Immerse Prophets Day 244 Year 2 Bible Reading
Day 244: Introduction to the Prophets and the Message of Amos | Immerse Bible Reading Experience
In this episode of the Immerse Bible Reading Experience, we explore the introduction to the Prophets in the Bible, discussing how Israel repeatedly failed to honor their covenant with God, which led to God's appointment of prophets as covenant mediators. We delve into the role prophets played in calling Israel back to their commitments and the structure of their messages, often framed as covenant lawsuits. We then focus on the Book of Amos, the earliest of the writing prophets, his harsh warnings to Israel despite their prosperity, and the subsequent judgments pronounced by God against various nations, including Israel itself. Despite Israel's prosperity, Amos highlighted their injustices, idolatry, and exploitation of the poor, leading to prophetic declarations of divine punishment. The episode concludes with an outline of Amos' final prophecies that predict both destruction and eventual restoration through God's mercy.
00:00 Introduction to Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience
00:04 The Role of Prophets in Israel's History
02:46 Prophetic Messages and Their Literary Forms
04:42 Historical Context and Sequence of the Prophets
05:52 The Prophet Amos: A Shepherd's Dire Warnings
08:26 Judgment and Hope in the Book of Amos
11:55 Oracles Against Neighboring Nations
17:59 Final Words and Conclusion
Buy Immerse: Prophets Now!
Volume 4
Immerse: Prophets is the fourth of six volumes of the Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience program. Prophets presents the First Testament prophets in groupings that represent four historical periods, beginning with the prophets who spoke before the fall of Israel’s northern kingdom (Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah), then before the fall of the southern kingdom (Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk), around the time of Jerusalem’s destruction (Jeremiah, Obadiah, Ezekiel), and after the return from exile (Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, Malachi).
4 Questions to get your conversations started:
1. What stood out to you this week?
2. Was there anything confusing or troubling?
3. Did anything make you think differently about God?
4. How might this change the way we live?
QUICK START GUIDE
3 ways to get the most out of your experience
- Use Immerse: Beginnings instead of your regular chapter and verse Bible. This special reader’s edition restores the Bible to its natural simplicity and beauty by removing chapter and verse numbers and other historical additions. Letters look like letters, songs look like songs, and the original literary structures are visible in each book.
- Commit to making this a community experience. Immerse is designed for groups to encounter large portions of the Bible together
for 8 weeks–more like a book club, less like a Bible study. By meeting every week in small groups and discussing what you read in open,
honest conversations, you and your community can come together to be transformed through an authentic experience with the Scriptures. - Aim to understand the big story. Read through “The Stories and the Story” (p. 483) to see how the books of the Bible work together to tell God’s story of his creation’s restoration. As you read through Immerse: Beginnings, rather than ask, “How do I fit God into my busy life?” begin asking, “How can I join in God’s great plan by living out my part in his story?”