God speaks to His people today through Amos

God speaks to His people today through Amos I was a shepherd and I also took care of sycamorefig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel. ' 7: 15 -16

God’s People in a Troubled World • The power of Egypt was fading • Assyria was challenging for world domination • Babylon just beginning to emerge as a power • Smaller nations like Israel were prospering. • Materialism was corrupting God’s people and their values and desire for God.

Assyria Nineveh Israel Egypt Babylon

God’s People in a Troubled World today • Soviet power has faded • China challenging USA for world domination • India just beginning to emerge as a world power • Smaller nations like Australia are prospering. • Materialism is corrupting God’s people and their values and desire for God.

SOVIET UNION USA CHINA INDIA AUSTRALIA

The People Amos spoke to the Northern Kingdom of Israel under King Jeroboam 2 (Judah) Saul/David/Solomon/Rehoboam --/- -/- - / -----/----/---Uzziah- ------ Isaiah (Israel) Jeroboam 1 --/--/--Ahab---/--/----/ --/--/-- Jeroboam 2 --Amos Hosea (760790 BC? )

Jeroboam 1 built two shrines with golden calves Dan Bethel He wanted to stop people returning to Jerusalem for the 3 main feasts Tekoa

Amos was sent from Tekoa in Judah to reveal God’s judgment because Their lust for wealth meant - only token worship of God - the oppression of the poor. - the breakdown of moral standards

Amos has different roles as God’s servant ch 1 -3 He is a Proclaimer of God’s judgment ch 4 -6 He is a Pleader on God’s behalf ch 7 He is an Intercessor on behalf of the people ch 8 -9 He is a Prophet of God’s judgment and purpose (He was also a poet as almost all was written in poetic form. )

The Message The LORD is a “Roaring Lion”! 1: 2 He cares about how people are treated.

God will judge all nations “for 3 sins and for 4…. I will not turn back my wrath because… I will send a “Fire” 1: 3 -2: 3

Amos 1: 3 -4 "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire upon the house of Hazael …. SYRIA are cruel and inhumane

Normal “Threshing Sled” used stones. Syria used one with iron pieces inserted

Amos 1: 6 -7 "For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza …. PHILISTINES exploit helpless people to make money

Amos 1: 9 -10 "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre …. PHOENICIA break their promises to make money.

Amos 1: 11 -12 For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked, I will send fire upon Teman …. . EDOM has unnatural hatred towards his brother

Amos 1: 13 -14 For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah … AMMON commits inhuman acts on the helpless to increase his property and wealth

Amos 2: 1 -2 "For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because he burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom's king, I will send fire upon Moab MOAB holds grudges and maintains feuds by taking revenge.

These Gentile nations are all guilty of sins against their fellow men They are not being judged by the “Law” but by “the requirements of the law written in their hearts. ” Compare Rom 2: 12

God will judge His Chosen People (Judah)

Amos 2: 4 -5 "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah JUDAH who know THE LAW but reject it by following false gods

God will judge His Chosen People (Israel) “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” See Romans 2: 17 -24

"Amos 2: 6 -8 For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed …. ISRAEL who know THE WAY to live but pervert it committing the same sins as the Gentile nations. See Eph 4: 17 -19

continued…. • They oppress the poor Ex 22: 22 -24 • Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. Lev 18: 21 • They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. Ex 22: 26, 27 • In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines. Lev 22: 15 -16 ( No mention of “fire!”)

God had protected them 2: 9 -10 I destroyed the Amorite …. . "I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites.

God had provided guidance 2: 11 -12 I also raised up prophets from among your sons (to proclaim the Word of the Lord) and Nazirites from among your young men. (to show the Way of the Lord)

But, you made the Nazirites drink wine Rejecting the Way of the Lord and commanded the Prophets not to prophesy. Refusing the Word of the Lord.

God’s Chosen people receive severer judgment Amos 3: 1 -2 Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel — against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins. "

Their judgment was certain Amos 3: 3 -6 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing? ……… When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?

The lion has roared — who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken — who can but prophesy?

Their judgment meant a. Their false gods would be destroyed Amos 3: 14 -15 On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; b. Their material possessions would be destroyed I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished, " declares the LORD.

2. GOD WANTS “REALITY” NOT RELIGION. AMOS 4: 1 -6: 14

A. God accuses His Chosen People

1. You oppress the poor to satisfy your desires. 4: 1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring… that we may drink !"

2. You deceive yourselves by religious activity. 4: 4 -5 "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings — boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do, " declares the Sovereign LORD.

3. You have ignored God’s intervention in your lives 4: 6 -11 He sent Ø famine and drought v 6 -7 Ø natural disasters and crop failuresv 7 -8 Ø disease and violence v 9 Ø defeat and narrow escape from death v 10 -11 “Yet you did not return unto me”, declares the Lord.

B. God challenges His people: 4: 12 -13

REPENT AND OBEY! or PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD AS IN A BATTLE!

