Jonah and Amos

1. Jonah and Amos

2. Chronology

3. Jonah • Prophet to the enemy • “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.’ Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD.” (Jonah 1:2,3 – GN)

4. Jonah • “I am a Hebrew,’ Jonah answered. ‘I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.’ Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the LORD. The sailors were terrified, and said to him, ‘That was an awful thing to do!’ The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, ‘What should we do to you to stop the storm?’ Jonah answered, ‘Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.’” (Jonah 1:9-12 – GN)

5. Jonah • “At the LORD’s command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17 – GN) • “In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40 – GN) • Inclusive reckoning of time • “Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell that fox: 'I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.’” (Luke 13:32 – GN)

6. “Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.” (Jonah 2:10 – GN) “Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah. He said, ‘Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.’ So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, ‘In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!’ The people of Nineveh believed God’s message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.” (Jonah 3:1-4 – GN)

7. Jonah • “When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: ‘This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!’ God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.” (Jonah 3:6-10 – GN)

8. God changes his mind? • “God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks, and it is done.” (Numbers 23:19 – GN) • “Israel’s majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being---he does not change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29 – GN) • “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 – GN) • All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.” (James 1:17 – NET) • For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6 – KJV)

9. God changes his mind? • God doesn’t know everything? • Adam and Eve – “where are you?” • The rainbow • Towel of Babel and Sodom and Gomorrah • Child sacrifice – “it did not even enter my mind” (Jeremiah 7:31 – GN) • He changes his mind? • Worship of the golden calf – “So the LORD changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened” (Exodus 32:14 – GN) • Jonah – “So he changed his mind…”

10. God changes his mind? • “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 – GN) • All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.” (James 1:17 – NET) • For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6 – KJV) • God’s character is a constant that never changes

11. God changes his mind? • Adam and Eve – “where are you?” • The rainbow • Sodom and Gomorrah • Worship of the golden calf – “So the LORD changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened” (Exodus 32:14 – GN) • Child sacrifice – “it did not even enter my mind” (Jeremiah 7:31 – GN) • Jonah – “So he changed his mind…”

12. Jonah • “Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, ‘God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness! So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!” (Jonah 4:1-3 – The Message)

13. Jonah • “The LORD answered, ‘What right do you have to be angry?’ Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. Then the LORD God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. But at dawn the next day, at God’s command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. ‘I am better off dead than alive,’ he said.

14. Jonah • “But God said to him, ‘What right do you have to be angry about the plant?’ Jonah replied, ‘I have every right to be angry---angry enough to die!’ The LORD said to him, ‘This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow---yet you feel sorry for it! How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!” (Jonah 4:4-11 – GN)

15. “So, why can't I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than a hundred and twenty thousand childlike people who don't yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?” (Jonah 4:11 – The Message)

16. Jonah • Large city, 120,000 children, animals • had it been destroyed • Great happiness for Jonah • Small shade plant • It was destroyed • Great anger and depression for Jonah

17. “…Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? • But He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, ‘You do not know of what sort of spirit you are, For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’” (Luke 9:53-56 - Amplified)

18. Amos “These are the words of Amos, a shepherd...” (Amos 1:1)

19. Chronology

20. Amos • “Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent a report to King Jeroboam of Israel: ‘Amos is plotting against you among the people. His speeches will destroy the country. This is what he says: ‘Jeroboam will die in battle, and the people of Israel will be taken away from their land into exile.’ Amaziah then said to Amos, ‘That’s enough, prophet! Go on back to Judah and do your preaching there. Let them pay you for it. Don’t prophesy here at Bethel any more. This is the king’s place of worship, the national temple.’ Amos answered, ‘I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees. But the LORD took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to come and prophesy to his people Israel. So now listen to what the LORD says.’” (Amos 7:10-17 – GN)

21. Amos 1 • Syria – “I will send fire upon the palace” • Philistia – “I will send fire upon the city walls” • Tyre – “I will send fire upon the city walls” • Edom – “I will send fire upon the city” • Ammon – “I will send fire upon the city walls” • Moab – “I will send fire upon the land” • Judah – “So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem”

22. “Virgin Israel has fallen, Never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, And no one helps her up.” (Amos 5:2 – GN)

23. Why so much attention to other nations? • “The LORD says, ‘People of Israel, I think as much of the people of Ethiopia as I do of you. I brought the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir, just as I brought you from Egypt.” (Amos 9:7 – GN)

24. We are all God’s children • Rahab and Ruth • Naaman • Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus • Roman officer • “I tell you, I have never found anyone in Israel with faith like this. I assure you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of heaven. But those who should be in the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.” (Matthew 8:10-12 – GN) • Canaanite woman • “You are a woman of great faith!” (Matthew 15:28 – GN)

25. Religious “The Sovereign LORD says, ‘People of Israel, go to the holy place in Bethel and sin, if you must! Go to Gilgal and sin with all your might! Go ahead and bring animals to be sacrificed morning after morning, and bring your tithes every third day. Go on and offer your bread in thanksgiving to God, and brag about the extra offerings you bring! This is the kind of thing you love to do.’” (Amos 4:4-5 – GN)

26. “The LORD says, ‘I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.’” (Amos 5:21-24 – GN)

27. Disregard for the outcasts “They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way…At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts.” (Amos 2:6-8 – GN)

28. “The LORD says, ‘These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don’t even know how to be honest…only a few will survive of Samaria’s people who recline on couches.’” (Amos 3:10)

29. “Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor!” (Amos 4:1 – GN)

30. “You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts.” (Amos 5:11-12 – GN)

31. “How terrible it will be for you that have such an easy life in Zion and for you that feel safe in Samaria… How terrible it will be for you that stretch out on your luxurious couches, feasting on veal and lamb! You like to compose songs, as David did, and play them on harps. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest perfumes, but you do not mourn over the ruin of Israel. (Amos 6:4-6 – GN)

32. “Your feasts and banquets will come to an end. The Sovereign LORD Almighty has given this solemn warning: ‘I hate the pride of the people of Israel; I despise their luxurious mansions.’” (Amos 6:8,9 – GN)

33. “How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the LORD! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall---only to be bitten by a snake! The day of the LORD will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness.” (Amos 5:18-20 – GN)

34. 867 people: aged 16-29 • 440 non-Christians and 305 active churchgoers • 440 non-Christians perception of Christianity: • 91 percent – anti-gay image • 87 percent – judgmental • 85 percent – hypocritical • 305 churchgoers perception • 80 percent – anti-gay • 52 percent – judgmental • 47 percent – hypocritical

35. “Kinnaman said one of the biggest surprises for researchers was the extent to which respondents…said that modern-day Christianity was no longer like Jesus.” • “…some Christians preferred to call themselves ‘followers of Jesus’ or ‘apprentices of Christ’ because the word ‘Christian’ could limit their ability to relate to people.”

36. Anti-gay Anti-abortion Stem cell’s Pledge of allegiance War in Iraq Politics 10 commandments in buildings

37. “A man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged him for help. ‘If you want to,’ he said, ‘you can make me clean.’ Jesus was filled with pity, and reached out and touched him. ‘I do want to,’ he answered. ‘Be clean!’” (Mark 1:40-41 – GN)

38. “When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. ‘What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?’” (Matthew 9:11 – The Message) “When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, ‘Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!’” (Matthew 11:19 – GN)

39. “I do not condemn you.” (John 8:11)

41. “Jesus went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38) Value faithfulness > effectiveness Value service > success