S6 CRE1 15 JAN 2024

PROPHET AMOS
Amos was a prophet who prophesized in the northern region i.e. Israel, and by occupation
he was both a trader and a shepherd.
He was called by God from Judah to go and deliver his message of condemnation to the
people of Israel.

AMOS’ CONDEMNATION TO THE ISRAELITES

Amos condemned the Israelites due to the following religious evils:

The Israelites were consulting false prophets. According to the Mosaic Law, they were only
expected to consult the true prophets of God.

They had forgotten God. The Israelites had started worshipping pagan gods which was
against the mosaic teachings.

The religious days especially the Sabbath were considered to be a burden. According to the
Mosaic Law, the Sabbath was dedicated to God, therefore, the Israelites were expected to
worship God on this day and they also had to respect it.

There was blasphemy among the Israelites. They used abusive language against God’s name
forexample they would say that God is unfair not caring etc.

The priests were misguiding God’s people. Instead of guiding the Israelites towards the
covenant faith, they did the opposite.

There was a lot of religious pretence. Many Israelites pretended to be religious yet their
actions didn’t prove so e.g. they were involved in sex abuse, they were inflicting injustices
etc.

The prophets were prevented from prophesying God’s message. At one time, priest Amaziah
stopped Amos from prophesying in the Northern region.

Many people were unrepentant. The Israelites were expected to repent whenever they sinned
against God.

Many people used to offer unclean sacrifices, yet according to the mosaic teachings, they
were expected to offer only clean sacrifices.

There was idol worship, instead of worshipping God people had turned to idolatry which was
against the covenant way of life.

There was religious formalism many Israelites used to do things for formality e.g.
worshipping God, sacrificing etc.
There was a lot of hypocrisy among the Israelites yet this was against the covenant way of
life.

The religious leaders (Nazarites) were forced to drink a lot of wine. The religious leaders
were not expected to drink too much win because in case they did so they would lose their
senses.

Syncretism had reached its climax in the Northern region. Many people used to worship
pagan gods alongside Yahweh.
Apostasy was very common. Many Israelites used to worship in different ways.

Economically the people of Israel were guilty of the following;

There was income inequality. Some people were very rich yet others were very poor.
According to the mosaic teachings resources were supposed to be shared equally.

The rich were money hungry. They overcharged their commodities and cheated their
customers by mixing wheat with dust.

The rich were lending at high interest rates and in case a poor person failed to pay back, his
property would be confiscated.

The rich used dishonest weighs and measures in business. They tampered with the weighing
scales in order to cheat their customers.

There was extravagance and a lot of luxury among the rich. E.g the poor would only afford
meat on big days whereas the rich could eat choiced lambs each day. While the rich could
afford both summer and winter houses, the poor couldn’t afford a mere tent.

Socially Israel was characterized by the following:

The poor had no say in the courts of law e.g. a poor man could move all the way to Samaria
to get justice but instead he would get injustice in the courts of law.

Sex abuse was common. A father and a son would share one slave woman yet according to
the mosaic teaching, children were expected to respect their parents.

In case a poor person failed to pay back a small debt not worthy a pair of sandals, he would
be sold into slavery yet according to the Law of Moses, all people belonged to God, therefore
no one was supposed to be sold into slavery.

Silencing the poor was common. The poor weren’t supposed to be heard but were only
expected to be seen which was a form of injustice.

The wives of the rich were demanding too much from their husbands and their husbands
ended up oppressing and cheating the poor in order to please them.
Any body who spoke the truth in Israel was hated. Infact almost all the people were liars.

On many occasions, offerings to God were acquired by grabbing from the poor. This was
especially done by the rich.

Among the Israelites, especially the rich, idleness, drunkardness and unnecessary luxuries
were very common. Yet according to the Mosaic Law, the people were supposed to live equal
life but in this case the poor were living in absolute poverty.

The mansions of the rich were full of stolen property from the poor. According to the Mosaic
Law, stealing was forbidden.

Politically the Israelites were guilty of the following;

Over taxation of the poor was very common, according o the Mosaic Law, the Israelite were
expected to be taxed according to their income.

Forced labour was common. The political leaders used to force people to work for them
without any payment.

The political leaders used their positions to grab people’s property. The leaders believed that
they were above the law and therefore had the right to possess whatever they wanted.

Political leaders made alliances with the pagan states. According to the Mosaic Law, the
Israelites were only expected to depend on God. Therefore associating with pagan states
wasn’t allowed.

LESSONS CHRISTIANS LEARN FROM AMOS’ PROPHECY.

The Christians learn the following lessons from Amos’ prophecy;

Christians should respect God’s name unlike the Israelites who were blasphemous i.e. talking
ill about God’s name.

Christians should have respect for people’s property unlike the rich Israelites who used to
grab property from the poor.

Christians should be exemplary unlike the Israelites who used to worship pagan gods
alongside Yahweh.

Christians should repent whenever they sin against God unlike the Israelite who were
unrepentant.

Christians should have faith in the Almighty God unlike the Israelites who lacked faith.
Christians should pay their workers (employees) unlike the Israelites who failed to pay their
workers.

Christians should promote justice unlike the Israelites who inflicted injustices especially onto
the poor or the weak.

Christians should consult the true prophets of God unlike the Israelites who consulted the
false prophets.

Christians should seek for God’s guidance unlike the Israelites who weren’t guided by God
and ended up committing evil against God.

Christians should be obedient to the law and commandments unlike the Israelites who were
disobedient.

Christians should have respect for sex since it is supposed to be sacred unlike the Israelites
who used to abuse sex.

Christians should have respect for the Sabbath and other religious days and celebrations
unlike the Israelites who looked at the Sabbath as a burden.

Christians should be true to themselves and others unlike the Israelites who were great lies
and dishonest.

Christians especially religious leaders should guide people towards the covenant faith unlike
the Israelite religious leaders who were misguiding God’s people.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE RICH PEOPLE IN SOCIETY TODAY.

The rich have made the following contributions in the development of society today;
They have opened up schools therefore fighting illiteracy in society and they have given
bursaries to the poor.
Students have been given scholarships by the rich e.g the madhivani scholarships have been
extended to university students in their second year of study and it has been going on for
many years.
The rich have built hospitals and health units which have improved on people’s health
because of the quick services availed by private hospitals and health units.
They have established farms and factories in different locations therefore creating
employment opportunities in society.
They have improved upon the sources of power eg they have introduced generators, biogas,
solar energy as alternatives to the exploitative Umeme.
They have set up micro finance institutions which lend people money for developmental
ventures.
They have taken care of the elderly and the young by providing them with the basics of life
eg clothes, medical care, food and shelter.
They have constructed sources of clean water like boreholes in dry areas/ areas without clean
water, they have dug wells and constructed them in a modern way with piped water.
They have given soft loans to individuals and groups which have helped them to carryout
developmental projects.
They have constructed churches in their areas hence promoting the worshiping of God in the
areas.
They have organized social gatherings like weddings, graduation parties, birthday parties etc
which gatherings bring people together hence promoting unity and togetherness.

AMOS’ MESSAGE OF DOOM / JUDGEMENT

Because of the wickedness of the Israelites and the pagan people, Amos never had any kind
words for them. He prophesized a message of doom or judgement and his message was as
follows;

He began by condemning the pagan states i.e. the states of Moab, Syria, Tyre, Phillistia etc.
He said because of their wickedness, they were to suffer from God’s punishment.

He said that the day of the Lord is going to be characterized by darkness but not light and joy
as the people were expecting.

Amos said that the wives of the rich people were going to be dragged into exile like fish on
hooks.

He said that the rich people were doomed because they ate choiced lambs and drunk wine in
expensive cups. They used expensive perfumes, therefore, they would no longer enjoy the
nice music and the good life but instead their songs would turn into funeral songs and they
would also be taken into exile.

