“The book of Isaiah provides us with the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament. It includes the full scope of His life: the announcement of His coming (Isaiah 40:3–5), His virgin birth (7:14), His proclamation of the good news (61:1), His sacrificial death (52:13–53:12), and His return to claim His own (60:2–3). Because of these and numerous other Christological texts in Isaiah, the book stands as a testament of hope in the Lord, the One who saves His people from themselves.”

What a statement! “The One who saves His people from themselves.” God told Isaiah to prophesy to the kingdom of Judah that judgment was coming because of their own terrible lifestyle. Yet, the prophecy does not focus totally on judgment. The major focus is hope and redemption.

Even though the world faces God’s judgment, God’s message to the world is covered in the hope of Christ to save us from judgment. God is my salvation. I don’t have to trust in broken systems and broken promises. I don’t have to find my own way out. God is my salvation.

Use the HEAR method as you spend time in God’s word today:   

When Israel faced challenging circumstances, God often spoke to them and gave them direction through the prophets. He used the messengers of God to be His mouthpiece to communicate His instruction for their lives. But the writer of Hebrews tells us that God spoke to them only in part. The Greek text for “at many times and in various ways” indicates that God’s previous revelation was only partial in comparison to His final and complete revelation to us through His Son! No longer do we have to wonder if God will or will not speak to us through a prophet, because He has directly given each of us His Word in completeness. The fullness of the revelation of God is given to us in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is far better than speaking to us through the prophets and in any other way. We have the inspired Word of God right in front of us. His Word is actually more clear than even writing in the sky!

So when you’re faced with decisions to make, what to do, or which way to go, head to God’s Word. Don’t look for signs or writings in the sky. God has given us everything we need in life for salvation, godliness, and righteousness and has spoken His clear instruction for our lives through His Word. Now, that doesn’t mean He gives us the name of our future spouse or step-by-step instructions for what to say in an interview. But I can tell you this: for every heart issue we have, God has communicated clearly through His Son and His Word. He also gives us the Holy Spirit to help us make those decisions that would most honor and glorify Him. How awesome is that! All it takes is to open the Book and prayerfully meditate on what God has given to us in and through Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who is the exact representation of God in fullness.

Use the HEAR method (see below) as you spend time with today’s passage and consider the following questions:

• What decisions are you faced with? Are you at end of your rope and don’t know where to turn? 
• Are you unsure what God wants from you? How does God’s Word speak to that? I promise you the solution to every heart issue you deal with is in The Word of God.

We’ve all done it. As kids, when we asked mom for something and got a ‘no’ we might go to dad hoping for a different answer. It’s human nature to want our way, to ignore or refuse the answer when we don’t like it.

Read this verse again. People say they want truth, but what they really want is their truth. They want their way. It’s obvious throughout our culture, just spend a few minutes scrolling through social media or watching the news.

In the verse right before this one, Paul encourages Timothy to keep sharing the gospel and to encourage with great patience and teaching. How can we do this? How can we have patience with those who can’t see the truth? Those who insist on answer shopping until they find a teacher who will affirm their truth.

We do it by first asking God to reveal truth to us. Ask Him to reveal any area of your life where you are choosing your way, clinging to your rights, and feel the need to be right. Chances are, that’s an area where a lie has crept in and become your truth. Jesus showed love to those in sin. He showed patience, and spoke truth. He knew the truth. He IS truth. He didn’t argue. He didn’t cling to His rights. He poured Himself out.

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following:

• Do you ever find yourself answer shopping if you don’t at initially get your way? 
• Take some time in prayer and allow God to show those areas. 

Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.”

It’s not usual to see a direct correlation between our focus on God and our perceived need for Him. We’ve all been there, the prayer and promises to God before a test we didn’t quite study enough for, the prayers and promises as we realize we have more week than paycheck, and the prayers and promises when we’ve blown it at home or at work. 

Of course, when everything is going well, it’s easy to coast and forget about the praying, and forget about the promises that we made when we “really” needed God. 

This is the context into which Amos brought God’s message. Israel was in a period of relative peace and success. The divided kingdoms, Israel and Judah, each had strong, well-established rulers, and all their usual enemies were subdued or otherwise occupied with other surrounding issues. They were beginning to grow a wealthy class and although highly religious, their true focus and dependence on God had waned and they were guilty of shirking some of their covenant responsibilities. 

Amos said that God’s holy response to their disobedience would be like the paralyzing roar of a lion. He begins by pronouncing judgment on the nations surrounding Israel, which might have been a relief at first, but as Amos’ message progressed, it got closer and closer until they were in the crosshairs. 

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:

• Are you in a period of peace and success in your life right now, or challenge and turmoil? How is it affecting your reliance on God at the moment? 
• Are there areas where you’ve grown lax in your walk with God because you’re not dealing with anything urgent? 
• What is something that you can do to make your fellowship with God an ongoing and ever-steady fellowship? 

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 

Although the passage may appear to paint Amos as a lowly shepherd, language used in the text and clues from other areas of the book suggest he was actually pretty accomplished in his own right. It was likely that Amos had his hand in livestock breeding and sycamore-fig farming. He might have managed a group of shepherds and farmers and been respected in his community. 

Question: How might this have affected the impact of his message? 

• What is God saying to you today? Have you put aside time to listen to Him?
• Who is someone you can share His message with today?