Amos Chapters 9 & Obadiah Class 5 - Bible Study
Amos Chapters 9 - Obadiah
This is our 5th class on Amos
This is an AI Recap of the class.
Some things may be incorrect.
Short summary of the whole class
On 2026-02-26, we listened to and discussed Amos 9, moving from temple-toppling judgment and inescapable justice to the restoration of the “booth of David” overflowing to the nations. We explored translation nuances (Sheol vs. “hell,” “in/on” the land), water/chaos imagery, Eden-like abundance, and intertextual ties in the Gospels and Revelation. We then read Obadiah, examining Edom’s pride and betrayal during Babylon’s conquest, the Day of the Lord widening judgment to all nations, and the closing affirmation that “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s,” while comparing themes with Joel and Amos and discussing the debated location of “Sepharad.” We concluded by planning to study Jonah next and likely read C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce after Easter.
Walkthrough and sectional summaries
1) Setting goals and lighthearted opener (Amos 9 and Obadiah)
Plan: finish Amos with chapter 9; begin Obadiah.
Framing: Amos’s consistent indictment of exploitation of the poor and resonance with the Gospels and Revelation.
Personal anecdote: two childhood cats named Oba (for Obadiah) and Bob—“Bob was the best cat.”
Short summary of section:
We set goals to complete Amos 9 and start Obadiah, recalling Amos’s justice theme and sharing a light personal story.
Bible verses mentioned:
General reference to Amos (no specific verse cited here).
Stories mentioned:
Childhood cats: Oba and Bob.
2) Listening to Amos 9 (reading and first impressions)
Read/heard Amos 9:1–15.
Noted the stark arc from judgment to a “glimmer of hope” in verse 11.
Short summary of section:
We heard Amos 9 in full, recognizing its shift from total judgment to promised restoration.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:1–15 (highlighted v. 11).
Stories mentioned:
None.
3) Initial observations: judgment, humility, and false security
Israel is not exempt from justice (Amos 9:7–10).
Amos 9:10 challenges complacency: “calamity shall not overtake us.”
Short summary of section:
Amos confronts Israel’s moral complacency: being God’s people does not shield unrepentant injustice from judgment.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:7–10.
Stories mentioned:
None.
4) Promise of restoration and Eden imagery
Reversal of earlier deprivation: abundance, rebuilt cities, vineyards (Amos 9:13–15).
“The plowman shall overtake the reaper” signals overflowing fruitfulness.
Short summary of section:
Amos pivots to Eden-like renewal, where God replaces deprivation with abundant delight.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:13–15.
Stories mentioned:
None.
5) Temple-pillar language and the scope of judgment (Amos 9:1)
“Strike the tops of the pillars/doorposts/capitals” to collapse the sanctuary.
Emphasis on judgment reaching even sacred spaces.
Short summary of section:
God topples the sanctuary from its highest points, signaling comprehensive judgment.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:1.
Stories mentioned:
None.
6) Sheol, the sea, and the inescapability of God (Amos 9:2–6)
Translation note: prefer “Sheol” over “hell.”
No escape: heights, depths, Carmel, sea—God finds them (Amos 9:2–3).
Chaos-water motifs: serpent in the sea, Nile swelling, God summoning waters (Amos 9:5–6).
Intertext: creation waters, Noah’s flood, Revelation’s abyss/sea.
Short summary of section:
Amos portrays God’s searching judgment using Sheol and chaos-water imagery to show there’s no hiding place.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:2–6.
Allusions: Genesis 1; Genesis 6–9; Revelation (abyss/sea).
Stories mentioned:
None (intertextual themes noted).
7) “On that day” and the Booth of David (Amos 9:11–12)
“On that day” marks restoration.
“Booth/tabernacle of David” restored—messianic resonance.
Nations included: remnant of Edom and “all the Gentiles who are called by my name.”
Short summary of section:
Restoration is messianic and expansive: God rebuilds David’s booth and gathers Israel and the nations.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:11–12.
Stories mentioned:
Gospel theme: Jesus as true temple (veil imagery referenced).
8) Abundance fulfilled and Garden imagery carried into the Gospels
Overflowing wine, gardens, rebuilt cities (Amos 9:13–15).
John 20: Mary mistakes the risen Jesus for a gardener—Eden echo.