Amos condemned those who were betraying the covenant Law and exploiting the poor. He
said that they were going to be crushed, even the bravest soldiers were going to be judged.
The judgement would be so terrible that no one would escape it.

Amos reminded the Israelites about the punishments God had sent before e.g. famine, wars
and he said that since they had failed to repent, a worse disaster would befall them.

He said that everyone was to die and a few people were to survive. He emphasized this by
giving an example of a shepherd who can only recover two legs and an ear when a lion has
attacked his flock.

He said that no one would escape death even if they climbed mountains, hid under seas, they
would still be destroyed.

He prophesized about the destruction of the worshipping places. He also said that all the
corners of the altars of Baal were to be destroyed.
He saw the destructive visions which God was going to use to punish the Israelites. They
included the vision of locusts, the vision of fire, the vision of the basket full of fruits, the
vision of the plumbline and the vision of the destroyed alter.

He pronounced judgment upon the priest Amaziah because he said that his wife was to
become a prostitute, his children were going to die and Amaziah was going to die in exile,
and the land of Israelites was going to be divided.

Amos sang a funeral song to illustrate the future of Israel. The song clearly showed that there
was no hope for the Israelites.

He said that God was going to send fire to the people of Bethel and no one would be in
position to put it out.

He said that there would be many dead bodies and no one will burry them because of fearing
God’s punishment.

He said that there would be famine to the extent of people beginning to eat one another.

Because of cheating the poor, the lord was going to send an earth quake and everybody was
going to be destroyed.

He said that Israel would be like sheep eaten up by a lion which implied that the Israelites
would not survive God’s punishment.

Because of God’s anger, Amos said that people’s sacrifices would not be accepted. He went
ahead and said that however much they prayed to God, He would not respond or even accept
their sacrifices.

He said that the Lord was going to carry out his judgement which was going to be so terrible
that no one would escape it. It would be like someone running away from a lion and meets a
bear or someone who goes home, puts the hand on the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

He said that those who became rich through injustices and exploitation would not enjoy their
beautiful houses.

He said that the religious leaders were going to be destroyed because of drinking too much
wine.

He said that God was going to send an enemy to soround the land of the Israelites.
AMOS’ MESSAGE OF HOPE

Despite the fact that Amos was a prophet of doom, there are some features of hope in
his prophecy which include the following;

The mere fact that Amos was sent by God to warn the people against their wickedness and
the forthcoming punishment shows a sign of hope.

By sending Amos to prophecy in the northern region was a clear indicator that God never
wanted to see his people perish but to see them change and live.

He said that the Lord was going to restore Israel after exile which was a sign of hope.

In his message, Amos said that the Lord was going to give chance to rebuild Israel. To
emphasize this, he gave an example of the shepherd who recovers 2 legs and an ear when his
flock has been attacked by a Lion.

Amos said that the Israelites were going to be taken into exile as a punishment from God
which was out of his love because He wanted them to change. Therefore God was going to
punish them the way a father punishes his child.

When Amos saw the visions of fire and locusts, he pleaded to God and God changed His
mind by with drawing the punishment, showing that there was need for forgiveness.

Amos said that the day of the Lord would be a day of victory incase the Israelites changed
and turned to God.

He said that the time was coming when God would forgive those who would have repented.

He said that the time would come when God would listen to people’s prayers, receive and
accept their sacrifices.

He foresaw the Israelites harvesting a lot from their field after exile and there would be no
famine anymore.

He said that the Israelites would be re-established in their cities after exile and never to be
disturbed by foreign armies.

Amos said that their cities and the towns would be rebuilt after exile and therefore, there
would be prosperity once again.

He said that the Israelites would go back to their land with God’s assistance.

He said that the Israelites would enjoy the fruits of their work after planting and therefore
eating what they would have planted.
He said that though God was going to destroy Israel, the descendants of Jacob would survive.

Amos foresaw mountains dripping with sweet wine, which was a sign of hope.

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN PRIEST AMAZIAH AND PROPHET AMOS (AMOS

7:10-17).

When Amos was prophesying in the northern region, he was attacked and stopped by priest
Amaziah from prophesying especially because of attacking the place of worship and the king.

Because of Amos’ prophecies, a conflict developed between him and Amaziah and the
following caused the conflict;

According to Amaziah, Amos was blasphemous. When Amos attacked the places of worship
by saying that the attacks would be destroyed; Amaziah said that it was blasphemy which was
against the covenant way of life.

When Amos attacked Jeroboam the King by saying that he would die in battle, Amaziah said
that he was guilty of treason.

Amos wasn’t born a prophet which made Amaziah not to believe in his prophecies. This
annoyed Amos because his prophecies were undermined.

Amos was stopped by Amaziah from prophesying God’s message. He advised him to go back
to Judah and carryout his prophecies there.

Amaziah reduced Amos’ status by referring to him as a money hungry prophet which was a
characteristic of the false prophets yet he was a true prophet.

Amos pronounced judgement upon Amaziah’s wife. He said that she would become a
prostitute on the streets which annoyed Amaziah hence a conflict.

Amos said that Amaziah would be taken into exile and he would die in a heathen country.

When Amos said that Amaziah’s child would be killed in war, a conflict developed between
the two.

When Amos said that Amaziah’s land would be divided up and given to others, they disagreed
because Amaziah would not believe that.

When Amos said that the people of Israel would be taken away from their own land into exile
he conflicted with Amaziah.
Amaziah and Amos conflicted because Amaziah doubted Amos’ prophecies. He didn’t believe
whatever he prophesized.

THE FIVE DESTRUCTIVE VISIONS

THE VISION OF LOCUSTS AMOS 7:1-3.

In this vision Amos saw God create a swarm of locusts just after the King’s share of the hay
had been cut and the grass was starting to grow again.

In the vision Amos saw the locusts eat up every green thing in the Land;

The vision symbolized disaster which was befall the Israelites in terms of famine leading to
death of many people.

On seeing the vision, Amos pleaded we said; sovereign Lord, forgive your people, how can
they survive? They are so small and weak.

The Lord changed his mind and said “what you saw will not take place”. This means that he
withdrawal the punishment.

THE VISION OF FIRE AMOS 7:4-6.

Amos saw God preparing to punish His people with fire. The fire burnt up the great ocean
under the earth, and started to burn up the Land.

The vision symbolizes a prolonged drought which would dry up all the water bodies and the
land as a sign of destruction to all the Israelites.

When Amos saw this vision, he pleased to god and said “stop, sovereign Lord, How can your
people survive? They are so small and weak”
The lord changed his mind again and said, “This will not take place either.”
THE VISION OF A PLUMBLINE (AMOS 7:7-9).

In the vision Amos saw God standing besides a wall that had been built with the help of a
plumb line; and he had a plumbline in His had.

He asked Amos that, “Amos what do you see?” Amos said that “A plumbline,” then God said
that He was using it to show that His people are like a wall that is out of line. (crooked wall /
the Israelites had failed to live according to the covenant way of life.

When Amos saw this vision, he didn’t plead to God as he had done in the first two visions and
God wasn’t willing to change His mind about punishing the Israelites because they were like
a crooked wall fit for destruction.

In the vision God promised to destroy the worshipping places and to bring the dynasty of king
Jeroboam to an end.

THE VISION OF A BASKET OF FRUIT (AMOS 8:1-4)

Amos saw a basket of fruit at the end of the King’s harvest.

It meant that the end had come for the people of Israel and God wasn’t going to change His
mind.

The vision symbolized that people’s sins were beyond limit and it also meant that it was the
right time for God to punish them.

Because of the destruction, the songs in the palace would become cries of mourning.

There would be dead bodies everywhere and the city would be filled with wailing because the
dead bodies would be many

THE VISION OF THE DESTROYED ALTAR (AMOS 9).

Amos saw God standing besides the altar. He commanded him to strike the tops of the temple
columns so hand that the while porch will shake. He told him to break them off and let them
fall on the head of the people.

