons imply that no one is exempt from the judgment of God, and all will be held accountable in the judgment. No cleft will hide you nor any height where He cannot reach you (vv. 3-4). It is not to say that the Edomites were unaware of their faults, but Obadiah specifically lists their violent actions. The nation had done violence to Jacob (v10) and had stood with the oppressors in Jacob’s/Judah’s time of need (v11). Rather than showing concern, the Edomites boasted and rejoiced over the children of Judah in their day of distress (v12). It wasn’t that the Edomites were just an …

            A consistent theme that stands out to me throughout the Bible is how God takes common people and uses them for extraordinary purposes. God takes unassuming men such as Gideon and turns them into great deliverers (Judg. 6:11ff, NKJV), young shepherds such as David to become great kings (1 Samuel 16), or common fishermen such as Peter, Andrew, James, and John to become great disciples and evangelists (Matt. 4:18-22). Yet among all the common individuals whom God has used for great purposes, few stand out like Amos. Before receiving his message from God for the people of Israel, Amos was a fruit farmer and a sheep breeder (Amos 1:1; 7:14-15). He was an everyday man, yet this did not stop Amos from communicating a necessary and powerful message to God’s people. Amos’ message focuses primarily on the justice of God. Amos reveals that Israel would be punished for their sins just like any other nation if they did not repent and turn back to God (Amos 1-2). Israel was not measuring up to the straight “plumb line” of God’s standards (Amos 7:7-9), and they were ripe for ruin just like “a basket of summer fruit” (Amos 8:1ff). Israel needed to turn from their sins and “seek [God]” to avoid their impending doom (Amos 5:4). The whole of Amos’ message is summed up in the middle of the book – “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12)! It is in this message that God’s people are called to …

            When considering the book of Joel, many of us will immediately turn our attention to the prophetic words of Joel 2:28-32 (NKJV). This is the prophecy that Peter, by inspiration, brought to the minds of all the nations gathered on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). What Joel had prophesied took place in the days of the Apostles of Christ and the coming of His Kingdom. Depending on the dating of the book of Joel (900 B.C. to 400 B.C.), the fulfillment of the prophecy was 400 to 900 years later. A valuable lesson for us today is God’s word will stand. He is not bound by time nor operates on our schedule.             Joel, the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1), whose name means “Yahweh is God,” urged Judah to turn away from sin and back to God. A devastating swarm of locusts had laid the land waste. The destruction was like nothing seen before, “Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers” (Joel 1:2)? The variety of locusts came in stages so that the land was left completely bare (Joel 1:4), and the damage was so great it would be known for generations (Joel 1:3). This was not something that could be overlooked, and everyone in Judah was affected by the plague of locusts (Joel 1:13-20). It was a wake-up call by God for His people to recognize their spiritual state. The damage done was physical but was in demand …

            The book of Hosea is the first of the minor prophets. The book is “the word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel” (Hos. 1:1, NKJV). This helps us to have a timeframe from around 755-725 B.C. for the writing of the book. Hosea’s message is for the Northern Kingdom as is evidenced through his usage of “Ephraim” and “Israel.”             Israel needed such a strong message from the LORD’s prophet for multiple reasons. Concerning their moral state, Israel was far from where they needed to be. “Swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery” had become common (Hos. 4:2). “Harlotry, wine, and new wine [enslaved] the heart” of the people (Hos. 4:11). Concerning their religious state, Israel had turned from God. The people had “burned incense” to “the Baals” (Hos. 2:13). The priests had no knowledge and were leading the people towards destruction (Hos. 4:6). More and more of God’s children were turning to idols (Hos. 4:12), the law of God was “considered a strange thing” (Hos. 8:12), and God’s people were “bent on backsliding” (Hos. 11:7). Based on their moral and religious landscape, it was clear that the people of Israel needed a message that might help them to turn back to God.             As a result of their clear need for repentance, several great lessons are …