Devotions

Look Days Are Coming

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The Lord is, and has always been for righteousness, holiness, justice and has told these people through Amos in Amos 5:15 “Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate”. But they continue their abuses as in Amos 5:12 “For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous, you foes of the righteous, those who take a bribe, and those who push aside the poor ones in the gate!” and the Lord seeks a way to put an end to their oppression. Amos intercedes and the Lord relents, but this cannot go on. So the Lord sets a plummet, a standard that is over the lives of all for judgement and because of their rejection of Gods ways, a time of famine from hearing God’s word and without it in Amos 8:13 “In that day the beautiful young women and the young men will faint because of thirst.”, because it is by revelation and understanding of God that we find purpose and fulfilment and contentment. He also though, looks forward to a time in Amos 9:11–12 On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and I will repair its breaches and will raise up its ruins and will build it like the days of old. 

My Lord Yahweh’s Call for a Legal Case

Amos 7:1–9
Amos sees a plague of locust coming on the land and Amos spoke out in

Amos 7:2 And then when they finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?”

and the Lord “relented” in Amos 7:3 but the Lord did something we might find unusual. He was going “to call for a legal case with fire” in Amos 7:4. There is a courtroom in heaven. The Lord does operate by a system of laws and justice and again Amos spoke out in

Amos 7:5 Then I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?”

and again the Lord relented in Amos 7:6.

The Lord persists though and then said in

Amos 7:8 And Yahweh said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plummet.” And my Lord said, “Look, I am going to set a plummet in the midst of my people, Israel. I will not pass them by again.

the Lord says to us, and people often quote, in

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us argue,” says Yahweh. “Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

and it is on this basis that intercession is made, as Amos has dome here. But the Lord is not acting without cause so even though he relented, there was still a need for action. The Lord had reason “for a legal case” in Amos 7:4 and we sometimes forget the statements that follow in
Isaiah 1:19–20 If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. 20 But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

The intercession of Amos could not turn aside the judgement of the Lord against evil. The Lord set, in Amos 7:8, a plummet, a standard, a dividing line, “The plummet line was used not only in building, but in destroying houses (2 Ki 21:13; Is 28:17; 34:11; La 2:8). It denotes that God’s judgments are measured out by the most exact rules of justice”.1

and then he says in Amos 7:8 “I will not pass by them again” meaning, “not forgive them any more (Am 8:2; Pr 19:11; Mic 7:18)”.1

Yahweh Said to Me, Go, Prophesy

Amos 7:10–17

Surely I Will Never Forget Any of Their Deeds!

Amos 8:1–8 

A Famine of Hearing the Words of Yahweh!

Amos 8:9–14
The Lord has given them his word through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and has preserved them through Joseph and delivered and established them through Moses and given them David as a king even though he wanted them to be a people to him. Now, in their day, he sends Amos and they reject him, but it isn’t Amos that they are rejecting, it is God himself. So, it seems “a just retribution on those who now will not hear the Lord’s prophets, nay even try to drive them away, as Amaziah did (Am 7:12); they shall look in vain, in their distress, for divine counsel, such as the prophets now offer (Ez 7:26; Mic 3:7)”.2

It isn’t that Gods word is not there for them, it has been written and preserved and shared with generations. Even as the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in our time and have brought confirmation and insight that was lost to us, the Lord declares a famine of “hearing” in

Amos 8:11–12 Look, the days are coming,” declares my Lord Yahweh, “when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine for bread and not a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh! 12 And they will wander from sea to sea and from the north and to the east. They will roam about to seek the word of Yahweh, but they will not find it!

There is a revelation, insight into the realm of the spirit that comes when we seek to find God and seek to know him. In their day, he gave them prophets, and in our day he gave first, the Holy Spirit in

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name—that one will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything that I said to you.

and also in the body of Christ in

Ephesians 4:11–13 And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers 12 for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ,

but in principle, it is the same as it has always been, there are those that recognize God for who he is and he is always there for them as in

Hebrews 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.

and as Jesus said in

John 14:15–17 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him. You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

but just as it was in the time of Amos, there are those today that refuse and reject and deny God as in

Romans 1:20–21 For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

The Eyes of My Lord Yahweh Are on the Kingdom of Sin

Amos 9:1–10 

Look, Days Are Coming

Amos 9:11–15
Though there are people that reject God, and who follow their own natural carnal ways, the ways of the world, the ways of the deceiver who has had authority for a time in

