Verse of the Day: V2 “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”
1. God’s Grace (V1-5)
V1 “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.”
Prophet Jonah was very angry with the gracious God as he never thought that God would extend His grace and mercy to the wicked people of Nineveh who were unworthy of His love and forgiveness. Though Jonah preached to them to repent of their sins, yet he presumed that they would never repent, and that the Lord would eventually destroy them.
V2 “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”
2. God’s Gourd (V6-10)
V6 “And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.”
Though Jonah griped and groaned, yet the gracious and merciful God still prepared a gourd to shield him from the hot sun! Subsequently God prepared a worm to destroy the gourd to teach Jonah that it was God who extended His grace to him and the people of Nineveh. Indeed, no one has the right to question God’s grace, and be angry with Him.
V7 “But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.”
3. God’s Glory (V11)
V11 “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
Finally Jonah realised that he was a wretch, and that it was God’s grace and glory that saved him as well as the people of Nineveh who repented their sins and walked uprightly.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:11.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for Your amazing grace that saves a wretch like me.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 01:11 pm
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Verse of the Day: V1 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”
1. The Word Of God (V1-2)
V1 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”
The Word of God came to Prophet Jonah a second time telling him to preach to the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins. If God is not the God of the second chance, the Word of God would not have gone to Jonah, and the people of Nineveh would have been killed and condemned to the fiery pits of hell. The Lord gives us a second, a third, and many chances, because He is a merciful, gracious, longsuffering, patient and loving God.
V2 “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”
2. The Work Of God (V3-8)
V3 “So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”
Jonah travelled in the hot sun for three days to preach the Word of God to the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins. It was not easy for Jonah to travel for three days, and to preach in the hot sun for forty days, but he knew that it was the mercy of God that he did not die in the storm because of his disobedience and rebellion. God’s work is not easy but it is a great blessing to be involved in the work of God as we shall be blessed in due time.
V4 “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
3. The Will Of God (V9-10)
V9 “Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?”
Jonah preached the Word of God, and laboured in the work of God, and let the Lord convict the hearts of the people to repent of their sins. Only God can convict and forgive sins. We do our part and let the Lord does His part. Though Jonah was doubtful of the people of Nineveh to repent of their sins because they were full of evil and wickedness, yet he trusted God for their salvation. Though it is the will of God for all to be saved, yet the Lord gives everyone a choice, whether to believe in or reject the true and living God.
V10 “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are the God of the second chance.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:04 am
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Verse of the Day: V7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
1. I Prayed (V1-6)
V1 “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,”
The Lord heard Prophet Jonah as he prayed and cried before Him in the fish’s belly. God preserved Jonah’s life in the fish’s belly when Jonah prayed and repented his sins and disobedience. God hears us when we pray to Him in sincerity, and truly repent of our sins.
V2 “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”
2. I Remembered (V7-8)
V7 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”
Jonah remembered the Lord when he fainted in the fish’s belly. Jonah must have remembered how the LORD miraculously saved him, how He had richly blessed his life, and how He had been so merciful, gracious and kind towards him. Though the Lord had been so merciful towards him time and again, yet he had not been merciful towards the people of Nineveh, and had refused to preach to them of God’s love and mercy, and their great need of salvation, and repentance of their sins. He realized that he could have been dead by now, but the loving and merciful God gave him a second chance to live for Him.
V8 “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”
3. I Paid (V9-10)
V9 “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
Jonah prayed and promised to God that he would pay what was owing to God when the Lord delivered him out of the belly of the fish. He knew that he must now obey the Lord, and immediately go to Nineveh to preach to the people to repent of their sins and wickedness. Jonah was so thankful to God for giving him a second chance as he knew by faith in God that the Lord would save him. Indeed, after three days and three nights in the fish’s belly, God finally spoke to the great fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land.