Short summary of section:
Amos’s restoration imagery flavors the resurrection garden scene, signaling new creation.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:13–15.
John 20 (Mary and the gardener).
Stories mentioned:
Mary Magdalene at the tomb.
9) Translation nuance: “in” vs. “on,” and spirit/wind/breath
Amos 9:15: “in/on their land” reflects Hebrew preposition range.
Note on single Hebrew/Greek terms for spirit/wind/breath.
Short summary of section:
We observed how translation choices shape meaning, especially with prepositions and key theological terms.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:15.
Stories mentioned:
None.
10) Amos’s core indictment and a pastoral reflection
Amos critiques showy religion alongside exploitation of the poor.
Practical reflection: caution against performative religiosity (e.g., public fasting) without justice and mercy.
Short summary of section:
Amos calls for authentic obedience—justice for the poor over religious performance.
Bible verses mentioned:
Thematic reference to Amos’s broader critique (no single verse cited here).
Stories mentioned:
Practical note related to public religious displays.
11) Obadiah overview: setting the stage
Positioned Obadiah in the crisis of Babylon’s conquest (background: 2 Kings 25).
Watched a short overview video to frame reading.
Short summary of section:
We located Obadiah within the Babylonian crisis and prepped to read the book with an overview.
Bible verses mentioned:
Historical backdrop: 2 Kings 25 (not read aloud).
Stories mentioned:
None.
12) Public reading of Obadiah 1:1–9 (Pride and downfall)
Edom’s pride deceived them; God will bring them down (1:3–4).
Thorough searching out; failed alliances; end of Teman’s wisdom (1:5–9).
Short summary of section:
God indicts Edom’s arrogance and announces comprehensive collapse, even among their allies and sages.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:1–9.
Stories mentioned:
None.
13) Obadiah 1:10–14 (Betrayal of a brother)
“Violence against your brother Jacob” (1:10).
Charges: gloating, looting, ambushing refugees, handing survivors over (1:12–14).
Short summary of section:
Edom’s guilt centers on fraternal betrayal—gloating and harming Judah at its most vulnerable.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:10–14.
Background: Genesis (Jacob and Esau).
Stories mentioned:
Jacob and Esau as ancestral backdrop.
14) Class reflections: family, pride, and internal strife
Betrayal is worse when done by those who “know better.”
Parallels to Judges’ intra-Israel conflict; teacher recalled a sermon titled “Don’t Look Away.”
Pride and gloating as spiritual decay.
Short summary of section:
We reflected on the moral weight of harming kin and how pride corrodes communities.
Bible verses mentioned:
Judges (theme of internal conflict; no specific verse cited).
Stories mentioned:
Sermon: “Don’t Look Away.”
15) Obadiah 1:15–18 (The Day of the Lord and recompense)
Hinge to all nations: “The day of the Lord… is near” (1:15).
Principle: “As you have done, it shall be done to you” (1:15).
Zion’s deliverance; Jacob and Joseph as fire, Esau as stubble (1:17–18).
Short summary of section:
Judgment widens to all nations with measure-for-measure justice; Zion becomes the locus of deliverance.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:15–18.
Stories mentioned:
None.
16) Obadiah 1:19–21 (Restoration and the Lord’s kingdom)
Restoration geography and return of exiles (1:19–20).
“Saviors shall come to Mount Zion… And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (1:21).
Short summary of section:
Obadiah closes with restoration for Zion’s remnant and the universal claim of God’s kingship.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:19–21.
Stories mentioned:
None.
17) Comparing Obadiah with Amos and Joel
Tension: Amos 9:11–12 includes “remnant of Edom and all nations”; Obadiah 1:18 stresses severe judgment on Esau.
Harmonizing lens: Edom as a historical nation and a type of human pride; prophetic hope still envisions nations called by God’s name.
Joel contributes post-judgment deliverance from Zion.
Short summary of section:
We contrasted Obadiah’s sharp judgments with Amos’s and Joel’s inclusive restoration, seeing Edom as both concrete and symbolic.
Bible verses mentioned:
Amos 9:11–12.
Joel 2–3.
Stories mentioned:
None.
18) Notes on terms and places: Sepharad and later identity
Obadiah 1:20 mentions “Sepharad”—debated identifications: Sardis (Asia Minor), Spain (Sephardim), Western Media, others.