God promised to kill the rest of the people in war and no one would survive or escape. To
emphasize this God said that “even if they dig their way down to the world of the dead, I will
catch them. Even if they climb up to heaven, I will bring them down. If they hide on the top
of Mt. Carmel, I will search for them and catch them. If they hide from me at the bottom of
the sea, I will command the sea monster to bite them. If they are taken away into captivity by
their enemies, I will order them to be put to death. Amos 9:2-4.

The vision symbolized the destruction of the temple and all the worshippers.

Because of people’s sins and their failure to change, the temple would no longer be God’s
dwelling place.

THE DAY OF THE LORD (AMOS 5:18FF).

The people of Israel were longing for the day of the Lord. However, much they sinned; they
expected the day of the Lord to be characterized by the following;

They expected God to show his power over the pagan states. In other words they believed
that God would not allow the pagan states to defeat them.

They expected that the day of the Lord would be a day of victory and glory in battle i.e. they
expected to defeat all their enemies.

They expected to begin living in material prosperity and accumulate a lot of wealth.

They expected to receive God’s blessings especially the blessings He had praised through
Abraham their ancestor.

They expected their vineyards and olive gardens to produce in plenty and they also expected
corn to grow faster than it would be harvested.

On this day, they expected that God would send rain at the right time such that people could
plant and harvest enough food.

They expected God to forgive their sins and begin living in harmony with them.

The Israelites expected to increase in number together with their domestic animals.

They expected trade to boom such that they make a lot of profits on the day of the Lord.

They expected to live in peace and never to be disturbed by their enemies.

THE PROPHETS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE DAY OF THE LORD.

Amos and other prophets attacked and rejected the view of the Israelites about the day of
the Lord. The following was said;

Amos said that the day of the Lord was coming but it was going to be characterized by doom
and disaster. To emphasize this, an example was given of a man who runs away from a lion
and meets a bear or away from a lion and meets a bear or someone who goes home and puts
the hand o the wall only to be bitten by a snake. Amos 5:19

Amos and other prophets attacked and rejected the view of the Israelites about the day of
the Lord. The following was said;

Amos said that the day of the Lord was coming but it was going to be characterized by doom
and disaster. To emphasize this, an example was given of a man who runs away from a lion
and meets a bear or someone who goes home and puts the hand on the way only to be bitten
by a snake. Amos 5:19.

Amos and other prophets said that on this day, people’s feasts would turn into mourning and
the songs of joy would turn into funeral songs.

Songs said that on that day, all the idols which were being worshipped by the people would
be destroyed such that religious sanity would be created.

On that day, God would humble everyone who thinks that he is powerful. This is when even
the bravest soldiers would run away from God’s punishment.

Amos said on that day the Israelites would be dragged into exile where they would seriously
be mistreated.

On that day, people would suffer from hunger, they would starve to death. They would not
come out of their houses to look for food because of fearing God’s punishment. Therefore,
they would begin eating one another.

On that day, both human pride and arrogance would be destroyed and all the people would
fear to mention or say a word in order not to mention or say a word in order not to annoy
God.

On that day, both human pride and annoyance would be destroyed and all the people would
fear to mention or say a word in order not to annoy God.

On that day, Samaria would be attacked by a foreigner army which would gain control over it.

On that day people would cry and wail because the dead bodies would be many in the cities
and along the roads.
Amos said that on that day, God was going to pass judgement upon all the Israelites. And
because of their evils it was not going to be a day of light but of darkness.

Amos said that the day of the Lord was going to be of misery, agony and mourning. The dead
bodies were to be so many and no one would bury them.

THE CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DAY OF THE LORD.

The Christians have the following views about the day of the Lord;

They believed that this day is going to be Jesus’ second coming (Parousia) which all people are
longing for.

Christians believe that on this day Jesus will appear with the angels. He will come as the Lord
to carry out his judgement. Therefore, this day is believed to be a day of judgement.

The Christians believe that when the trumpet is sounded announcing the second coming of
Jesus, the dead shall have to rise.

The Christians believe that on this day, there will be a final struggle against the powers of
Satan. In other words, Satan shall be defeated on this day.

The Christians believe that this day will mark the end of the world. Therefore, on this day, the
universe will come to an end.

The Christians believe that on that day, the righteous shall be separated from the unrighteous.
This would be like separating the sheep from the wolves.

It is believed that the righteous will go to heaven and sit at the right hand of God whereas the
wicked or inners would serve their everlasting punishment.

Christians believe that on that day Jesus will take control over the whole universe. He will
show His powers as the king and the Lord. The Christians believe that on that day strange
miracles shall happen e.g. the dead will rise; the son will go down at noon etc.

The Christians are expected to repent as they prepare for the second coming of Jesus.
Therefore, all people are expected to be ready for this day.
The Christians believe that the day will come abruptly like a thief. It is believed that no one
knows the day or even the hour.

AMOS’ CONDEMNATION OF THE VARIOUS STATES

(Reasons why Amos began by condemning other nations before condemning Israel)

Amos wanted to show that Yahweh was a universal God. Therefore He had the right to
pronounce judgment upon all the states because he was a God of all the people but not only
the Israelites.

Amos wanted to show that Yahweh was the master of the whole universe. He had the right
to judge all the people since there was no God above Him.

Amos wanted to give the Israelites chance to repent and ask for forgiveness. He believed that
incase the Israelites heard about his prophecies they would repent.

It was a technique of getting an audience from the Israelites. Amos thought that if the
Israelites had heard about his prophecies, they would be wiling to listen to him incase he
began prophesying to them.

Amos wanted to show the Israelites that they had sinned against the Lord more than others.
i.e. they had committed terrible sins against the Lord. Therefore, wore punishments were to
befall them if they had refused to change.

Amos wanted to show that there was no nation above the law of God. Therefore, all the
people were expected to respect God’s law.

Amos wanted to get attention from His own people. (The people of Judah / After condemning
the pagan states, Amos prophesized among the people of Judah.;

Amos wanted to show that salvation was for all people. Therefore, He wanted the Israelite
and people of other nations to prepare for salvation.

He wanted to show that being omnipotent, God had the powers to punish all the sinners, that
is why He pronounced judgement upon the Israelites and other nations.

Since He is omnipotent, Yahweh wanted to show that He was closely following all the nations
and therefore expected all people to change.

Amos wanted to show that sin is punishable everywhere it ours. Even the pagan nations were
liable to punishment. Therefore, he wanted them to get prepared for God’s punishment.

Amos began by condemning the pagan states because of the evils they had committed and
the message of destruction He wanted to pronounce upon the pagan states and Judah.
Amos wanted to condemn Syria for continuous sinning and to pronounce God’s punishment
upon them. Because of mistreating the people of Gilead, God was going to send fire upon he
palace built by king Hazael and He was going to burn the fortresses of King Benhadad.

He promised to smash the city gates of Damascus and take way the people of Syria as
prisoners to the Land of Kir.

Amos condemned Philistia for continuous sinning. They carried off a whole nation and
soldthem as slaves to the people of Edom.

God promised to send fire upon the city walls of Gaza and burn down its fortresses. He
promised to remove the rulers of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. And all the Phiistines
who are left will die.

Amos condemned the people of Tyre for continuous sinning. Because of carrying a whole
nation into exile in the Land of Edom, and their failure to keep the treaty of friendship they
had made, God was going to send fire to burn their city walls of Tyre and their fortresses.

Amos condemned the people of Edom for hunting down their relatives, the Israelites and
failure to show them mercy. God was to send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the
fortresses of Bozrah.

Amos condemned Ammon for continuous sinning. They ripped open pregnant women in
Gilead. God was to send fire upon the city walls of Rabbah and burn down the fortresses. Their
king and his officers will go into exile

Amos condemned the Moabites for dishonoring the bones of the King of Edom by burning
them to ashes.
God was to send fire upon the land of Moab and burn the fortresses of Kerioth.
The Moabites were to die in battle, their ruler and all the leaders of the Land.

