In the final days of Judah, the prophet Jeremiah issued a stinging rebuke to the nation in the holy city of Jerusalem: “This is what the LORD says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.”

For hundreds of years before Solomon, the city of Shiloh had been the home of the Tabernacle, and the presence of God. But Israel had been disobedient, believing that God’s presence would insure them against catastrophe regardless of how they lived. At one point, they even carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle, believing its presence guaranteed victory.

The ark was captured.

Shiloh was destroyed.

Now, Jeremiah was telling them the same thing would happen to Jerusalem if it’s citizens didn’t mend their ways.

The religious elite of Jerusalem arrested Jeremiah and brought him to court charging: “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!” Jeremiah, in their eyes, was guilty of treason.

Fortunately, some of the older, respected men of the community stepped forward in Jeremiah’s behalf. They said: ‘Micah of Moresheth in the days of King Hezekiah said: ‘Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.’ No one put Micah to death. Instead, they repented.”

And so, Jeremiah’s life was spared – thanks to the work of Micah. Unlike the days of Micah however, the people didn’t repent.

The prophecy of Micah is found in the book the bears his name. He did his work about the middle of the 8th century B.C., just before the fall of the Northern Kingdom. His book describes the people of God in a most unflattering manner. They “lay awake at night plotting treachery against their neighbors.” They use their power to oppress people – just because they can. They “hate good and love evil.” They will do anything to make a dollar. Their lack of concern for others is vividly portrayed in these words addressed to the political leaders: “[Y]ou tear the skin from my people . . . break their bones in pieces . . . [and] chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot.” Religious leaders led Israel astray, preaching an “I’m ok, you’re ok gospel,” and they did it because that was precisely what the people wanted to hear. In God’s mind, His Church had been ruined “beyond all remedy.”

The result? “Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.”

It didn’t happen immediately of course. Jeremiah was still talking about the coming calamity two hundred years after Micah. But less than twenty years later, the end had come – just as God said.

What did God want from His people? Simply this: “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). If she would but do that, God would pardon and forgive them, hurling their sins into “the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

Micah stands as a lasting rebuke to the People of God in every age who, remembering who they are, forget what they are about; people who, because of their relationship with God, believe they can get away with being inattentive to His will. Micah also has a message for the world: God is sovereign over the nations. They may deny His existence and repudiate His will, but God remains sovereign, and ultimately he promises to “take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me” (Micah 5:14-15).

Micah affirms that God delights to show mercy (7:18), but is unafraid to discipline the wayward.

Jonah is likely the best known “minor prophet”– the prophet who got swallowed by the whale (or “big fish,” depending on your translation). Could a fish swallow a man whole and the man survive? After three days in a whale’s belly? I’ve wondered what the inside of a whale’s belly looks like. Jonah probably couldn’t tell us since there would have been no light. What would it smell like? In fact, I’ve wondered how you could smell at all since I cannot expect there would be any air there (do fish burp?).

When you begin to focus on the story, I can’t imagine anything more horrible than Jonah’s condition, a situation much akin to being buried alive. In fact, that’s how Jonah described it: “From the depths of the grave I called for help . . . The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head . . . my life was ebbing away” (Jonah 2:1,5,7).

But actually, the book of Jonah is not “about” Jonah at all. It is a book about God.

Jonah lived during the days of Jereboam II in the northern kingdom of Israel. Though times were prosperous, political disaster lay just over the horizon. The world power was the Assyrian nation, and the world had seldom seen such power wielded with such cruelty. Their kings bragged about slaughtering their enemies and dying the mountains red like wool with their blood, burning young men and maidens alive, and covering the walls of conquered cities and the columns of local buildings with the skins of beaten people. Not surprisingly, no one liked the Assyrians.

And so, when God told the prophet Jonah to go preach to the Assyrians and tell them to turn from their wicked ways . . . or else, Jonah thought “or else” suited them just fine. Rather than make the 500 mile trek to Nineveh, Jonah caught a ship headed in the opposite direction for Spain.