There are more accusations

4. You are corrupt and cruel 5: 10 -13 You hate the one who. reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth…… You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain…. . You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

5. You misunderstand God’s Purposes 5: 18 -20 “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. ” It will be inescapable judgment! (note the apt illustration)

6. You rely on your religious activity 5: 21 -24 I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings … I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

7. You are complacent…. you have a false sense of security …. 6: 1 -6 You put off the evil day…. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory You dine on choice lambs …. You strum away on your harps … You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, BUT you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph (God’s people)

C. God wants transformed lives not pilgrimages

1. They were going to Bethel

Because they remembered JACOB met the LORD there Gen 28: 16 -22 - He returned to worship there Gen 35: 1 -6 - His name was changed there Gen 35: 9 -10 - He received promises there Gen 35: 11 -12

Seek the Lord! not Bethel. (Compare 2 Cor 5: 17; Romans 12: 1 -2 for truly changed lives)

D. God wants true commitment not just memories

They were going to Gilgal because they knew what happened there.

After 40 years of wandering in the wildernessØ their forefathers entered the land of promise and camped there Josh 4: 19 -30 Ø they renewed their covenant with God (circumcision) Josh 5: 2 -9 Ø they remembered their deliverance from Egypt ( Passover) Josh 5: 10

Ø they tasted God’s provision (fruit of the land) Joshua 5: 11 Ø Joshua was confronted by the Commander. Joshua 5: 13 -15 Ø they began to experience victory and possess the land Joshua 6: 1 -27

Seek the Lord ! not Gilgal C/f Matt 11: 28 -31; John 7: 37 -39; Col 3: 1 -17 for true commitment

E. God wants true fellowship not token acknowledgment

They were going to Beersheba Because they knew that their patriarchs were all blessed and encouraged there.

ABRAHAM Others testified about him “God is with you in everything you do. . ” called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God there. Gen. 21: 2233

ISAAC had a revelation of God there “ I am with you” Gen 26: 24 -25 He built an altar

JACOB - was encouraged to go to Egypt there “I will go with you. . ” Gen 46: 1 -4

Seek the Lord! not Beersheba. Compare 1 John 1: 3 -10; Phil 3: 7 -11; Isa 55: 6 -7 for the way to ensure real fellowship with God

Bethel Gilgal Beersheba

3. GOD SHOWS AMOS HIS PLAN ch 7 -9 “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. ” Amos 3: 7

Amos becomes an Intercessor and Prophet

a. The Vision of the Locusts. ch 7: 1 -3 Judgment on their “materialism” • The king’s harvest or mowing was a tax on all households. • The second crop was necessary for survival • The locust swarm appeared just as the 2 nd crop was growing. “they stripped the land clean”

Amos pleaded with God He appealed to God’s mercy. I cried out, "Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!" So the LORD relented. "This will not happen, " the LORD said.

b. The Vision of the Devouring Fire. 7: 4 -6 Judgment of their “spiritual” condition. The other nations had been warned of “fire” (ch 1&2) but there was a no mention of “fire” after Israel’s sins were exposed. Note the nature of this fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. See Heb 12: 29; cf Lev 9: 23 -24; 10: 1 -2

Again, Amos pleaded with God Again, He appealed to God’s mercy. I cried out, "Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!" So the LORD relented. "This will not happen either, " the Sovereign LORD said.

c. The Vision of the Lord with a Plumbline. 7: 7 -9 ‘The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, "What do you see, Amos? ”’ "A plumb line, " I replied.

Judgment by the standards they claimed to use. The plumbline = the revealed standard of • The Law • The Truth about God • The Right Way to worship

It found “high places” (perverting the truth) “sanctuaries” (counterfeit worship) “the house of Jeroboam” (usurping God’s rule) all substitutes for God’s way They would be destroyed. (Compare 1 Cor 3: 9 -17)

Amos is silent. How can he plead when there is deliberate and wilful sin?

(Amaziah, the “priest” of Bethel, reported to King Jeroboam that Amos was stirring up trouble. He accused Amos of being a paid provocateur from Judah – “ go - eat bread there” Amos testifies of his call and commission from the LORD and then pronounces judgment on Amaziah. )

AMOS, THE PROPHET declaring the judgment that must follow wilful disobedience (ch 8 -9

d. The Vision of the “ripe fruit” 8: 1 -14 There is poetic play on Hebrew words “ripe” (qayits) and “end” (qeyts). Israel was like “over ripe fruit”, ready for judgment. The “time” or “end” of their safety was now over.

God will judge their inhumane and corrupt practices v 4 -7 You trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat? "— skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done.

The day of judgment will be unmistakable. 8 v 9 -14 "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

This would be their last opportunity to respond "The days are coming, " declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

e. The Vision of the Lord by the Altar 9: 1 -10 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: "Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape. No one can hide…

“the altar” was to represent the place of atonement and God’s mercy but to a disobedient people, from “the altar” sound out words revealing God’s righteousness (Rom 1: 18) Strike! No one shall escape! (See also 9: 8 -10) All the sinners among my people will die by the sword…. .

No one can hide from the Lord! “ever present” v 2 -4 Though they dig down to the depths of the grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.

The Lord, the LORD Almighty, he who touches the earth and it melts “All powerful” v 5 -6 he who builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land — THE LORD IS HIS NAME.

What happened in 722 BC “Jeroboam son of Nebat their king enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there”. 2 Kings 17: 21 -23

d. A Message Of Hope for a Repentant People. 9: 11 -15

God will restore and rebuild Merciful and faithful v 11 -15 In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, " declares the LORD, who will do these things.

God will give fertility and fruitfulness to the land "The days are coming, " declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.

God will gather his scattered people I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

God will provide security and permanence I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, " says the LORD your God.