Catch Fire in 50 Days

Read Acts 4:32‐37 slowly and prayerfully. What words or phrases stand out for you?



     Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
     34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.


Reflect
Are you of one heart and mind with other believers?


What is the relationship between being filled with the Holy Spirit and the believers unity, sharing of possessions and powerful testimony?


How might you express your generosity more extravagantly?


Respond
Do one simple thing that brings your faith community a step closer to being of “one heart and soul.”
OR
Demonstrate your extravagant generosity today.

Bible Study for Catch Fire in 50 Days

Acts 3:11‐16


Reflect

According to Peter, what was his role in the healing of the beggar?

What is the main content of Peter’s message?

What does it mean to do something “in the name of Jesus”?

Respond

Be on the lookout for what Jesus wants you to do today in His name.

Pray for God to reveal to you who God wants you to bless today to keep the fire of the Spirit’s

movement burning.

Please see Devotionals

Hi Everyone - there will be a break from entries in the Bible Study Online portion.  But we will be posting some devotionals for the Lenten season.  God bless you!

Amos 6-7

     An added note on Amos 5:4-5. ‘Seek me and live, but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba.’ This involves a word play on two meanings of the verb darash, “seek.” Originally it was the word used of having going to a prophet or seer or priest trying to getting divine answer or decision. (Ex 18:15; I Sam 9:9 I Kings 3:11) The word came to be used also in a deeper sense of a longing for God, rather than just for something God could give. “Live” is also used here in more than physical existence, instead speaking of life lived richly in the right relationship to God.



6:9 – And if ten men remain in one house... This is a realistic account of the horrors of an epidemic related to a siege. Or, as the class brought up, the kinds of epidemic that occurs with any number of natural disasters.


Imagine the emotional impact of being the lone survivor in the household and understanding this to be the judgment of God. “Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD.”

6:11 – may be referring to the earthquake (mentioned at the beginning of he book)


6:12 – earlier in the book came a series of “of course” type questions. Now are two similar questions, but these of “of course not,” questions. The corruption of injustice in Israel is completely unnatural


You who rejoice in Lo-debar – a word play - The place name of Lo-debar is similar to the Hebrew lo dhabhar, which means a “thing of naught.”


Karnaim – (KJV translates as horns) is also the name of a town, probably Ashteroth-karnaim of Genesis 14:5 in the same region. Karnaim means horns, symbols of power – Deut 33:17 – Scholars speculate that these two relatively insignificant locations was for the sake of the word play upon their names.


Verse 14 – The main body of the oracles of Amos conclude here. Some scholars think verse 14 might even have been by the editor who collected them together soon after the fall of the Northern Kingdom, the words here being a summary of what happened, a vindication of everything Amos had proclaimed.

Amos 7 begins a series of visions. They are autobiographical and are spoken in the first person. The visions constitute Amos’ call to be a prophet and his preparation for it. He may have written/recorded this part of the story after he returned to Tekoa.


The first is of locusts descending. Anyone who may have read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account of the locusts, may have some feel for the horror of watching your food and work being gobbled by tens of thousands of hungry insects. Amos asks God to relent, not because Israel deserves it, but simply based on God’s pity, saying the Israel is, after all, too small to bear it. God relents (does not here forgive).


Another vision comes of fire, and again Amos asks God to relent. This is followed by a brief account of the high priest of Bethel in Israel writing to King Jeroboam and accusing Amos of being too hard on the people and predicting death to the king. Amos’ response to the priest is harsh, which is not difficult to understand. After all, the priest as a religious leader should be the one leading the reform in Israel, bringing justice.


Amos then tells of another vision, of God standing by a house built with a plumb line and holding a plumb line. The plumb-line is an ancient architectural tool used to determine a straight and therefore sturdy wall.


The plumb-line reference is commonly quoted from Amos. Ironically, it is a mistranslation. The original text had to do with a wall of tin and God holding tin in hand. The exact meaning and purpose of this is a challenge to understand 2800 years later. An earnest medieval translator came up with the plumb-line translation. Although scholars know it is incorrect, the plumb-line is used in almost all translations. And, after all, it is an wonderfully apt mistranslation. The fact that the people were not and still are not living by God’s “plumb-line,” i.e. God’s standards, is irrefutable.