V10 “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to always remember You for who You are and what You have done for me.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:26 pm
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Verse of the Day: V17 “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
1. A Great City (V1-3)
V2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
Nineveh was a great city. The people of Nineveh were prosperous and wealthy, and they had all the material possessions, except they rejected God and His righteousness. Thus the righteous God found them guilty of wickedness, and commanded Prophet Jonah to preach to them to repent of their wickedness. However, Jonah disobeyed God, and bought a ticket to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh. Jonah rationalised that God should punish the people of Nineveh instead of giving them the chance to repent of their wickedness.
V3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”
2. A Great Wind (V4-16)
V4 “But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”
Jonah fled from the presence of the LORD, but he could never hide from His presence. As soon as Jonah boarded the ship, the LORD sent a great wind that nearly destroyed the ship. The mariners on board the ship were so fearful for their lives that they prayed and cried to the LORD to deliver them out of this great tempest. Finally, out of desperation, they acceded Jonah’s request, and threw him into the raging sea: and the sea became calm.
V12 “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”
3. A Great Fish (V17)
V17 “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Prophet Jonah could have been drown in the deep blue sea, but God prepared a great fish to swallow him up. Jonah survived in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. The LORD is a great God, a God of second chance. Even though Jonah did not deserve God’s grace, God still forgave his sin, and saved him through the belly of the great fish.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are great, the one and only great God.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:43 pm
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Verse of the Day: V17 “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”
1. The Heart (V1-5)
V1 “The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.”
God gave Prophet Obadiah a vision that He would humble Edom, because Edom had hardened his heart against God. Edom had refused to believe in the true God. Edom thought that he was god, and that God could never bring him down from his throne and power. Subsequently God humbled Edom, and brought him down. It is sad and tragic when man thinks that he is a self-made man, and refuses to acknowledge and believe his Creator, His God, His Maker, who makes him in His image, and gives him breath and life.
V3 “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”
2. The Hidden (V6-16)
V6 “How are the things of Esau searched out! How are his hidden things sought up!”
Esau thought that he could hide his pride from God. However, God not only saw his pride but his deceit and wickedness. We can never hide from the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God. God knows everything, and there is nothing hidden that He cannot see.
“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
3. The Holiness (V17-21)
V17 “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”
Though Edom (Esau) and Jacob were twin brothers, yet their lives were entirely different from each other. Edom’s life was one of pride and wickedness, while Jacob’s life was one of humility and holiness. This was why the holy God had to judge and punish Edom for his sin of pride, while He blessed Jacob with great possessions because of his holiness.
V21 “And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be holy as You are holy.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:18 am
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Verse of the Day: V8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.”
1. The Lord Stands (V1-2)
V1 “I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.”
Amos saw God standing before the altar of the people of Israel pronouncing judgment on them. Instead of worshipping the true God, they worshipped false gods. The people were so proud and sinful that they even built structures to climb up to heaven to be gods only to find God bringing them down. No one can ever reach heaven except God saves them.
V2 “Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:”
2. The Lord Searches (V3-7)
V3 “And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:”
The people of Israel thought they could run away, and hide themselves, from God, but they failed or refused to know that the Lord is omnipresent. Indeed, God is everywhere, and His eyes are searching and judging the people for their evil deeds and wickedness.
V4 “And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.”
3. The Lord Saves (V8-15)
V8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.”
Though the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom or people, yet He shall save those who trust and obey Him, and bless them with abundant land and everlasting life.
V15 “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for saving me from the pits of hell to the portals of heaven.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 09:22 am
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Verse of the Day: V11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:”
1. The Fruit (V1-10)
V2 “And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.”
God pronounced judgment on the people of Israel because of their sins and rebellion. God showed to Amos a basket of summer fruit to illustrate to him that like the basket of summer fruit which were the remaining fruits of the harvest, the people of Israel would also be spending their remaining days before the Lord send their enemies to destroy them.
V3 “And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.”
2. The Famine (V11-13)
V11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:”
God told Amos that He would send a famine of the hearing of His words, in other words, He no longer send His prophets to plead with the people to repent of their sins. It was a severe punishment when God withdrew His prophets and words from the land of Israel.
V12 “And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
3. The Fall (V14)
V14 “They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.”
