Amos seems to be a true historical reading: the climax of an empire beginning to collapse and the rebels who wanted to change society's ways. I am excited to see what Amos has to offer in his retelling of the state of the nations and how he will describe it. Books such as these are why I could see the Bible as literature and not exactly fact. From reading poetry in Brit Lit, I have come to recognize that true events can be written in radically different ways.
Continuing the thought of present justice is the presence of Amos for the fall of the Northern Kingdom. This shows that the prophecies were for that time and not later on.
1-2: This is a sermon. I think that is neat the way Amos takes how the people see power - the ruling of many lands - and puts the characteristic on God. By stating that God will condemn other nations, He is demonstrating His rule over them. There is a lot of effective literary devices from numbers to structure to persuasive diction. The structure is especially funny when Amos builds the people up and gets them thinking they will not be condemned for their own actions, and then crushes their hope by saying that God delivers justice to everyone. I wonder if there is any significance in the certain destruction God plans for the nations. God's chosen nation also gets the longest rebuke. I think he does this because God cares about the nation more and wants them to know their every wrong.
4: Here the women of Bashan are called cows. It was really interesting because the women are not often rebuked. It makes me think of the "Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. Many people think that the women had little power, but in reality they had power through manipulation. I am glad this is included to show a somewhat equality between men and women's wrongs. I want to know when this punishment was carried out; the taking away with fishhooks.
5: I think that these verses are God rejecting the people's acts because their heart is not in it. They are not carrying out the acts the way God first intended to be. Nor are they punishing people for false acts. That is what verse 24 is for. They are letting people get away with things. God wants the people to change and to be righteous in their heart, not just go through the motions.
Hosea: the first odd thing is God telling Hosea to find a promiscuous woman for a wife. Why would he do this? Could he not have used children from a normal woman? What a sad name Lo-ruhamah. It seems as though God wants punishment on these lands, but then the end of chapter one I get the feeling that he will make them prosperous and gather together. Is this a bad thing that they are together; will there be war?
2: I had to remind myself that this is God talking and not a husband to his wife. In theoretical terms it is but not literally, and it makes the message different. Sometimes it is hard not to believe that the Bible was written straight from God because of passages like this and Leviticus because it is so direct from God. The wilderness in this passage has a lot of symbolic meaning, from judgement to transformation. I like that metaphor. I feel that chapter two is not about sexuality at all; it is about straying from God. In the end, God accepts them back in faithfulness after they already were unfaithful, so I feel he is talking about their spirituality. He is going to break us down until we realize He is all we need. I have always had an odd feeling about seeing God as a husband or a lover. I could see Jesus because he is younger and lived in this world, but God will forever be my Father. He is a caretaker and a provider, a justice man and a merciful one, to me, He is not a lover. How do people think of Him in that way? What is their language towards Him? Loyalty to a father is just as strong as loyalty to a spouse is it not? Well maybe...it's a little different. Anyway, this passage was really good and I liked it because I thought of it as spiritual, not talking about sexual impurities.
3: raisin cakes?? That's odd. This is sort of like a fast. They have to take days away from the good because of the bad.
Isaiah: I have noticed that most of the books are set up in stages. I'm glad the authors thought of this; it makes it easier to follow if I were to read the whole thing. Threat, exile, restoration. There are a lot of questions that I feel I would never have thought about. I take things as they are and am unfortunately not very good at making connections over long works such as this. The questions they are asking are about the character of God, something I feel we can never know.
6: Feet here is not feet! I always envisioned the angels as having wings covering their feet because they were Holy or something... The footnotes say that Isaiah was influenced by the flickering lights in the Temple. Why do they say that? So, does God want to tear down these people to show them His power, or is this also punishment? The history was a little confusing but I know there will be restoration. Trees are always great imagery because there are so many different types. I did notice that Isaiah did not challenge God, but I feel that is because he saw the seraph so powerfully. I have not read the beginning of the chapter and do not know Isaiah's character that well but he seems compliant.
7: There's those trees again. Chapters like these are why I do not like studying the Bible alone. I want to know what the text says, but churches have turned youth Bible class into Life class from the Bible. I do not quite understand if I was suppose to glean something significant from this passage or if it is there to add to the history and reasoning. I'm thinking reasoning. The king rejected Isaiah, but Isaiah continued anyway. He seems to be a passive man with not much anger.
8: The name has changed from "God with us" to "spoil seeds, prey hastens" Why are they saying Oracle? Is that how Isaiah received his messages? I always envisioned it as a vision when he was simply standing around or worshiping God in the Temple. See now we have a rock versus the previous tree. Both symbols are grand because they can mean positive and negative support. Here, God is a rock that is an obstacle. Why does God want to present Himself as a trap?
20: I would never want to walk around naked... All the uncleanliness that comes with not wearing clothes, especially at that time is nasty. Why could he not have fasted? Is going hungry not the same punishment as going without clothes?
40: Restoration of Zion - I have a feeling there will be lots of symbolism with all these nature images. Permanence if God's word. Role as a creator: I see more of power than a creator. The imagery of the nations being like dust does not convey to me that God created them, but that He is greater than anything they include. I am glad that verses 28-31 have not been taken out of context. I feel they can mean the same thing today that they did during this time of restoration of the nations. God promises to be great.
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