“Then the LORD said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’” (Jonah 4:4 ESV). Jonah, a Hebrew prophet sent by the LORD to warn the people of Nineveh, recorded that when God chose to relent and show mercy, he became deeply displeased and angry. Yet instead of rebuking Jonah harshly, the LORD met him
“For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head” (Obadiah 1:15 ESV). Obadiah, a prophet whose name meant “servant of the LORD,” wrote to announce God’s judgment against Edom and to instruct and comfort
“I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8 ESV) The apostle John recorded Christ’s message to the church in Philadelphia,
“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24 ESV). The prophet Amos proclaimed these words to the northern kingdom of Israel, a people busy with religious festivals yet careless about the daily obedience God required. Their worship had become hypocritical because it was disconnected from covenant faithfulness. Amos
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…” (Revelation 2:7 ESV). John wrote to the seven churches under the authority of the Spirit of Christ. In all seven letters, he included this repeated call, echoing Jesus’ own words in the Gospels: “He that has ears to hear, let
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” (Joel 2:25 ESV). The prophet Joel announced to Judah that the Lord would soon discipline them with a devastating locust plague. These “locust years” represented more than agricultural loss; they were a sign of covenant judgment, seasons where the consequences of sin
“‘I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting?’” (Hosea 13:14 ESV). Hosea delivered these words to the northern kingdom of Israel in the years just before their collapse to Assyria. Chapter 13 is a somber announcement
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5–6 ESV). The psalmist composed Psalm 126 as one of the Songs of Ascents, intended to be sung by Israelite pilgrims
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6 ESV). In the days of the prophet Hosea, God delivered a piercing word of accusation
“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days” (Hosea 3:5 ESV). The prophet Hosea wrote to the wayward northern kingdom of Israel during a season of deep spiritual unfaithfulness.