O Lord, you have given us your Word
for a light to shine upon our path.
Grant us so to meditate on that Word,
and to follow its teaching
that we may find in it the light
that shines more and more
until the perfect day.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The last verse of Hosea is not only a great way to end this particular book, but it is a way to look at all of the minor prophets. Together they are referred to as “the book of the 12,” and this verse is a commentary on reading this book of the 12.
There is a lot of discussion about when Joel was written. Some scholars put him as a contemporary of Elisha early in the period of the kings, and some put him as the last prophet after the exile. Likewise, some scholars consider this infestation of locusts to be literal, and others think it is a metaphor for a military invasion. Either way, Joel’s message regarding the “day of the LORD” is powerful.
Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2 at Pentecost to describe to the people what is going on among them.
Amos is prophesying to the northern kingdom of Israel before the exile to Assyria, and a key theme of his message is the universal justice of God that will be exercised not only on Israel’s enemies, but also on Israel itself. The opening judgments in chapters 1 and 2 tell the names of the people surrounding Israel and Judah. It is like God is circling in to his target.
2:11-12 is very interesting. God specifically sent Nazirites and prophets to warn his people, but Israel “undid” them by commanding them to change. Nazirites didn’t drink wine or cut their hair, and prophets had to prophesy. Israel could have simply ignored them, but they added to their sin by undoing them.
In Amos 4:4-5 the people are going to their holy places to meet with God, but they do it in a way that God detests. In the next 6 verses God tells the people that he is trying to get their attention, but they are ignoring him. Finally in verse 12 God says, “You wanted to meet with me, and now you will. It will not be the meeting you expected, though.”
Amos finishes with a vision of restoration in which the harvest is so abundant and the ground so fertile that those working on the harvest will still be working when the plowmen and planters are ready to dig in. Rhythms of highs and lows are gone, and there is always a paycheck. Of course this is the metaphor for spiritual blessing, but I’m taking time to remember living among farmers in California and thinking of my farming family in Minnesota, and I’m just letting my mind wander over the blessing of constant abundance. It is like the city of God in Revelation where there is no night because the LORD is there.
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