Tag: northern kingdom

Major Message: Minor Prophets

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

blond man with goatee smiling at camera with blazer on
Dale Pollard

MAJOR MESSAGES FROM A MINOR PROPHET: AMOS 

Who’s The Prophet?

  • Shepherd and fig tree farmer. 
  • Lived on the border of northern and southern kingdoms 
  • The North was ruled by Jeroboam the 2nd who brought wealth and prosperity to the people 

What Are His predictions?

  • Warning Israel, Judah, Benjamin and all nations of a coming destruction described as “the Day of the Lord.” 

What Was His Purpose?

  • He about the oppression of the poor, sexual immorality, greed, and corrupt government In the Northern kingdom 
  • The wealthy Israelites had become apathetic and spiritually lazy 

SIMPLE CHAPTER BREAKDOWN 

  • 1-2 messages to the nations and Israel 
  • 3-6 poems expressing the message to leaders and people 
  • 7-9 God’s judgment is explained 

SKY HIGH SNAPSHOTS 

  1. The 9 chapter book spends time circling the surrounding nations and pointing out their evil. He starts with the nations furthest away from the people and works his way closer to the target, the Northern tribes.
  2. Amos expresses God’s anger towards Damascus, Gaza, Ammon, Moab, Edom, and even Judah 
  3. Finally, the primary audience is shocked to hear that they (Northern territory) are the source of God’s anger as well 

Top 2 Practical Lessons From The Book 

Our lives will also be lessons for future generations. When they look back they will either say, 

“we ought to live as they did” or 

“we ought not live as they did.” 

PLUGGING IT IN 

“WHAT DOES GOD NEED FROM US?”

  1. God needs more fig tree farmers. He needs community preachers in the form of plumbers, school teachers, electricians, nurses, surveyors, dentists, accountants, mechanics, and engineers. 
  2. We need more preachers. It’s more common than it was, but there’s a great need for gospel preachers in the LORDs church. Amos spoke for God, but he was in the minority.
  3. We need more elders. Great elders are rare. It’s been said and proven to be true, “The church will never outgrow the shadow of her leadership.” 
  4. We need more seriousness. Not more piety, not an immovable allegiance to man’s tradition, more people who take their God seriously. 

Amos in a sentence: 

“Service does not mean salvation if our service is not from the heart.” 

Real faithfulness means worship that is holy— not habitual. He wants committed people, not costume parties. He wants our attention to be placed on our purity, not our performance. 

But Jehu Was Not Careful…

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

Neal Pollard

Nineteen kings sat on the throne of the northern kingdom, from Jeroboam (931 B.C.) to Hoshea (722 B.C.), and Jehu was the closest any of them came to being righteous. His “righteousness” was the zealous way he fulfilled the mission God gave him in destroying the house of Ahab and the followers of Baal. In fact, the Lord speaks directly to him and says, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel” (2 Kings 10:30). God recognizes and rewards him for his commitment to His cause. He enjoys a 28-year reign, second only to his great-grandson Jeroboam II. He is remembered for his deeds and his might (34). 

Yet, after the lengthy chronicling of Jehu’s extermination campaign, the Bible says little else good about the man. Here’s the summary in 2 Kings 10:

  • He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin (29,31).
  • He kept the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (29).
  • He was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart (31). 
  • He suffered the loss of significant territory to the Arameans (32-33). 
  • His excessive bloodshed would draw divine retribution (Hos. 1:4). 

Essentially, he lacked the moral and spiritual resolve to effect religious restoration. He lacked the conviction necessary to be fully obedient to God. He did not purify his heart to align with the heart of God. He was reckless regarding God’s law.

For over 200 years, Jacob’s descendants in the northern kingdom were spiritually adrift. Their best chance to turn that around was after Jehu purged the capital city of Samaria of the temple of Baal, its priests, and its worshippers. A hopeful start was overcome by the general spiritual trajectory of an entire people who did not have God in their hearts.

My daily life is aimed in a general direction. It is important for me to do more than conform outwardly to some of what God’s Word commands. I need to begin in my heart and conscientiously strive to follow His will and demonstrate that in my outward dedication and my inward devotion to Him. I want it to be said of me that I did what was right in His sight (30) AND that I was careful to walk in the law of the Lord with all my heart (31)!