Tag Archives: Amos 6-9

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2023 Bible Study — Measuring Ourselves Against God’s Plumb Line

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

These two passage do not have much in common.  So, I am going to write first about what I see in the last part of Amos.  Then I will write about Obadiah.

In the first part of this passage Amos condemns the people of Israel for their complacency in the face of threat.  Then he speaks of prophecies which God gave him concerning the destruction of Israel. First, Amos sees a threat of locusts, at least as bad as that which the prophet Joel prophesied about.  Then he sees God implementing justice by fire.  In both cases Amos cries out to God asking that He not unleash such devastation on the Israelites, because they would not survive as a people.  God accedes to Amos’ request and issues a third plan.  In His third plan to bring judgement against His people, the Israelites, God states that He will establish a “plumb line” among them.

I am going to take a moment to describe what a plumb line is because I had trouble understanding this passage before I knew what a plumb line was. So, a plumb line is a string of some sort with a small weight on the end used by builders to determine if a wall, or other upright structure, is straight, or if it leans. The plumb line is held at the top of the wall, or other structure, not touching it. If the string is further from, or closer to, the wall at the bottom than it is at the top, the builder will know that the wall is not “plumb”, that it leans. And He will know where the “lean” begins, how close to the foundation He needs to go to start over in order to build an upright wall.

So, God set a plumb line among those who He has called as His people.  By measuring us by His plumb line,  He knows how far He needs to tear us down in order to rebuild us as straight and upright people.  That plumb line is Jesus Christ.  We can also compare ourselves to God’s plumb line in order to know how badly out of kilter our lives are.

Obadiah prophesies against Edom.  He tells us that Edom was arrogant and believed that their unique geographic position made them secure against attack.  However, that was not what led Obadiah to prophesy against them.  No, Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be destroyed because they stood by and watched while others attacked and brought harm to the Israelites, reveling in the destruction of their fellow man.  They gloated at the destruction of Jerusalem and then took part in looting the ruins.  The people of Edom gloated over the misfortune of the Israelites, sure of their security against such attacks.  God brought judgement upon them for that.  We should not gloat when others suffer misfortune, no matter how deserving we believe them to be.  Further, we should not inflict more suffering on those who experience God’s punishment for their sins.  While this passage does not illuminate this, we should instead seek to relieve their suffering, even though they had brought it on themselves, in order to possibly bring them to God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2022 Bible Study — As You Have Done, It Will Be Done To You

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

I chose that line out of Obadiah verse 15 as my title for today because it reflected much about what I wanted to write about out of both the portion of Amos for today and Obadiah.  Amos refers to the plumb line which God measures His people against.  He measures us against the standard He used to measure Christ and finds us wanting.  The determining factor in that measure is what we have done to others, but God does not measure us against those others.  He measures us against Jesus.  Fortunately, He also rebuilds us according to that standard if we will allow Him to do so.  Amos also speaks about those who use their religious observance as cover for their deceitful practices; those who diligently take part in religious activities while eagerly awaiting their return to business activities where they will defraud their customers. Finally in Obadiah the prophet condemns the people of Edom for taking advantage of the misfortune of the people of Judah rather than aiding them in their distress.  In all of these cases we learn that it will be done to us as we have done to others.  But there is a positive side to this as well, when we do good for others, that will be done to us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2021 Bible Study — We Pay A Price When We Profit From The Suffering Of Others

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

Amos continues his prophecy against the Northern Kingdom of Israel in today’s passage.  I was going to start with the prophecy about the plumb line, but as I composed my thoughts I realized I was not sure what I understood it to say reflected what it was intended to say.  So, I decided to speak about Amos goes on to condemn those who joyously sing worship songs while eagerly awaiting the end of the service so that they can get back to cheating others.  Those who live such lives and do not turn to God will bring terrible destruction upon themselves. And yet, for all of the doom and gloom which Amos preached, he ended on a note of hope.  A time of destruction is coming to those who refuse to turn from their sins, but God will bring a time of plenty for those who turn to Him.

