God will restore Israel after their judgment. They will be brought back after exile and rebuild the citeis, never to be uprooted again.
13a)“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and will rebuild it as it used to be. The land will be fruitful again and the people will come back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted”
b) verse 12
14a) God will restore his people and Christ will return and help rebuild the fallen city.
b) Jesus comes to give life to the fullest (John 10:10). He will give us eternal life and no one will snatch us out of his hand (John 10:28-29). I have hope that eternal life is right around the corner.
Out of all the gloom and doom, we finally have hope!
The tabernacle of David refers to Jesus. God will repair the ruins. Note that the Gentiles are included here, which James quotes at the Council of Jerusalem.
God will restore his people to prosperity in him and never remove them from his land again.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Lord prepared judgments against Israel (locusts, fire, and a plumb line) but Amos asked the Lord to forgive, and He did. Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, tried to kick Amos out of Israel and send him back to Judah, so he would quit prophesying there. Amos told him God sent him to Israel to say they will be exiled from their native land.
The Lord told Amos he will spare his people no longer, as he sees a vision of a basket of ripe fruit and the Lord standing by the altar.
God will kill all of the sinners amongst his people. No one will escape.
10)
7:1-3: Amos saw locusts, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.
7:4-6: Amos saw fire, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.
7:7-9: Amos saw a plumb line, but asked the Lord to relent against Israel, and he did.
8:1-3: Amos saw a basket of ripe fruit, but the Lord will spare his people no longer.
9:1-10: Amos saw the Lord standing by an altar, and God will kill all of the sinners amongst his people. No one will escape.
11) Amos faithfully obeyed the Lord’s calling to prophesy against Israel.
12a) God gives everyone plenty of chances to turn to him, but he’ll judge at the end. People never change; they are sinners at heart.
b) I should always be looking for God and turning to him.
Gloom and doom here. The people sin; God judges. This is the entire story of the Old Testament (and the New Testament) except that God gives us Jesus to save us.
Amos 7: Amos sees the judgment of Israel with locusts, fire, and a plumb line. Prayer is powerful, as Amos saves the people here. A plumb line helps to build straight walls. God’s people must be straight against His standards.
Bethel was the center of Israel’s idolatry, and Amos was faithful in delivering God’s warnings to His people.
Amos 8: The ripe fruit has turned sour. Israel is dishonest and cheats the poor, so God will judge.
Amos talks about the famine of not hearing God’s word. God grants us the ability to hear his word and to benefit by it.
Amos 9: All of God’s people will face judgment.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
More pronouncements of judgment against Israel and how they will be punished for their sins. An enemy will overrun Israel, and the foreign altars will be destroyed. But a remnant would be preserved.
Israel has been warned, yet they still continue to sin.
God warns his people to seek him and live or they will perish.
God warns those who are complacent and says they will among the first to go into exile. The cries against the pride of Israel. He says a nation will oppress them as punishment.
5a) The Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to the prophets. God has spoken just like the lion has roared, the bird has swooped, and the trumpets have sounded. Disasters the Lord has caused.
b) Because the people have sinned and turned away from God, God sent prophets to warn his people of his judgment if they don’t turn back to him. Israel needs to turn back or they will be judged.
6) The sins are how Israel does not do right and they plunder and they loot. The consequences are that an enemy will overrun the land and plunder them. The Israelites living in Samaria will be rescued. The altars of Bethel and houses will be destroyed when Israel is punished for her sins. The women will be taken away and cast out. God punished them periodically such as with little rain and food, but still they did not return to him. God sent plagues and killed young men with no one returning to him.
7a) “Yet you have not returned to me.” Amos 4:6; 8; 9; 10; 11 God gives his people chances to repent before he judges them.
b) Any type of calamity, whether a natural disaster or a personal disaster.
8 )
4:12: “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” If you sin, you will suffer the consequences.
5:4: “Seek me and live.” God is a God of second chances. He gives life to those who seek him.