That’s when “the weather started getting rough.” In an ocean storm, there are no atheists. Every passenger prayed to his god and when Jonah confessed that he was the reason for the storm, the passengers prayed to Jonah’s God – then threw Jonah overboard. The sea grew calm – just as Jonah told them it would. God caused the big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah went to “time out.” It was there that Jonah realized: when God gives you a job, it’s easier to do it than refuse. Jonah repented, and the fish “vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

Jonah then went to preach to the Assyrians. They listened, turned from their wickedness, and Jonah got angry. He knew it would happen. The Assyrians would survive when, in Jonah’s mind, they deserved to die. In a fit of pique, he camped outside the city of Nineveh and pouted.

This is where you get to the point of the story.

God caused a plant to grow overnight to shade Jonah. Then, just as quickly, God killed it. Jonah, no longer sheltered from the sun, became furious. At that point, God sat Jonah down for a heart to heart. Jonah was angry because a plant he had neither planted nor cultivated had died. God said: “Shouldn’t I be concerned for a city filled with innocent children and cattle?”

Jonah is full of wonderful lessons. God loves all people. HIS people may be the people of blessing and promise, but He still loves everyone. Second, He expects all people (whether His or not) to submit to his will. Third, those who don’t (His or not) will find life exceedingly hard. But most of all, He is a God of grace and forgiveness. The people of Nineveh experienced it. So did Jonah. Fourth, God expects His people to speak to the people of the world to reveal his will.

Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac had two sons: Jacob and Esau. Jacob became the father of the Israelite nation. Esau became the father of the Edomite nation. Jacob, the younger of the two, stole his brother’s inheritance. Years later, when all seemed forgiven, Jacob lied to his brother. No matter what the reasons or whose fault the feud was, God forbade Jacob’s descendants, Israel, to mistreat her brethren the Edomites.

When Israel left Egypt during the Exodus, the old animosity between the two families arose. Israel asked to pass through Edomite territory on the King’s highway, promising not to “go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory. If we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot – nothing else.” Edom replied, "You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword."

Edom never forgave Israel. She remembered every perceived slight, and never forgot an insult. Amos wrote: Edom “pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed unchecked.”

When Israel was conquered and Jerusalem burned by the Babylonians, the Edomites surveyed the situation from a distance, celebrating the defeat of her brethren. Obadiah recounts this scene in the book that bears his name, and delivers God’s promise of destruction for Edom’s treatment of Israel.

Two points should not be lost on the people of God: First, we must be forgiving. We are not allowed to hold a grudge and the severest punishment awaits those who do. Second, it is important to remember that God has not ordained any particular government, or any system of government, as his anointed on the earth. Nor are God’s people defined by particular political boundaries or philosophies. No government or system of government on the earth is eternal. They are all temporary, subject to the sovereignty of God. Obadiah reminds us however that the longevity of every nation is dependent on the attitudes and actions of its people, and those nations whose citizens find it hard to forgive and who rejoice in the misfortunes of others, are nations destined to be short-lived.

At the death of Solomon, about 931 B.C., his kingdom was torn in two and became known as the kingdoms of Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south). Jereboam, a descendant of Joseph, became Israel’s first king. Jereboam was chosen by God for this position and had God’s blessing, but Jereboam faithlessly (and stupidly) chose to rebel against God, installing worship centers at the cities of Dan and Bethel, all in an effort solidify a monarchy already guaranteed by God. He set up golden idols at those sites and encouraged the people to worship them. They did, and very soon afterward, God made their lives incredibly difficult by sending the Syrians and the Assyrians to oppress them. From 805 - 735 B.C., however, there was a break in the oppression and Israel began to prosper. Rather than turn to God in repentance however, Israel drew further away.

It was during this time that God sent a poor man from Tekoa (12 miles south of Jerusalem) to preach to them. His task was to get Israel to repent and warn them of the consequences of impenitence. His name was Amos, and his message to Israel was simple and ominous: “Prepare to meet your God” (4:12).

The book of Amos begins (chapters 1-2) somewhat deceptively in that it addresses the sins of the nations surrounding Israel. Amos’ hearers and readers could not help but believe, to begin with, that they were God’s favored nation.

But beginning in chapter 3, and extending virtually to the end of the book (9:10), the prophet condemns, in the harshest language, the sins of Israel. He describes the rich women of Israel as “cows of Bashan.” He accuses Israel of turning justice into bitterness” and “throwing righteousness to the ground.” He condemns their lives of indolence with these words: “You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David . . . You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph” (6:4-6).

