Amos: The LORD Roars!

Jason A. Smith

Majoring in the Minor Prophets • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Amos Introduction

The ministry of Amos occurred during the reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel and King Uzziah in Judah. In 1:1, we are told that his ministry began two years before the earthquake. talks about this earthquake, and how it caused fear among the people. Tradition says this earthquake occurred when Uzziah attempted to perform the duties of the priests, . Uzziah was struck with leprosy as his punishment from God. If this tradition is true, then we can infer that Amos’ ministry in the north towards the end of Jeroboam II’s reign.

These were “good” times politically. Assyria was inwardly focused with weak kings, internal rebellion, and strife. Both Israel and Judah expanded the borders of their kingdom and their military power. Uzziah and Jeroboam II were strong leaders and helped their nations prosper into heights not seen since the days of the United Kingdom. Until the arrival of Tiglath- Pileser on the throne of Assyria in 745 B.C., God’s people enjoyed relative peace on all sides.

Although things were going well politically and economically for God’s people, they were not doing so well morally. Internally, the politicians of the day were corrupt. As we will see as we study this book, Israel’s leaders used violence and oppression to further themselves and did not serve as advocates for the poor. The leaders disliked the judges that upheld righteousness. The also tried to silence prophesying that was negative. Jeroboam II in ch7 commands Amos to stop prophesying. Those who were doing the Lord’s will - those who were doing what was right were looked down on or silenced. This says a great deal about the character of the leadership, and the morality of the people was like their leaders.

The Lord Roars!

Verse two really sums up well the message that Amos preaches in this book: “The LORD roars from Zion and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers” (). We are given the image of a lion roaring… this is how the LORD refers to Himself a few times in the book. Another example is in 3:8, “A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken!”

This idea of the LORD being a lion roaring is an image meant to strike fear. The roar of a lion paralyzes those who are able to hear it. It means the lion is near and you are in danger. You may be the lion’s lunch. We prefer to think about the Lord more from the perspective of a lamb, not a lion. But both are images of God given in scripture.

His voice is coming from His dwelling place in Zion - in Jerusalem, and what HIs voice is saying is not pleasant. His voice within this book speaks of judgment on all the nations without prejudice… Chapters 1 and 2 focus on this idea of judgment to all nations.

Judgment is Coming!

Verse 3 begins the proclamations of judgment on the nations. We see this repetitive phrase in these first two chapters, “the LORD says.” It begins each section of judgment. The LORD roars his judgment against each nation.

Another repetitive phrase at the beginning of each section of these first two chapters is “For three transgressions… and for four I will not revoke its punishment…” The phrase was common in writing during this time and suggests a cumulative effect. There was probably more than just three or for sins each nation was guilty of. This phrase shows that the wickedness of these nations was growing year by year and God could no longer tolerate it.

We see in these chapters that God holds all nations accountable to some level of morality. He has a special relationship with His people, but this does not change the fact that God is sovereign over all of the nations. They are judged for their sin also. Let’s take a few minutes to look at each of these judgments…

Damascus (1:3-5): Damascus was the capital of Syria. Damascus played a key role in the politics of the entire region and was the power most threatening to Israel’s security. They would be punished for their war atrocities. and 13:7 gives us the historical account of the dominance of Aram (Syria) over Israel. Amos tells them of their coming destruction and exile to Kir.

Gaza (1:6-8): God’s judgment on the Philistines… Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Eklon represent the entirety of Philistine society, which was long known for its participation in the slave trade. They had taken an entire population and delivered it as slaves to Edom. The Edomites would have sold the captive people to traders from around the world. There was no concern for the breaking up of families and their welfare. God would send His judgment on Philistia and they would lose their identity as a nation.

Tyre (1:9-11): Tyre was located to the north of Israel and was a major sea port on the Mediterranean. Like the Philistines, God condemns the people for delivering up an entire population to Edom. They also had broken a treaty they made. Because of these things, God would destroy their land.

Edom (1:11-12): The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Residing to the south of the Dead Sea, Edom was located on important trade routes leading to the east. Much of the na on’s income came through the profit of the slave trade. Edom had long been an enemy of the Israelites, and in this place God calls out their continual hatred toward Israel. Parts of verse 11 parallel with . Teman and Bozrah were principal cities of Edom. Because of their lack of compassion and love, Edom would be destroyed.

The next two nations are nations which descended from Lot: Ammon and Moab…

Ammon (1:13-15): They were guilty of unimaginable atrocities against the children of Israel in an effort to expand the borders of their kingdom. They heaped out torture on even the unborn, ripping open the wombs of mothers in Gilead (2 1/2 tribes on east of Jordan). Rabbah was the chief city of the Ammonites, and Amos prophesies that it will be destroyed with divine vengeance, and the king and ruling families would be carried into captivity.

Moab (2:1-3): Moab is condemned for committing what might have been considered the greatest form of disrespect in the ancient world: exhuming the dead body of another nations leader and burning the bones. This they did to a previous king of Edom. For this, God would send fire down on the Moabites.

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You can imagine as Israel and Judah were reading or hearing these prophecies for the first time that, as they heard each nation being detailed, they were shaking their heads up and down in agreement, but then comes 2:4, and they would have been shocked… “Us too?” Why us? Well, God tells them why, and gives a lot of detail later as to why they were being judged.

