Why is our nation not in Mourning?

 Read Amos 8.

Philosopher George Santayana is credited with this statement: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

In the fourth vision of Israel's impending doom, God showed Amos a basket of summer fruit.  The interpretation is simple.  Israel was ripe for judgment.  The time had come for the LORD to respond to the unbridled sin of the nation.  In particular, the business community was singled out for their greed and dishonesty.  They even complained at having to stop their commerce for the scheduled times of worshiping the LORD.  They "trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end" (v.4).

The scene of what was about to take place is graphically described by God.  When the Assyrian army invades the land, the dead bodies will be "thrown everywhere" (v.3).  Their songs will be turned into sobbing and their feasts into famine.  They will cry out to God, but He will not listen.  They will seek Him, but He will not be found.  They rejected His messages delivered by the prophets when He urged them to repent, so He will withhold His word when this judgment falls (v.11).

Even the youngest and strongest will not be able to endure (v.13).  Where are the false gods and false teachings in which they trusted (v.14) instead of the God of heaven?  All those alternative beliefs proved powerless in the day that the all-powerful One meted out what He promised.

Here was God's question: "Shall not the land tremble on this account and everyone mourn who dwells in it?" (v.8).  Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today and forever."  If a nation (a people or an individual) does not listen and take heed regarding the judgment to come, how do they think they shall escape?  The reason there is no trembling and mourning over their sin is because they do not believe the Lord will hold them accountable.  The message in the middle of Amos is "prepare to meet your God" (4:12).

The solution?  Jesus said, "Come to me..." (Matthew 11:28)

 

Confidence in the face of Opposition

 Read Amos 7.

God's judgment on the northern kingdom was certain.  Amos had been called and assigned by the LORD to warn the people and urge them to repent of their sin.  To reveal how the punishment would occur, God showed him five visions; three in chapter seven and two in chapter eight.  The destruction in the visions was so great that it moved Amos to intercede for the nation. 

1. Locusts. (vv.1-3)
This dreaded plague against Israel's crops would have meant famine.  Amos cried out for God to forgive the people and not do this.  God heard and answered the judgment part of that prayer.

2. Fire. (vv.4-6)
Such a disaster would not only destroy all the crops but all the structures of the land as well.  Amos prayed for this not to happen and, again, God answered his prayer.

3. Sword. (vv.7-9)
In other words, war by an enemy nation would inflict upon Israel what God wanted to accomplish.  There is no recorded prayer and the judgment did not change.

To illustrate how out of line the nation of Israel had become, God is pictured holding a plumb-line against a wall.  God's standards of what is right do not change.  Holding up His righteousness next to Israel vividly revealed their crookedness.  God did not move.  They did.

The northern kingdom had separated itself from Jerusalem and established an amalgam of false worship.  It is no surprise that the priest of Bethel and the king refused to listen God's word.  Instead of listening to the message, their solution was to get rid of the messenger.  But, Amos knew that the message was not his and the assignment was not his.  God designed and planned the life of Amos to fulfill His purpose at this point in time.  Such understanding gave Amos confidence to stand strong in the face of opposition.

Knowing how God created us as individuals, what He has given to us in abilities, and taking full advantage of the opportunities He provides, will result in a life that pleases Him and fulfills us.  There is no greater confidence than the sense that one is in the center of God's will for their lives.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

 

God's response to corrupt Leaders

 Read Amos 6.

The notables of Israel enjoyed political and social positions (v.1).  They lived in luxury (vv.4-6a). 
While these leaders benefited from the nation's blessings, they paid no attention to the nation's spiritual bankruptcy.  Indeed, they were key influencers in the corruption of justice and by their own examples led the people away from doing what was right (v.12).  

In their thinking, success and prosperity came by their own doing (v.13).  The sin was not in their possessions or their power but in their self-centered pride (v.8).  Instead of grieving over the ruin they had caused (v.6), they felt safe and unaccountable.

How would God respond to such attitudes and behaviors?
"You will be the first to go!" (v.7)

They lost sight of the true goal of this nation in being examples of people who lived to please God.  Success and prosperity were results of God's sovereign blessings upon them.  They lived in a land that God gave them.  The people were God's people.  Being such abhorrent managers of God's possessions warranted the Owner to remove them and punish them.  He used the Assyrian Empire to do His work of judgment.  It was a brutal scene as the invaders literally pulverized (v.11) the cities of the northern kingdom.

Popularity, personality, and political party does not a leader make.  Character does.  People tend to overlook broken promises, failures to act, and immorality in order to selfishly keep their favored person in leadership.  God does not overlook such moral and spiritual sins.  A leader's judgment may or may not come in this life.  But be assured that according to the promise of God there is an eternal one waiting for them. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."  (Revelation 21:8)

It is for this very reason that God in His grace sent the prophets to call the nation to repentance while there was hope.  And, so it is for us.  "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

 

Man, this is the Life!

 Read Amos 5.

The people of Israel enjoyed a time of great prosperity.  They felt they were really living and could behave however they wished without answering to anyone.  Note what this attitude led to in verses 10-12.
1. They oppressed the poor through taxation.
2. They wasted resources by excessive lifestyles.
3. They hated and then afflicted the righteous by rejecting the truth.
4. They distorted justice by taking bribes.
5. They turned away from those in need.

