Apicontent

Isaiah offers hope

This hope would be embodied through God’s Servant known as “Immanuel,” who will one day establish a new Israel and God’s Kingdom on the earth. Remarkably, Jesus does precisely that in His lifetime, fulfilling over 300 prophecies in Scripture that include intricate details of His death and resurrection foretold in Isaiah chapters 50 through 53.

Throughout the test of time, Isaiah’s words have encouraged thousands of people who have suffered the drudgeries in this life while waiting for the Messiah to come in His first and second appearances everyone is counting on.

Jeremiah announces that God will judge Israel’s sins with an exile to Babylon. And then, he lives through the horror of his predictions.

The Book of Jeremiah holds a graphic but important picture showing us how disobedience leads to destruction.

Jerusalem will fall

The people of Israel repeatedly refused to listen to the Lord’s instructions and followed too many evil desires to count. And yet, even though they had broken the terms of their Covenant with God, He was still willing to bless them if they repented.

Justice can only allow evil to go so far. In one final act, God chooses Jeremiah to give the people of Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah one more chance: turn from their wicked ways or be exiled to Babylon. The latter is sadly the result.

Among the exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel shows that Israel deserved this judgment, and also that God’s justice creates hope for the future.

The Book of Ezekiel can seem vague and confusing for some readers, but with careful observation, it contains key details God wants us to know about. Many of the divine visions that Ezekiel shares are relevant to God’s plans for reconstructing the present world and restoring His people to our former days in the Garden of Eden.

God exiles himself with Israel

Through Ezekiel, we learn that spiritual things are just as important as the physical, and even more important regarding the physical’s temporary circumstances. We also get a glimpse of God’s glory manifested with His presence when riding a heavenly chariot.

God’s presence being revealed to Ezekiel in Babylon also demonstrates that holiness has nothing to do with geographical location, but rather the condition of people’s hearts. God is moved by the faithfulness of men like Ezekiel, who became His priest not because of status but because of his faith in God in a dark land, no matter the circumstances. His example is a model for believers everywhere.

Hosea accuses Israel of breaking their covenant with God, and warns them of the tragic consequences to follow.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel enjoyed moderate success from conquering neighboring kingdoms, but they were spiritually bankrupt on the inside. In the Book of Hosea, God sends Hosea to Israel during King Jeroboam II’s reign to admonish them of their wrongs in perpetual idol worship and dependence on outside nations.

Love conquers all

King Jeroboam II, one of the worst kings in Israel’s history, grew apathetic and allowed idol worship to run amok in the nation, opening the doorway for Israelites to cheat, steal, have unlawful sex with, and even murder each other on a constant basis. Growing cold and distant, they had forgotten about knowing God as their intimate first love, ushering in a disaster that would imminently strike through Assyria’s siege. But God does not forget Israel even in their self-destruction, and He teaches us that love is the strongest force of all, even over sin.

Hope would still come through God’s Messiah.

Joel reflects on the “Day of the Lord” and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books.

The Book of Joel accounts for justice over evil in a form that’s unique to the other Old Testament prophets. Unlike the other Books, Joel tells us a story about a terrible plague of locusts that seems to traverse across time. 

No room for evil

No particular mention of Israel’s sins is present in the book, but the consequences of the terrible events described are certainly clear: God will one day wipe out all evil and start creation over. But through this destruction also comes eternal protection for those who believe in Him.

Salvation from the Messianic King is once again prophesied, but this time the Holy Spirit is prophesied to come too, causing seemingly ordinary people to have visions, divine dreams, and be filled with God’s Spirit. That’s exactly what happened during Pentecost to Jesus’ disciples after His death and resurrection, ensuring us that the Day of the Lord is even closer at hand today.

Amos accuses Israel of breaking their covenant with God, and highlights how their idolatry has led to injustice and the neglect of the poor.

The Book of Amos is an intriguing Scripture from a unique individual, Amos, a shepherd and fig tree farmer dwelling in southern Judah who is called by God to go to Bethel and announce warnings of judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel.

One last chance

Northern Israel had conquered other nations and enjoyed its recent successes, but was spiritually bankrupt on the inside. Worshiping local pagan gods twisted their moral perceptions, and the people of Israel infamously cheated, stole and sold their poor into slavery in foreign lands.

God is grieved by the evils he sees the people of Israel doing, but through His mercy, He is willing to give them another chance to change their ways. What can we learn by reading Amos today? Through Amos’ wisdom, we discover that doing the right thing and loving others is more important than sacrifice to God, who desires to renew the hearts of everything through His coming Messiah King.

Obadiah announces Edom’s downfall to Babylon, which is an image of how God will bring down all arrogant and violent nations.

The smallest Old Testament account, the Book of Obadiah is a vision written by The Lord’s prophet known as Obadiah, who prophesied against Israel’s relative nation Edom.

Edom will fall

The Edomites, who were descended from Jacob’s brother Esau, still carried the grudge their founder had for Jacob’s deception. Worse, Esau’s nation hated Israel even more. They refused to help Israel in their need, sold them as slaves, and even abused them while they were exiled to Babylon.

Through Obadiah, God declares judgment over Edom and prophesies that they will be erased from history. Babylon overtook Edom 100 years later, never to recover again.

A subversive story about a rebellious prophet who despises his God for loving his enemies.

If you have ever attended church, Sunday school, or bedtime story sessions as a child, you have likely heard about the story in the Book of Jonah at some point. But, the prophet Jonah’s account of remarkable experiences with storms at sea, being eaten by a fish, and plants that miraculously grow and die in a day have lessons that go much deeper than what is on the surface.

Forgiveness is hard

Through Jonah’s perspective, we have the opportunity to perform a spiritual checkup of ourselves. Do we truly forgive and love our enemies? Do we run away from the Lord about certain issues, afraid of being exposed? The answer is different for every individual, and yet God personally knows the answers to these questions. By examining ourselves in Jonah’s story, we can learn to trust God in His final decisions and give all our concerns to Him, while knowing that He desires to save every individual on Earth and reunite with them forever.

No one is too far for Him to reach.

Micah announces that God’s justice is coming in order to create a new future of love and faithfulness on the other side of Israel’s sin and exile.

The book of Micah describes God’s coming judgment on Israel because of its rebellion. The Assyrian Empire and then the Babylon Empire would destroy the nation and leave Jerusalem in ruin.

The good shepherd

However, Micah also gives the people hope. Like a shepherd, God will one day gather and restore a faithful remnant to the land. He will rebuild Jerusalem, defeat evil forever, set a Messianic King to rule over the people and bless all the nations.

Before that can happen, though, He must confront and judge evil from among His people. Then He can show mercy and fulfill His covenant promise to Abraham and bless all the nations through Israel. His ultimate purpose is not to destroy Israel but to redeem and save the world.