In Micah 1 & 2, Micah brings a message from God of coming judgment and lets them know exactly why judgment was coming. Pride, arrogance, idolizing wealth and materialism, oppressing and taking advantage of people. They were chasing sin and opposing God. They were after the "good life" rather than the humble life. They didn't believe judgment and laughed it off - until judgment arrived at their doorpost. Micah also speaks forward of coming hope, restoration, and the gathering of the faithful remnant who refuse to waiver and cling to God. The glorious day of the return of Jesus - our Deliverer is coming.

In Nahum 2 & 3, God tells Nineveh how they will fall and why they are falling. The vast city would be overtaken by the Babylonians in 612 BC and completely wiped out in 609 BC in the battle of Haran. Their pride, arrogance, and wealth would all be destroyed. They were a nation after ruthless bloodshed, idolatry, pride, and self-confidence. They were overconfident and believed they were at the top and untouchable. They refused to repent and turn to God like the generations before. God will deal with sin and wickedness. Previously, they repented and turned to God so God poured out mercy and peace. This time they rebelled and refused God and faced God's judgment. God does not change, man does. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and if we choose Jesus, we have an eternity with Him. We have the peace and joy only found in Jesus for all eternity.

In Nahum 1, approximately 100 years later, Nineveh has turned back to their evil, prideful ways and God sends another warning of coming judgment. This time, this generation doesn't listen or repent and judgment will fall in 612 BC when Babylon takes over Assyria. God will not share His people with false gods and false idols any more than a husband would share his wife with his neighbor. God should always be first and our primary focus in all we do, say, and think in our lives. We are His and our lives should reflect Him in all we do. God will deal with sin and judgment will fall. If we choose Jesus, we are redeemed, cleansed, healed, and made righteous before God. We are free and our sins have already been judged. God is an overwhelming flood. If we choose Jesus, we receive His overwhelming flood of mercy and grace. If we don't, we'll receive His overwhelming flood of judgment. Jesus has completely defeated sin, death, and Satan and if we choose Him, we are free to enjoy the blessings of God's saving grace for all eternity.

In Jonah 4, instead of praising God and rejoicing in the salvation of an entire nation, Jonah, in his arrogant, judgmental pride, goes to the east side of the city to sulk and pout. The heart of every problem is a problem of the heart and God is doing a work in Jonah's heart. Through the help of a green, leafy plant, God reminds Jonah what it feels like to be lost, hopeless, and miserable. The Ninevites, the plant, the worm, and the wind have all obeyed God but Jonah still refuses to humble himself and repent. Instead of questioning God's mercy, he needed to learn God's heart of compassion and God's desperate desire to chase after every lost soul. Jonah wanted mercy for himself, but not for others. Nineveh didn't have God's Word so God provided someone with His Word, and they in turn responded. God answers Jonah with questions. "Is it right for you to be angry about this?" "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?" In the book of Jonah, God has the first Word as He tells Jonah to "Get up and go" and He has the final Word in His final question to Jonah, "Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" God asks us the same questions today. Are we willing to get up and go? To reach the lost any way we can with the tools God has provided us? The choice is ours. We are given blessings by God and He desires we steward all His blessings to reach more and more people for Him. He doesn't want to lose a single soul.

In Jonah 3, God redirects Jonah back to His call and mission. Jesus is the only One in Scripture who didn't need a 2nd chance and that's because He's our Messiah. God is the God of 2nd chances. He hadn't changed His mind or given up on Jonah. Through this mission in Nineveh, He was also doing a work in Jonah. Nineveh was going to either be terminated or transformed and it all hinged on them hearing the Word of God. Jonah brought the message from God to Nineveh and they responded in repentance as even the king declared that everyone must cry out earnestly to God as they know God's mercy is their only hope. Because they repented, God relented. A great revival broke out all because a man did what God told him to do. The Word of God spreads and takes center stage. The power of God moves in His Word.

In Jonah 2, Jonah cries out to God in a prayer of desperation. Forgetting he is a sinner, he's pridefully and arrogantly judging an entire nation and doesn't want them to hear the message God has for them. We aren't called to judge, that's God's lane. He's the only One who can see the human heart. God has no favorites and wants everyone to hear the Good News of His Mercy and Grace and wants everyone to choose the Life found in Him and Him alone. It's not up to us to decide, God wants everyone to hear about Jesus and hopefully choose Jesus for their lives. God sent Jesus to die on the cross for everyone. We are all sinners. We are all lost without Jesus. We all need Jesus.

In Jonah 1, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh to plead with the people there to repent and turn to God. Nineveh was in Assyria and Assyria was a nation known for their evil brutality and opposition of Israel. Jonah had a bad attitude toward God's will and His Word as he rejects it and turns away thinking he can "take it or leave it". Jonah needed Nineveh as much as Nineveh needed Jonah. He also had a bad attitude toward the Gentile nation he was being sent to. Instead of wanting to help them find God, he wanted abandon them to death for eternity. He didn't just hate their sins, he also hated the sinners. God never allows His children to sin successfully. God prepared a great fish to swallow him and protected his life for three days and nights while He brought him to the nation he is called to go to.

In Obadiah, God gives a message of warning of coming judgment to the nation of Edom. Edom was violent sinful nation. They were prideful and opposed God and His people. They trusted in themselves, their alliances, and their wealth - but not God. Without God, alliances, wealth and our selfish ambitions mean nothing. Their wisdom would become confusion and their armies would be destroyed. God promised to deliver His people, completely take out sin and the enemy, and establish restoration, redemption, healing, and restoration with His coming eternal Kingdom. The faithful remnant that chooses God to be Lord over their lives through the saving grace of Jesus will be held safe. His Kingdom will come. His will is going to be done. If we choose Him, we are a part of His eternity.

In Amos 9, God gives Amos three warnings of coming judgment followed by a final encouraging promise of mercy, restoration, and regathering. God warned that a strike was coming to the land. People repeatedly refused to repent and turn to God and instead chased after false idols and false gods that did them no good. The time had come for judgment to fall and Assyria did attack. Instead of repent, His people tried to run and hide. God sees all. Sin will be dealt with and all of our choices have consequences. What those consequences are depends on who we serve and entrust our lives to. We are always worshiping something. Who we are worshiping makes all the difference. There is a faithful remnant that continues to stand firm in faith and not waiver. That faithful remnant would be held safe in the mighty hand of God. God promises restoration is coming. Jesus is returning. The security, prosperity, and peace of God will fill the earth.

In Amos 8, God gives Amos a vision of ripe fruit. God had been calling out, crying out, and shouting out to His people by sending prophet after prophet. He is patient and desperately wants every soul to answer His call. Unfortunately for Israel, they refused and even told God's prophets to "Go Away". They were stubborn, prideful, and in love with their sinful lives. They exploited and oppressed their neighbors and stole what little the poor had left for their own selfish gain. God said enough and judgment was falling. Like a basket of ripe fruit, they were ripe and ready to be judged for their choices, their actions, and their refusal to submit to God. We have a choice to choose Jesus and be seen as pure and righteous when we stand before God. He already faced the judgment of God for our sins and if we believe in Him, put our faith in Him, and apply His life-saving Blood to our lives, we will enjoy the abundance of God for all eternity.