Amos condemned Judah for continuous sinning, for despising God’s teachings and not keeping
his commands and following the false gods.
God promised to send upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem.

PROPHET HOSEA

Hosea was a son of Berri, he prophesized in the Northern region after prophet Amos. He was
one of the Minor Prophets.
God told Hosea to marry a woman who was going to be unfaithful (prostitute). In this way
God wanted to illustrate the relationship between him and the unfaithful Israelites using
Hosea’s marriage experience.

HOSEA’S MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE AND ITS PROPHETIC MESSAGE.

Hosea compared the relationship of a loving father with his children to God’s relationship with
the Israelites.
He shows that the Israelites had rejected God’s love like his wife who was unfaithful and had
rejected his love.

Hosea illustrates this when he says that “I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son.
But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me” (Hosea 11:1)

What Hosea describes about his wife and children applies to the Israelites and what he says
about himself applies to God.

The following illustrates how Hosea’s marriage experience reflects God’s experience with
the Israelites;

Although Gomer was a prostitute therefore, not worth to be a wife to prophet, Hosea
accepted her as his wife.
Likewise God the Almighty chose the Israelites to be his special people not became that they
were righteous and better than other people, therefore, they weren’t expected to deserve
special attention from God.

Hosea’s marriage to Gomer who was a prostitute symbolizes a permanent covenant

relationship which was established between God and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai.

Gomer’s unfaithfulness which took place after marriage symbolizes the unfaithfulness of the
Israelites towards the covenant faith. Just as Gomer wasn’t committed to her husband’s love
and ended up becoming unfaithful, Israel too became unfaithful to God and failed to live to
the covenant expectations. They committed sins like murder, idolatry, oppression of the poor
etc.

Hosea’s appeal to Gomer to abandon her unfaithfulness and go back to him symbolizes God’s
appeal to Israel to abandon Baal worship, syncretism etc.

Hosea’s punishment to his unrepentant and unfaithful wife by evicting her from his house
with nothing covering her and the building of a thorny fence was a symbol of what would
happen to the unrepentant Israelites. The Israelites would be sent into exile as a punishment
where they would suffer a lot of humiliation.
Gomer was going to other lovers for material prosperity and she also hoped to get comfort,
sweet wine, clothes etc. Likewise the Israelites turned to Baal worship hoping to get material
prosperity.
They had been influenced by the Canaanites and convinced that Baal was responsible for
people’s fertility and material prosperity.

Gomer’s search for better comfort and prosperity from other lovers signified her
ungratefulness for her husband’s generosity. Likewise by looking for prosperity from Baal, the
Israelites had become unfaithful and forgotten all God’s favours and providence.

Hosea punished Gomer with an intention of making her realize that He was her true source
of exile, she lived under restrictions of wars and she missed the true goodness of her husband
and later he said to herself “I am going back to my first husband” likewise the Israelites
experience in exile and suffering aimed at making them realize that God was their true source
of happiness and material prosperity therefore Baal was useless.

Hosea’s punishment to Gomer was intended to make her hate her lovers and bring an end to
her promiscuity. Likewise the Israelites punishment was intended to bring an end to their
apostasy therefore; the exile period was a moment of purification which would force the
Israelites to reject Baal and turned to God. .

Hosea remained faithful to Gomer and continued looking for her but she stubbornly refused
to return to her husband. Likewise God remained faithful to the promise he had made to the
people of Israel i.e. He remained their God and didn’t abandon them and He also continued
calling them to return to the covenant faith.

Just as Hosea loved Gomer despite her unfaithfulness, God too loved the Israelites despite the
fact that they were sinful. God said “How can I love my people, how can I abandon you, how
I can I destroy you?”

The names of Hosea’s children had symbolic meaning e.g. “Jezreel” was a name given to the
first son and it symbolized the punishments which would befall the Israelites. It meant
destruction.

The second was a girl and her name was “unloved” meaning that God was going to withdraw
his love from the Israelites. Therefore they were going to be unloved.

The third child was a boy and he was called “not my people”, this signified that the Israelites
had ceased to be God’s people because they had failed to live according to the covenant faith.

Hosea predicted that his children were going to be as unfaithful as their other just as the
future generation of Israel proved to be unfaithful to God and to the covenant Law.
Hosea asked his children to go and plead with their mother so that she would stop her
unfaithfulness and this symbolized the prophets who were sent by God to go and prophecy
among the Israelites and encouraged them to repent.

After punishing Gomer, Hosea forgave her and won her back to himself and restored their
marriage. Likewise the punishments of the Israelites in exile were to be followed by
forgiveness and later they would go back to God and to their land of Canaan.

The names of Hosea’s children would be changed and this signified the restoration of the
relationship between God and the Israelites.

“Jezreel” would change to “prosperity” which meant that the Israelites were going to
experience growth and prosperity after exile.

“Unloved’ would change to “loved” which meant that God was going to show love to the
Israelites after repentance.

“Not my people” would change to “my people” implying that the Israelites would be called
God’s people again.

In the new marriage relationship Hosea and Gomer loved each other and they were faithful
to one another likewise the renewed covenant relationship between God and the Israelites
would be characterized by faithfulness and love.

In the new marriage relationship Hosea was required to pay a high price for restoring Gomer
as his wife. This symbolized the price which was supposed to be paid by God by sending his
only son who shed innocent blood and it also symbolized God’s love and his initiative to
restore the broken relationship between Him and the Israelites.

Hosea and Gomer weren’t expected to resume marital duties for sometime and in the same
way the Israelites were to live for sometime without leaders / kings and without sacrifices
until when God would fully accept them as His own people.

RELEVANCE OF HOSEA’S MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE TO THE CHRISTIANS

TODAY

The Christians learn so many lessons from Hosea’s experience including the following:
Christians should be faithful to their marriage partners likewise Hosea remained faithful to
Gomer despite her unfaithfulness.

Christians should stick to the marriage agreement likewise Hose did not break the marriage
agreement despite the fact that His wife broke the agreement.

Christians should tolerate evils of their partners and other weaknesses e.g. unfaithfulness like
Hosea who was tolerant despite the unfaithfulness of his wife.
Christians should forgive one another incase of misunderstandings. Hosea was in position to
forgive Gomer.

Christians should reconcile, Hose reconciled with Gomer and he accepted her back as his own
wife.

Christians should be contented with what they have unlike Gomer who seemed not contented
and ran towards other lovers expecting to get a lot from them

They should promote / advocate for permanence in marriage. Hosea didn’t divorce Gomer
despite her unfaithfulness.

They should show love to one another likewise Hose had too much love for his wife Gomer.

They should treat one another with respect like wise Hosea treated Gomer with respect
despite the fact that she never respected herself and her husband.

They should seek for God’s guidance unlike Gomer who wasn’t guided by God.

They should be ready and willing to be connected incase of any mistake unlike who were sent
by Hosea.

Christians should be willing to change, likewise Gomer changed after sometime in exile.

They should follow God’s instructions likewise Hose followed God’s instructions and married
the unfaithful woman.

Christians should be exemplary e.g. Hosea showed a good example when he remained faithful
to the unfaithful woman and later forgave her.

HOSEA’S ACCUSATIONS TO THE PRIESTS OF ISRAEL.

Hosea accused / condemned the priests of Israel because of the evils they were committing
which were as follows:

The priests weren’t exemplary most of them failed to repent despite the fact that they had
sinned against God. Among the Israelites, one was expected to repent and ask for forgiveness
in case they sinned.

They failed to respect God’s temple. Some of them had sexual intercourse from the temple
which was a sign of disrespect to God’s temple yet the temple was supposed to be treated
with a lot of respect.
They filed to respect God as their liberator, yet at Mt. Sinai they had promised to respect Him
and worship Him.

Some of the priests stopped God’s prophets from prophesying God’s message which was
against God’s expectations e.g. Amaziah stopped prophet Amos from prophesying.