Judah (2:4-5): Judah’s wickedness was in the form of religious apostasy. Their crime was against the Lord. “They rejected the law of the Lord And have not kept His statues.” (2:4). They delighted in idolatry and the wisdom of men. Their judgment would be delayed because of some kings who feared the Lord, but it would come…

Israel (2:6-16): The indictment begins in verses 6-8 as Amos points out Israel’s covetousness, sexual immorality, and lack of compassion for the poor. Just as other nations, they were selling the poor into slavery and oppressing them.

Then in verses 9-12, Amos contrasts the great acts of God in taking care of His chosen people with the actions of Israel. God gave them their land, delivering it to Israel from the Amorites. God was also the one who brought them out of Egypt, sustaining them through the wilderness. God had liberated them and blessed them. God made some of their men prophets so He could speak to His people and dedicated some of them to Him as Nazirites.

But what did Israel do? Israel had forced the Nazirites to violate their vows. They prohibited the prophets from prophesying. Rejection of all that God did for them reveals the ultimate in ingratitude.

Because of their rebellion and lack of thankfulness, in verses 13-16 God reveals what He is going to do to Israel. He was going to crush them. They would be unable to flee. The strongest of them would be weak. Their warriors will not be able to stand, no matter how brave they are. They would not go unpunished.

Amos 3 CSB

Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt: I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together without agreeing to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its lair unless it has captured something? Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has caught nothing? If a ram’s horn is blown in a city, aren’t people afraid? If a disaster occurs in a city, hasn’t the Lord done it? Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets. A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who will not prophesy? Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt: Assemble on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great turmoil in the city and the acts of oppression within it. The people are incapable of doing right— this is the Lord’s declaration— those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels. Therefore, the Lord God says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels. The Lord says: As the shepherd snatches two legs or a piece of an ear from the lion’s mouth, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued with only the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch. Listen and testify against the house of Jacob— this is the declaration of the Lord God, the God of Armies. I will punish the altars of Bethel on the day I punish Israel for its crimes; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will demolish the winter house and the summer house; the houses inlaid with ivory will be destroyed, and the great houses will come to an end. This is the Lord’s declaration.

Now we come to Amos chapter 3.

This chapter can be divided up into 2 sections. In verses 1-8, Amos defends his right to speak these things, and in verses 9-15, Amos gives more details of the judgment that is coming.

God begins by reminding Israel about the special relationship He has with them. They were privileged - “You only I have chosen among all the families of the earth…" 3:2. God had redeemed Israel from bondage and had made a covenant with them. Because of their refusal to keep this covenant, they would be punished. The language of verse two suggests that God knew Israel in a very personal way, which was more special than the relationships with other nations. Israel had been called to a higher plane and because of their violation of the covenant, God would punish them for all their iniquities.

Then, in verses 3-8, Amos defends his right to speak. God had chosen to give Amos his vision so that Israel and Judah could be warned. Israel needed to know they had crossed the line and would be caught in their sin just as a lion roars when it catches its prey, and just like a bird caught in a trap. God’s message should have made the people move in fear. They needed to be aware of the impending doom coming on their nation. God had spoken, so Amos needed to share the message.

Then finally, verses 9-15… God calls other nations to come and witness the sin in Samaria - in Israel. He says that Israel is so corrupt that they are incapable of doing right. Because of this, a great enemy will surround them, and very few - a remnant, will survive. He specifically mentions here how he will destroy the altars at Bethel - where they set up the golden calf at the time of Jeroboam I.

He will destroy what they find security in - their gods - their wealth (the winter and summer house, etc.). They will all come to an end…

Application

BEFORE WE CLOSE, LETS THINK ABOUT SOME APPLICATIONS FOR US…

1. God is not a respecter of persons. He will condemn all who rebel against Him (ch1-2)

He will judge the wicked. All of the wicked people that we see kill and injure hundreds of people will be judged. Those who murder the unborn will be judged. But not just these people. So will those who claim to be God’s people.

Just because we claim to be God’s people does NOT mean that God is going to give us a free pass for our sin. God holds Israel and Judah to an even higher standard because of what He has done for them.

We may look at all of the evil in the world and think, They will be judged by the Lord. He will hold them accountable for their evil. But Jesus says, “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish…” (). God will hold you and I accountable for our sin also! We are in just as much need of repentance if we have sin we are living in. Instead of pinpointing how everyone else is evil, we need to make sure we examine our own hearts… Are we confessing and repenting of sin in our lives?

2. Those who have a special relationship with God are held to a high standard.

We are in a covenant with God. Within the covenant we see the high standard He calls his people to. He calls us to be different from the world and to be a people committed to His cause, and our security as His people depends on whether or not we are being faithful to the covenant. Whether or not we are being faithful to the Lord Jesus. We are held to a high standard and we need to make sure we do not water it down so we can justify being more like the world.

3. All of the earthly things we trust in will be burnt up.

When the end comes, all of the other things we can tend to trust in will be gone and all that will truly matter will be how we are doing spiritually. What are you trusting in to be your security? Are you trusting in the Lord or are we trusting in other things? Are there idols we have? Do we trust in our stuff to be our security?

Amos: The LORD Roars!

Amos Introduction

The Lord Roars!

Judgment is Coming!

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Application