Finally God completely destroyed the people of Israel. Instead of repenting their sins and calling upon the true God, they called their self made gods to help them. Indeed, let us desire and pant after God and His Word, the Bible, just like the deer pants after the water brooks, as only God and His Word can fulfil the deepest desire and need of our souls.
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”
Psalms 42:1.
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to desire You and Your precious Word.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 02:02 pm
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Verse of the Day: V15 “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
1. The Punishment (V1-6)
V1 “Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.”
The Almighty God through Amos warned the people of Israel to repent of their sins otherwise He would send the grasshoppers to eat their harvest and fire to burn their land.
V4 “Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.”
2. The Plumbline (V7-9)
V8 “And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:”
The Lord told Amos that He had set a plumbline to measure the uprightness of the people of Israel, just like the plumbline is to measure whether the wall is exactly upright. God’s verdict from the plumbline was that the people of Israel were found guilty of their sins.
V9 “And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
3. The Prophesy (V10-17)
V10 “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.”
Amaziah, the Priest, had lied and wrongly accused Amos of conspiring against King Jeroboam. At the same time the people of Israel were also wearied and tired of Amos’ prophesy of God’s Word telling them to repent of their sins. Amaziah ordered Amos to leave Israel and to stop prophesying God’s Word. However Amos refused and told Amaziah that he was faithfully following God just like he was faithfully following the flock until God called him to prophesy His Word. Eventually the Almighty God fulfilled His Word when He sent the mighty Babylonians to attack and destroy the people of Israel.
V15 “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to faithfully follow You as You are my LORD.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:13 am
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Verse of the Day: V1 “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!”
1. Mountain Of Samaria (V1-2)
V1 “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!”
God through Prophet Amos pronounced woe or trouble upon the people of Israel who chose to be at ease in Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria than the true and living God. The people of Israel chose to trust in the mountain or city of Samaria, which was at that time the chief or leading city of the world, surpassing great cities like Calneh, Hamath and Gath. Samaria was indeed an excellent place of commerce and trade, music and the arts, and fun and pleasure. Hence, the people of Israel thought they could put all their trust in it, but little did they know that the Lord was about to judge and destroy it.
V2 “Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?”
2. Mountain of Sins (V3-6)
V3 “Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;”
God revealed the mountains of sins or the many sins of the people of Israel. They were indulging in excess of food and wine, and committing evil, violence and immorality.
V4 “That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;”
3. Mountain of Suffering (V7-14)
V7 “Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.”
God sent the mighty Babylonians, another chief and great nation of the world, to attack and defeat the mountain of Samaria, resulting in many deaths, and many taken as captives and prisoners of war. It was sad and tragic that the mountain of Samaria which was once the mountain the people of Israel trusted, became the mountain of sins and suffering. Indeed, let us trust in God and not the mountain of Samaria as only God alone is our trust.
V14 “But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to trust in You, and You alone.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 09:27 am
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Verse of the Day: V4 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”
1. Survive (V1-3)
V2 “The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.”
Only a handful or ten of the thousands of people of the nation of Israel survived when God severely judged and punished them for their sins and wickedness. The nation of Israel was once a virgin separated for the glory of God, but subsequently she became a harlot as she strayed from the Lord, and worshipped their own handmade idols and gods.
V3 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.”
2. Seek (V4-20)
V4 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”
The holy God through Prophet Amos warned the people of Israel that they must seek God, and seek to do good if they desired to live on this earth, and forever with God in heaven. However, the people of Israel failed to seek God and to seek good, instead they sought to do evil and committed many evil deeds, and worshipped many kinds of idols and gods.
V14 “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.”
3. Suffer (V21-27)
V22 “Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.”
God rejected the burnt offerings, meat offerings as well as peace offerings of the people of Israel because outwardly they worshipped God, but inwardly their hearts were far away from Him. Subsequently, God allowed the Babylonians to attack and defeat them. The people of Israel suffered great losses as their cities were destroyed, their possessions were taken away from them, many of the people were killed, and the survivors were forced to be prisoners brought beyond Damascus to Babylon as slaves of the Babylonians.
V27 “Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to seek You, seek good and do good.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 10:03 am
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