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

but there is coming a day, the day of the Lord, the day when Christ returns and his people will be restored in

Amos 9:11–12 On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and I will repair its breaches and will raise up its ruins and will build it like the days of old. 12 Thus they may take possession of the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares Yahweh, who does this.

and while we have seen a great restoration with the birth of Israel as a nation, we have not yet come to the end. There is ahead, a battle for this land but God has promised in

Amos 9:15 And I will plant them on their land and they will not be uprooted again from their land that I have given to them,” says Yahweh your God.

The Land Commits Great Whoredom

Hosea 1:1–5

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Amos 7:1-17
  • Amos 8:1-14
  • Amos 9:1-15

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 677). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 678). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Hate Evil and Love Good and Establish Justice

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People often talk about the haves and the have nots, and in this fallen world, there are those that take what they want because they can. But in Amos 4:2 My Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that, “Behold, the days are coming upon you when they will take you away with hooks”. This world was created with more than enough. It was created for righteousness and justice to rule and the Lord asks us to, in Amos 5:15 “Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate; perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious”. But we know there are those, self-indulgent, who oppress and abuse others that are described in Amos 6:3 “You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence!” and we have seen the pain of political unrest as it has happened even in our own lifetimes. 

Behold The Days Are Coming

Amos 4:1–5
There are those that live at ease, but they do it at the expense of others as in

Amos 4:1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who live on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the powerless, who crush the poor, who say to their husbands, “Bring something so that we may drink!”

but this will not go on forever. The Lord declares that the days are coming when they will be removed, but they will not go willingly in

Amos 4:2 My Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that, “Behold, the days are coming upon you when they will take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishing hooks.

These are also the ones that have the appearance of religion. They bring their sacrifices and tithes and offerings and “love to” in Amos 4:2 but this is not to please the Lord, it is so they are seen by others.

Prepare to Meet Your God!

Amos 4:6–13

Seek Yahweh so That You May Live

Amos 5:1–7 

Hate Evil and Love Good and Establish Justice

Amos 5:8–17
The Lord is the one that has made the earth and the heavens in

Amos 5:8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion and who turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens day into night, the one who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name!

He also knows all there is to know about us, whether good, and he is with us as in

Amos 5:14 Seek good and not bad in order that you may live, and so Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

or evil and they will be cut off as in

Amos 5:10–11 They hate the one who reproves in the gate and they abhor the one who speaks honestly. 11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and you take a grain tax from them, you built houses of dressed stone, but you will not live in them. You built vineyards of delightfulness, but you will not drink their wine.

This is the will of the Lord in

Amos 5:15 Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate; perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Yet, for all who have done evil, “In all of the public squares there will be wailing, and in all of the streets they will say, ‘Alas, alas!’” in Amos 5:16 when the day of the Lord comes.

Let Justice Roll on Like the Water

Amos 5:18–27 

You That Put Off the Day of Disaster

Amos 6:1–7
The word of the Lord through Amos is to the leaders, to “those who feel secure”, to “the notables of the best of the nations”, to the ones “the House of Israel resorts to” in Amos 6:1. Israel has put themselves in their hands but the Lord asks are they better than you or are you better then they are in

Amos 6:2 Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory?

then he makes this statement in

Amos 6:3 You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence!

If they undertake any effort, it is to “persuade yourselves that “the evil day” foretold by the prophets is “far off,” though they declare it near (Ez 12:22, 27). Ye in your imagination put it far off, and therefore bring near violent oppression, suffering it to sit enthroned, as it were, among you (Ps 94:20). The notion of judgment being far off has always been an incentive to the sinner’s recklessness of living (Ec 8:12, 13; Mt 24:48)”.1

but it is their very self-indulgence and oppression of others that will result in an overthrow “and bring near a reign of violence”.

They make every effort to continue as they are described in Amos 6:4-6 “on beds of ivory … eating (the best) … sing to the tune … who drink … and anoint themselves … and are not grieved”. This can only end one way, and the harder they try to put it off, the surer the result in

Amos 6:7 Therefore, they shall now go into exile at the head of the exiles and the feast of lounging shall pass away.

and it never occurs to them to do good and seek justice.