Now let us turn our attention to the short book of Obadiah.  I believe that Obadiah is the only Old Testament prophet who prophesied entirely against nations other than Israel or Judah.  He primarily prophesied against Edom, but there is a small bit against the Philistines.  Obadiah condemns the people for two things, pride and epicaricacy (or taking joy in the misfortune of others).  He tells them that they will suffer because they proudly thought that they could take advantage of the people of Israel (or Judah) when they were overrun.  They took joy when their neighbors suffered and they profited from that suffering in ways which increased the suffering.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2019 Bible Study — Having Been a Victim Does Not Give Me the Right to Oppress Others, Not Even Those Who Had Oppressed Me

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah

Amos warns those who lounge in luxury and sing trivial songs that they imagine make them great musicians similar to King David.  This tells me that Amos’ warnings were not, and are not, directed at those who proclaim themselves pagans.  No, Amos’ warnings are directed at those who imagine themselves to be worshiping but who also worship idols.  Amos goes on to remind the people of Israel, and us today, that all people are important to God.  The Israelites were not, are not more important to God, than other peoples.  God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, but He had brought other peoples out of other lands.  The people of the United States are not more important to God than the people of other lands.  Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior are not more important to God than other people.  If we begin to believe that because we are Americans, or Canadians, or any other nationality, or because we are Christians that we are special to God over others, we will suffer for our arrogance.

I wrote above on the end of the Book of Amos, now a few comments on the Book of Obadiah.  The people of Edom took advantage of the suffering of the people of Israel and therefore they were subject to God’s judgement.  Fur much of the history of Israel and Judah, Edom had been under control from Jerusalem.  This led them to resent the people of Israel, and Judah.  This resentment led the people of Edom to feel entitled to take advantage of the misfortune of those who were almost their countrymen.  Let us be warned not to seek profit by increasing the suffering of those already experiencing misfortune.  The people of Edom imagined that the people of Israel deserved to suffer and that they deserved to profit from that suffering, even if that meant increasing the suffering.  Obadiah tells us that we never deserve to profit from causing others to suffer.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2018 Bible Study — Ignoring the Misfortune of Others While Profiting From It

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

    Amos prophesies against those who enjoy the fruits of their wealth while ignoring the suffering of the poor and needy. When I read today’s passage I think of how the wealthy and powerful in Chicago stayed in their safe neighborhoods while ignoring the murders and violent crime in the other neighborhoods of the city. I hate to single out Chicago, because what Amos is prophesying about applies in many places. And it is not just in cities. This prophecy is directed at those who are living a life of luxury and ease while ignoring the violence and injustice occurring just outside their secure enclave. It is easy to think that this prophecy applies to people wealthier and more powerful than myself, but, if I am not doing what I can to help the poor and oppressed, it applies to me. Further down in today’s passage Amos talks about how God is going to measure us with a plumb line. For those of you who do not know, a plumb line is essentially a weight on the end of a string. It is used to measure whether a pole or a wall stands up straight. God measures us with the plumb line of His righteousness. Do we stand up true and pure? Or do we lean away from what is right and just?

    Obadiah is the only prophet whose entire message is directed entirely against a people other than those of Israel and Judah. The people of Edom thought that the geography of the land they lived in would protect them against invaders. The prophet warns them that this is not so. God has chosen to bring judgement against them because of their sins. We can learn from their sins. God brought judgement down on Edom because they failed to offer what aid they could when the Children of Israel were in distress. Not only did they not offer aid when the Children of Israel were suffering, they rejoiced in their suffering, they gloated over it. They took advantage of the misfortunes of others to profit. As I read this I realized that we can understand what is being condemned by looking at news of the recent hurricane in the Carolinas. There are stories about people from areas that did not need to evacuate going into the areas where the people evacuated to loot. This is what the people of Edom were condemned for doing.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2017 Bible Study — A Famine Of Hearing The Word Of The Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

    Amos continues to prophesy against Israel and Judah (with the focus on Israel). Here he more directly focuses his condemnation on the elites of both countries, those who thought they were more important and better than the common man. They drink the finest foods and wines; they think themselves the arbiters of the fine arts. Yet, the things they call art is trivial and of no consequence. They do not fear the coming disaster because they think they are above such things. Amos reminds us that it is exactly those people who will suffer first when God’s judgment comes.