5:14: “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.” Be good, and God will be with you.
5:15: “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Do good, and the Lord will have mercy.
9)
5:18: “Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.” You should live each day as if the day of the Lord is here, but most of us don’t because the day of the Lord brings judgment, so we should be prepared.
6:1: “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come.” This is an indulgent ease for comfort and luxury. It is easy to get comfortable and complacent in life, but we must always be seeking God and His ways.
Long reading with lots of warnings here. At the end of the day, God just wants us to choose Him.
Amos 3: Israel rejected God despite the privileges they had of being with him. Thus, God enacts judgment.
God revealed to the prophets the judgment so people would turn to him. Israel would be overrun by Assyria in less than 30 years after Amos prophesied.
Amos 4: Bashan was known for its cattle.
Women of Israel indulged, so God would judge them. Their sacrifices were in vain. God would judge by withholding rain. He would send a plague. They would meet him.
Amos 5: God invites his people to seek him once again. He will save, but he will also judge.
Because they treated each other terribly, they would be judged. There would be wailing and woe on judgment day. Their sins would end in captivity.
Amos 6: Those who are comfortable should take heart as woe is coming. Those who are high-standing will be brought low. Israel will be destroyed.
Israel is too full of pride and injustice.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, a prophet, pronounces judgment on Israel and their neighbors, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon. God will destroy Israel’s neighbors and dry up their fields.
Amos pronounces judgment on Moab and Judah. Judah is because they have rejected God’s laws and decrees and been led astray by false gods. The Lord will judge Israel for how they treat the poor and do not honor him.
3a) Israel, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah
b) The foreign nations took slaves and fought one another. For Israel and Judah, because they turned from God and worshipped other gods.
c) The other nations’ sins centered around cruelty to other nations and crimes against humanity, as well as crimes against God’s people. Israel and Judah turned from God and His ways.
4a) It’s everywhere. Sin against others. Cruelty to others. Murder, rape, assault, you name it. And, people everywhere are turning from God, including His people.
b) To turn towards him, not away from him.
Lots of judgments here. Great reminder that God is just, and we will all be held accountable for our actions once we reach heaven.
Fun fact: Amos the prophet is only mentioned in this book, not in any other books of the Bible.
Amos means “burden,” and Amos was definitely burdened as he was the bearer of bad news for all.
Amos was a farmer and not of the school of prophets. He was a live during Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, which would be between 760 B.C. and 750 B.C.
Remember, the kingdom of Judah to the south had good kings. The kingdom of Israel to the north had nothing but bad kings.
Here, Assyria had defeated Israel’s enemy, Syria, so Israel was prosperous.
Amos pronouces judgment on nations for sin upon sin.
Fire expresses judgment in the New Testament, but it also can be a purifying of the spirit with fire.
Israel took advantage of the poor. There was sexual immorality. There was idolatry.
God’s people were now a burden to him. They would not succeed without His strength.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
God gives Jonah the same command twice to go to Nineveh and proclaim His message. Jonah obeyed.
It took Jonah 3 days to deliver God’s message to all the people: Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown. When Jonah’s message reached the king of Nineveh, he ordered everyone to cover themselves in sackcloth, fast, and call on God. They were to give up their evil ways and violence. God saw this and relented. He did not punish them because they repented.
10a) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” A message of destruction.
b) The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. They called upon God and turned from their evil and violent ways. God does listen, and God’s word can change people and their lives.
11a) God is merciful. God listens. God relents. God warns. God gives people second chances. God is gracious, loving, and caring
b) I love second chances. I need them a lot. I love God’s mercy, too, for all my daily sins. I love God’s warning. I should listen more. These truths draw me closer to God.
12) This one is hard. Unsure. Hopefully, with my kids. I’ve learned to give God the glory for everything.
So encouraging to see so many people turn to the Lord. God is gracious, loving, and caring. He loves us so much He never stops chasing us. How awesome!
God had work to do through Jonah, and He was determined to accomplish it, despite how much we (humans) resist it.
