ROUTE 66 - AMOS The Farmer s Fury/The Perils of Affluence Dr. Jon McNeff, Senior Pastor September 18, 2013 Note: The following are the pastor s notes used in teaching this message. This is not a complete, word-for-word transcription of what was taught. These notes serve as a companion to the complete message, which is available by listening to the audio version. Bible quotes are primarily from NASB and ESV, respectively. It is harder to maintain clear Christian walk in prosperity than in adversity history does not teach us that we lose Christianity in a time of adversity we lose it in a time of prosperity 4 th century Constantine grants religious freedom Catholic Church began 1000 year domination of error U.S. we are losing our Christian faith in the midst of tremendous affluence This is the situation in Israel in the 8 th century B.C. God is angry over this Amos 1:2 The Lord roars from Zion for Amos the shepherd, the picture of a roaring lion is a picture of devastation I. SETTING Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, [ten miles south of Jerusalem] which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Amos was a farmer, not a prophet Amos 7:12-15 Then Amaziah said to Amos, Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence. Then Amos replied to Amaziah, I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, Go prophesy to My people Israel. contemporary of Isaiah (Isaiah 1:1), Jonah (2 Kings 14:25), and Hosea (Hosea 1:1) Though he prophesied mainly to the kingdom of Israel, he lived in Tekoa, ten miles south of Jerusalem, which was in Judah, during the reign of King Uzziah 2 Chronicles 26 began rule at 16 followed the Lord God blessed him got proud entered the Temple to burn incense confronted by the priests stricken with leprosy died that way but he brought prosperity to Israel But he prophesied from Bethel (Amos 7:13) during the reign of Jeroboam son of Joash this was Jeroboam II must understand 1 Kings 12-13 the first man named Jeroboam was noticed by Solomon a valiant warrior (1 Kings 11:28) God told him he would tear the kingdom out of Solomon s hands and give ten tribes to Jeroboam because 1 Kings 11:33 - they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 1 Kings 11:43 Solomon dies 1 Kings 12:11 Rehoboam comes to throne increases taxes! People rebel when Jeroboam returns from exile in Egypt the people make him king only Judah remains under Rehoboam beginning of divided kingdom Jeroboam ruled from 924-903 B.C. 1 Kings 12:25-27 Jeroboam knew religion was key to ruling people afraid the people would still want to worship in Jerusalem at the Temple 1 Kings 12:28 Jeroboam invented a religion made two golden calves built new places of worship in Bethel and Dan (site of Caesarea Philippi in New Testament times) 1 Kings 12:30-31 made houses on high places made priests of people who weren t Levites made his own altar assigned new rituals and sacrifices Succession of evil kings for Israel followed not one was good Yet Amos prophesied from Bethel READ Amos 7:10-17! 1
Jeroboam mentioned in Amos 1:1 is Jeroboam II he came to power (785-745) 120 years after Jeroboam I no relation he brought a 40 year-long reign of time of prosperity and peace Amos prophesied during a time of: Economic prosperity 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 now, that we may drink! same theme in Amos 5:11 12 Amos 6:4 6 Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Military peace no conflicts with Judah Amos 5:5 Assyrian threat from the north was held off because of their repentance following the preaching of Jonah God used this time to expand their borders and hold off the onslaught of Assyria even though he was evil (2 Kings 14:24) 2 Kings 14:25-27 - He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. II. GOD S JUDGMENT IS SURE A. The nations Amos 1:3-2:3 B. Judah Amos 2:4-5 God eventually fulfilled this prophecy through invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. C. Israel Amos 2:4-16 Amos finally arrives at his main target Israel even though Israel was secure and prosperous, they were spiritually bankrupt first seen in Amos 2:6 For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its punishment... Three primary reasons that set the tone for the rest of the book 1. Financial greed Amos 2:6, 7 Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of sandals. These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless Also turn aside the way of the humble they had much, but they wanted more an insatiable lust for money is not new without godly perspective, the more you have the more you want and we honor this mentality people who make a lot of money have power and prestige 2
Also seen 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 now, that we may drink! not a flattering picture of the women of Israel Bashan was a fertile plain east of the Jordan below Mt. Hermon God is not pleased with them at all not a promising future Amos 4:2 The Lord God has sworn by His holiness, Behold, the days are coming upon you When they will take you away with meat hooks, And the last of you with fish hooks. this is the way Assyria treated their captives! Amos 5:11-12 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate. slumlords taking advantage of the poor while they lived in houses of well-hewn stone (also referred to as houses of ivory and great houses in Amos 3:15 they accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate. Amos 6:4-6 Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. do you grieve over the ruin of the church? Amos 8:5-6 When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat? 2. Sexual sin Amos 2:7 And a man and his father resort to the same girl In order to profane My holy name. probably reference to servant girls being sexually abused sexual immorality was rampant among Israel they practiced male and female prostitution (1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; Jer. 13:27); cultic prostitution in association with religion (Hosea 4:14) polygamy (Solomon); adultery (Hosea) This always accompanies false religion God s plan for sex as the building block of family life is attacked to destroy the harmony of the home 3. False worship Amos 2:8 On garments taken as pledges they stretch out beside every altar, And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. the house of their God was their own man-made religion they practiced cultic prostitution on their altars on garments that were taken from the poor as a pledge of their commitment to repay their debt supposed to be returned by nightfall (Exodus 22:26) the reference to wine was possibly in connection with their cultic worship Amos 6:6 Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. their worship was centered on pagan gods completely polluted by sexual practices and drunkenness Practical implications: They hated wisdom Amos 5:10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity. They perverted justice Amos 6:12 Do horses run on rocks? Or does one plow them with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood God hates this kind of vacuous, false worship Amos 5:21-24 I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away 3
