Amos ended his remarks in Chapter 4 with a hymn recounting the power of God. He now switches to a dirge to describe the death that awaits Israel. His hearers are likely jarred by the change in tone. Amos begins to chant as if he is in a funeral procession mourning the death of a […]
The Osage Indians of the plains met the same fate as most Indian tribes in the 19th century – they were forced from their land and made to resettle in a place no one else wanted. In their case, it was in a rocky area of Oklahoma. When they were resettled, however, the Osage did […]
Amos continues his condemnation of Israel. He discusses their worship and reminds his listeners that God’s coming wrath is not without warning. 4-5 Bethel is the main place of worship. It was set up by Jeroboam I soon after the kingdoms split. It is one of two places – along with Dan – where Jeroboam […]
The subtitle of this book is “The Hidden Lives and Lessons of American Child Prodigies.” Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I thought the subject matter was fascinating and I had high hopes for it. As a parent (NOT of prodigies [no offense, kids!]) finding out how parents dealt with extraordinary kids in some extreme circumstances sounded […]
Amos begins to give more detail about Israel’s coming destruction as well as more detail about why they have earned God’s wrath. He makes sure his listeners understand these are God’s words as he repeatedly tells them, “Thus says Yahweh,” or “Thus says Sovereign Yahweh.” 9-12 Amos calls for the wealthy residents (the wealthy are […]
I keep a “To-Read” list on my phone. When I read a positive review of a book or hear about something that sounds interesting, I add it to the list. The list is fairly long and oftentimes there’s a significant lag between adding a title and actually reading it. That means that I sometimes pick […]
After Amos tells the Israelites their status as God’s chosen people actually puts them in more danger than the pagans, he tells them their impending judgment is the logical outcome of their behavior. This is a continuation of his defense of the sentence he prophesied in 2:13-16. 3-6 He begins by asking several rhetorical questions. […]
Amos begins his second series of oracles. Remember that the Israelites listening to Amos are likely shocked to hear they are in danger of judgment. Times are good, they worship Yahweh as they have for almost two centuries, God’s blessing is clearly in their lives, and their behavior has been rationalized for so long that […]
The book tells the story of the killing of Osama bin Laden. As is typically the case with any Bowden book (and I’ve now read four, I think), it’s incredibly well researched and well-told. He gives a blow-by-blow account of all the planning, searching, sleuthing, and luck that went into finding and killing bin Laden. […]
Amos has finished his prophecies about the surrounding nations and now reaches his main message – his proclamations against Israel itself. Interestingly, his initial condemnations are similar to the charges made against the pagans. The people of Israel are no longer distinguishable from the people without the law. As noted before, Amos’ listeners could very […]
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