I Abhor the Pride of Jacob

Amos 6:8–14

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Amos 4:1-13
  • Amos 5:1-27
  • Amos 6:1-14

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 676). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

My Lord Yahweh has Spoken

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The day of the Lord is coming and the Prophet Amos begins in Amos 1:2 And he said, “Yahweh roars from Zion and he utters his voice from Jerusalem”. And his words begin with the nations around Judah where Tyre has engaged others in the slave trade and Edom has supplied in Amos 1:9–10 “they did not remember the covenant of brotherhood!” and in Amos 1:11 “he pursued his brother with the sword!” and fought their neighbour Judah. Then to Ammon, who has committed genocide, he says in Amos 1:13 “they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory!” and Moab who could not capture or assassinate the “king of Edom” so in Amos 2:1 “he burned to lime the bones”. But it is Israel that was to demonstrate to the world, the covenant of blessing who have turned away in Amos 2:6-7 “they sell the righteous for money … trample the heads of the powerless” so the Lord says to them in Amos 3:2 “You only have I chosen of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities”.

Yahweh Roars From Zion

Amos 1:1–8 

They Ripped Open to Enlarge Their Territory

Amos 1:9–15
As the Lord speaks, he names each group and their transgression. Amos uses this phrase “For three transgressions of (the city or people) and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because they (and he names their transgression). But this not only names who and what, ‘Amos uses a Semitic literary device that has been called the “numerical ladder.” It begins with a given number to describe a particular circumstance, and as though that were not large enough for the purpose, this number is increased by one. Thus the expression for three sins, even for four really means “for their many sins.”’1

Here, Tyre is named, “A Phoenician seaport located northwest of Israel.”2 and they are said to have “delivered up a whole community to Edom” who is Judah’s southern neighbor and refers to “The port of Tyre … involved in slave trading, breaking every law of humanity.”3 and also Edom, “did not remember the covenant of brotherhood”, “the league of Hiram of Tyre with David and Solomon, the former supplying cedars for the building of the temple and king’s house in return for oil and corn (2 Sa 5:11; 1 Ki 5:2–6; 10–22; 1 Ch 14:1; 2 Ch 8:18; 9:10).”4 as Amos says in

Amos 1:9–10 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Tyre and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole community to Edom and they did not remember the covenant of brotherhood! 10 So I will send a fire against the wall of Tyre and it will devour its citadel fortresses.”

and he continues against Edom who persisted in rage, and rage against those that should have been their brothers in

Amos 1:11 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Edom and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword! He stifled his compassion and his anger tore them apart continually, and he kept his rage forever.

Then Amos turns to Amon who commits genocide to take territory and not only fought warrior defenders, but also killed women and children to destroy the inhabitants from the land in

Amos 1:13 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Ammon and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory!

They Have Rejected the Laws of Yahweh

Amos 2:1–5
The Lord turns his attention to Moab in

Amos 2:1 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.

It seems their intent to capture or assassinate the “king of Edom” was thwarted and “balked of their attempt to secure the king of Edom alive, Moab wreaked their vengeance on his corpse, and burnt his bones to lime. It was, in the religious belief of all antiquity, a sacrilege”5

Then the word of the Lord comes to Judah, but for them, “it was a crime that only the covenant people could commit, based as it was on the law (Heb. tôrâ) and its specific applications (statutes; Heb. ḥuqqāyw; cf. Deut. 4:5) which they alone had been given.”6 So, “The Jews first cast off the divine law, then fall into lying errors; God thus visiting them with a righteous retribution (Ro 1:25, 26, 28; Ro 1:25, 26, 28, 2 Th 2:11, 12).”7 in

Amos 2:4 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of Yahweh and have not kept his rules, and their lies have led them astray, after which their ancestors walked!

 

They Sell the Righteous for Money

Amos 2:6–16
The Lords rebuke of Israel continues with ways they behave as a society in Amos 2:6-7 “they sell the righteous for money … trample the heads of the powerless … turn aside the way of the destitute … a man and his father with the same girl, so that they profane my holy name” and then ways the behave even in God’s house as they come in Amos 2:8 “ … clothing taken in pledge … drink wine bought with fines imposed”.

