“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Amos shows us that there are only two choices; life and death, and the stark difference between the two. [Teaching plan for Seek the Lord and Live April 29, 2013] 1. Have a volunteer read Amos 5:14,15 A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this … Continue reading –>
Amos’ home was Tekoa, in Judah, but God sent him to prophesy in Israel. He had gone to the northern kingdom and preached with such power that the land was not “able to bear all his words” (Amos 7:10, NKJV). Certainly many Israelites looked at Amos with suspicion and rejected him as God’s messenger. In … Continue reading –>
Read Amos 5:23-24, Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, Psalm 51:17. What are these texts saying? More important, how can the principle here be applied directly to our own spiritual life today, as Seventh-day Adventists? That is, in what ways might we be guilty of doing exactly what is warned about here? (Remember, too, that it is very easy to be … Continue reading –>
Things had become very bad in Israel; the corruption, the oppression, the sin. The point was reached where the very survival of the nation was at stake. For this reason, Amos composed a lament to mourn the coming death of Israel (Amos 5:1-15). Often in the prophetic books, no distinction is made between the word … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Amos 5:1-15, Heb. 5:14, Isa. 5:20, Amos 7:10-17, 9:11-15, Acts 15:13-18. Memory Text: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, just as you have said!” (Amos 5:14, NASB). Key Thought: Amos reminds us that only in seeking the Lord is there life. “Had Israel been true … Continue reading –>
Read the following quotations and discuss how they help us to understand the messages from Amos 1-4 and Obadiah in a clearer way. “From the beginnings of Israelite religion the belief that God had chosen this particular people to carry out His mission has been both a cornerstone of Hebrew faith and a refuge in moments of … Continue reading –>
As this week’s lesson talks about acts of inhumanity being sins against God, I would like to write about acts of humanity. Taking a walk in Texas, I came across a beautiful patch of Texas Blue Bonnet flowers and Indian Paint Brushes. Among the flowers I saw some litter. I thought to myself, as ugly … Continue reading –>
“A Lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8, NKJV) [Thought questions for Lord of All Nations April 24, 2013] 1. Can’t help but prophesy! If you lived in the hillsides of old as Amos did, how would you feel hearing a lion roaring loudly nearby? What did … Continue reading –>
Read the book of Obadiah. What important moral and spiritual truths can we take away from this book? Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, and it reports on the prophetic vision of God’s judgment upon the land of Edom. The message of the book focuses on three issues: Edom’s arrogance (vss. 1-4), Edom’s … Continue reading –>