    Amos prophesied that part of God’s judgment against the people of Israel would be a famine of hearing God’s word. People would seek spiritual guidance and not be able to find it. I think we are seeing this today. People have rejected Christianity without really knowing what it is. Then they are confused when their search for spiritual fulfillment fails. Recently in a conversation on Facebook a friend of mine used an idiom based on a Biblical passage, one which was common when I was a child. He and I were the only people in the thread who even knew what it meant, let alone where it came from. This is but one example. There are numerous idioms in common use which derive from the Bible which have become distorted because few people know the passage from which they come (my favorite is the transition of “scape goat” to “excape goat”). I hear people describe the characteristics of the spiritual system they are looking for, characteristics which are fulfilled by Christianity. Yet, they summarily reject Christianity. Once, biblical themes and ideas were the bedrock of our culture, even among those who rejected faith in God. Today that is no longer true and people believe about the Bible what people who hate God tell them about it.

    Obadiah is the only Old Testament prophet whose focus is entirely on God’s judgment against foreign nations. Obadiah primarily prophesied against Edom, but he extended his warning to all of the surrounding nations who followed Edom’s example. The people of Edom were confident that their geographic location made them safe, but nothing could protect them from God’s judgment. Nothing can protect us from God’s judgment. Let us look at their sins, and be warned. They gloated when the people of Israel were taken into captivity. They took advantage of the suffering of the people of Israel in order to profit. Actually, it was more than that. When the people of Israel were suffering the people of Edom made that suffering worse for their own profit. They actively prevented the people of Israel from escaping their enemies. That last reminds me of the many nations who prevented European Jews from escaping the Nazis during WWII. However, I do not want to look at the actions of a generation which has died (those who are still alive who were alive during WWII had no role in the decisions made by their governments). Let us be careful not to repeat this sin. Let us not lend our support to those who would turn over those who are fleeing violence to those who are perpetuating the violence.

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2016 Bible Study — We Need to Repent and Turn From Our Sins

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Yesterday was my 16th anniversary. It has been a wonderful 16 years and I look forward to many more.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

    As I read the beginning of today’s passage it sounds so much like our society. Amos uses phrases which so accurately describe our society: “What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury”…”You are famous and popular”…”You push away every thought of coming disaster”…”You sing trivial songs…and fancy yourselves to be great musicians”…”You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.” All of those sound so much like the elites of today, but not just like the elites, it sounds like so many of the people in our society. They spend their time entertaining themselves with no thought for taking care of those who are suffering. Amos warns them that their parties will suddenly end and they will experience the misery they have so long ignored, or worse, used for political gain. Amos circles back a little later to talk about those who put on a pretense of doing what is right, while eagerly waiting the opportunity to take advantage of others. When I read the passage about enslaving the poor, I was reminded of our complex financial systems which are structured to lure people in and capture their little bits of wealth for the truly wealthy.

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    Unless we as a people, from the least to the greatest among us, learn to care for our fellows and work to meet our own needs, God’s judgment is going to fall on this nation. Amos’ prophecy was not unique to Israel, and its application today is not unique to the United States. I see the peoples of many other countries living as those Amos condemns in this passage. We, each and everyone of us, need to repent of our sins and cry out to God for forgiveness. The key is that we must repent, we must turn from our sins. Amos pointed out to the Israelites that they were no more important to God than the Ethiopians, or the Philistines, or the Arameans. We are no more important to God than the Venezuelans, or those who live in Somalia. If they are suffering today, what makes us think that we cannot suffer the same fate. Let us repent of our sins.