Some of the priests hunted God’s prophets after conniving with other people e.g. priest
Passhur hunted down prophet Jeremiah.

Most of the priests were practicing idolatry which was against the covenant way of life
because the Israelites were only expected to worship God but no idols.

Some of the priests were fond of giving empty sacrifices yet they were expected to sacrifice
with a lot of faith. Therefore the empty sacrifices were rejected by God.

The priests were victims of temple prostitution and all sorts of evil. Being God’s servants, they
were expected to be clean without any sin.

They failed to provide lasting justice to their followers. e.g. while judging case they were
dishonest because of accepting bribes.

They had ignored their duties as messengers of God. Instead of guiding people towards the
covenant faith, they misguided them.

They had become so rich out of the sacrifices they received from the evil people. They were
interested in people’s sins because the more the people sinned the more sacrifices were
brought.

Some of the priests were drinking a lot of wine which was against the covenant way of life.

WHY HOSEA WAS AGAINST THE SACRIFICES OF THE ISRAELITES.

Hosea was against the sacrifices of the Israelites because of the following reasons:-

The Israelites were offering unclean sacrifices. Some of the sacrifices were ritually unclean
e.g. they were lame, blind etc.

Some of the sacrifices were offered by unclean people. Some of the people who officiated
sacrifices were guilty of sins like murder, sex abuse, greed etc.
Some of the sacrifices were treated with disrespect e.g. some priests ate God’s chosen pars
(fats) which was a sign of disrespect.

Some sacrifices were a mere outward show. I.e. people sacrificed with an intention of showing
off their wealth which displeased God.
Some sacrifices were insincere yet the Israelites were expected to sacrifice with alot of
sincerity.

Some sacrifices were offered by unrepentant people. The Israelites were expected to repent
if their sins were to be forgiven after sacrificing to God

Some of the sacrifices aimed at bribing God yet God isn’t a human being therefore he cant be
bribed.

Some people offered sacrifices yet their hearts were far away from God therefore Hose
condemned their sacrifices.

Some sacrifices were made for formality. In other words, they were sacrificing because they
wanted to fulfill the Law of Moses.

Some of the people who sacrificed were intentional sinners. They sacrificed hoping to be
forgiven by God and later they committed the same sins.
Some people sacrificed to God when they lacked faith yet God was interested in people’s faith
other than their sacrifices.

Some people sacrificed with a double mind. They sacrificed to God and at the same time they
felt like withdrawing the sacrifices yet they were expected to sacrifice to God whole heartedly.

Some people used to offer sacrifices to God and at the same time they sacrificed to pagan
gods. This meant that they were syncretic.

Some sacrifices were grabbed from the poor especially by the rich. Therefore Hosea
condemned sacrificed acquired through illegal ways.

EVILS WHICH WERE CONDEMNED BY PROPHET HOSEA

The Israelites lacked love for their God and that is why they were unfaithful yet the covenant
love was expected to be steady fast.

They were hypocrites especially in their religious practices. e.g they expressed repentance
which was insincere and shallow.

They had broken their promises they had made to God e.g. they had promised to keep the
Law of Moses, to live a righteous life but instead they promoted evil, murdered etc.

The Israelite were dishonest especially those who were involved in business. They used to
cheat their customers in different ways. e.g. tampering with the weighing scales.
They were committing evils like making the leaders to get drunk and later they would murder
them.

They worshipped idols which was against the covenant way of life. The Israelites were only
expected to worship Yahweh.

They abused the worshipping places and other religious practices. Some of them practiced
temple prostitution while others turned the religious festivals into pagan festivals.

The priests who were meant to promote the law, instead promoted evil among the people.
They were committing sins like corruption, thy drunk too much wine etc.

The priests failed to judge with justice and by doing so, they neglected the teachings of the
Law. As judges they were expected to promote justice among the people.

The priests were greedy and interested in people’s sacrifices. They promoted evil because the
more the people sinned, the more sacrifices were received by the priests because they were
entitled to a share of the sacrifices.

The leaders broke the covenant law e.g. they made alliances with all their neighbours yet they
were expected to depend on God alone.

Political leaders exploited and oppressed the Israelites which was against the covenant law.
E.g they killed them, overtaxed them, grabbed their land etc

The Israelites weren’t loyal to their kings. At times they betrayed them, on many occasions
they joined the enemies to attack Israel. Some of the priests were drunkards yet they weren’t
supposed to drink too much wine, therefore this act was against the covenant way of life.

The prophets who were meant to be God’s servants were hated by the people. Instead of
listening to their prophecies, they stopped them from prophesying e.g. Amaziah stopped
Amos from prophesying.

HOSEA’S MESSAGE OF JUDGEMENT.

Because of the wickedness of the people of Israel, Prophet Hose like Amos pronounced
judgement / doom for the people of Israel. The following is a summary of his judgement;

Hosea said that God was going to bring destruction on Israel. Their land would dry up, the
birds and animals were to die and therefore making it difficult for the people to survive
because of the famine.

The prophets and the priests who neglected their duties would be destroyed together with
the rest of the Israelites.
Hosea said that the priests would be punished for eating God’s sacrifices, He
said that however much they would eat, they would still remain hungry.

He said that those who practiced temple prostitution would be carried into exile where they
would face a lot of humiliation.

H prophesized doom using the name of his first son “Jezreel” which meant the destruction /
punishment which would befall Israel.

Using the name of the second child, “unloved” he prophesized that the Israelites would seize
to be called God’s loved people. In other words, God would stop showing love to the Israelites.

The third child “not my people” showed that God would stop calling the Israelites His own
people.

Hosea said that very many people would be humiliated by their enemies and Israelites military
power would be weakened.

Hosea said that God would not accept those who worshipped idols, He would also allow the
enemy to destroy their land.

Hosea said that punishment would befall those who were dishonest while judging cases. No
one would survive, they would die a violent death and God would turn their honour into
disgrace.

He said that those who were making alliances with the pagan states would be destroyed and
some of them would be taken into exile. While in exile they would try to seek for assistance
from the king of Assyria but would not get any help.

He prophesized doom to those who worshipped idols in order to make the land fertile. He
said their prayers wouldn’t be answered because their idols would be smashed and their crops
would not be productive.

He said that the idol worshippers would not have children and those who would happen to
get some children, their children would be taken into exile where they would be killed.

He said that the kings would be taken away from their land and the people would have no
leaders despite the fact that they had demanded for a king.

God promised never to listen to the prayers of the people and never to accept their sacrifices
because they lacked loved in their midst.

Hosea said that God would send disastrous wind which would wash away people’s crops and
later the people would die of hunger.
Hosea said that God was going to break down the altars of the Israelites ad cause death in
Israel.

Hosea pronounced judgement against Judah for attacking Israel and stealing their land. Hosea
said that God was going to destroy them and He was going to pour punishment on them like
a flood.

HOSEA’S MESSAGE ABOUT GOD’S LOVE FOR THE REBELLIOUS PEOPLE

AND THE MESSAGE OF HOPE / MERCY.

While prophesying, Hosea showed the Israelites that inspite of their rebellious nature, God
loved them and there was hope for them. He showed them this in the following ways;

He said that even when the Israelites were unfaithful to God, He didn’t abandon them.

Hosea said that God had too much love for the Israelites and that is why He wasn’t willing to
destroy them. This is reflected when he said; “How can I give you up Israel, how can I abandon
you, and how could I destroy you?”

He says that because of God’s love, He went ahead and made a covenant with the unfaithful
Israelites.

He says that God promised never to punish Israel in anger and never to destroy Israel again.
“I will not destroy you Israel again, I will not punish you in my anger”.

Hosea says that out of God’s love, the Israelites were rescued from suffering in the Egyptian
slavery.

He predicted that there would be time when the Israelites would cease to be called “unloved”
and they would be called ‘love people f God”

He predicted that there would be time when the Israelites would cease to be called “unloved”
and they would be called “loved people of God”

He said that time would come when “not my people” would turn into “my people” and this
showed that God forgives and continues to love his people.