Oftentimes, God only gives us enough information that we can process at one time. The rest will come in time and with faith.
The word “overthrown” was used in the destruction of other cities in the Bible, too. (Genesis 19:25, Lamentations 4:6, and Amos 4:11).
Believing God is repenting. The people put on sackcloth (animal hair clothes essentially) and came to God. God, in his mercy, forgave.
Nineveh does receive judgment as we read in Nahum. It was just delayed 150 years out of God’s mercy.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jesus tells the people the Parable of the Weeds. The kingdom of heaven is like the man who sowed the good seed. But while everyone was sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat seeds. When both sprouted, the servants wanted to pull the weeds. The man said not to because they may accidentally pull wheat, too. Instead, let them both grow together until harvest. At that time, you can collect the weeds for burning and then store the what in his barn.
The disciples asked Jesus to explain the Parable of the Weeds. Jesus says that the man is the Son of God (him). The field is the world. The good seeds are believers. The weeds are unbelievers. The enemy is the devil. The harvest is at the Second Coming. The harvesters are angels who will weed out sin and evil. Unbelievers will be thrown into the fiery furnace at the end of the age where they will weep and gnash teeth. The righteous will shine in the kingdom.
13)
The two sowers: the sower who sowed the good seed is Jesus. The sower who sowed the weeds is the devil.
The good seed: believers
The weeds: unbelievers
The harvest: the Second Coming
The harvesters: angels
14a) Satan comes when you least expect it and when you are most vulnerable.
b) The man said not to pull the weeds because they may accidentally pull wheat, too — meaning they could accidentally cause a believer to fall, or pull a believer and put them in the wrong pile and burn at the Second Coming.
c) Because unbelievers act like believers at times, and believers sin, too. Since we are all human and sin, it’s hard to distinguish those who ask for forgiveness from God and those who do not.
d) God decides who will be His and who won’t. When we focus on growing believers in their relationship with Christ, more good is done for his kingdom and perhaps more unbelievers will turn, too.
I liked this parable because it’s pretty clear what Jesus is saying. There will always be weeds/unbelievers amongst the harvest/believers. We can work to make ourselves more distinguishable by trying to be more like Christ every day. Then perhaps the weeds will be more likely to come to Jesus. It’s cool how we get to study the meaning explained by Jesus himself at the same time. I like how BSF does this. Plus, it shows the power we have in our hands of having the privilege of reading God’s word. The early Christians did not have this privilege.
The devil hopes to destroy the sower’s work/believers with his weeds, or sin, that is growing amongst them.
This parable comes immediately after the Parable of the Sower because people may be wondering if they should separate themselves from unbelievers.
Note that in the Parable of the Sower, the seeds are the Word of God. Here the seeds sprout to wheat, which represents believers. The Parable of the Sower shows how people respond to God’s Word; the Parable of the Weeds shows how believers will be eternally separated from unbelievers at the End Times and how the enemy tries to deceive believers.
The weeds and the harvest would grow together till it would be obvious which was which at tht End Times.
Fun Fact: Those who disliked others would, in fact, plant weeds in their enemies’ fields to sabotage the harvest. This was common enough that a Roman law existed making it illegal to do this.
Note that God divides the people at the End Times.
Many early priests tried to turn this from the world to the church, meaning there were weeds amongst the church. However, it is clear Jesus means the world (including the Gentiles). God will divide; not us. In sum, there will always be unbelievers in the world.
Note the role angels play; they will help sort the unbelievers and believers at the End Times. Pretty cool!
Jesus does not dice words. Unbelievers will burn (note the wailing and the gnashing of teeth we see in Revelation), and believers will shine in eternity. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of shining!
We are to focus on planting seeds, not pulling weeds, meaning we focus on preaching the Good News and bringing others to Christ, not on judging or condemning weeds or unbelievers who still may turn to Christ.
Our job is to bear fruit. What fruit are you bearing?
