Amos
(All Scripture Quotations Are From The American Standard Version Unless Otherwise Noted)
The prophetic books of the Old Testament are generally divided up into two parts: the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. The Minor Prophets consist of the 12 prophets starting with Hosea and ending with Malachi. The terms Major Prophets and Minor Prophets are somewhat confusing terms in that it could give the idea that some are more important than others or that some are more inspired than the others. That is not the idea at all as the term apparently arose as a description of the length of the books. The Minor Prophets are short compared to the books classified as Major Prophets. Although the Minor Prophets are short in comparison, they are very rich in content. They provide us very important principles that apply to us today. That is especially true of the book of the prophet Amos.
I want us to begin our study with a look at the prophet himself. Little is in fact known about him. Like so many times, God does not indulge our fancy with respect to things we think we would like to know. The same is true of Amos. In Amos 1:1 He tells us that Amos prophesied during the rein of Uzziah, the King of the Southern Kingdom Judah. During this time, Jeroboam was King of the Northern Kingdom. Most scholars date the reign of these men as 792 - 739 B.C. for Uzziah and 793-753 B.C. for Jeroboam. Since Amos prophesized the violent end of Jeroboam, many put the time of his prophesy at around 755 B.C. The time in which he lived was a time of material wealth. The territory of Israel had increased through conquest and trade. Their wealth can be envisioned by the references made to their "silken cushions" and "houses of ivory". But in contrast to the great material wealth, the nation was spiritually bankrupt. There was contempt for things holy (Amos 2:6-8), there was abuse of the poor and the taking of bribes (Amos 5:11-12). They had an outward religion, but it was made vain by their idolatry. Israel had succumbed to calf worship and to Baal worship. Judah had digressed as well. As a result, they had digressed into a corrupt people. Against this backdrop of great wealth, we have Amos who was not one of social standing, he was not wealthy so far as we can tell, nor was he part of the ruling or intellectual class. Amos’s background is found is Amos 1:1 where it is said "The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." In Amos 7:14, we are also told that he was a tender of sycamore fruit. Tekoa was a village located in the Southern Kingdom. It lay some 18 miles east of the Dead Sea and some 12 miles south of Jerusalem. It was a very wind swept, rugged region, with many dangers from lions and jackals. One of the best descriptions of Amos that I have ever heard was given by Alan Highers. Brother Highers described him as one who if he were alive to today would be dressed in overalls, wearing brogan shoes, and having calluses on his hands. Amos was just a country farmer.
God was not concerned about Amos’s social standing, He was interested in his faithfulness. Amos was not sent to preach to farmers, he was sent to preach in the Northern Kingdom,a kingdom which was very wealthy and socially refined. I wonder what that might be like today. To have a farmer from the country go into the midst of the intellectual and social elite and preach against their evil ways. I can imagine what some in the church might think about that. Some would think that is not culturally relevant. How could a farmer from the back woods connect with these people? He is probably going to answer questions that no one is even asking. He knows nothing of how complex life has become. On his own that might be true. But Amos was relevant because he had a message from God to deliver to a rebellious people. If we consider history, more often than not God chose a person just like Amos to complete His will. This should not be shock to use because " 11..there is no respect of persons with God." (Romans 2:11) To have respect of persons means to have respect for outward appearances or status. It gives deference to the outward man. This is set in contrast with having respect for the inward man. We are told in 1 Peter 1:17 "And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear." God makes judgement according to the inward man. It is based upon obedience to God’s will, not on social or racial standing. Now how might we apply this situation today? First, we need to be careful because some congregations want highly educated preachers, elders or deacons. They desire men with sophistication and those who can "move around in certain circles". They desire preachers who have a great ability to speak publicly. I don’t think these things to be inherently bad, but they are outward things. Those are things that must be secondary. We must make decisions according to God’s standard, not human standards. What are God's standards for his ministers? It is not excellency of speech or worldly wisdom. Nor is it is social or material achievement. What God requires of his stewards is that " …that a man be found faithful" 1 Corthinians 4:2. And faithful is exactly what Amos was. For instance, consider the exchange between Amos and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. Bethel was the heart of apostate Israel. In Amos "12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 13but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house." In this confrontation, Amaziah essentially tells Amos to go back down South and there make a living. He probably thought that Amos was a prophet for hire, because he more than likely was. The reason for this is the preaching that Amos was doing was just too strong for Bethel and they were not going to tolerate it. That preaching did entail strong medicine for Israel. In Amos 7:11, we find that he was preaching that "Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land". How did Amos react to this order from Amaziah.? Did he think to himself "I better get out of here"? Oh no! This was his reaction to that challenge. "14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees: 15and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 16Now therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac; 17therefore thus saith Jehovah: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou thyself shalt die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land". He responded by saying I was directed to preach and that is what I will do. Furthermore, God has pronounced judgment on you Amaziah. Your wife will be a harlot, your sons & daughters will die by the sword, and you and Israel are going to go into captivity. You will die in a foreign land. What a man of God Amos was! No wonder God chose him to deliver the message to spiritually degenerate people.