A fun challenge would be to come up with our own personal paraphrase, trying to use double-word meanings or puns in the same way that Amos did. (One translator suggested a silver wall, holding silver while everything shivered.)

Amos 5 –6

     The fifth chapter of Amos is described as a Lament for Israel’s sin. It certainly provides a bleak picture of Israel’s future. The prophet has already said that all that will remain will be as worthless as a bit of animal seized back from the predator. Out of a city of a thousand (5:3) perhaps a hundred will be left. A town of a hundred might have ten.
      Amos earnestly repeats the Lord’s call to seek out God and live, but exclaims bitterly over those that turn justice to wormwood. Do they really imagine that the Lord who made the constellations, who brings the daylight and rules the oceans can be ignored?
      Ironically, of course, the people to whom Amos is speaking, think they are all right with God, despite their treatment of the poor. Therefore, the things they have done – build houses, plan vineyards...they will not enjoy the fruits of them.
      Some scholars regard 5:13 (that the prudent will keep silent in such a time) as a later addition since it doesn’t seem in accord with Amos’ forthright spirit. On the other hand, it could be ironic humor on Amos’ part.
      Amos again records the call to seek good instead of evil, and to establish justice in the home that God will be good to the few who are left after the time of judgment. But if the words are recorded in some of the order he spoke them, Amos does appear to have much hope it will happen, for the words of judgement return, the farmers shall mourn, the professional mourners will wail and God will pass through the midst of them (a probable reference to Passover).
      The “Day of the Lord” was something the people looked forward to. This was no apocalyptic expectation, for that theology did not develop for some centuries ahead of Amos. But since he didn’t define Day of the Lord, it must have been a common term used by the people. Perhaps it was the annual celebration of the New Year. If it was at all similar to the Babylonian New Year ceremonies (and customs were often similar), it might have included re-enthronement of the king, ceremonial victory over enemies, renewing the promise of prosperity and the setting of fate for the year to come. Eventually, the idea of the coming of God to bless the people might have suggested the idea of a day when God would come to begin a permanent era of righteousness.
     But Amos thought the people were foolish to look forward to the Day of the Lord. Because, on such a day they would only deserve darkness. He used imaged like fleeing from a lion to meet a bear, similar to the modern ‘out of the frying pan into the fire.’
     Amos declares God’s distaste for the festivals. The offerings are unacceptable. The songs are offensive. Instead, let just roll down like water and righteousness like a never-ending stream.


      It’s too bad, Amos says, for those who are living in comfort and peace of mind in Israel. They should look at other nations and their misfortunes, and realize that they are no better than them. All the people are doing is hastening trouble and violence upon themselves.
     The opulence Amos describes must have been awe-inspiring, especially for the poor upon whose oppression the comfort was bought. Beds of ivory, lounging on their couches to eat lambs and calves, singing idle songs. Ivory was an expensive substance, and eating meat was rare except for special occasions. Cows and sheep were valuable producers of wool and milk, and therefore not commonly eaten as the rich apparently ate them, along with wine from bowls, anointing themselves with expensive oils. In all this they don’t give a moment’s grief for the ruination of their country, nor for what God really wants of the people.

