NIVAC 21: Hosea, Amos, Micah

Scratch beneath the surface of today's culture and you'll find we're not so
different from ancient Israel. True, our sophistication, mobility, and
technology eclipse anything the Israelites could have imagined. Our worship is
far different, to say nothing of our language and customs. Yet if the prophets
Hosea, Amos, and Micah were to visit us today, we might be shocked to see how
little their messages would differ from the ones they delivered 2,800 years
ago.
For human hearts are still the same - and so is God. Injustice,
oppression, and political corruption anger him as much as ever. Apostasy still
grieves him. His judgment of sin remains as fierce as his love is strong. And
the hope God extends to those who turn toward him is as brilliant now as at any
time in history. Revealing the links between Israel eight centuries B.C. and
our own times, Gary V. Smith shows how the prophetic writings of Hosea, Amos,
and Micah speak to us today with relevance and conviction.
Most Bible
commentaries take us on a one-way trip from the twentieth century to the first
century. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return
journey on our own. In other words, they focus on the original meaning of the
passage but don't discuss its contemporary application. The information they
offer is valuable - but the job is only half done! The NIV Application
Commentary Series helps us with both halves of the interpretive task. This new
and unique series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into modern
context. It explains not only what the Bible means but also how it can speak
powerfully today.
Series: NIV Application Commentary.