Hosea foresaw the Israelites experiencing growth and prosperity with the change of his child’s
name “Jezreel”
During the time of restoration, Hosea said that the Israelites would be under God’s care and
protection and they would show that Love and faithfulness to their God.

Hosea foretold that time would come when the Israelites would no longer experience
suffering under their enemies.
Hosea’s act of sending his children to plead with their mother symbolized God’s love, this was
equivalent to the prophet who were sent by God to prophecy among His people.

Hosea predicted that God would protect the Israelites from external enemies and therefore
remove all the harmful weapons and give the Israelites peace.

Hosea’s willingness to remarry his wife symbolized God’s love for his people. Even after the
Israelites had sinned against God, He forgave them and He accepted them as His own people.

Hosea prophesized that time was coming when the Israelites would respect God and out of
his love He would give them new hearts and forgive them.

God’s love is reflected in the high price Hosea paid in order to restore his wife back just as
God had a pay highly in order to save mankind from sin.

He foretold that time would come when the Israelites would be restored back to their land
after exile and they would receive God’s favours and blessings.

Hosea says that God’s love for the Israelites was reflected in the way He provided for them in
times of need e.g. when they were hungry He fed them.

God promised to answer their prayers and take care of them as long as they had nothing to
do with the idols.

Hosea predicted that the Israelites after exile would become famous like the wine of Lebanon.

Hosea foresaw the Israelites going back to their land where they would settle and harvest alot
and never to suffer from famine again.

He said that the Israelites would be protected by their God ad He would show them a lot of
love.

Hosea foresaw the Israelites rebuilding their cities after exile and enjoying nice wine in their
land.

COMPARISON BETWEEN HOSEA’S MARRIAGE AND AFRICAN TRADITIONAL

MARRIAGE

Similarities
In both, love was a key component e.g. Hosea had too much love for his wife despite her
unfaithfulness and also in African traditional society there was love in marriage.

In both permanence was emphasized e.g. Hosea didn’t divorce his wife despite her
unfaithfulness and also in ATS partners were not allowed to divorce though it would take
place under serious circumstances.

In ATS the choice of a marriage partners was done by the elders likewise in Hosea’s case, the
choice was done by God who was superior.

In ATS, sex misuse was condemned and punishable. The main aim of the punishment was to
stop evil likewise, Hosea condemned the unfaithfulness of his wife and he punished her with
the intention of stopping her unfaithfulness.

In both case, marriage was seen as a religious institution ordained by God. In Hosea’s case,
his marriage was ordained by Yahweh and in ATS marriage was ordained by super natural
beings.

In both cases children were valued. In ATS they were considered to be a blessing and people
used to produce many children because of their importance and also Hosea had children who
were considered to be blessing from God.

In both cases, the husband is regarded as the head of the family. In ATS it was emphasized
and very clear and also in Hosea’s case, he was the head of the family.

In ATS, the approval of a marriage partner was done by the senior members of the family they
made the final decision either to approve or disapprove their children’s choice. Likewise in
Hosea’s case, choice was approved by God because he is the one who instructed Hosea to go
and marry Gomer.

Differences

In ATS marriage was between two families, societies / communities while in Hosea’s case,
marriage was between Hosea n Gomer. Therefore, it was a contact between 2 people.

In ATS women were considered to be subordinates (inferior) while in Hosea’s marriage the
issue of subordination wasn’t reflected. Therefore, there was equality between Hosea and
Gomer.

In ATS, polygamy was practiced or allowed because of different reasons while in Hosea’s case;
he maintained monogamy despite the fact that his wife was unfaithful.

In ATS marriage was cemented by bride wealth whereas in Hosea’s case bride wealth wasn’t
mentioned at all when he was going to marry Gomer.
In ATS, divorce was encouraged but it was only allowed under serious circumstances like
witchcraft unlike in Hosea’s case where divorce was impossible.

In ATS, in case a partner wronged the other, he was supposed to pay a fine whereas in Hosea’s
case, it is Hosea who paid highly yet it was his wife who wronged him.

In ATS, extra marital sex would only be allowed under certain cases e.g. in case of barrenness,
impotence etc unlike in Hosea’s case where he didn’t have any extra marital sex. He was in
position to wait for his wife who had become unfaithful.

THE NATURE OF MAN ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF HOSEA

Man can be described in the following ways;

Man is sinful. Hosea condemned the Israelites because of their sinful nature.

Man is unfaithful; Gomer seemed to be unfaithful to Hosea that is why she became a
prostitute.

Man is unrepentant. Many Israelites especially the priests sinned against God but didn’t
endevour to repent.

Man is forgetful. Gomer forgot all the love she had received from Hosea and turned to other
lovers.

Man is greedy and never contended. Gomer had greed for material wealth that is why she ran
towards other lovers hoping to get a lot from them.

Man is dishonest. The judges of Israel were corrupt and judged cases dishonesty hence calling
for Hosea’s condemnation.

Man is faithful. Hosea remained faithful to Gomer despite her unfaithfulness.

Man is patient. Hosea patiently waited for Gomer when she ran towards other lovers hoping
to get a lot from them.

Man is impatient. Gomer was impatient, that is why she left her original husband and decided
to go with other lovers whom she expected to provide a lot.

Man is forgiving; Hosea was in position to forgive Gomer and accepted her back as his wife.

THE NATURE OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF HOSEA.

God is described in the following ways;

God is the source of providence. He provided for the Israelites whenever they were in need
e.g. He gave them food in the desert, water etc.

God is forgiving. He forgave the Israelites whenever they sinned against Him and repented.

Yahweh is a punishing God, He promised to punish the Israelites by through Hosea’s message
of judgement / destruction.

Yahweh is a loving God. He had too much love for the Israelites that is why He chose them as
His special nation, made a covenant with them etc.

Yahweh is a jealousy God. He doesn’t tolerate any rival. No Israelites was allowed to worship
any other god apart from Yahweh.

He is a faithful God. He remained faithful despite the fact that the Israelites became unfaithful
and turned against Him.

He is the source of protection. He promised to protect the Israelites after exile and never to
be disturbed by the enemies.

He is a spirit by nature. He did not appear physically because He doesn’t possess a physical
body.

He is merciful. He had mercy upon the Israelites that is why He forgave them when they sinned
against Him.

He is Almighty. No god is above Him and He can’t be compared to other gods.

 THE BOOK OF JOB
The writer of the book of Job is not clearly identified but he is believed to have been a Jew.
This book talks about a rich man who lost all of his wealth, his children and even got serious
afflictions against his health. However, despite all the problems, he never lost hope in God.

Job’s suffering was different from the Israelites understanding of the causes of suffering
because they believed that people suffered due to their wickedness but job was a righteous
man who suffered seriously.

Job 1 and 2 show how a good man, righteous and faithful suffered a lot when God was testing
his faith.

It all started when heavenly creatures appeared before God, and Satan came along. When
God asked whether he had seen His servant Job who was honest and faithful, Satan replied
that Job loved God only because the almighty God had blessed him with a lot of wealth, but
if he lost such wealth, Job would curse Him.

This kind of contest between God and Satan exposed Job to terrible suffering because God
permitted Satan to bring disaster to Job’s life which ended up into the following forms of
suffering:-

THE FORMS OF SUFFERING EXPERIENCED BY JOB

Job experienced physical and psychological torture since he was struck by disasters which
brought a lot of pain in his life.

Job’s oxen and donkeys were attacked by Serbians who killed all the servants who were
attending to them before carrying all the animals away.

Job lost all his sheep and all the shepherds who were taking care of them when lightening
struck them dead.

Gangs of the chaldeans attacked and stole all the carmels which belonged to Job after killing
all the servants who were in charge.
Job’s children were killed by a windstorm which blew from the desert and crushed a building
over them during a party.

Job was affected by a terrible disease of boils covering all his body and he had wounds all over
the body.

