September 7: Hosea 13-14 1. Who is responsible for Israel’s destruction, according to 13:9? Who alone can provide the solution? How does this proclaim the gospel to us today?
2. Compare Hosea 14:1-3 with Hosea 6:1-3. One passage expresses genuine repentance, while the other expresses false repentance (compare verse 4 of each to see God’s response). How are the two “repentences” different? Have you genuinely repented?
Introduction to Joel:
Author/Date: Very little is known about the author of this book. Joel’s name means “the Lord is God” and he seems to be among the earliest of the writing prophets. Joel 1:13 and 2:17 indicate that the temple was still established, while the enemies mentioned (3:2) suggest an earlier date as well. The MacArthur Study Bible suggests that the book was composed during the reign of Joash (835-796 BC), though this is not certain.
Themes: The main message of the book of Joel is “the day of the LORD.” In the Bible, “the day of the LORD” refers not to a single day, but rather to a broader timeframe of judgment. Sometimes, it refers to more immediate judgments experienced by Israel and Judah. Other times, it refers to something more remote. For example, I Thessalonians 5:2 speaks of the day of the Lord as a time of future, eschatological judgment, what might be called the Great Tribulation. Likewise, Revelation 16:14 refers to it as a future global judgment.
At the heart of the book is a call to God’s people to repent (2:12-17). On one side of this call is a prediction of coming judgment, while on the other side is a promise of coming restoration and blessing. With one hand, God withholds the wrath our sin deserves, while with the other hand He offers mercy and grace, calling us to repentance.
Outline: I. Destruction (1:1-2:17) A. A locust invasion (1:1-20). B. A military invasion (2:1-11). C. A call to repentance (2:12-17) II. Restoration (2:18-3:21).
September 8: Joel 1-3 1. Joel predicts a coming invasion, compared to locusts (ch. 1). In the middle of the book, what application does Joel make to God’s people, 2:12-17? How does the promise of judgment motivate repentance? How does the promise of blessing motivate repentance (2:13b)? 2. In 2:25-27, God promises a wonderful reversal and restoration to God’s people. What does this restoration entail? How does this point us to God’s work through Christ?
3. How does Peter employ 2:28-32 in Acts 2:17-21? How does Peter suggest that this passage is fulfilled? Yet, how are elements of this prophecy apparent in Rev. 6:12?
Introduction to Amos: Author/Date: According to 1:1, Amos lived among herdsmen and prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II in Israel and Uzziah in Judah. Amos prophesied primarily in the Northern Kingdom. He was a contemporary with Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, and Jonah. Amos was from Tekoa, a small town in Judah, and evidently was involved in agriculture (7:14-15).
Background: Under Jeroboam II, Israel reached the peak of its power. Jeroboam II expanded Israel’s border, bringing in increased wealth for many. Along with this economic prosperity there came idolatry, moral decay, and injustice. After the time of Israel’s zenith under Jeroboam, she declined rapidly, being conquered just 30 years later.
Themes: The book of Amos expresses God’s demand for justice. The book opens with judgments on the surrounding nations, before turning to the sins of Judah and Israel. Israel’s particular sin was her mistreatment of the poor and her gross idolatry. Because of Israel’s sin, her worship was meaningless. Thus, two major themes emerge: true worship and justice.
Outline: I. Judgment on the Nations and Israel (1:1-2:16). II. Judgment Messages to Israel (3:1-6:14). III. Visions of Judgment and Restoration (7:1-9:15).
September 9: Amos 1-3 1. Amos’s opening message reminds us that we all want God to judge the sin around us, just not our sin. What sins does God expose in Israel in 2:6-8? Are we guilty of a similar sin in our nation today? Why or why not?
2. Perhaps Israel thought that their special relationship with God would spare them from God’s chastening judgment. What’s the truth, according to 3:2? What unique privileges do we have? What responsibilities come along with them?
September 10: Amos 4-6 1. Ch. 4:6-13 recounts God’s attempts to turn Israel back to Him. How did Israel respond to Him? What kind of God have they rejected, v. 13?
2. 5:18-6:14 pronounces a series of “woes” against Israel. In 6:1-7, God pronounces a judgment on those “at ease in Zion.” Take a look the hedonistic pursuits that marked the people back then. How many of these pursuits grip your life?
September 11: Amos 7-9 1. Chapters 7-9 are united by a series of five visions that predict judgment on Israel. Although initial judgments are delayed through Amos’s prayers, the plumb line of God’s perfect justice reveals Israel’s glaring evil. Although we as believers will not face God’s wrath (Rom. 8:1ff), how should the reality of God’s justice change and motivate us?
2. How is Amos 9:11-12 fulfilled in Acts 15:15-17? What does this show us about the richness of God’s plan of redemption?