from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. the solution for empty worship is not more intense feelings it s action! III. IMPLICATIONS OF JUDGMENT A. For His own people Amos 3:1-8 1. God judges His chosen ones Amos 3:2 You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. God calls and loves His people but He will also judge them for their sin we should never presume that grace covers the consequences of our sin our destiny is secure, but the consequences of sin are sure David bore the consequences of his sin with Bath-Sheba he lost his family and nation seeds of division were born in heart of Absalom, possibly because David felt the guilt of sin with Bath-Sheba 2. God s judgment is sure Amos 3:2-8 capped by Amos 3:6 trumpet signals the announcement or gathering for war If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? B. For other nations Amos 3:9-15 Amos 3:9-11 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see the great tumults within her and the oppressions in her midst. What does this mean: Citadels symbols of power Symbolic warning goes to Ashdod (as center of Philistia) and Egypt to the south They were to come to Samaria capital of Israel and see that they could never stave off an attack from Assyria if Israel fell nothing to prevent Assyria from taking Philistia and Egypt too Why had this happened? Amos 3:10 But they do not know how to do what is right, declares the Lord, these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels. they had lost any natural sense of compassion and their hardness of heart had turned into violence [our culture has lost compassion for the unborn and respect for the elderly we kill them both off we have turned our backs on the family as the core of training through liberal divorce laws laughing at adultery and now the advent of gay marriage the result? our hearts have become calloused to violence we protest every time there is a mass shooting like Columbine, Colorado, and now Navy Shipyard in D.C. but we have welcomed it in our culture of violence] Amos 3:11 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, An enemy, even one surrounding the land, Will pull down your strength from you And your citadels will be looted. Amos 3:12 Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear, So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be snatched away With the corner of a bed and the cover of a couch! Only a remnant will remain C. Failure to return to God Amos 4:1-13 Providence of God: Amos 4: 6 I gave you also the cleanness of teeth in all your cities Amos 4:7 I withheld the rain from you... then I would send rain on one city And on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up. Amos 4:9 I smote you with scorching wind and mildew; And the caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the Lord. 4
Amos 4:10 I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horse, And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the Lord. Amos 4:11 I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand snatched from the blaze, Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the Lord. So Amos 4:12 Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. D. Continued call Amos 5:1-27 God continues to reach out to Israel Amos 5:4 Seek Me that you may live. Amos 5:6 Seek the Lord that you may live Amos 5:14, 15 Seek good and not evil, that you may live... Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. E. Woe to those who are at ease Amos 6:1-14 Amos 6:1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes. Your wealth won t save you Amos 6:4-7 Amos 6:8 The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts has declared: I loathe the arrogance of Jacob, And detest his citadels; Therefore I will deliver up the city and all it contains. IV. VISIONS OF WARNING Amos 7:1-8:14 Pattern for four visions 1) Amos 7:1 the Lord showed me a vision not reality 2) The picture locusts, fire, plumb line, basket of fruit 3) Amos pleas for mercy 4) God changes His mind for the first two but not the last two this doesn t show God is fickle it shows He is reliable He will always pardon if people will repent A. Locusts Amos 7:1-3 Picture of total devastation like in Joel B. Famine Amos 7:4-6 Amos 7:4 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farm land. most likely a picture of famine that would consume farm land C. A plumb line Amos 7:7-9 Amos 7:7-8 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The Lord said to me, What do you see, Amos? And I said, A plumb line. Then the Lord said, Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer. plumb line measures what is straight and accurate can t have any building without this D. Personal response and warning Amos 7:10-17 E. Basket of fruit Amos 8:1-3 5
Amos 8:1-2 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. He said, What do you see, Amos? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then the Lord said to me, The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer. F. Final words Amos 8:4-9:6 Their attitude is again exposed in Amos 8:4-6 Amos 8:7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds. Amos 8:11 the crux of the problem Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord God, When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the Lord. what do you hunger for? V. RESTORATION! Fifth vision in Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said, Smite the capitals so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of them all! Then I will slay the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will flee, Or a refugee who will escape. Amos 9:7 first sign of restoration Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel? Ethiopia was thought of as the end of the world Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? I haven t forgotten how to rescue My people! Amos 9:9-15 promise of restoration 6