God’s mighty hand of judgment looms, and there will be no escape. “Not one will get away; none will escape. Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. . . Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there will I command the sword to slay them. I will fix my eyes on them for evil and not for good” (9:1-4).

Israel’s sins all spring from their blessings: They are all out to “get theirs” and they will oppress all who get in their way. They despise authority and correction and love to revel in the finest the world has to offer. But they have no time for God, and no time for the needy. Such a people, in the eyes of God, do not deserve to live.

God will not, however, do away with them all. They are, after all, God’s people. And so, after a time of great trial and destruction, God promises to restore his people and show the world that, while subject to his justice, are not subject to obliteration (9:11-15). This latter text is cited in the New Testament to refer to the Christian Church (Acts 15:16-17).

How do we make an application of this book? After all, it is addressed to the nation of Israel, not to our nation.

We cannot say that if our nation imbibes the same sins of Israel, we will fall like she did. Our nation does not, as a nation sustain the same relationship to God Israel did, nor is it the beneficiary of God’s promises. The people of God, today, are Christians. The message of Amos is that God is serious about justice and mercy and fairness and true spirituality. If we buy into the value system of the world, we will suffer the adverse judgment of God no matter what our nationality in this world.

On the other hand, the beginning of Amos makes plain that God holds all nations accountable for the way they conduct themselves. Failure to pay attention to God’s standard of conduct will surely usher in an earlier demise. It is in the best interests of the world for Christians, in whatever nation they reside, to live and promote the ways of God, both for our own future, and for the benefit of those among whom we live.

In 1915 a great locust plague devastated the entire region of the Holy Land from Egypt to the Taurus mountains in Turkey. The locusts came in February, darkening the sky as they flew and covering everything with their droppings. Within two months, every plant had been eaten and all the bark had been stripped from the trees. The locusts attacked people as well. Infant children, lacking the ability to knock off the locusts, had their exposed flesh eaten.

It was the fourth plague to strike the area in 23 years, and just one of many locust plagues history records in the area. One of those recordings is contained in the “minor prophet” book of Joel. Joel was likely written during the divided kingdom history of Israel – probably in the eighth century B.C. He describes the plague like this: “Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes-- joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up. How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering.”

Joel wrote specifically for the southern kingdom of Judah, and said to them: ‘If you think this locust plague was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet” (2:2). Because of Judah’s sinfulness, God promised to send a foreign army on his own people to subdue and punish them. The army, and the devastation in its wake, would be worse than a plague of locusts.

Joel does not present a catalog of Judah’s sins. Only “drunkenness” is specifically mentioned. But as you journey through the book, God seems upset about two things: First, people simply do not give God much thought. The priests perform their duties in the temple, but those are more ritual than deep heartfelt service to God in behalf of the people. The people have gotten on with their lives with little thought about what God wants for them, and even less thought about what God wants of them. Second, their inattention to God is evidenced by their lack of offerings to God.

But the calamity of the locust plague has brought “normal” life to an end. Now, Joel writes, is time to think about your lives and make God a part of them. “‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing-- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God’” (2:12-14). The plague has come because the people have not thought about God enough to make offerings to them. He has responded to take away everything they have so that no offerings are possible. When they return to Him, he will bless them once more – and He intends they then consider Him first.

The “day of the Lord” is a signature phrase for Joel. It is a day of judgment. For those who have persecuted God’s people, it will be a day of desolation. For the unfaithful of God’s people, it will be a day of devastation. But for those who faithful, it will be a day of shelter and blessing accompanied by the presence of God’s Spirit. We can divide Joel as follows:
I) The locust plague recounted. - Chapter 1
II) Promised punishment from God and a call to repentance – Chapter 2:1-17
III) The judgment of God – Chapters 2:18 - 3:21

We are normally loath to attribute “natural calamity” to God. “God doesn’t send earthquakes or famines or war” we contend. As a result, when these things happen, we never think of God. Old Testament people believed God was behind all things, and God used those things to get the attention of those He loved. Because of our approach, it’s harder for God to get our attention, and the constant danger is that we will end up just like the people who first received the book of Joel.