Introduction to Obadiah: Author/Date: Written as a judgment oracle against Edom, this book is named after its author, Obadiah (his name means “servant of Yahweh”). Obadiah is the shortest book in the OT. Although other individuals are called “Obadiah” in the OT (it appears to have been a fairly common name), this particular individual is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. The book provides no dating statement, leaving an approximate date open to conjecture.
Since the book recounts an attack on Jerusalem from Edom, the two main possibilities are the Edomite invasion during the reign of Jerhoram (2 Chronicles 21:8-20) in the 840s B.C. or the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. (the Edomites joined them, Lamentations 4:21). In favor of the earlier date is the fact that the Babylonians are not mentioned in this book. In favor of the later date is the similarity in style to Jeremiah 49:7-16.
Background: The Edomites were descendants of Esau. They lived to Israel’s southwest in the mountainous country south of the Dead Sea. Israel had a long history of conflict with Edom.
Themes: The books of Obadiah is a message of judgment on Edom for their participation in an attack on Jerusalem. The book demonstrates God’s justice and on those who oppose Him and His people. In particular, God judges Edom’s arrogant pride, heartless violence, and treachery against Judah. The book reveals God’s covenant protection of Israel and God’s judgment on pride.
Outline: I. Judgment on Edom (1-14). II. Restoration for Israel (15-21).
September 12: Obadiah 1. According to 1:10-14, why is Edom judged? Which of these sins shows up in your life? Is there any reason for us to think that we’ll be exempt from judgment? 2. What promise does God make in 1:17? What declaration in 1:21 undergirds all of God’s dealings with the nations? Isn’t it amazing that the fugitives of verse 17 become the deliverers of verse 21? Reflect on how the gospel transforms all those it touches.
Introduction to Jonah: Author/Date: Jonah is probably the most familiar of the minor prophets. It is the only narrative in the minor prophets. Jonah, the main character of the book, is likely the author of the book. That Jonah existed as an actual historical figure is demonstrated in 2 Kings 14:25. He came from Gath-Hepher near Nazareth. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-46 B.C.). Like Amos, he ministered to the northern kingdom around the same time.
Background: Assyria (Nineveh was its capital) was the most feared and hated of the surrounding nations, due, in no small part, to their enormous cruelty. Thus, it is understandable why Jonah, a patriotic Israelite, would not be eager to preach to them or see them repent. The repentance experienced in Nineveh may very well explain why Assyria was not a major threat to Israel during the time of Jeroboam II.
Themes: The book powerfully demonstrates God’s compassion for the nations. Although Israel was His chosen people, God still sent Jonah to be a missionary to wicked Nineveh, granting them an opportunity to repent. The great irony is that wicked Nineveh responded more readily to God’s message than the prophet Jonah—or Israel. The book might have been aimed at Israel, exposing their rebellion toward God. Another theme that comes through in the book is God’s sovereignty. Several times, God is said to have “prepared” or caused an occurrences (1:4,17; 2:10; 4:6,7). In spite of Jonah’s unwillingness to do God’s will, God’s will is done.
Genre: The most challenging aspect of interpreting Jonah is determining its genre. Is it an extended parable or a historical narrative? Those who see it as the former do so on the basis of the “exaggerated elements” (such as the size of Nineveh, the brevity of Jonah’s preaching, the whale swallowing the prophet, the fast-growing vine) interpreted as “comic devices used to lampoon the Israelites” (Faithlife Study Bible, “Book Introduction”).
Nonetheless, the book is written as historical narrative and makes no claim to be a parable. Indeed, the New Testament’s use of Jonah assumes its historicity (Matthew 12:39-42). Add to this the fact that Jonah is no fictional character, but one who actually existed (2 Kings 14:25), and the parabolic interpretive scheme appears rather weak indeed. With a Sovereign Creator God, there is no reason to see any of the miracles in this book as even remotely impossible.
Outline: I. Jonah’s Rebellion (1). II. Jonah’s Prayer of Deliverance (2) III. Jonah’s Preaching (3). IV. Jonah’s Prayer of Complaint (4) September 13: Jonah 1-4 1. How does Jonah 1:17 foreshadow Christ? See Matt. 12:40. Did Christ regard the Jonah narrative as a myth/parable, or historical event?
2. What do you find most striking about Jonah’s prayer in ch. 2? Isn’t it ironic that Jonah had no problem enjoying God’s compassion on himself, but was upset when God showed that same compassion on Nineveh (ch. 4)?
3. In Jonah 4, the prophet becomes surly because God spares the city. He would rather see Nineveh destroyed than forgiven. What groups of people would you have difficulty seeing repent and being equals with you in the kingdom?