Job’s wife convinced him to curse God and die other than living in pain. In this case she became
a bigger problem to him because she was tempting him to do what was wrong.

The wife deserted him because he had lost wealth and his health was disappointing.

Job’s pain increased so much all over the body, that flies began feasting on him. (feasting on
the wounds which attracted the flies).

Job’s friends worsened his suffering when they began blaming him for being the cause of his
suffering, thinking that he had seriously committed certain sins hence demanding from him
to seek God’s forgiveness.

Job lost his appearance and it became very difficult for people who knew him before to notice
(recognize) him because of the terrible suffering he experienced.

Since Job believed that he was innocent, the insistence of his friends in forcing him to repent
increased more pain.

Job’s suffering went beyond imagination when he became useless and began seeing everyday
as a burden because of the too much pain.

He became hopeless, helpless and miserable because he couldn’t even assist himself in
anyway apart from scratching his body.

Days and nights became longer than usual so that a mere day seemed like a century of a glory.

He got so exhausted seeing no meaning in life an existence. He had no time to rest and
whenever he turned, he felt arrows of suffering / pain piercing him.

HOW JOB’S SUFFERING PROVED HIS FAITHFULNESS.

Job’s suffering proved his faithfulness in the following ways;
When he lost all his property he remained faithful and obedient to God.

When job lost his children, he never abandoned or even cursed God but instead he praised
his name.
When he was attacked by a skin disease he did not abandon God.
Even when job became poor, he remained faithful to God, he never turned away from him.
When he was abandoned by friends, relatives and his wife he remained committed to God.
When he was advised by his wife to curse God and die, he never did so but instead he leaned
on God
He did not yield to the devil’s temptation, despite all the forms of suffering that he
experienced.
He continued having trust and confidence in God during his time of suffering.
During his suffering, he prayed to God to answer him instead of turning away from him to
other gods.
He believed in God and also believed that it was the almighty God who had a solution to his
suffering.

HOW CHRISTIANS TODAY PROVE FAITHFULNESS

The Christians today prove faithfulness in the following ways; By
turning to God incase of problems or incase of suffering.

By repenting their sins and asking for forgiveness from God.

By giving thanks to God for the blessings and for being good to them.
By contributing towards the construction of worshiping places (churches).
By showing love to one another especially to those who are suffering.
By practicing monotheism (i.e worshiping the only true God) and turning away from other
gods.
By giving offertory to God and tithe to God the only source of good things.

By praying to the Almighty God who is above other gods.

By preaching the gospel to all people all over the world so that they get to know about the
good news of Jesus Christ.
By obeying the ten commandments and other laws of God since God calls for obedience if
one is to receive his blessings.
By making holy journeys (pilgrimages) for example to Rome , Jerusalem, Namugongo Uganda
martyr’s shrine.
By fasting which is a form of prayer and a manifestation of faith.
HOW CHRISTIANS SHOULD RESPOND TO UNEXPECTED SUFFERING
The Christians should respond to unexpected suffering in the following ways;
They should stand firm amidst suffering and stick to God as the only one with the answer.
They should pray for God’s guidance since he is the only one who can take them through
suffering.
They should praise God’s name since he is the source of happiness.
They should behave with humility before God during suffering since pride is evil.
They should dedicate their lives to God since he is the provider of all solutions to all problems.
They should ask god to comfort them since He is the source of comfort
They should remain obedient to God and avoid disobedience since disobedience brings
suffering.
They should remain faithful to God during suffering since He is the only one who can bring to
an end to all forms of suffering and turn them in to blessings.
They should invite religious leaders to pray for them so that they overcome suffering.
They should endure suffering just as Jesus endured all forms of suffering to fulfill his mission.
They should have hope of overcoming suffering since suffering is not the end of life but it is
part of life.
They should have trust and confidence in God as the only source of solution to those suffering.
They should go for counselling and take up constructive advice.

THE NATURE OF MAN ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF JOB.

Man is God’s creature and under God’s care as he was created by God right away from
Genesis.

Man is very weak physically and spiritually and that is the reason why Job had no resistance
and went ahead to complain.

Man is faithful; Job had faith that is why he didn’t turn away from God despite the suffering.

Man doesn’t admit sin easily. Even if Job was innocent, his friends took him to be like the rest
who don’t easily admit when they sin.

Man is sometimes righteous. Job was righteous despite the suffering he went through which
could happen to any other innocent person.

Man is God’s servant, because God asked Satan whether he had seen his servant Job.

Man who lives faithfully makes God happy. The reason why God sounded like boasting against
Satan was because of the faith and honesty of Job.
Man is a source of temptation because Job’s friends and wives were tempting him to curse
God.

Man is supposed to worship God the almighty because this is what exactly Job did and
maintained. This made Job win the war against Satan.

Man’s wisdom can’t be compared to God’s wisdom because neither Job nor his friends knew
God’s programmes for Job.

Human understanding is too inadequate to understand what God wants, that is why Job and
his friends failed to understand what God wanted from him.

Suffering is part of human life. It could be a means of proving man’s faith, that is why Job
suffered and out of endurance God rewarded him.

Man loses heart quickly. Job reached an extent of raising temper against God until when God’s
response opened his eyes.

THE NATURE OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF JOB

God can be described in the following ways;

God is the creator. He is the one who created the universe. He also told Job that he had no
power as a creature to challenge his creator.

God is omnipotent because it is through Him that all Job’s wealth and health were destroyed
and restored later.

God is the source of blessings. He blessed Job with all the wealth and children which were
destroyed and later restored in multiples by God’s grace.

God is a spirit. While responding to Job’s complaints He didn’t appear physically because He
doesn’t posses a physical body.

God humbles the proud. While rewarding Job, his friends were calmed down and Satan was
put to shame.

God is the source of life. He was responsible for putting life into all the creatures that Job
owned and even the new ones he got.

God is holy and righteous. At one time He criticized Job for halving complained to a righteous
God.
God is caring and a concerned God. He showed concern when he did not completely abandon
Job and He also rewarded Him after suffering.

God is the source of protection however much Job was tortured by Satan, God protected him
and did not permit Satan to kill him.

He is a loving God. Because of His love, He intervened in Jobs suffering to show him the proper
way of conduct.

God is omnipresent. He was in heaven with the heavenly creatures and he was also on earth
monitoring Job, Satan and Job’s friends.

God is omniscient. He knew the reasons behind Job’s suffering. He knows what goes on under
the sea, on earth and in heaven.

THE NATURE OF SATAN IN RELATION TO THE BOOK OF JOB.

Satan can be described in the following ways;

Satan is one of the heavenly creatures. It is said that when the heavenly creatures appeared
before God, Satan was among them. Therefore according to the book of job, satan is a
heavenly creature.
Satan is omnipresent i.e he is found everywhere. According to the book of job, satan was
roaming all over the earth before he appeared in heaven with other creatures
Satan is subjected to God’s control. God permitted satan to bring suffering into job’s life but
he told him not to kill him.
Satan is the source of suffering on earth forexample he brought different forms of suffering
into job’s life. For example death of his children , he suffered from sores all over his body,
lost animals and servants.
Satan is unrighteous. Because of being unrighteous that is why job’s wife tried to persuade
him to do what was wrong. She told him to curse God and die by doing so she was trying to
lead him into sin which was as a result of satan’s influence.
Satan is the source of pain and is always happy on seeing people suffering. For example Satan
was happy on seeing job undergoing a lot of suffering.
Satan is interested in seeing people turning away from God. He tried so hard to bring different
forms of suffering into job’s life so that job turns away from God.
Satan can be used by God to test people’s faith. Forexample God used satan to test job and
see whether he would turn away from him, however he remained faithful.
Satan has powers but his powers are not above God’s powers, that is why he did not over
power job to the extent of losing faith.
Satan leads to suffering and misery. Because of satan, job experienced a lot of suffering and
misery in his life and family.
Satan can cause death. Job’s children, the animals and servants all died because satan had a
hand in their death.
Satan is the source of evil and sorts of misfortunes poverty inclusive. Job lost all his wealth
and became poor because of satan’s influence.
Satan is the cause of diseases and all sorts of destruction, for example job’s health was
attacked by a skin disease and it was covered by boils to the extent of job losing his
appearance.
Satan is the cause of sorrow. During the period of suffering , job’s life was characterized by
grief and sorrow.
Satan is the source of temptation. Job’s wife tempted job to curse God and die because of
satan’s influence.
Satan hates righteous people. He seemed not to be comfortable with job’s reputation before
God.
Satan ruins relationships between man and God. He strived so hard to ruin job’s relationship
with God.
Satan creates conflicts between married people or it distorts the relationship between
married people. Forexample Satan made job’s wife denounce the husband.

