Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14-15 ESV)
The Book Of Amos is perhaps one of the most unread books in the Bible. It is filled with doom and gloom stuff that most people don't want to read about. However, it also has some powerful messages tucked into its pages that we must not overlook.
First, - a little background information.
Amos was from a small town about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, a village resting in the hills, a place called Tekoa. He is sometimes called a “bib-overalls” prophet. A blue-collar prophet. He was, after all, a shepherd and a worker who tended sycamore trees. He is definitely not is a professional religious leader.
Notice how he describes himself: As he puts it (Amos 7:14-15), “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ’Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
He was an unlikely prophetic voice. Amos was just an ordinary man who was able to see that things were not right between the nation of Israel and God. But more importantly, he was an ordinary man who saw injustice and did something about it. So without any formal training, he begins to preach. And the message he preaches is one of judgment.
Judgment – that’s a bad word today. We don’t like it. It makes us feel uncomfortable. It has become common for us to think of God as a loving parent who would never, ever discipline His children.
Notice how he describes himself: As he puts it (Amos 7:14-15), “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ’Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
He was an unlikely prophetic voice. Amos was just an ordinary man who was able to see that things were not right between the nation of Israel and God. But more importantly, he was an ordinary man who saw injustice and did something about it. So without any formal training, he begins to preach. And the message he preaches is one of judgment.
Judgment – that’s a bad word today. We don’t like it. It makes us feel uncomfortable. It has become common for us to think of God as a loving parent who would never, ever discipline His children.
- We talk about how God loves us, which is true.
- We talk about how God accepts us, which is true.
- We talk about how God forgives and has compassion on us, which is true.
- But it is also true that God, like any loving parent, has expectations of us.
We picture God as a loving, but weak and careless parent. He loves us, but never becomes angry with us.
Amos comes busting through the Old Testament with a message of a loving God who sometimes, like my Dad, is angered, disappointed, frustrated and provoked to take disciplinary action.
As you read through the first few chapters you begin to notice that God has had enough and now is pronouncing "judgment" on those who were sinning. There is a point at which we push God so that he “will not turn back.” We commit one sin, then another, and another, and eventually, we push God and provoke in him his judgment.
Amos is preaching at the same time as the prophet Hosea, another Minor Prophet. And Hosea captures the attitude of the people in his book when he writes...
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:1-6 ESV)
We have that kind of attitude. God will always forgive us. We can do what we want and he will accept us, revive us and bind up our wounds.
But Amos suggests otherwise.
In the opening two chapters of his book, Amos repeatedly uses that literary device, “For three sins, and for four…I will not turn back.” And then Amos says, God declares “I will send fire” upon my people. A symbol of judgment.
As the prophet moves into chapter 3 of his book, he begins to explain the reasons why judgment is needed. The people of Israel hate integrity, justice and compassion. They arrogantly sit in luxury while the poor suffer all around them. There is sexual immorality. People are not making and keeping marital commitments to one another.
Well, you get the idea. Amos has a whole list of sins here that the society is guilty of. But those sins are not the reason why God sends his judgment. The real reason is so that the people will turn back to God. Unfortunately, in Amos it doesn’t work.
In Amos chapter 4, the prophet uses another repetitive literary device to drive home the fact that God sends one judgment after another, not to give hateful punishment, but to give loving discipline in order to bring people back to him.
“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. (Amos 4:6-8 ESV)
The reason for the judgment is that we should return to God. Judgment is not evil. God loves us enough to send disciplining judgment on us. Judgment that will help us to refocus our attention back onto Him.
There are things we do in life that actually bring the hand of blessing and prosperity from toward us. And yet, there are things we do and life where He actually lifts it off us and we enter into hard times.
It would behoove all of us today to look closely at where our lives are heading and whether or not the hand of blessing or judgment from God is upon us. I have been the recipient of both sides and definitely desire and want the hand of blessing to reside over me and my family.
It would behoove all of us today to look closely at where our lives are heading and whether or not the hand of blessing or judgment from God is upon us. I have been the recipient of both sides and definitely desire and want the hand of blessing to reside over me and my family.
I think back on the times that I did things that brought the ire of my dad down upon me - things that I am too ashamed to even speak about. Yet, after dealing with me, he always loved and accepted me. he nurtured me and let me know how much I was loved by him and my mom.
This and more is the relationship that God wants to have with you and I today. May I encourage you to turn to Him and and allow His hand to direct you any way that He sees fit? It is then and only then that you will experience the blessings of God upon your life. He is waiting for you right now!
No comments:
Post a Comment