Micah

Micah prophesied in a period when social injustice was at its peak in Judah. False prophets preached for riches instead of righteousness, priests ministered for gain rather than God, the rich and powerful oppressed the poor and helpless, while deceit and dishonesty abound in all forms of business dealings. Corruption had permeated the whole society. Sounds pretty much like what's going on in today's world, doesn't it?

The simple prophet saw through the veil of Judah's aristocratic sophistication and voiced out God's concern for the sufferings of the common people as he was gripped by the Spirit of the LORD to condemn the sin that's plaguing the nation (3:8-12). Though he directed his message primarily at southern Judah, the fall of Samaria was also predicted against northern Israel as both nations came under the threat of Assyria. And while Judah was temporary spared while her neighbor Israel fell, it too was destined for captivity by the Chaldeans which was under Assyrian dominion at the time.

In the midst of divine judgment and punishment, Micah saw a ray of hope in the coming of a kingdom where righteousness reigns under Messiah's rule. Corruption, violence and pride will be replaced with justice, love and humility—these are the very attributes that God desires in all those who know and love Him. The God who executes judgment is the same God who delights in mercy, just as Micah whose name means 'who is like God' declared:

7:18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity and passes by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.

OUTLINE OF MICAH

1. First Controversy: Punishment (1:1-3:12)
a. Judgment on the People (1:1-2:13)
Samaria | Judah
Reason | Restoration
b. Judgment on the Leaders (3:1-12)
Princes | Priests | Prophets
Presumption | Penalty
2. Second Controversy: Promise (4:1-5:15)
a. The Coming Kingdom (4:1-13)
Established | Exalted | Empowered
b. The Coming King (5:1-15)
Birth | Rejection | Reign
3. Third Controversy: Pardon (6:1-7:20)
a. Guilt of the People (6:1-16)
Ungrateful | Ungodly | Unscrupulous
b. Grace of God (7:1-20)
Lament over Sin | Look for Salvation

 

Jonah

Jonah is unlike any Old Testament prophet, not because he was a role model to follow or that he had a great ministry to admire and emulate. On the contrary, he was the antithesis of what a god-fearing and obedient prophet should be.

By definition, a prophet is God's appointed messenger sent to a specific group of people to deliver a specific message. There is no room for bargain nor bias against the intended recipients, whether they deserve a hearing and second chance, or to act on God's behalf to decide their fate. The prophet is only a medium and mouthpiece; his role and responsibility are to do the job well and do it faithfully.

There are those who defended Jonah's decision to disobey and run away, citing national interests and his love for his own people as the basis behind his actions. There are also those who derided Jonah's motive as selfish and self-righteous, since he considered the godless nation of Assyria to be unworthy of God's mercy and compassion.

The focal point, however, seems more on God's dealing with the wayward prophet rather than the wicked city. Perhaps God wants us to learn from Jonah the important lesson of looking at people that we dislike or are different from us, that there is no ground to judge or discount them from God's salvation plan, and that God loves them just as much as He loved us, when He sent His only begotten Son to save a fallen mankind. Indeed, the heartbeat of God is best summarized by the fisherman turned apostle:

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise… but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

OUTLINE OF JONAH

1. Jonah's First Commissioning (1:1-2:10)
Man's Heart
a. Disobeyed (1:1-3)
Mission | Missing in Action | Man Overboard
b. Disciplined (1:4-2:10)
Swallowed | Supplication | Survived
2. Jonah's Second Chance (3:1-4:11)
God's Heart
a. Recommissioned (3:1-10)
Jonah Repented | Sent
Nineveh Repented | Spared
b. Rebuked (4:1-11)
Jonah's Anger | The Heat | The Gourd | The Worm
God's Angle | His Patience | His Compassion

 

Obadiah

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, but it has one of the most important messages for all of humanity. A cursory read appears that the prophet was focusing on the Edomites, a near kin of the Israelites, not only for their pride due to their natural geological advantages and strong political alliances, but also their treachery against Israel because of an ancestry feud that goes all the way back to Esau and Jacob.

The first half of Obadiah deals with Edom in specific, but then God shifts the focus to all nations in the second half. Edom's pride and self-exaltation is an example of the condition that plagues the human heart, and its downfall points to a time when God will eradicate this root problem with the coming of His kingdom, as it takes up residence in those who recognize and receive His rule over their lives (Luke 17:21).

It is noteworthy that Obadiah is placed after the writings of Joel and Amos. The former declared that after the day of the LORD, God will save Jerusalem and all who called upon His Name (Joel 2-3), while the latter affirmed that God will restore David's line and include Edom and all nations in His kingdom (Amos 9:11-15).

OUTLINE OF OBADIAH

1. Prophecy of Edom's Destruction (v1-9)
The Present:
a. Geological Advantages
b. Political Alliances
c. Military Intelligence
2. Reasons for Edom's Destruction (v10-14)
The Past:
a. Colluding with Israel's Enemies
b. Withholding help to Israel
c. Gloating over Israel's Misfortune
d. Taking advantage of Israel in her distress
e. Cutting off the Remnants
3. Prophecy of Edom's Destiny (v15-21)
The Future:
a. Judgment on Edom
b. Restoration of Edom and Israel

 

Amos

Hypocrisy and spiritual indifference defined the days of Amos in his ministry to northern Israel, basked in an apparent sense of peace and prosperity. But underneath the appearance of health and wealth, the nation was rotten to the core and ripe for judgment.

A herdsman and keeper of sycamore trees by profession, Amos was called by God to leave his rural hometown in Judah with a message to Israel's aristocrats and nobilities, including their well-dressed and well-fed socialites whom he dubbed 'the cows of Bashan'.

Under the reign of Jeroboam II who won several battles and extended Israel's borders, abundance and affluence gave rise to apathy and atrocities. The rich and powerful displayed callousness towards God and cruelty towards the poor. These social elites had abused their positions and privileges instead of reaching out to help their fellow men in need.

Amos saw through the outward religiosity and false piety and confronted the corrupt leaders and landlords with a series of prophecies and well-crafted messages. He first disarmed them by pronouncing judgments on the surrounding nations, making them think he was on their side. And before they realized it, he zoomed in on their sins of injustice and idolatry, proclaiming God's judgment on the nonchalant nation, which came to pass forty years later by the hands of the Assyrians.

True worship of God should always lead to a right relationship with fellow humans, backed by concrete actions that safeguard justice and looks after the well-being of the underprivileged. Amos message is just as applicable today as it was then:

5:24 Let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

OUTLINE OF AMOS

1. Eight Judgments (1:1-2:16)
a. Amos' Background (1:1-2)
b. Against the Surrounding Nations (1:3-2:3)
Damascus | Gaza | Tyre | Edom
Ammon | Moab
c. Against God's People (2:4-16)
Judah | Israel
2. Three Sermons (3:1-6:14)
a. Israel's Present (3:1-15)
Judgment Deserved | Described
b. Israel's Past (4:1-13)
Judgment Deserved | Demonstrated
c. Israel's Future (5:1-6:14)
Judgment Deserved | Determined—Double Woes
3. Five Visions (7:1-9:10)
a. The Nature of Judgment (7:1-6)
Locust | Fire
b. The Standard of Judgment (7:7-17)
Plumb Line | Opposition of Amaziah
c. The Maturity of Judgment (8:1-14)
Rotten Summer Fruits
d. The Certainty of Judgment (9:1-10)
Smitten Doorpost
4. Three Promises (9:11-15)
a. Reinstate the Davidic Line (Messiah)
b. Renew the Land (Kingdom)
c. Re-establish the People (God's Elect)