Read Amos 9
Israel to Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.
2 Though they dig down to the depths below,
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
from there I will bring them down.
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent to bite them.
4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword to slay them.
“I will keep my eye on them
for harm and not for good.”
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;
6 he builds his lofty palace in the heavens
and sets its foundation on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
7 “Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites?”
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor
and the Arameans from Kir?
8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.
9 “For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
and not a pebble will reach the ground.
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,
all those who say,
‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’
Israel’s Restoration
11 “In that day
“I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.
13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.
“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
Go Deeper
In 2014, Fixer Upper launched its first season on HGTV. The premise of the show was to take “the worst house in the best neighborhood” and turn it into a family’s dream home through construction and design. One of the constant pieces of the show was “Demo Day”, when sledgehammers and crowbars broke apart cabinets, pulled away floors, and tore down walls. The old parts that no longer worked had to be removed to make space for the planned design.
Amos 9 is the vision of God’s “Demo Day” for Israel. Israel had been delivered and called to a higher purpose as God’s chosen people. God had provided land, victory in battle, laws for guidance, and detailed designs for maintaining their relationship with Him. Yet, they had squandered the land, claimed their own success, and ignored the laws. God tried over and over and over to redirect and revive Israel to no avail.
Pride grew like mold throughout the people of Israel, the holes in their faith made the structure of their sacred society unstable, and the infestation of other cultures and beliefs devastated the foundation of their relationship with God. A time was coming when God would break apart, pull away, and tear down all the things Israel claimed for themselves. Sometimes, we need God to lead a “Demo Day” in our own lives. We need our sinful strongholds to be broken apart, our pride to be pulled away, and our reliance on worldly things to be torn down.
However, demolition is not the end of the story in Amos. Rather, God’s work makes way for His beautiful planned design. Amos describes the hope of this new design in verses 11-15: it will “restore David’s fallen shelter,” which references the royal line of King David, and it will be given not just to Israel, but to “all the nations that bear my name.” The planned design is bigger than the nation of Israel and will be better than they could have imagined because the planned design is Jesus. Jesus rebuilds the ruins of humanity and delivers the Holy Spirit so that all the people of all the nations can enjoy a relationship with God. The same is true for each of us. “Demo Day” is never the end of the story with God; it is the beginning of the better story to come.
Questions
- What sinful strongholds, pride, or reliance on worldly things need to be demolished in your life?
- Do you have faith that God’s design leads to a better story to come?
- What steps can you take today to begin allowing God to have his own “Demo Day” in your life to make way for His design for you?
By the Way
In Acts 15:12-19, the Council of Jerusalem references Amos 9. The Council gathered to discuss the requirements of Gentile believers, citing Amos 9 as proof that God’s plan had always been to save all people, Jews and Gentiles alike.
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3 thoughts on “Amos 9”
God will destroy everything apart from him that we falsely place our security in. Our hearts were made for him, and only him. All our idols must be crushed, so that we can be restored, remade & renewed in this broken world. God longs to redeem, not punish. However, like a loving father, he does not withhold correction from his children when it is necessary. I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:5-6 “My child, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastens everyone he accepts as his child.” As our time in Amos draws to an end, I’m reflecting on the parallels of the Israelites to America. Have we lost sight of God’s love, care and precepts while living carefree, comfortable lives blind to the needs around us? Do we check all the Christian boxes but not fully love God and others? Amos inspires me to live faithfully as God calls us to do; he was a shepherd, I’m a teacher. My goal is obedience and commitment to the One who gave the clear call to go and make disciples.
Amos is a book where after reading chapter 1 it makes you want to turn a few pages to the end to see if God changed his mind. And He did! The ending v. 11-15 I have read repeatedly. The words ‘restore’, ‘rebuild,’ and ‘never again’ are so comforting after all the brutal visions Amos has spoken of in the preceding chapters. Especially if you are one coming out of exile, the wilderness, a famine, or “demo day” in your own life. I just want to camp out here today on God’s promises–such a refreshing outlook of hope, restoration, and unconditional love.
Thank you, Father for leading Amos from his familiarity into an unknown mission. May we glean and learn how we are to trust and obey you when we are called into a new chapter in our lives. May we hold onto your promises and know that you NEVER break them. Thank you for loving us completely and helping us through our restoration process. We love you. In Jesus name
I typed a message and hit the wrong button so all went away. God’s mercies are like that for us now in the new administration. We ask for forgiveness and poof God says it is gone. But we do have work to do most likely to restore, rebuild, and probably renew some relationships due to those sins. BUT GOD….
Thank you God for your grace and forgiveness in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!