Sunday, November 23, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Hosea 14, Joel 1-3, Amos 1-3
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 135
Devotional Thought
Hosea’s final chapter closes his prophecy with a tender invitation: “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.” After chapters of warning about the coming Assyrian judgment, God speaks through Hosea of restoration—He will heal their backsliding, love them freely, and be “as the dew unto Israel” so that the people blossom like the lily and take root as Lebanon’s cedars. But the very next book, Joel, opens with a national emergency: a locust plague so devastating that the prophet calls it a day of the LORD. The vine is wasted, the fig tree withered, the grain and oil cut off—even the temple offerings cease. Joel pleads, “Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with rend your heart, and not your garments.” Then Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, thunders against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah—and finally Israel herself, for selling the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes.
These three prophets together tell one story: God’s people drift, judgment looms, and yet mercy keeps calling. Hosea ends with the question, “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things?” Joel promises that afterward God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Amos insists, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live.” The threads converge on a single truth—the LORD is not willing that any should perish, but He will not be mocked forever. The locusts, the Assyrians, the drought, the earthquake—all are instruments in the hands of a God who disciplines those He loves.
Psalm 135 stands as the doxology over this hard reading. It praises the God who “causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth,” who smote Egypt’s firstborn, who slew Sihon and Og and gave their land to Israel. And then it turns to mock the idols of the heathen—silver and gold, mouths that cannot speak, eyes that cannot see. “They that make them are like unto them.” That is the warning of Joel and Amos in one line: we become what we worship. If we worship lifeless things, we become lifeless.
On this Sunday before Thanksgiving week, when our tables will be full and our calendars crowded, these chapters ask us to examine what we truly treasure. The God who judged Egypt and dispossessed Canaan is the same God who offers dew, restoration, and His Spirit. His name endures forever; His memorial is throughout all generations. Like Israel, we are His peculiar treasure—chosen not for our greatness but for His love. The call is simple: return, rend your heart, seek good, and bless the LORD out of Zion.
Reflection
- When you examine your daily life, what “idols of silver and gold” have you been trusting—comfort, reputation, security—that have mouths but cannot speak and eyes but cannot see?
- Joel calls the people to “rend your heart, and not your garments.” What would genuine repentance look like in your life this week, beyond outward religious activity?
Prayer
O Lord, we come before You as Israel came—fallen, scattered, and in need of Your mercy. You have shown us in Hosea that You heal the backsliding and love freely; in Joel, that You restore the years the locusts have eaten; in Amos, that You call us to seek good and live. Forgive us for trusting the lifeless idols of our age. Rend our hearts, not merely our garments. Let Your dew fall upon us, and let Your Spirit be poured out in our midst. We bless Your name, O house of Israel, house of Aaron, house of Levi—You alone are great, and Your memorial endures to all generations. In Christ’s name, amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 135:1 — “Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.”