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This chapter is clear: God doesn’t wink at sin. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were God’s chosen people. They had a covenant, an agreement or promise made between two parties; there were blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. In Exodus 19:5, God states, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” But during Amos’s time, these chosen people of God were stuck in sin. The poor were cheated and idolatry was rampant, so God appointed His prophet, Amos, to chastise Israel for these sins.

In Amos 7, three prophetic visions of judgment are described: locusts, fire, and a plumb line. A plumb line is a weight suspended on a string hung from the top of a wall and is used to test a wall’s vertical trueness. Amos’s vision helps us understand that God had measured the people and found them failing to live up to their privileged status as His people. Rather than walking truly and upright, they walked crookedly. Israel (“Jacob”) was called to be holy (Ex 19:6) but gave only lip service to the covenant. The people winked at sin, and God’s wrath was brewing. Judgment and punishment were imminent. This theme of punishment for wickedness continues in the New Testament, where Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal 6:7).

To be clear, Christians are not saved by doing good deeds. Rather, we are saved by grace (Eph 2:8), and although God’s grace is free, it’s not cheap because it cost Jesus His life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor during World War II, wrote about this “cheap grace” and explains that discipleship costs us our lives. As saved people, God calls us to conduct ourselves in a manner “worthy of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). That is to say, we are to be people of good moral character, as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).  Fortunately, if we stumble, Scripture tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Throughout the Old Testament, we find God longing for His chosen people to be in a right relationship with Him. When they inevitably fell astray, His judgment would capture their attention again, and the resulting repentance pleased Him. Today, God longs to be in a right relationship with all people, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus is the new covenant between God and all humanity. God promises that if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9)!

Amos 6 picks up where Amos 5 leaves off. This chapter is another warning to the Israelites who have grown complacent. They were indulging in the comforts of the world, just like their pagan neighbors, and they were blind to their own downfall. Here Amos is essentially saying, “To those of Israel who are lazy, selfish, undisciplined, and self-indulgent come these future woes!” The Israelites wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted to live like the rest of the world and have the favor of God at the same time, but that’s not how God intended for them to live. 

Charles Spurgeon, the nineteenth century British preacher, said this about their complacency (or “ease”): “A carnal ease, a fleshly security, it is not the confidence of a man who is pardoned, but the ease of a hardened wretch who has learned to despise the gibbet…It is not the calm of soul at peace with God, but the ease of a madman, who, because he has hidden his sin from his own eyes, thinks he has concealed it from God.” They weren’t living with gratitude; entitlement had set in. The Israelites weren’t seeking rest and refuge in God; they had simply drifted from His commands and into dangerous patterns of laziness, procrastination, and self-indulgence. . 

Our God is surely one of rest, a God who desires to rejuvenate His people. Jesus tells us to come to Him for our rest to be satisfied (Matthew 11:28-29). God ensures rest for His people to help them avoid future disobedience (Hebrews 4:9-11). God graciously affords us insight into the beautiful rest in eternity we are to experience (Revelation 4:9-11). There is a vast dichotomy between the false rest of the gluttonous and the heavenly rest provided by our Creator within His infinite generosity and love.

Let this passage serve as a reminder to us that God loves His people, but he detests their (and our) pride. May we seek humility today and find our rest in Him

It’s not news to any of us that we live in a fallen world. Disease, death, and affliction are all around us. The fruits of our sin and brokenness run rampant. Life can feel unfair and brutal. Life for Israel in Amos 5 was no different. Israel lived in sin and suffered the drastic consequences. Evil was everywhere. The rich exploited the poor and the powerful hurt the innocent (v. 12). This was a time when people “turned justice into bitterness” and “threw what is fair and right to the ground” (v. 7). It often feels like this is the same world we live in. And it is. We look around us and see a world that “calls evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).

Amos 5:8-9 offers us incredible hope in the midst of this suffering. There is One who spoke into existence the universe–– One who reigns over light and holds power over the darkness. The Lord is His name! He is powerful to bring judgment on the wicked and to rescue His children. Evil does not triumph! We don’t have to despair in a world suffering from sin and brokenness. We can know that our God is more powerful than it all.

In the midst of all this brokenness in the world and out of our own hearts, God implores us to seek Him! Comparing verses 4 and 14 reveals that seeking God is equivalent to seeking good. God is the standard that defines justice and righteousness, so to worship Him is to do justice and righteousness––to do good! Ephesians 2:10 tells us something similar: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Part of following Jesus is living out the good works God created us to do. 

Nonetheless, the Lord makes it clear in verses 21-23 that he doesn’t want just meaningless, obligatory worship and rituals. Empty religion apart from a relationship with Him won’t cut it. And it’s worse than inadequate; it hurts His heart! He wants both our hearts and our actions. “Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up” (v. 24). Because God defines righteousness and justice, pursuing these things because of our faith is an act of worship. 

Yes, we live in a world overcome by the effects of sin and brokenness. And yet, we do not despair, for our God is greater. And He uses us as part of His solution to bring goodness to the world by His grace.

Amos doesn’t mince words as he continues to call out the injustices of Israel. Social and spiritual corruption had overtaken them, leaving their acts as a stench to God. Bashan was known for its fertile pasture land perfect for raising cattle. As the livestock flourished, the men spoiled their women with all kinds of luxury. The women suffered from an entitled mindset and demanded more and more, while they actively oppressed and crushed the poor. The women so valued their material possessions, they were willing to abuse others and most importantly deny God’s laws to get them. Through Amos, God condemns their blatant selfishness and promises they “will be thrown from their fortresses” (v. 3).

