Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: December 20 (Amos 1–5; Psalm 140; 1 John 3–5)
Date: December 20, 2025
Host: Crossway
Reader: Jackie Hill Perry

Episode Overview

This episode of "Through the ESV Bible in a Year" features readings from Amos 1–5, Psalm 140, and 1 John 3–5 (English Standard Version). The readings focus on God’s judgment against the nations and Israel (Amos), a prayer for deliverance from evil (Psalm), and foundational teachings about love, obedience, and the person of Jesus Christ (1 John). As with every episode, the purpose is to walk listeners through the complete Bible in a year, immersing them in daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalm passages.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Amos 1–5: Judgment and a Call to True Worship

• God’s Judgment on Nations and Israel

  • God, through Amos, proclaims judgment against surrounding nations for their brutalities and injustices, then turns to Judah and Israel for their spiritual corruption and social oppression.

  • Repeated refrain: “For three transgressions, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment...” highlights the relentless sin of these nations and Israel (see [01:19]–[14:02]).

    “Because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth...” (Amos 2:6–7, [10:30])

• Israel’s Unique Responsibility and Failure

  • God reminds Israel of their chosen status and the privilege of revelation, but also their subsequent greater responsibility:

    “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” (Amos 3:2, [15:40])

• Rhetorical Questions Emphasize Divine Actions

  • A series of rhetorical questions underlines God’s sovereign involvement in human affairs:

    “Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:6–7, [17:00])

• Condemnation of Empty Ritual and Social Injustice

  • God rejects Israel's hypocritical worship and feasts while they continue to ignore justice and righteousness:

    “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies... But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21–24, [31:35])

• Repeated Prophetic Warnings and Lament

  • Despite warnings and calamities sent by God (famine, drought, pestilence), Israel does not return to Him. The theme:

    “Yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord.” (repeated multiple times, [24:39]–[27:45])

  • Climactic warning:

    “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:12, [27:58])

Psalm 140: Prayer for Deliverance from Evil

• Crying Out for Protection
  • David prays for deliverance against violent and wicked men:

    “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.” (Psalm 140:1–2, [38:32])

  • Acknowledgement of God’s justice and defense for the oppressed:

    “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.” (Psalm 140:12, [40:10])

1 John 3–5: The Testimony of Love, Faith, and Truth

• Assurance of God’s Love and Call to Purity

  • Identifies believers as God’s children, encouraging hope and transformation:

    “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1, [41:20])

  • Connection between hope in Christ and personal holiness:

    “Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3, [41:50])

• Contrast Between Righteousness and Sin; Love and Hatred

  • Clear distinction between those living in Christ and those in sin:

    “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him...” (1 John 3:9, [43:10])

  • Centrality of love as the mark of believers:

    “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, [45:10]) “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” (1 John 3:14, [44:15])

• Testing Spirits and Affirming Christ’s Incarnation

  • Vigilance against false prophets:

    “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1, [47:50])

  • Affirming Christ’s coming in the flesh as a key test of truth:

    “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” (1 John 4:2, [48:10])

• Perfect Love and Genuine Faith

  • God’s love for us, made manifest in Jesus:

    “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10, [50:10])

  • The inseparable link between loving God and loving others:

    “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar...” (1 John 4:20, [52:00])

  • Fear dispelled by perfect love:

    “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18, [51:45])

• Assurance of Salvation and Final Exhortations

  • Belief in Jesus as foundational to victory and eternal life:

    “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12, [56:20])

  • Encouragement to keep away from idols:

    “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21, [59:00])

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Amos and Social Justice:

  “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24, [31:52])
  A powerful prophetic call for justice—one of the most enduring lines from the Old Testament prophets.

• On Love in Action (1 John):

  “Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, [45:10])

• On God’s Nature and Our Relationship:

  “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16, [51:11])

• On Overcoming the World:

  “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4, [55:39])

Key Timestamps

• [00:01 – 31:52] — Amos 1–5: Prophecies of judgment, calls for repentance, the rejection of empty worship, and the call for justice.
• [38:32 – 40:39] — Psalm 140: David’s plea for protection and confidence in God’s justice.
• [41:20 – 59:00] — 1 John 3–5: Assurance of being God’s children, commandments to love, warnings against false teaching, testimony about Christ as the Son of God, and encouragement to live faithfully.

Summary Takeaways

• Amos underscores God’s commitment to justice and righteousness, warning both nations and His people of judgment when they forsake His ways. Ritual without justice is meaningless.
• Psalm 140 provides a model for faithful prayer amid opposition: confidence in God’s protection for the afflicted.
• 1 John 3–5 lays out the centrality of love—God’s love for us and our love for each other—as evidence of true faith, calls for discernment and sound doctrine, and reassures believers of eternal life in Christ.

Listeners are invited to reflect on their own lives: Do justice and mercy mark their worship? Is their love genuine, seen in action? Do they find assurance and motive in knowing they are God’s beloved children?

End of Summary