Tag: Amos

We discussed Amos in the last post and I tried to get the point across about the importance of reading the Old Testament (OT). I am convinced that it is just as important to read the OT as it is the New Testament (NT). You can’t have the NT without the OT, they are a package deal and the writers of the NT understood this.

It doesn’t get any more entertaining than the Old Testament

Before I continue, I know that there are endless genealogies, boring census records and repetitive offerings that will make you snore, but the exciting stories and lessons far outweigh the dry parts.

The Old Testament is filled with drama, intrigue, mystery, action, sex, humor and fantastic stories. Some stories make me laugh, and some make me cry. To get the most out of it is to put yourself there, on the scene. When the Shunemite woman is running towards Elisha because of the death of her child, I imagine it taking place. You can’t help but be moved by it. I have come to tears reading it although I’ve read it before! Read 2 Kings 4.

It never gets old

God, our creative Designer, knows how to keep us enthused and interested. He designed the OT to be filled with romance, sex, action, violence, and drama to beat the band. It never gets old.

Now let’s learn from this…

2 Chronicles 36: ²² In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:

²³ “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are the Lord’s people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”

This is incredible for two reasons

    1. This was prophesied 150 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 44:

²⁸ When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”

    2. King Cyrus was a Gentile (non-Israeli) and he was happy to oblige!

This demonstrates the  God’s sovereignty and how He uses kings for His purposes.

If you are reading the NT there is clear instruction for us to be reading the OT. So if I cannot convince you, maybe the apostle Paul can…

1 Corinthians 10: 1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. …

6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. …

9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

This is just scratching the surface of what there is to learn from the Old Testament and many brothers and sisters are missing out by not reading it.

Will you read the Old Testament with me?

“Dear Lord, as I read through the Old Testament, please reveal yourself to me. Help me know you in a way that I might have a greater reverence for you.”

I suggest that you read 2 Kings 1-4 if you’d like to sample some great stories.

In the last two posts, “Are You Eating His Word? parts 1 & 2”, I wrote about the merits of reading the Bible on a daily basis, which I believe is essential to knowing God.

When it comes to the Old Testament (OT), What impression comes to mind when you first think about it? Is it the miraculous stories of Moses parting the Red Sea, David and Goliath,  and Jonah and the whale? Or do the words God’s wrath, jealous God, and God’s anger come to mind? Do you believe it’s relevant?

Until I read through the Bible for the first time, my view of the OT was very narrow. What I mean by that is I knew about the highlights, you know, the stories like I mentioned. I knew the popular Psalms and enjoyed Proverbs. Most importantly is that I thought the God of the OT worked and acted differently than the God of the New Testament (NT). I thought that in the OT God was in a particularly bad mood, cranky, irritated and did not have the patience that we read about in the NT with Jesus. I also wasn’t convinced that the OT was relevant.

Same God, different perspectives

You know how you meet someone at the office or in a professional setting, but never meet them outside of that? Then one day you see them at a party or informal gathering and you see a completely different side of them. Same person, just two different perspectives.

That’s how I now see the OT and NT. In the OT I see a formal God. A God that is majestic, mysterious, unapproachable, awesome, and sovereign. He is all that! In the NT I see God as very personable, human-like and compassionate. He is all that as well! Most importantly is that I see the same God throughout the entire Bible. There is no longer a disconnect, just different perspectives of the same wonderful, magnificent and beautiful God. I am convinced that a believer cannot understand, appreciate, and love God unless they have a complete perspective of Him. Not that we could fully understand God, but I hope you get my meaning.

 Now let’s meet Amos…

Allow me to introduce to you to a lesser-known person in the Old Testament. His name is Amos and he has his own book!

Amos 7: ¹² Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: “Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! ¹³ Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”

¹⁴ But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. ¹⁵ But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ ¹⁶ Now then, listen to this message from the Lord:

Don’t you love it? The man is a farmer/shepherd and God gives him the task of prophesying to the king! The Old Testament is filled with fun stories like this. What’s exciting about this story is learning that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We see this all throughout Scripture and the more we read it, the more our faith increases.

The more Scripture you digest, the more His essence will pour out. The Old Testament gives you the complete Message of God that will help you be the ambassador He needs you to be.

Next time we’ll discuss King Cyrus and the prophecy long before his birth!