Amos mentions two places (Bethel and Gilgal) that were important sites in Israel’s history where God had visited His people. Bethel was the place where God renewed his covenant with Abraham to Jacob. Gilgal had been Israel’s first campground after entering the promised land (and later on would be the location of the Passover). These sacred places were now entrenched in idol worship instead of worshiping the one true God. Amos mentioned this was not just a casual act, but the kind of thing the Israelites loved to do. God was longing to visit His people again, only if they would recognize their deceitful hearts and turn back to Him.

A glance back in Israel’s past would reveal that God indeed would not be ignored but would bring judgment on sin. He had warned the people through famine, drought, blight, locusts, plagues and war, but the people blatantly refused to turn to Him. They soon would have to face God, who they had rejected over and over again. God used Amos as his mouthpiece to reveal his plan. The people had been warned, and so have we.

Before we cast too many stones at the Israelites, a close examination of our own hearts will reveal similar sins. We may try to “pick and choose” which of God’s commands we follow, instead of obeying the whole law of God. Stubbornness clouds our vision and blinds us to the deception lurking in our hearts. We are prone to live inauthentic lives avoiding repentance to protect our image and gratify the flesh. We forget that sovereign God will not be mocked. “He is here: The One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, the One who makes dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of earth. Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name”(v. 13).

Amos reminds the people of Israel that they are the chosen ones of God. He reminds them of their standing before God because this impacts the punishment of their sins against God. There’s an old adage, made popular by Marvel’s Spiderman, that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Israel enjoyed God’s unique blessing and covenantal relationship, so the punishment for their wrongdoing would be in accordance with that relationship. Greater responsibility results in greater accountability.

Amos has foretold that God will judge Israel, and this chapter is the first of five messages of Amos explaining why God will judge the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Namely, for their sins against God and man. Amos uses a series of rhetorical questions to make the inevitably of Israel’s coming judgment clear. Each indicates a cause and effect relationship and points to his conclusion in verses 7-8 that God would do nothing to His people without first telling them by way of the prophets.

The prophecies of Amos and Hosea happen around the same time period (eighth century BC) and share some similarities, but a few differences are notable. While the prophecies of Hosea reflected his personal life, the prophecies of Amos reflected his professional life. Where Hosea emphasizes God’s love, Amos emphasizes God’s righteousness. And where the prophecies of Hosea are more tender, the prophecies of Amos are more threatening. But Amos’ prophetic teaching was not without hope. While he announced destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he also predicted that the Lord would preserve a remnant and restore Israel and through them bring all nations to Himself. 

When we read these verses, we get the sense of how much the Lord truly grieves over sin. We see the heart of God on full display. He is devastated. His own children are responding poorly to His grace, blessings and provision. He wants a relationship with His people. Yet, they are ungrateful, forgetful and eager to indulge in what the world has to offer instead. We see this as a pattern in the Old Testament. The Lord puts His power and sovereignty on display. Then, His people are quick to forget and turn to false gods.

A major shift starts in verse 9. The Lord speaks in the first person. He says, “Yet I destroyed,” “I brought you up out of Egypt,” “I led you forty years,” and, “I also raised up prophets.” The Lord is reminding Israel of the mercies in which He bestowed upon them. He reminds them of His provision, His guidance, His strength, and His power on their behalf. Yet, His own people so easily abuse that grace with sin. The fact the Lord has to remind them of everything He has done for them shows their tendency to forget.

Surely, we would not do the same? We would not commit the same error of forgetfulness, apathy and ingratitude, right? 

Sometimes it is easy to think our sins are minor or that the effect is small. All sin, including the sin of professing believers, is a great burden to God. We need to be reminded daily when we sin, we are sinning against the almighty God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and the one who gave His own son to die so that we may be set free from the bondage of sin and live forever with Him. Praise be to God for not leaving us on our own, but rescuing us and calling us His children. May we grow in our awareness of our sin and the way that it grieves the Father.  May we respond to all that He has done for us with gratitude, praise, and a heart of obedience.

Amos is an interesting book. Most of the prophets we read about in the Old Testament came from a sort of “school”of prophets, having been distinctly trained for the office (some even since birth). Amos, on the other hand, is a shepherd and fig tree farmer (with no formal theological training) from a border region between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Israel has, in disobedience, rebelled against God and His installed Davidic kings, setting up their own false kings, false prophets, and false places of worship. God has had enough of this, so He sends Amos to go and tell them to right their wrongs.

What is also strange about this text is that, even though 1:1-2 tells us that the audience of the following prophetic poetry is Israel, the subject of the first chapter is God’s judgment against the nations. This is where some knowledge of biblical geography becomes helpful. What Amos is doing here is drawing a geographical circle around the northern kingdom of Israel, using the sin of the nations around Israel to set up the weight of Israel’s own sin and their being led astray. God will not let the sin of his people go unpunished.

What we see super clearly in this first chapter is that God takes sin seriously—especially the sin of nations and whole groups of people. Colossians 2 even suggests that he keeps a record of it. The sins that Amos lays out here are wicked things that the nations are walking in, but they aren’t just ancient history. These are the same things that we walk in today.

We may not feel directly involved in wars, racism, or slavery, but still we play a part in conflicts, we dislike our neighbor for their differences, and we materialistically consume products that were produced by unethical labor means. We feel more removed from it, so we tend to give ourselves a pass. Just as the nations are being called out of their sin and into the righteous standard of Zion’s temple, so God is calling us out of our sin and into the righteous standard of the one in whom God’s fullness was also pleased to dwell—Jesus. Jesus takes the record of our sin and nails it to the cross, and gives us an opportunity to reject it and walk in righteousness. Let us not be a people known to the nations for our sin, but for our following of God.