The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the people in parables. He tells the disciples that the people don’t have the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom like they do. Whoever has will be given more, and whoever does not have will lose even more. Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, which says that the people have hardened hearts so even though they see, they do not, and even though they hear, they don’t. They might understand with their hearts and be healed. He tells the disciples they are blessed because they understand what they see and hear, and many have not in the past.
Here, God is speaking to Isaiah to go to the people and tell them to hear and see, but they won’t understand or perceive. Their hearts are hardened, their ears are dull, and their eyes are closed. If they see and hear, they will understand with their hearts.
11a) He tells the disciples that the people don’t have the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom like they do.
b) In order to reach more people. With the growing opposition by the Pharisees against Jesus, parables would not give them any more fuel to use against him.
c) That many would not believe in him because they wouldn’t hear his message and understand.
12a) Their eyes are open, and their ears can hear the message of the Good News and follow Jesus to eternal life.
b) Just by being a believer and chosen to have my eyes open and my ears hear. I am very blessed in this world, and I know although my path can be hard, I will still be blessed.
I can almost see the disciples pulling Jesus aside and asking him what’s up. I like how Jesus is teaching the people, but he’s also preparing his disciples for kingdom work at the same time. Jesus understands what we need. He speaks to the people in the terms they can understand so that they can follow him. So he does the same to us today.
Here are some great parable readings for you!
The point of Jesus speaking in parables he tells the disciples is so that those who hear his message and reject it won’t reject it more, and those that hear the message and accept it will turn to him more. Jesus is teaching to those who will spiritually respond.
Bible scholar Barclay puts it so: “The parable conceals truth from those who are either too lazy to think or too blinded by prejudice to see. It puts the responsibility fairly and squarely on the individual. It reveals truth to him who desires truth; it conceals truth from him who does not wish to see the truth.”
Parables challenge the listener to take action.
Those who want to hear will gain more; those who don’t, won’t fall more, but will still face consequences.
God conceals truth from those who oppose Him as an act of judgment. Those who can hear grow in Christ. However, the more truth you hear and understand, the more accountable you are to it and to God.
Parables are, in short, mercy to those who reject Jesus.
Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy with parables, so that the hardened would hear but not hear nor see.
Those who do understand the parables are blessed with spiritual truth.
Fun Fact: “The kingdom of heaven” phrase is used 32 times in Matthew.
The disciples never quite understand Jesus’s mission or kingdom until he dies and resurrects. They keep asking for explanations. We understand the kingdom of heaven as God on earth. The disciples had no clue.
Remember that God is in control of who understands His truth. He it the one who unstops ears to hear. To understand God’s Word fully, we need the help of the Holy Spirit.
God is telling Isaiah to speak to those who would not respond to His Word to prove their guilt. However, the Word of God can open eyes, ears, and hearts.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jesus was sitting by the lake (Sea of Galilee), but the crowds were so big that he got into a boat so the people could see and hear him better. He told the parable of sower. Some of the seeds that the farmer scattered fell on rocky places. They sprang up quickly, but because the soil was shallow, they withered due to a lack of root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which choked the plant. Other seeds fell on good soil where it produced a good crop.
Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the sower. When people hear the message about the kingdom of God and do not understand it, the evil one takes away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places hears the Word and receives it with joy. But he falls away when trouble arises because he has no root. The seed in the thorns is the man who hears the word, but is unfruitful because of his worries and deceitfulness of wealth. The one who received the seed on good soil hears the Word and understands it. He produces a good crop.
6) He uses temptation, deceit, greed, and all the other sins to snatch us away.
7) It can be easy to focus on your problems, rather than your blessings.
8 ) John 15:5 reminds us that if you are close to Jesus, you’ll bear much fruit. When you stray, you can do nothing. Philippians 2:12-13 reminds us that God works in you for His good purpose. We all have our seasons of when we are following God’s will closely and when we stray. I think this is why our fruit can vary. God gives us all different gifts and opportunities to grow with Him. The difference in fruit lies in your obedience to these gifts and opportunities given.
