Lessons for July 8
EXPLORE THE BIBLE:G
od is holy and righteous--and he will discipline
___ Amos 7:1-9:15
___By Jeane Law
___First Baptist Church, Lubbock
___This week we come to the closing chapters of the book of Amos. We will assume Amos has moved from Samaria, where he prophesied in chapters 1-6, to Bethel, where Amaziah serves as the priest. Amos is probably speaking the words written in chapters 7-9 to those gathered at the temple in Bethel.
___Amos had five visions. Visions and dreams were common in the Old Testament, such as those interpreted by Joseph in Genesis 41 and by Daniel in Daniel 2. The people
believed them to be divine revelations from the gods or from God, so they took them seriously. The graphic nature of visions, as opposed to words, allowed Amos to see God's intentions and have a personal understanding of God's power and plan, causing him to cry out on behalf of the people.
___It has taken a great deal of loyalty on the part of Amos to continue to prophesy, because his messages have offended the listeners, and he is not very popular. But his loyalty to God has made him bold as he has now moved to Bethel, a place of worship.
___Chapter 7 begins with the words, "This is what the sovereign Lord showed me" (7:1). Amos saw the Lord preparing the locusts to attack the new young sprouts after the king's share had been harvested. This second crop was for the sustenance of the peasant farmers, and they would be absolutely destitute if they had no crop. Amos passionately pleaded with God to forgive them and withhold his punishment. (He was asking for an act of pure grace that was undeserved, for the people had not repented.) "So the Lord relented. 'This will not happen,' the Lord said" (7:3).
___The second vision shown Amos was a huge fire devouring the land and consuming everything, including the people. It was a horrible sight, and again Amos cries out to the Lord. He doesn't ask for forgiveness, but asks, "How can Jacob (Israel) survive? He is so small" (v. 5). So again the Lord relented and said, "This will not happen either" (v. 6).
___There is much discussion by commentators as to the presumption of Amos to ask God, who knows everything, to change his mind about what he thinks he must do. I imagine most of us have prayed and asked God to have mercy on loved ones or ourselves, who have made poor choices against God's law. We won't debate the issue here--I'm just going to say Amos addresses God out of human weakness and a need for compassion. God had the choice and chose to relent.
___The third vision Amos saw was the Lord standing by a wall with a plumb line. A plumb line is a weight at the end of a string, used to test the straightness of a wall, because a crooked wall will eventually fall. God was measuring the righteousness of Israel, and they were very "crooked." God then says, "I will spare them no longer" (v. 8). He said, "The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam" (v. 9).
___If someone was heard declaring our churches and government buildings were going to be destroyed and our president killed, we would probably call the FBI and have him arrested. That's the reaction of Amaziah. He sent word to Jeroboam about what Amos had said, but he didn't quote him correctly. He didn't tell the king these words had come from God. He said the words were from Amos. Read and compare verses 7-11. He then told Amos to go home and make his money prophecying in Judah. He didn't understand Amos was called by God. This is sad when a priest of the temple refuses to hear the words of God. Do you suppose this ever happens today?
___Chapter 8 begins with the description of the fourth vision, a basket of ripe fruit. This simply meant Israel was "ripe for destruction." He repeats all their injustices and sins. There is no escape clause or hint of hope in the verses of chapter 8. The description of suffering is quite graphic. Worst of all is when they turn to God and he cannot be found.
___Chapter 9 begins with the fifth vision, not of things, but of God himself, standing at the altar of Bethel. In this vision, God executes his final judgement (v. 8). They refused his love and so received his judgement. Today we often feel God will look over the bad things we have done because we have done some good things, but unconfessed sin separates us from him, for our sin cannot be tolerated by a holy God.
___The last verses of chapter 9 give a promise of hope. "The days are coming declares the Lord ... I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them" (vv. 13, 15).
___What has Amos taught us? God is a holy, righteous God. He loves us and wants a relationship with us, but if we sin against him and refuse to repent, he will punish us. Loyalty to God is everything!
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
|