Latest Commentaries

Amos addresses Israel’s lack of concern for the poor. He specifically directs his message to the Israelite merchants who cheat in the marketplace by using dishonest scales in their commercial transactions while hypocritically retaining an outward façade of devotion to the Suzerain God.

In his fourth vision, Amos sees a basket of summer fruit, the ripening of which suggests that its end has come. Since the words for "summer fruit" and "end" sound similar, the LORD uses wordplay or a pun to declare to Amos that the end has come to His covenant people dwelling in the land while in violation of His covenant, and that He will spare them no longer. 

Amos responds to Amaziah the priest by telling him that he is not a professional prophet. Instead, he is a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs who is called by the LORD to proclaim a prophetic message. Amos proceeds to predict judgment on Amaziah and his family, and on the nation Israel.

The priest Amaziah hears Amos’s visions and tries to intimidate him into leaving Israel. He asks Amos to return to Judah and cease prophesying in Bethel because Bethel is a sanctuary of the king.

Amos also envisions a plumb line that the LORD sets amid Israel to determine their level of devotion to Him. Israel fails the test, so God will destroy their religious structures.

In his second vision, Amos sees an all-consuming fire that evaporates the waters of the deep sea. The prospects of this devouring fire prompt the prophet to intercede again on Israel’s behalf to ask God to stop the judgment. God listens to Amos and relents concerning this judgment as well.

Amos sees a swarm of locusts devouring all the vegetation of the land. He intercedes on behalf of the descendants of Jacob, and God changes His plan to destroy Israel’s vegetation.

Amos asks two rhetorical questions to expose Israel’s perversion of justice. Since the Israelites pervert justice and boast of their military victories, Amos says that the LORD will raise up a nation to afflict them and erase their military exploits.

Amos illustrates how the LORD’s judgment on Samaria will decimate the population. Even if ten people gather in one house for safety, they will not escape judgment. Then if one relative comes to carry the dead bodies to burn them, he will be so afraid that if he finds a survivor hiding in the house, he will urge him not to mention the name of the LORD, lest the LORD becomes angry and takes further actions.

Through the oracle of Amos, the LORD swears by Himself that He will deliver up the city of Samaria and all it contains because He detests the arrogance of Jacob and detests his citadels.

Amos warns the preeminent leaders of Israel of the impending judgment and provides a detailed description of their luxurious lifestyle and their self-indulgence. Since these notable leaders enjoy their riches and disregard God’s covenantal laws, their luxury will be short-lived because God will send them into exile at the head of the exiles.

Amos warns the preeminent leaders of Israel and Judah against their false confidence of security and urges them to learn from what happened to three nearby city-states—Calneh, Hamath the great, and Gath.

Stephen debates with certain enemies of the gospel of Jesus. These enemies, the Freedmen, cannot stand against Stephen’s wisdom, so they hire men to lie about Stephen. He is arrested for the charge of committing blasphemy, for supposedly saying that Jesus will destroy the Temple and change Moses’s Law. Stephen is brought before the Council of religious leaders. They see his face is glowing like an angel’s.

To make sure all believers receive fair treatment and charity, the apostles arrange for the church to choose seven men of godly character to manage the food and funds. One of these men is named Stephen, well regarded as a man full of faith and the Spirit.

Jesus warns the Ephesians that they are not acting out of love. Their priority is no longer to love God first, and to act accordingly. They act rightly, and stand up for truth, but they do not do it from love. If they do not repent, Christ will take away their effectiveness as witnesses to the world. However, He commends them for opposing a heretical group, the Nicolaitans. He urges the Ephesians to follow the Spirit and to overcome the world, so that they will be rewarded greatly in His kingdom.

Jesus commends the Ephesians for standing up for the truth, for testing men who claim to be apostles and rejecting them for their false teachings.

Jesus, the authority over the seven churches and the angel of each church, greets the Ephesian church.

Paul prays that the hearts of the Ephesians would experience the hope of everything God calls us to, to live rightly before Him in the abundant power He gives us to choose to obey Him. A glimpse of the greatness of God’s power is displayed in the resurrection of Jesus. God raised Him from the dead and put Him on the Throne in Heaven, giving Him rulership over all of creation and all people as the reward for His obedience to God.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are forgiven of our sins and redeemed. Once we believe in Jesus, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit who comes to live within us and ensure that we belong to God forever and will inherit eternal life from Him.

Paul explains how the Trinity of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) are all at work in saving believers from sin. God the Father chose believers before creation itself, setting them apart for the purpose of walking blamelessly in His ways. Jesus Christ the Son made this adoption possible by dying on the cross. If we live lives of faithful witness, we can inherit great reward, just as Jesus did.