DECEMBER 6, 2023
“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this. (Amos 9:11–12, ESV)
A Message of Hope and Peace
The prophet Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa, a small town in Judea about ten miles south of Jerusalem. Like most prophets, he delivered a difficult message to the Israelites regarding their rebellion. Amos’s book concludes with a message of hope about the future redemption of Israel and the Gentiles. Amos 9:11–12 says,
“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.
Amos’s final message of hope is that God would one day bring a redeemer to fulfill His promise, and Christ is this redeemer.
The prophetess Anna also spoke of the Messiah. We read in Luke 2:38 that Anna, “came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem” (nlt). This hopeful expectation began years earlier, as people such as Anna and Simeon gained an expectation of Israel’s redemption from reading Old Testament prophets like Amos. Amos’s words gave them hope that God would keep His promise of redemption for Israel and the world.
Just as Amos proclaimed a message of hope, so did the shepherds in Bethlehem who were guarding their flocks of sheep by night. When they saw the infant Jesus, the shepherds actually witnessed this prophecy’s fulfillment. Luke 2:17 says, “After seeing [Jesus], the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.”
At eleven years old, I trusted Christ at Memorial Baptist Church in San Jose, California. After I was baptized, I wondered what I could do for God as a young boy. I haven’t always followed Him perfectly over the years, but I’ve grown to trust Him more and more. Jesus gives us hope for a bright future in a dark world. Let us rejoice this Christmas in the hope that Christ brings and tell everyone that He is our, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Dr. Rodney Orr
Dean of DTS-DC, Professor of Missiology and Intercultural Ministries