Amos
2
We’re looking at the sermon notes of the shepherd Amos. He had a fiery message to deliver at a time when commercial sharp practice was normal and standards had deteriorated. He preached around 760 BC in the N. kingdom of Israel.
After delivering half a dozen judgements from God on the surrounding nations, he now gets very personal. Having grabbed the attention of his hearers who are very keen to know what’s going to happen to others, because surely they deserve it, he now launches into what God thinks about the country where he came from – the southern kingdom of Judah. Remember he’s operating in the northern kingdom of Israel, and with no love lost between the divided kingdoms, one can imagine the crowd are all ears.
The message is blunt and stark. God declares “I will not turn back my wrath because they have rejected the law of the Lord --- not kept His decrees --- and been led astray by false gods --- I will send fire upon Judah.” Fire represents the holiness and judgement of God. Deuteronomy 4:24 reminds us “The Lord your God is a consuming fire.”
Imagine the glee and surprise expressed by his hearers in the northern kingdom. Fancy a Jewish prophet from Judah having a go at his own people – fancy classifying God’s chosen people with Gentile dogs that reject God.
One can imagine the startled people of Judah saying, “We know we aren’t perfect, but at least we worship the true and living God.” However, they did not do it in God’s prescribed way. Partial obedience is no obedience at all.
Then, suddenly, the northern kingdom itself was in the frame. This frank and fearless prophet, gripped by God, uttered a stinging judgement on Israel and he didn’t pull his punches. It’s in Amos Chapter 2 verses 6 and 7: “This is what the Lord says: ‘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. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.’”
The poor had fallen into slavery because of their debts. When they sought justice in the law courts they were heartlessly pushed aside because the judges had already been bribed by the wealthy and powerful.
It’s strikingly clear that his hearers in the northern kingdom of Israel, who had received revelation from God, were blatantly ignoring it. Holy living was old fashioned. Drunkenness was the order of the day. Moral deterioration had set in big-time.
Chapter 2 verse 12: “You made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.” They have forfeited God’s favour and now God’s after them. The Message Bible paraphrase puts verse 13 into God’s mouth: “You’re too much for me. I’m hard-pressed – to the breaking point. I’m like a wagon piled high and overloaded, creaking and groaning.” The New International Version translates it this way: “Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.” There’ll be no escape – no hiding place. None will get away – the swift, the strong, the warrior, the archer, the fleet-footed soldier, the horseman – judgement will overtake them all. No one can outrun God.
Romans chapter 11 verse 22 in the Authorised Version urges us to “behold the goodness and severity of God”. How we need such proclamation in our pluralistic society. It might not be politically correct to speak about the wrath of God, but it is biblically correct. Here is the jealousy of God at work to punish transgression in His chosen people and to discipline unto greater holiness.
Israel had conveniently forgotten ‘the vengeance of the covenant’ – i.e. what God promised would happen if they forsook Him.
I can sense a weary sadness in the heart of God at the deep ingratitude of Israel. Don’t you think God’s got feelings too? Hadn’t he brought them up out of Egypt and led this mob of ex-slaves for forty years in the desert? Hadn’t he destroyed the Amorite – that’s another name for the Canaanite – before them and given Israel the land he’d promised them? In return the people of God had sinned against mercy and grace. They had sinned against redemption and the revealed word of God. Their utter ingratitude was outrageous.
Amos was living dangerously. He’s just delivered a massive wake up call to the people in the northern kingdom. He’s a foreigner (he’s from the south) and a layman, but above all he’s a true man of God.
It’s to his advantage that he’s not an official member of the Jewish religion, nor is he from the political establishment, but it would be difficult to misinterpret his God inspired message. The games up – be sure your sin will find you out.
Do you ever pause to consider whether your religion is nauseating to God? In the New Testament letter of James we read these pointed words (Chapter 1 verses 26-27) “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”