The Lord reminds them that he gave them the land and removed the Ammonites, its prior owners in Amos 2:9. He reminds them that he brought them out of Egypt to this place in Amos 2:10. He reminds them that he raised up prophets and Nazarites among them in Amos 2:11 but they have corrupted the Nazarites and refused the words of the prophets in Amos 2:12. 

My Lord Yahweh has Spoken

Amos 3:1–8
Israel had been chosen by God to demonstrate to the world the difference between the Holy and the profane. They were the ones that were to demonstrate God’s blessing in a world fallen under the curse and he says to them through Amos in

Amos 3:1–2 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole clan that I brought up from the land of Egypt: 2 “You only have I chosen of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

He prepares them for what is to come by asking questions in Amos 3:3-6 and then answers that the Lord reveals his intent through his prophets, and “My Lord Yahweh has spoken” in

Amos 3:7–8 Surely my Lord does not do anything unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? My Lord Yahweh has spoken, who will not prophesy?

The Great Houses Shall Come to an End

Amos 3:9–15

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Amos 1:1-15
  • Amos 2:1-16
  • Amos 3:1-15

References

  • 1. Harrison, R. K. (1995). Amos. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 629). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
  • 2. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Am 1:9). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • 3. Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 361). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
  • 4. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 670). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 5. Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Edited by the Rev. W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL.D., Published in 1887-1896; public domain.
  • 6. Hubbard, D. A. (1989). Joel and Amos: an Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 25, p. 144). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 7. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 671). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

Deliverance Belongs to Yahweh!

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Jonah is a short book and a little unusual because it is as much about the prophet and his responses to God as it is about the prophet’s message. It begins with Jonah running from God and everyone around him in fear until he confesses in Jonah 1:12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea so that the sea may quiet down for you” and they did. But Jonah didn’t die. He repented in the deep in Jonah 2:9 “I will fulfill what I have vowed. Deliverance belongs to Yahweh!” Now we get to the message in Jonah 3:1–2 And the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up! Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the message that I am telling you”. As Jonah walks through the city, he proclaims, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!” in Jonah 3:4 and the people, great and small, repent. Jonah is angry that the Lord is not going to destroy them for their evil ways and the Lord reminds Jonah that there are innocents, children and animals in the city who would be collateral damage in Jonah 4:11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know right from left, plus many animals?”. It is always better to turn people to righteousness if they will.

Go to the Great City and Cry Out

Jonah 1:1–9 

They Hurled Him Into the Sea

Jonah 1:10–17
Jonah has found the first ship headed away from Nineveh, the city God has told him to go to. As a passenger, he is in the hold of the ship while a great storm threatens them all in

Jonah 1:5 And the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they threw the contents that were in the merchant ship into the sea to lighten it for them. And meanwhile Jonah went down into the hold of the vessel and lay down and fell asleep.

All aboard were in a panic, even the Captain who rouses Jonah and says “Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will take notice of us and we won’t perish!” in Jonah 1:6 but this is what Jonah wants to avoid. Jonah doesn’t want God’s attention but he can’t hide. As the men decide to cast lots, in

Jonah 1:7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots so that we may know on whose account this disaster has come on us!” And they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah confesses “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” in Jonah 1:9 and that he “was fleeing” God in Jonah 1:10. Then Jonah tells them in

Jonah 1:12 And he said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea so that the sea may quiet down for you, because I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you all.”

but they could not imagine doing this, they could not throw Jonah overboard to his death in the storm so “the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to the dry land, and they could not” in Jonah 1:13 “So they cried out to Yahweh … Please do not let us perish … and do not make us guilty of innocent blood” in Jonah 1:14. Then they threw him over in

Jonah 1:15 And they picked Jonah up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

The storm had stopped, Jonah was gone, and they had escaped with their lives. It is in times of great distress like this that people often cry out to God, and as these did in Jonah 1:16 “made vows”. 

Deliverance Belongs to Yahweh!

Jonah 2:1–10
The Lord has a mission for Jonah and as he falls into the sea, he is taken by a large fish in

Jonah 1:17 And Yahweh provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Now, with no place to run, and imagine being tossed as the fish makes its way, with pockets of air in

Jonah 2:5 The waters encompassed me up to my neck; the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

was it hours or a day or days as he is dying that he thinks to cry out to the Lord in

Jonah 2:7 When my life was ebbing away from me, I remembered Yahweh, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple.

and Jonah testifies of God’s faithfulness in

Jonah 2:1–2 And Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the belly of the fish 2 and said, “I called from my distress to Yahweh, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried for help— you heard my voice.

but it wasn’t just that Jonah cried out to the Lord for help, Jonah agreed to do what God asked of him in

Jonah 2:9 But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you; I will fulfill what I have vowed. Deliverance belongs to Yahweh!”