JOB’S COMPLAINT TO GOD AND HIS FRIENDS’ CHALLENGE.

His friends’ challenge was as follows:

Job’s friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar visited him to comfort him about the suffering he was
experiencing.
On meeting Job, they wept and then kept quite for 7 days while meditating upon Job’s
suffering.

After making a number of complaints, his friends challenged his faith and trust in God by
accusing him of sins he might have committed although he was claiming to be innocent.

Eliphaz commended Job for being faithful and for trusting in God the Almighty.

Eliphaz asked Job whether he would remember a single case where a righteous man has ever
met disaster.

According to Eliphaz, and among all the Israelites, suffering was a result of wickedness. He
was indirectly telling Job to understand that he was being punished for the sins he committed.
Eliphaz said that God alone is righteous and no man is blameless. This was confirming that
Job’s suffering was not without a cause. He could have committed evil against God.

Eliphaz was trying to convict Job by saying that God doesn’t trust anybody, even if they are
the heavenly servants since God finds faults even with His angels.

Basing on Eliphaz’s analysis of God, Job had no claim of being innocent, if also heavenly angels
could be found guilty.

Eliphaz went ahead and asked Job to turn to God. This meant that he wanted Job to admit
that he was a sinner and therefore ask for forgiveness from God.

Eiliphaz continued to ask Job to turn to God, meaning that if he admitted his sinfulness God
would forgive him and end his suffering.

According to Eliphaz, it is God only who sustains life by doing great things beyond man’s
understanding. This means that Job had not mastered God’s nature properly.

Eliphaz finally gives his view about Job’s suffering insisting that suffering is a punishment from
God for wrong doing.

Eliphaz also says that happy is the person whom God corrects which stresses that Eliphaz was
forcing Job to accept that he was a wrong doer.

Bildad also spoke out against Job’s suffering in the following ways;
He challenged Job and said that God never twists justice and He never fails to do what is right.
Bildad continued that if Job claims innocence, then atleast his children might have sinned
against God and were the cause of his troubles.

Bildad stressed that because of Job’s wickedness, God had abandoned him.

Zophar reacted as follows:

He said that Job was wicked and had full responsibility of his suffering.

Zophar advised Job to put his heart right with God. He also told him to put away evil and all
wrong deeds from his home.

Zophar continued to say that Job claimed to be pure, but if God asked him, he would not have
an answer. In this way Zophar wanted to make job confess for his evil deeds against God.

Zophar believed that God’s mysterious powers had enabled him to see Job’s evil and therefore
put him to punishment.
Zophar advised Job to give up evil, face the world, be courageous, so as to have his miseries
solved.

JOB’S RESPONSE TO HIS FRIENDS’ CHALLENGE

Job insisted that the God whom he offered sacrifices to, whom he thought he had known, had
disappeared from his life and was now shooting poisonous arrows towards him.

Job cried to God to let him die saying that he had reached the end of his strength, so he
wanted to rest forever.

Job expressed his disappointment to those who claimed to be his friends, because they were
not showing him where he went wrong but only criticizing him.

He compared his friends with the streams which dried up when people were desperately
thirsty, because instead of consoling him, they just looked for ways and loopholes of making
him suffer the more.

Job challenged his friends to let him know in which ways he had wronged God, promising to
render them audience if they would show him where he had committed any evil.

He told them that mere mentioning that he was guilty of evil was leaving a lot to be desired,
it was unjust and annoying.

He insisted that he was righteous; confessing before them that he knows what is right and
wrong.

He responded to Bildad’s speech and said that no man can win his case against God and no
one can argue with God and win a debate.

Job stressed that he was innocent but he would not argue with God. He said that whether one
is sick, innocent, guilty God would destroy them.
Job told his friends that if he was guilty, God would have given him the answer, but his friends
were looking at things like human beings.

He told his friends again who claimed to possess wisdom that their wisdom was earthly
wisdom and they would die with it.

He emphasized that he was suffering because of God’s will and because God had control over
all the creatures including man.

He compared himself with a tree that has been cut down, that even if he had been deprived
of everything, God would make him prosperous again.
He asked his friends to stop tormenting him but give him words of encouragement and
comfort.

He had expected his friends to be supportive but instead they were blaming him, which
proved that they were of no use to him during suffering.

He surrendered his life to God as the only source of life, the only one who gives and takes
away and the only comforter to those suffering because his friends had failed to support him.

Job said that his friends had betrayed him by speaking badly about him.

He expressed the terrible situation in which he was, that all his relatives and friends despised
him because of his appearance and his only trust was in God who would eventually come to
his rescue.

GOD’S RESPONSE TO JOB’S COMPLAINT

After Job’s complaint and his claim of innocence, the Lord spoke out to him and asked him
several questions that; ‘who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant empty
words?” Job 38:2.

God asked Job to stand up like a man and answer the questions put before him.

God asked Job whether he was there when He was creating the universe and deciding how
large it would be and so many other questions.

After admitting his foolishness for having challenged the Almighty God, Job was asked by God
to repent.

The Lord went ahead and challenged Job for having questioned his justice.

God told Job that he was ashamed and Job accepted his shame for whatever he had said.

The Lord turned to Job’s friends; Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and expressed his anger against
them for speaking ill against Him.

He told Job’s friends to get 7 bulls, and 7 rams to be given as a sacrifice for their sinfulness.
God told Job’s friends to bring the sacrifice to Job, who would present them to God and pray
for them.

After Job’s prayer for his friends, God restored Job to his original good health.

Then God made Job prosperous again giving him more sheep, Carmel, servants, horses, cattle
and children. He got 7 sons and 3 beautiful daughters.
God also blessed Job’s last days and He let him live for another 140 years.

RELEVANCE OF JOB’S EXPERIENCE TO THE MODERN CHRISTIANS.

The relevance of Job’s experience is as follows:

Christians should have faith in God just as Job had despite the suffering he experienced.

Christians should praise God despite the suffering they may experience. On learning about
the misfortunes that befell him, Job praised the Lord.

Christians should remain humble and calm during suffering. Job did not question God during
the time of suffering.

Christians should pray for God’s assistance. Job prayed to God to intervene in his suffering but
he did not turn to other gods.

Christians should live an exemplary life. Job showed a good example when he remained
faithful during suffering.

Christians should endure trials and temptations. Job endured despite the suffering he
experienced.

Christians should live a righteous life. Job lived a sinless life therefore he was righteous despite
the suffering.

Christians should trust and have confidence in God likewise Job did not lose trust and
confidence in God despite the suffering he experienced.

Christians should visit those in suffering Job’s friends visited him when they heard about his
misery.

Christians should be careful when passing judgement upon others. God was annoyed with
Job’s friends who blamed Job for the suffering he was experiencing.

Christians should show care, concern and comfort those suffering unlike Job’s friends who
failed to comfort him but instead caused more suffering to him.

Christians should praise and thank God for whatever they receive. Job thanked God and
praised Him when he heard about the misfortunes that had come his way.

Christians should pray for God’s blessings. Job’s last part of his life was blessed by God and he
was given more than he lost.