Amos: Oracles of Amos
Minor Prophets • Sermon • Submitted
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· 74 viewsAim: To look at the oracles of God through the prophet Amos the common man's prophet to uncommon people (Kingdom of Israel)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
The Prophets messages continue
The Prophets messages continue
A journey through 12 books of the bible is substantial and even when we are only doing a survey it is good to look where we came from and then where we are going.
(Major message from Minor Prophets)
Obadiah: Judgment that was to be on Edom due to pride
The take away: watch out for pride, be careful where you stand, lest you fall.
Remember who you are in Christ and who Christ is in you.
Joel: “Repent” - two weeks, 1. looking at the plague of locusts and judgment. 2. The prophesy, the fulfilling and a look at Day of the Lord
The take away we saw the power call for repentance to avoid judgment from just God
The day of the Lord is coming, are you ready?
Jonah “the running prophet” - God’s message to Nineveh.
The power of repentance can change a person and change a people. so be people to effect change by showing need and power of repentance.
(Transition) so that brings us to Amos. He is a great picture of an unlikely person, doing an unlikely things to unlikely people. He did not have the right heritage and history, not the right occupation and was going to be sent to people outside his area.
Amos the unlikely prophet, a shepherd, a gatherer (Amo7:14-15)
14 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. 15 “But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
Amos book, broken down.
Oracles of Amos (chapters 1-2)
Sermons of Amos (Chapters 3-4)
Visions of Amos (Chapter 5-6)
(Transition) tonight we are looking at the oracles of God through the unlikely prophet Amos. Oracles given in judgment against eight nations.
The background, groundwork
The oracles
The lessons to learn
Background / groundwork
Background / groundwork
Having a background helps us to lay groundwork before looking at the message. As have done with the other books, we want to do the same here, lay some groundwork.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, 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.
2 He said, “The Lord roars from Zion And from Jerusalem He utters His voice; And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, And the summit of Carmel dries up.”
Author: We know is Amos (v.1)
By the way his name means “burden-bearer”
Location: Tekoa, Israel (Northern Kingdom) (v.1)
Village of Tekoa was located about 12 mi (S) of Jerusalem, 18 mi (E) of Dead Sea, this is near the wilderness of Judea
While from the region of Judea (Southern Kingdom) his message was intended for Israel (Northern Kingdom)
His occupation: Herdsman (shepherd) (v.1)
His character: Demonstrated through book as one not with much compassion, sympathy or warmth. Is one with sense of justice and righteousness.
As we continue to look at the oracles you will not see much compassion, except for the poor. The apostate people needed correction to lead to repentance and return to the Lord God.
They were materialistic people and he was a shepherd who lived with little. They were lazy where he worked hard for a living. while he is God’s mouthpiece (prophet) he did it passionately. He was a no-nonsense prophet who John the Baptist was liken too also.
Homer Hailey, a commentator said this about Amos:
“Not a sob is to be found in his book for the nation of wicked apostates, and there is only a sign for the poor.”
Question: In looking at (v.1) what can you see to help you narrow down the date written?
During days of Uzziah (king of Judah) and Jeroboam (king of Israel); two years before the earthquake.
So, as for a date it is not known exactly, but most would suggest on or about 755 b.c.
Date: 755 b.c. (assumed)
People: Israel (Northern kingdom) (v.1)
Now it will address others, but the majority is to the people of the Northern Kingdom because:
They were living in luxury and not helping others
They were morally, religiously and politically corrupt.
Question: There is imagery in (v.2) of the Lord, what is it an image of?
A roar, a lion who roars from Jerusalem toward the North (Mt. Carmel)
God is speaking through the prophet Amos with a loud voice proclaiming a strong message to Israel and the surrounding region (nations) as we continue to look at the passage itself you will see the imagery painted more vividly.
Bible handbook (Angus/Green) says this about the message of Amos.
“The people of Israel were now at the summit of worldly prosperity, but were rapidly filling up the measure of their sins. The mission of Amos was, therefore, rather to threaten than to console.”
Furthermore the commentary would go on in summary to say: He rebukes:
Corruption of their manners
Partiality in judgment
Violence toward the poor
He also forewarns them of the coming judgment against them from God because of the things previously mentioned.That and including the captivity of the Northern kingdom (10 tribes) that were to be taken into captivity.
The Oracles
The Oracles
The oracles of sin, the judgment and the fulfillment in the 8 countries with major focus on Israel. As we look at this, may we break it down to each country so not to be overwhelmed by the length of the passage.
Damascus (Amo1:3-5)
3 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron. 4 “So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael And it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
5 “I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, And him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden; So the people of Aram will go exiled to Kir,” Says the Lord.
So it is a judgment against Damascus for how they treated the people of Gilead (this is tribes of Gad/Reuben)
Sin/reason for the judgment: for the treatment (the threshing) of people of Gilead (v.3).
Question: look at (v.4-5) what is the judgment? There are several elements listed.