Recognized long-standing Jewish association with Spain shaping diaspora identity.
Short summary of section:
“Sepharad” has multiple scholarly proposals, with the Spanish association shaping the identity of Sephardic Jews.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:20.
Stories mentioned:
Historical-cultural note on Sephardic Jews.
19) Obadiah’s ending and God’s kingship
Translation nuance: “the kingdom/kingship will be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 1:21).
Obadiah centers God’s direct kingship without explicitly foregrounding a Davidic messiah.
Resonances with Deuteronomic/Joshua themes of covenantal justice and conquest.
Short summary of section:
Obadiah climaxes with God’s kingship, emphasizing covenantal justice more than royal messianism.
Bible verses mentioned:
Obadiah 1:21.
Thematic references: Deuteronomy, Joshua (no specific verses cited).
Stories mentioned:
None.
20) Concluding plans: Jonah next; The Great Divorce after Easter
Next study: Jonah (2–3 weeks).
Likely post-Easter reading: C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce.
Short summary of section:
We wrapped Obadiah and set plans to study Jonah next, with a likely return to The Great Divorce after Easter.
Bible verses mentioned:
None (future study preview).
Stories mentioned:
Literary work: C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce.
Medium-length summary of the class
On 2026-02-26, we concluded Amos with chapter 9, tracing its movement from God’s temple-toppling judgment and inescapable justice (Amos 9:1–10) to the restoration of the “booth of David” that embraces the remnant of Edom and all Gentiles called by God’s name (9:11–12), culminating in Eden-like abundance (9:13–15). We noted translation nuances (Sheol vs. “hell,” “in/on” the land) and water/chaos motifs linking creation, flood, and Revelation. Turning to Obadiah, we read the whole book and examined Edom’s pride and fraternal betrayal (1:1–14), the hinge to a universal Day of the Lord with measure-for-measure justice (1:15–18), and the restoration culminating in “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (1:19–21). We discussed the debated location of “Sepharad” (1:20), thematic comparisons with Joel and Amos on judgment and inclusion, and how Obadiah foregrounds God’s kingship with Deuteronomic/Joshua resonances. We closed by planning to study Jonah next and likely read The Great Divorce after Easter.
Main points
God’s judgment is comprehensive and inescapable (Amos 9:1–10).
Chaos-water imagery underscores divine sovereignty and judgment (Amos 9:2–6).
Translation matters: Sheol vs. “hell,” “in/on” the land, spirit/wind/breath.
Restoration follows judgment: God rebuilds the “booth of David,” including the nations (Amos 9:11–12).
Eden-like abundance symbolizes renewal (Amos 9:13–15).
Obadiah indicts Edom’s pride and betrayal, then widens judgment to all nations (Obadiah 1:1–18).
Measure-for-measure justice: “As you have done, it shall be done to you” (Obadiah 1:15).
Obadiah ends with God’s universal kingship: “the kingdom shall be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 1:21).
“Sepharad” (Obadiah 1:20) has debated identifications; Spanish association shaped Sephardic identity.
Comparative theme: Amos and Joel highlight post-judgment inclusion; Obadiah stresses severe judgment but shares Zion-centered hope.
Next steps: Study Jonah; likely read The Great Divorce after Easter.
Scriptures mentioned
Amos 9:1–15 (focus on 9:1; 9:2–6; 9:7–10; 9:11–12; 9:13–15)
Obadiah 1:1–21 (focus on 1:1–9; 1:10–14; 1:15–18; 1:19–21)
Genesis 1 (creation waters/Spirit)
Genesis 6–9 (Noah’s flood)
Genesis (Jacob and Esau background)
2 Kings 25 (Babylon’s conquest context)
Joel 2–3 (Day of the Lord; Zion deliverance)
Judges (theme of internal conflict)
John 20 (Mary and the “gardener”)
Revelation (abyss/sea imagery)
Stories and works mentioned
Childhood cats: Oba (Obadiah) and Bob.
Mary Magdalene mistaking the risen Jesus for the gardener (John 20).
Sermon reference: “Don’t Look Away.”
Historical-cultural: Sephardic Jews (Sephardim) and association with Spain.
Upcoming/related: C. S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce.
Content creation date: 2026-02-26 12:04:06.