The Story of God: Joel & Amos

Listen along as Anthony continues our time through the minor prophets.

Notes/Quotes:

Joel 2:12-13 & Amos 5:4-8

Text: Joel & Amos
Title: Prophets, Prescriptions, Promises

(Joel 1:5,8,11,13,&14)
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
 and wail, all you drinkers of wine, 
because of the sweet wine,
 for it is cut off from your mouth.

8 Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
 for the bridegroom of her youth.

11 Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil;
 wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
 because the harvest of the field has perished.

13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
 wail, O ministers of the altar.
 Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
    O ministers of my God!
 Because grain offering and drink offering
 are withheld from the house of your God.

14 Consecrate a fast;
 call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
 and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
 and cry out to the Lord.

(Amos 5:11-15)
11…because you trample on the poor
 and you exact taxes of grain from him,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
 but you shall not dwell in them;
 you have planted pleasant vineyards,
 but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your transgressions
 and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
 and turn aside the needy in the gate.

13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil,
 that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
 as you have said.

15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
 it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
 will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

(Amos 5:21-24)
21 “I hate, I despise your feasts,
 and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
 I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
 I will not look upon them.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
 to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

24 But let justice roll down like waters,
 and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Righteousness = TSEDAQAH; equity despite social difference
Justice = MISHPAT; actions taken to correct injustice

Questions:
1. Do we know ourselves enough to recognize our need for repentance even though the specifics might not be staring us in the face?

2. Is the exploitation seen in Amos by God’s people an aberration or do we still wrestle with the issue today?

3. Is there good news and hope for us if we sincerely turn to Jesus today?