9) We all need strong roots so that we won’t be tempted by the devil. If we have strong roots and are faithful, we’ll bear good fruit for the evil one will not be able to snatch us away.
10) The soil of my heart is a yearning for God and His will. I know because He is with me always, and I strive to follow Him and His path.
More of a personal day, but an encouraging one. We will bear fruit if we follow Jesus and God. No one says it’s easy, but it will pay off.
The boat gave Jesus a platform to speak from (Mark 4:1).
Parables are meant to teach one main principle to those listening. They made the idea easier to remember, and it stayed longer with the people.
Jesus spoke to things the people would understand. Everyone understood farming.
The seeds fell on four places:
Jesus uses “he who has ears, let him hear.” to call attention to his words.
Each soil type represents one of four ways that we respond to Jesus:
We all go through the different types of soil in our lives — times where our faith wanes or where we are on fire for God. However, what matters in the end is that we strive to be the good soil and bear fruit in all that we do.
It can be helpful to ask yourself which soil are you and what can you change to become the good soil.
Jesus was sitting by the lake (Sea of Galilee), but the crowds were so big that he got into a boat so the people could see and hear him better. He told the parable of sower. Some of the seeds that the farmer scattered fell on rocky places. They sprang up quickly, but because the soil was shallow, they withered due to a lack of root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which choked the plant. Other seeds fell on good soil where it produced a good crop.
Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the sower. When people hear the message about the kingdom of God and do not understand it, the evil one takes away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places hears the Word and receives it with joy. But he falls away when trouble arises because he has no root. The seed in the thorns is the man who hears the word, but is unfruitful because of his worries and deceitfulness of wealth. The one who received the seed on good soil hears the Word and understands it. He produces a good crop.
3) He told the parable of sower. Some of the seeds that the farmer scattered fell on rocky places. They sprang up quickly, but because the soil was shallow, they withered due to a lack of root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which choked the plant. Other seeds fell on good soil where it produced a good crop.
4)
The sower signifies: God or Jesus
The seed signifies: the Word of God
The soil along the path signifies: those who hear but don’t take action
The birds that snatch the seed signifies: the evil one
The rocky soil signifies: problems that arise that prevent one accepting God’s Word
The thorny soil signifies: those who don’t truly accept God’s Word even after growth
The good soil signifies: those who accept Christ as their Savior
5a) The seed that fell on good soil. It was the only one that produced a crop.
b) The same in all four accounts was God and Him extending His hand to us to believe His word. The seeds all started out equally, meaning they all had a chance to be fruitful. What was different was the soil and how each responded to God’s Word and let hindrances keep them from God.
c) We need to ensure our roots are deep so we can withstand the evil one’s attacks on us. We need to not let circumstances sway us to turn from God. We need a solid foundation of knowing God’s Word in order to spend eternity with God and survive and thrive in this world.
Great life lessons we can glean from this parable. I love Jesus’s parables because they all apply to us today and we can learn so much when we study the meaning in depth.
Here are some great parable readings for you!
The boat gave Jesus a platform to speak from (Mark 4:1). With rising opposition, Jesus could no longer preach in synogogues, so he taught outdoors.
Parables are meant to teach one main principle to those listening. They made the idea easier to remember, and it stayed longer with the people. The parables of Matthew 13 focus on God’s kingdom. Your response determines if you will have eternal life or eternal damnation.
Jesus spoke to things the people would understand. Everyone understood farming.
The seeds fell on four places:
Jesus uses “he who has ears, let him hear.” to call attention to his words.
The meaning behind his words would make no sense to those with spiritual deafness. Those who recognized Jesus would understand his words.
Each soil type represents one of four ways that we respond to Jesus:
We all go through the different types of soil in our lives — times where our faith wanes or where we are on fire for God. However, what matters in the end is that we strive to be the good soil and bear fruit in all that we do.
It can be helpful to ask yourself which soil are you and what can you change to become the good soil.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.