These, the LORD called their great sins.  Their financial independence resulted in the wrong sort of life-independence and wastefulness.  The problem came when they forgot the source of their blessings and decided to live independently of God and His word.  By not listening to the truth, they were not prepared for what was about to take place.  Everything they had, all their possessions, their pleasures, their very lives, would soon be gone.

Three times in this chapter God called to them, "Seek me and live."  Further, there was the urging to "Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious..." (v.15).

Amazingly, when life seems to be going well, many want to take the credit for their blessings or successes and find little to no time for God.  And, when circumstances are not going well, these same folks want to give God full credit for the bad things.  The bottom-line is that they choose to interpret their faith in God by their own feelings instead of the facts. 

A self-focused and selfish life can only be based upon temporal values that one day will all be left behind.  The Apostle Paul was correct, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19).  Living for Jesus means we keep eternity's values in view and experience a life that transcends our circumstances, good or bad.  Both are tests of our faith, not the truthfulness of God.

"I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

 

What does God need to do to gain our attention?

 Read Amos 4. 

Israel lived in prosperity.  They offered sacrifices every day, tithed every three days, and beyond that practiced generosity giving.  But their behavior was arrogant and demanding.  They oppressed the poor and exploited those in need.

God responded to their sin in five ways in order to gain their attention and lead them to repent.
1. Famine (v.6)
2. Drought (v.7-8)
3. Blight (v.9) 
4. Pestilence (v.10)
5. Destruction (v.11)
And, five times God repeated the phrase, "yet you did not return to me."

"Therefore...prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" (v.12)

They forgot that God was in charge and ignored His interventions to gain their attention.  Who is this One who commands such obedience?  Here are His claims (v.13):
1. He forms the mountains.  The God of the Bible claims credit for shaping and fashioning the earth.
2. He creates the wind.  The God of the Bible takes credit for selecting and dispatching wind currents.
3. He declares His thoughts to humans.  The God of the Bible has made Himself and His word known so mankind is without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).
4. He makes light and darkness.  The God of the Bible commanded light in the beginning "and there was light" (Genesis 1:3).  He can move the clouds and the storms to darken a day.
5. He treads above the earth.  The God of the Bible oversees all that is happening in His world and is ready to respond.

Who is He?  "The LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!"

 

Are you in agreement with God?

 Read Amos 3.

After delivering eight pronouncements of coming judgment, Amos then began preaching God's messages to Israel.  The LORD started by reminding the Jews of His unique relationship with them.  God sovereignly chose Abraham and his descendants as a people of His particular love and care.  He established this with an unconditional and unchanging covenant (Genesis 12, 15, 17).  But despite all He had done for them over the centuries, the northern kingdom of Israel proved to be consistently in rebellion against God.

To illustrate the absolute certainty of the punishment for their sins, the LORD asked seven questions in a row.  The answer to all of them was no.  The second part of each question will not happen without the first.  Again, in this chapter, God used the comparison of a roaring lion.  "The LORD God has spoken, who will not fear?" (v.8)

In His great love and mercy, the LORD warned the people in order that they might repent and turn to Him.  Every time, before God executed His judgments, He sent His spokespersons, the prophets, to deliver the message of what is to come.  To place fear in the Gentile neighbors, He invited them come and watch what will take place (vv.9-10).  There would be no fortress or hiding from the Assyrian invasion. 

When the kingdom divided and the northern ten tribes separated from Jerusalem, Jeroboam set up his own altars, creating his own religion of false worship.  Those altars and the symbols of Israel's prosperity will all be destroyed (vv.12-15).

Israel had a choice.  The solution was so simple.  "Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?"  The lack of agreement with Israel was not God's doing.  They were not walking with God because they decided to go their own way.  The result of such a decision is disastrous 100% of the time and is today. 

God in His loyal love for the world has given fair warning of the coming eternal judgment.  The reason is so that everyone would have the opportunity to repent of going their own way and turn to Him for forgiveness.  There is no other escape.  "If we confess our sins (literally to agree with God), he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

 

Attitudes toward God determine how we treat People

 Read Amos 2.

His name means "burden bearer" and, indeed, Amos bore the burden of declaring God's judgments.  While seven neighboring nations are included, the primary audience in this book is the northern kingdom of Israel.

The sins that brought about these punishments mostly involved their mistreatment and abuse of people.  However, the sin of Judah was generally stated as "they have rejected the law of the LORD and not kept his statutes" (v.4).

Concerning Israel, the list of sins is longer than any of the others.
1. They showed no pity on the poor and sold them into slavery. (v.6)
2. They oppressed the poor with a corrupted judicial system. (v.7a)
3. They openly practiced sex outside of marriage.  Note that God took it personally as against His holy name. (v.7b)
4. They allowed the poor to use their coats as loan collateral in violation of God's specific laws against this. (v.8a)
5. They used confiscated wine to drink in a so-called act of worship. (v.8b)
6. They rebelled against God after He delivered them and made them to prosper. (vv.9-12)

The result would be that no one will escape when the judgment falls on Israel.  The Assyrian invasion was brutal.  Those who were not killed lost everything as they were scattered far and wide.

This passage should cause us to think about our own attitudes, particularly as it relates to our treatment of the poor.  The Apostle James wrote: "Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?....If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well.  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin..." (James 2:5-9) 

A person's attitude toward God will inevitably be seen in the way they treat people.  If one is angry at God, they will be angry with others.  If they claim independence of God, they will act arrogantly toward others.  If they chose to ignore the God who loves them, they will also choose to ignore the people who love them.