Amos 3-4 -- 2-15-2011 -

     Amos as a shepherd and a 'dresser' of sycamore fig trees, did not spend all his time at Teko, since sycamore figs don't grow there at that altitude.  So he probably spent part of the year in upper elevations and part in the lower.  Phyllis (last night during the class), grew up in sheep country and explained that this is also normal procedure for sheep.  Winter is spent in lower elevations and in the summer, the sheep are taken to the higher altitudes. 
     This was, of course, what many of the wealthy people of Israel were doing.  Not following sheep, but since the climate differed dramatically in relatively few miles, they had a home for themselves in higher and lower elevations.  These homes may have been describable as 'palaces.'  According to Amos' criticism, they were called "ivory," so the wood or stone may have been covered with that expensive product.  Yet these homes were obtained at the cost of the poorest members of society.  Amos is desperately concerned with the injustice.
     Scholars don't agree whether Amos was one of the poor or among the more affluent members of society.  One Internet website describes him as wealthy.  Another scholar says he was poor.  In discussion, the class wondered whether the wealthy members of Israelite society would have paid much attention if Amos wasn't 'one of them.'  If a poverty stricken shepherd complained about social conditions, it would be easy for them to dismiss it as disgruntlement.  On the other hand, if one of their own financial strata spoke, they might have paid more attention.  The class discussed whether God might have more likely chosen a morally conscious man of affluence to prophesy. 
     Unlike some of the prophets, the concern of Amos is clearly on justice and he spends little time on idol worship.  He does, however, in these chapter (3-4) point out (with a great deal of irony) that worship how they might, it didn't mean anything unless their lives reflected their worship. 
     Amos appears continually amazed that after all that God has done, the people still behave contrary to God's will.  Unlike people of other pagan cultures, Amos could point to the God who created everything, including the Pleides and Orion.  (Although not all people even of Judah and Israel understood God was not simply in charge of a small geographical territory, Amos certainly understood some of the awesome infinity of Yahweh). 
     The disaster that Amos foresaw as coming is sometimes described very graphically.  We do not know what God has planned for the future of our society and world, and the predictions of Amos cannot be applied to this time.  We can, however, understand the call to justice and apply that to our world. 
     Where does injustice take place in our society?
     Where are the poor exploited?
     Should we study and know more about that, rather than assume things are all right if we haven't heard much?
     What would Amos say about our world?

Amos - Introduction

      Amos lived in a time of prosperity. Israel and Judah no longer suffered invasions from their great enemy, Assyria, whose internal conflict had taken its attention. Jeroboam II had managed to end a century and a half of war with Syria.

      However, the prosperity wasn’t universal. The rich grew richer by taking the smaller land-holdings, creating a class of landless poor. The poor were sold for trifling debts, and exploited in the marketplace (for example, with false measures). They could get no justice in the law courts.
     The affluent portion of socity especially thought that all was well. They continued ritual religious practices, in fact may have been zealous in sacrifice and ritual, believing their prosperity was due to Yahweh’s intervention. No doubt they considered it a “practical necessity’ to show some respect to Ba’al, who was the feritlity god of the ancient near east.
     Amos was of the southern kingdom of Judah (remembering that after the death of Solomon, a civil war split Israel into two nations). Although most of his prophecy was directed at the northern kngdom of Israel, it was intended as a warning to Judah as well.
      Amos himself may not have been classed among the poor. He was a shepherd, but the word used to describe him as a shepherd is found only in the bible in reference to Mesha, king of Moab, a “sheep-breeder” who borugh a large annual tribute of sheep and wool to the king of Israel. Other references outside the bible also lead shcolars to believe that Amos was not a lone shepehrd guarding a small flock in the wilderness. He might have been responsible for temple flocks, or might have been self-employed.  What seems significant about the issue of his occupation is that of a person who may not have been wealthy, yet was still comfortable financially, calling for reform of how the poor were treating.   
       As a shepherd, however, he still wandered with his flock, seeking food and protecting them from wild-animals and other dangers. This may not have been in isolation, he probably crossed the routes to the main urban centers and thus interacted with people from various parts of his owrld. He certainly seems to be aware of the social conditions and realities throughout.
     Scholars date the prophet ministry to about 760 bce. Dating is derived from the names of reigning monarchs and also in relation to an earthquate that was remember centuries later in Zechariah 14:5. Amos’ minstry may have only lasted for two to three months.
     Amos begins by pronouncing doom on neighboring nations, including Syria. With the long enmity between them, his hearers must have intially greeted his words with delight, although the nature of his criticism against these nations should have given them second thoughts on the subject of delighting in the suffering of another. The nations are largely doomed because of their ill-treatment of others and ill will toward others.
     The oracles have a regular, almost monotonous form and could have been patterned after forms known at the time, even Egyptian texts, where curses are first pronounced on surrounding peoples and then on those within Egypt. Amos, as a canny observer of the human condition, might have developed or chosen such a format to initially disarm his hearers.
      Imagine their shock when after pronoucing judgement on foreign nations, then Judah (with whom they didn’t have the happiest of relationships), Amos turned his attention to Israel itself.