What exactly was the message that God had him deliver? It was a message of impending judgment to Judah, Israel and the surrounding heathen nations. God lists the sins of the surrounding nations:
I am sure Israel would have agreed with all these judgements. Surely, they would be happy to see this happen to the unclean nations. Now however God turns his attention to His chosen people. The people who had more opportunity, more favor that any other nation on earth. To these people he pronounces judgment as well. Think of the courage that it took for Amos to condemn not only the heathen, but Israel as well. There were probably those in Israel that thought it was one thing to condemn the heathen, but it was another to condemn the worshipers of the one true God. Friends, they have their modern counterparts. There are those who say we need to fellowship those who teach erroneous doctrine, that we need to join forces with them to fight the unbelieving world. That we should not allow those things which in the their eyes are insignificant things. That has never been an acceptable position before God. Hear Amos: "Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk: 5but I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. 6Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes-- 7they that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father go unto the same maiden, to profane my holy name: 8and they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of such as have been fined." (Amos 2:4-8). In these passages God is not speaking of just four transgressions that they had committed, He is expressing the idea of the totality or completeness in their rejection of him. It implies filling up the measure of God’s judicial wrath upon them. Even Judah, which was more faithful kingdom, still had rejected the law of Jehovah, which was the sum of God’s commands and their principles. They had also rejected his statutes, which would seem to be specific laws given by God. So we can see that Judah had rejected God’s lawin every respect, be it in generalities or specifics.
They had followed after the false prophets and the same lies which their forefathers had done. The religious apostasy had in turn lead to cruelty, injustice and selfishness. Amos 2:6 tells us that they had "sold righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes." Their lust for luxury and comfort had caused them to trample on the righteous. The description gets more vivid in Amos 4:1 "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, "Bring wine, let us drink!". You know, some have mentioned that I am direct in my preaching. This is true, because that is what God requires, but I can honestly say I have never been so direct as to call certain women cows. Here we have Amos presenting the women as only interested in pleasure. Growing up in Texas, we had cows. The memories that remain with me are of cows standing around, laying down chewing their cud, or grazing waiting for me to feed them. I remember that cows basically are pretty much interested in only one thing, eating. Satisfy that and the cow is happy, even when they are being fattened for the slaughter. But is that not the picture we are given here? Ones who are basically saying, eat drink and be merry. Women who are concerned about nothing but their own riches and do not care who they have to hurt to get it.
Furthermore we find that "..they lay themselves down beside every altar" (Amos 2:8). They worshipped at every altar, they were given over to idolatry. What a sad situation indeed. The same nation that had been lead out of Egyptian bondage, who had been given the law and who had given them the promise land. These same people had now abandoned God. The consequence of which Amos under inspiration says "Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. 3Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? 4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? 5Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all? 6Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it? 7Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets. 8The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy? " (Amos 3:1-8). Israel had repaid God with unconditional betrayal. They rejected Him and His authoritative Word. As a result, God proclaims doom and they had better listen up. Like a lion roars when it sees it’s prey, God had roared through the prophet. Israel was His prey. Or like a trumpet that is blown to warn of danger, God was warning them. He was not going to swoop down on them without warning. The words of the prophet were that warning; it was the roar and sound of the trumpet and Israel need to prepare to meet God in judgment. In Amos 5:1 "Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel. 2The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up." Israel was going to perish in judgment, spoken as if it had already happened. Yet God offers hope to Israel in Amos 5:4-9 "For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live; 5but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. 6Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. 7Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth, 8seek him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth (Jehovah is his name); 9that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.". Israel could ultimately be saved, but it was not going to be on Israel's terms or it's alliances with other nations. It was going to be on God’s terms. If they would but repent and obey then God could take this dark situation they had brought upon themselves and make it day.
There are many more things we could discuss, but time will not permit. Amos was indeed a great man. He was courageous and faithful in a time of sin and rebellion. He pronounced doom and judgment and yet still offered hope for those who would turn back to Him. Perhaps the message of Amos and the other prophets could be summed up in God’s statement through Isaiah. In Chapter 45:22 it is said "22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else."We should be so thankful that God has always provided a way for man to be saved. The way that God has provided is found only in Christ Jesus. Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is "the way and the truth and the life, no one cometh unto the father but by me". It is in Him that we have the forgiveness of sins through his blood (Ephesians 1:7). So with that in mind if you are not a Christian, then I ask you very directly and without apology to become one now. Obey the gospel now. You must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17) and you must believe the gospel (Romans 1:16). But God does not say that is all you have to do. You must also repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), you must confess the name of Christ (Romans 10:10) and finally you must be baptized (immersed) into Christ, unto the remissions of your sins. Then having been buried with you Lord through the watery grave of baptism, you rise up as one who has had their sins forgiven ready to walk in newness of life (Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-4). Then you must live a faithful dedicated life and then at the end of that life, you will be prepared to meet the day of judgment (Revelation 2:10).