May 28, 2001

Lesson for June 10


EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Children of God should remember whose they are
___ Amos 3:1-15
___By Jeane Law
___First Baptist Church, Lubbock
___I have often heard a friend of ours say to his teenagers when they left him to join other youth, "Remember who you are, and who you represent."
___That had earthly as well as spiritual connotations. My daddy never said that to me as I was growing up, but because he had such stature in our town and in our church, and because I had such respect for who he was, my daily (and nightly) actions were controlled by my desire to do nothing that would reflect badly on him. I did what my friend was asking his children to do.
___This is what God had asked Israel to do, and they failed miserably. In relation to God, I have often failed too.
___Amos 3 begins with God saying to Israel, "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." God is saying that they had been his family: "You only have I chosen." They knew his name. They had prayed to him and talked with him and had been aware of his presence among them in days gone by. They were family, but they had done nothing to earn being the family God chose to bless.
___In Genesis 12:1-3, God had promised Abraham he would make him into a great nation and would bless him. Then, in Exodus 19:5, God said to Israel, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole world is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
___God had such great expectations, and in the book of Amos we see how his disappointment turned to anger as he proclaimed the punishment that would come upon them. The chapter begins by his telling about the judgment they deserved, and then in verse 3:11, he says, "Therefore," and gives the judgment they will receive. It is not a pretty story. God included the two tribes in Judah in this condemnation too, for he said in 3:1, "against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt."
___Many of us who have raised children said to them when they did something wrong or inappropriate, "You knew better. Why did you do it?" This is the reason God had become so angry. He couldn't let them go unpunished, for their sins dishonored him. They had willfully profaned their character as his chosen nation. But because they were his family, their sins grieved him more than the sins of other nations who didn't know him. Any parent who reads this lesson understands that.
___In verses 3-8, Amos' words remove any doubt God was going to take action. "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared--who will not fear? The sovereign Lord has spoken ..." (v. 8). God even told them to bring the heathen nations to watch the destruction of his chosen nation so they too would understand he would not tolerate being ignored, for he was Lord. He went on to say they had done wrong so long they didn't even know how to do right (v. 10).
___In verses 11-15, the Lord describes how the enemy would overrun the nation and plunder her fortresses. Very few would escape being captured, and they would live in fear. The lavish, extravagant summer and winter homes of the wealthy, which were filled with ivory and plunder, would be destroyed. The altars of Bethel, which had become a mockery, would be demolished. He was even going to break the horns off the altar, and they represented Israel's place of refuge.
___The enemy mentioned here were the Assyrians, and they did conquer Israel just as was described. Those who had robbed and oppressed their fellow countrymen experienced the same at the hands of the Assyrians.
___Israel had been privileged by God, and they became proud and presumptious, assuming God would continue to tolerate their sin because of who they were. They failed to recognize the righteousness of God and acted very irresponsibly.
___Today, we too are chosen. John 15:16 says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last."
___1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
___Just as God blessed the children of Israel, he has blessed us with abundant lives. These verses state clearly our responsibility as brothers and sisters of Christ, members of God's family for eternity. We are to represent him to others. This was what the Israelites failed to do.
___We are to bear fruit by telling others about him. We have the light of Christ and we are to take it into the darkness of sin, in all the ways available to us. We are to praise God.
___To whom much is given, much is required. Remember who you are and who you represent.

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