Joel 2, Jonah 1, Amos 3, Micah 1-2

I know, I know. That's a lot to read, and not much of it is fun reading either. All of these prophets foretold of the Lord's judgment on the Israelites. I'm not an expert in prophecy; so I can't tell you if these prophecies have all been fulfilled already or if they are still a part of the last day judgments to come. So, here's how I'm going to blog these passages. I have chosen one verse from each passage that really jumped off the page, and I am going to write about each of those verses. If you find other verses you like better, I hope you will post a comment and let us know. We don't want to miss out on any of God's blessings from His Word.



Did you read all the chapters? Okay then, let's get started!



Joel 2:13-14--"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing."



You and I typically do not mourn for our sin like the Israelites did. They would tear (rend) their clothes and put ashes on their heads or wear sackcloth (an itchy, uncomfortable garment) as an outward sign that they were sorry for their sins. Joel was telling them that the repentance needed to be of the heart, not merely an outward show for everyone to see. Frankly, you and I do not take our personal sins that seriously. We think God should have a forgive and forget attitude whether we get on our faces to ask forgiveness or not. We jump right to the idea of God being gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, showing us pity, and blessing. What about the idea that God has every right to send calamity on our families because of the sinful choices we make every day? Who knows? He may have pity on us, but should He if we are not willing to beg for mercy in the first place? We do serve a merciful God, but we should never take His goodness for granted. Get on your knees before Jesus in humility because you love Him and because you want to serve Him with your life.



Jonah 1:14c--"for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased."



Did you catch that? It pleased God to send a storm and a big fish to swallow Jo-Jo-Jo-Jo-Jo-Jo-Jonah. (Sorry, I started singing the song I learned in Sunday School.) Why would it please God to send calamity on Jonah? Because Jonah was living in direct disobedience to the will of God. Doesn't God want to bless His children with good gifts? Absolutely, but does that mean He won't spank our hineys and put us in a three-day timeout? Uh . . . evidently not.



Amos 3:7--"Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets."

Cool! As God's servants, we should be hearing from God about his plan for mankind. If we aren't, then maybe we should check our connection. Is yours plagued with static like mine has been? Get yourself a journal and turn off your music and get alone with God. Ask Him to reveal His heart to you so you can share it with the world. Then when He gives you a word, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, you go be obedient and spread that word to your fellow men. If we don't share, then why should God share with us? The purpose of a prophet was to get God's word to the people. The word was never for the prophet alone.

Micah 1:3-4--"Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope."

Now, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! I want to serve the God who melts mountains and splits valleys! When God comes to rescue me from the mess I'm in, I don't want Him sitting in His rocking chair telling the angels to get me a band-aid. I want His Holy Presence coming from His dwelling place. Absolutely! However, I want Him coming after my enemies. I don't want God to come down from His throne because He aims to discipline my unrepentant heart. Think about this. When the principal walked into the classroom at your elementary school, did you want to be the bad kid he was after, or did you want to be the kid who had already fessed up to the teacher? I want to be the child of God who confesses sin immediately and gets back on the straight and narrow without having to be forced. Invite God to step into your life today, ladies. The things you fear will melt like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.

Okay, I want to hear from you now. Did I pick your favorite verses, or did I miss a goodie?