Fire (v.4); break gates, cut off inhabitant; people taken into exile (captivity) (v.5)
Fulfillment: Taken into captivity by Assyrians
Interesting fact Hazael (v.4) murdered Ben-Hadad I, the usurper of this throne (2Kn8:7:15)
Gaza (Philistia) - (Amo1:6-8)
6 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Gaza and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they deported an entire population To deliver it up to Edom. 7 “So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza And it will consume her citadels.
8 “I will also cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” Says the Lord God.
Sin: slavery of people (v.6)
Judgment: fire, unleashed power and being cut off (v.7-8)
Fulfillment: captivity (Assyrians);
Tyre (Amo1:9-10)
9 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Tyre and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they delivered up an entire population to Edom And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. 10 “So I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre And it will consume her citadels.”
Sin: slavery as well as forgotten covenant of brotherhood (v.9)
Judgment: Fire (destruction)
Fulfillment: Started under Nebuchadnezzar, finished by Alexander the Great
Edom (Amo1:11-12)
11 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Edom and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, While he stifled his compassion; His anger also tore continually, And he maintained his fury forever.
12 “So I will send fire upon Teman And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
Sin: Pursued his brother (in other words cruelty) (v.11)
Judgment: Fire upon Teman and Bozrah.
Fulfillment: By the Nabateans (400bc)
Ammon (Amo1:13-15)
13 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead In order to enlarge their borders.
14 “So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah And it will consume her citadels Amid war cries on the day of battle, And a storm on the day of tempest.
15 “Their king will go into exile, He and his princes together,” says the Lord.
Question: Not on your sheet, but can you see the sin and the reason for the sin (v.13)?
Sin: ripped open pregnant women, so to enlarge their borders
Judgment: Fire in Rabbah, also captivity
Fulfillment: by Nebuchadnezzar
Moab (Amo2:1-3)
1 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 “So I will send fire upon Moab And it will consume the citadels of Kerioth; And Moab will die amid tumult, With war cries and the sound of a trumpet.
3 “I will also cut off the judge from her midst And slay all her princes with him,” says the Lord.
Sin: Burned king of Edom’s bones (v.1)
Judgment: Fire in Moab, Kerioth, slay all the princes
Fulfillment: under Babylon
(Transition) now from the outside of the God’s people to inside of God’s people
Judah (Amo2:4-5)
4 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the law of the Lord And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked.
5 “So I will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
Sin: Rejected the law, led people astray
Judgment: Fire upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Fulfillment: by Nebuchadnezzar (586bc)
God’s chosen people, with all the blessings and instructions, they had the Law but had become apostate from it. The judgment lead to the people going into captivity and the city being ransacked and burned.
The below question is not on sheet, but look at it and take just a few minutes to discuss.
Question: Can the church today become filled with apostasy, if so how?
Israel (Amo2:6-16)
6 Thus says the Lord, “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 “These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless Also turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father resort to the same girl In order to profane My holy name.
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. 9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of cedars And he was strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.
10 “It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And I led you in the wilderness forty years That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
11 “Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets And some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord. 12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13 “Behold, I am weighted down beneath you As a wagon is weighted down when filled with sheaves. 14 “Flight will perish from the swift, And the stalwart will not strengthen his power, Nor the mighty man save his life.
15 “He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life. 16 “Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.
Sin: slavery (v.6); abuse the poor (v.7); profane the name of the Lord (v.7) mistreatment of Nazirites, Prophets (vv.11-12)
You can see a reminder of what God had done for them (vv.10-12) and how God felt about it (v.13) weighted down.
Judgment: Destruction, in summary they were not able to escape the judgment, to flee from it.
Fulfillment: By Assyrians (722 bc) (2Kng17:5-23)
(Transition) so there you go looking all around you can see sin, judgment, fulfillment and no immunity. There are still a few things to glean from these two chapters before we close.
Lessons from the Oracles
Lessons from the Oracles
Without a doubt you can see God is just not just to the outside people (nations) but to His people (Israel/Judah).
God holds nations and men accountable
God did not just hold his covenant people accountable, but all people, all nations. We have seen that in Obadiah, and with Jonah.
Maybe a scripture to consider, in a time when Solomon had prayed and dedicated the temple, God, who is merciful, compassionate, is also just and gives a warning and a promise of what was to come.
12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
15 “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
Remember God does not change, he said it then, and still holds true today. He shuts things off, closes off blessings at times so that people would repent, turn, return to Him.
Commentator James Farrar says this:
“His (Amos) whole message centers in the common prophetic conviction that God is the sole an righteous Governor of the world, judging the people righteously, and when they rebel, dashing them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Cruelty and apostasy treated alike
God condemned the heathens for their cruelty
God judged Judah and Isreal for their apostasy.
God’s standard of judgment, God’s accountability
To the heathen were judged by God’s moral law, the basic principles of righteousness
To the people of God, by faithfulness to God’s revealed word.
A New Testament update is (Rom2:12-15)
12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; 13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
(Judgment day picture inserted here)
(summary to close) looking at the judgments given outside and inside, to the heathen and the believer we are reminded that God is just. God holds people and nations accountable, one day is judgment day, are we ready?
(invitation slide- a great day coming)
Do not end on a down note, present the good news now! End on a positive note!
(Song) (Prayer)