There was a place in Jonah’s life where he committed himself to the Lord, a time when he accepted the prophetic calling from God. Jonah laid down his opposition to God’s plan and as soon as he does, in

Jonah 2:10 And Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land.

 

Proclaim the Message I Am Telling You

Jonah 3:1–5
What the Lord had asked of Jonah hasn’t changed so in

Jonah 3:1–2 And the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up! Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the message that I am telling you.”

and now, Jonah does what he is asked in

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an extraordinarily great city—a journey of three days across.

In its time, Nineveh was a great city with commerce, and government, and people and Jonah begins his walk through the city proclaiming the message “Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!” in Jonah 3:4.

Here is a man, that came from the depths of the sea out onto the beach, nothing but the clothes on his back, and he begins crying out this message of destruction. Now, “Jonah was from … a town in lower Galilee near Nazareth … (and) Jonah ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (793–753 bc; 2 Kgs 14:23–25)”.1 so it is possible some had heard his name, but since we see Jonah sitting outside the city by himself after he delivers his message, it seems he was alone, unknown, and without any means of support. But, in

Jonah 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least important.

and the very thing Jonah had wanted to avoid happened in

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil ways—and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.

Each Must Turn From His Evil Way

Jonah 3:6–10

Jonah Became Furious

Jonah 4:1–6

Should I Not be Concerned About the Great City

Jonah 4:7–11

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Jonah 1:1-17
  • Jonah 2:1-10
  • Jonah 3:1-10
  • Jonah 4:1-11

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jon 1:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Devotions

There Are Many Other Things That Jesus Did

by  • 

Jesus revealed the will of God by the things that he did. He read from the prophecy of Isaiah in Luke 4:18 and fulfilled it as he “went around doing good and healing” in Acts 10:38. Yet none of them expected to find the tomb empty, and now, Jesus is with them again, but somehow changed. He has revealed himself to them and still, they go back to fishing again. Jesus comes to find them where they are but not with any rebuke or correction, he cooks and serves them breakfast. What did Jesus have to say to them in these times? He said to Thomas, in John 20:27 “do not be unbelieving, but believing!”. And, he said to Peter in John 21:15-17 “feed my lambs … Shepherd my sheep … feed my sheep”. And as John concludes, he says in John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. And we can also say, as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 6:1–2 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “At the acceptable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation!

Do Not be Unbelieving, But Believing

John 20:24–29

By Believing You May Have Life in His Name

John 20:30–31 

Jesus Revealed Himself Again

John 21:1–7
The disciples had gone to their own homes after seeing the empty tomb, what were they to do? So, Peter has an idea in

John 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing!” They said to him, “We also are coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat, and during that night they caught nothing.

This had been their profession. This was something they knew. This was the way they had made their living before they met Jesus. But now, it seemed fruitless. Then, from the shore came a question in

John 21:5–6 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you? They answered him, “No.” 6 And he said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they threw it, and were no longer able to haul it in from the large number of the fish.

Suddenly they recognize him. It is Jesus. And Peter, always passionate and always reactive, “threw himself into the sea” in John 21:7. 

Come, Eat Breakfast

John 21:8–14
As the disciples came to land with their net full of fish, they found that Jesus had begun preparing breakfast for them in

John 21:9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire laid there, and a fish lying on it, and bread.

Jesus had “a fish” and could just as easily had enough fish for all of them, but we are always active participants together in this relationship with God and in

John 21:10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just now caught.”

Jesus might have used this time to tell them how to organize or to give them specific instructions about how to begin as they headed back to Jerusalem or to set one of them as the leader or, as we would do today, to set one of them as the Pastor, but he didn’t do any of this. What he said was in

John 21:12–13 Jesus said to them, “Come, eat breakfast!” But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

Jesus cooked and served them breakfast. And after they had eaten, Jesus spoke personally to Peter. And, it seems they were walking on the beach talking privately because “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them” in John 21:20.

Feed My Sheep

John 21:15–19 

There Are Many Other Things That Jesus Did

John 21:20–25
As Peter is talking privately with Jesus, he notices John following and begins to ask about him in

John 21:21 So when he saw this one, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, but what about this one?”

Jesus has just spoken directly to Peter about his life saying “feed my lambs … Shepherd my sheep … feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17 but as soon as Peter begins talking about John, Jesus shuts him down in

John 21:22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

We all have our part to play in God’s kingdom, but it is our personal relationship with him. It isn’t for us to question or compare or judge what others are doing. Are we doing what he asked of us?

John’s gospel closes with these words in

John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did, which—if they were written down one after the other—I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.

and how many more “other things” have happened in the years since, and are still happening today. Every person that comes to Jesus Christ has their own testimony of transformation, of their experiences of life in the joy of our salvation.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • John 20:24-31
  • John 21:1-25
Devotions

The King of the Jews

by  • 

The Jews brought Jesus to Pilate requesting a death sentence. In John 19:16 Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him! For I do not find a basis for an accusation against him”. But Pilate knew the Jews had no authority to carry out a death sentence and might have let Jesus go, except the Jews then said in John 19:12 “Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!” Pilate pronounced the judgment, crucifixion and the charge, the reason for his death? Pilate had written, “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” and the sentence was immediately carried out. Within a few hours, Jesus was dead, then quickly buried before sunset which was the beginning of the Sabbath. Then in John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early” and Jesus wasn’t there! 

The King of the Jews

John 19:17–27
Pilate had tried to satisfy the anger of the Jews by having Jesus flogged, beaten and presenting him to them in a robe with a crown of thorns, but they continued to cry “Crucify, Crucify” in John 19:6. Then in

John 19:16 So then he handed him over to them in order that he could be crucified. So they took Jesus.

Pilate had issued the judgment and “There was no more terrible death than death by crucifixion … the most dreaded … the death of slaves and criminals … The routine of crucifixion was always the same. When … the judge uttered the fateful sentence … The verdict was carried out there and then. The condemned man was placed in the center of a quaternion, a company of four Roman soldiers. His own cross was placed upon his shoulders. Scourging always preceded crucifixion … Before him walked an officer with a placard on which was written the crime for which he was to die, and he was led through as many streets as possible on the way to execution … (so) as possible should see and take warning … (and) so that if anyone could still bear witness in his favour, he might come forward”1 It is this placard, this notice that is referred to in

John 19:19 And Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it on the cross, and it was written: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.”

This was his crime, this was the reason for his death. But even in the midst of this, even at the end, Jesus calls out to his mother to offer her comfort in

John 19:26 So Jesus, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

and he charges John with her care in John 19:27. 

It is Completed

John 19:28–37
Crucifixion is a gruesome death, yet Jesus was not holding on to his life. He finished preparing his disciples, even though they didn’t yet understand. He spoke his final words to his mother and John and in

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that now at last everything was completed, in order that the scripture would be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”

then, having given him “sour wine” in John 19:29, what we might call wine vinegar, in

John 19:30 Then when he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed,” and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

Mark doesn’t record these words but says in

Mark 15:37 But Jesus uttered a loud cry and expired.

and Mark also records the great spiritual event that also occurred in

Mark 15:38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

opening the way for us in

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us approach with confidence to the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The Tomb Was Close By

John 19:38–42 

They Ran to the Tomb

John 20:1–9
Jesus had been buried hurriedly because it was nearly the time of the Sabbath which began at sundown. The Sabbath would have been over at sundown on Saturday, but it is early on Sunday, maybe before sunrise in

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

In other gospel accounts, we find that Mary was not alone, but she is the only one mentioned here. And when she found the tomb empty, “she ran” in John 20:2. When she came to Peter, John was with him and when they heard this news in

John 20:4 And the two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first.

Clearly, Jesus was not there, only his grave clothes were, and they didn’t know what to do because in

John 20:9-10 (For they did not yet know the scripture that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

The Disciples Went to Their Own Homes

John 20:10–18

The Doors Had Been Shut Because of Fear

John 20:19–23

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • John 19:17-42
  • John 20:1-23

References

  • 1. Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of John (Vol. 2, pp. 291–292). Louisville, KY: Edinburgh.