Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Confrontation is a word that most are uncomfortable with.

Many people avoid confrontations because they just feel uneasy about them.

Without confrontation though there is no conflict-resolution.

Confrontation is necessary to improve the quality of our relationships with one another.

Confrontation allows for honesty and transparency between to relating parties.

We perhaps most often bite our tongues and give our best poker face when someone hurts and offends.

Without confrontation bitterness and resentment begin to take root.

A mature relationship is one in which confrontation happens regularly as needed.

God desires a relationship with people and has specifically called Israel into special relationship with Him.

In that relationship God has outlined sin as that which He does not approve and cannot tolerate.

When Israel sins God must therefore confront it.

This is where we find ourselves this morning as we come to Amos’s second message to Israel.

God is confronting their blatant sin that is grieving Him and ruining the kingdom of Israel.

Israel is guilty of sins of luxury, hypocrisy and obstinacy.

They are living for the wrong things, their worship is empty and false and they repeatedly refuse to receive correction from the Lord.

Their sin brings confrontation - let this be a warning and a mirror for us that our sin too brings confrontation.

In Our Lifestyles

Again Amos starts off with listen to this message.

It is imperative for those whom Amos is speaking to, to listen up and heed the words being spoken.

The first group Amos speaks to is the women of Israel and he actually refers to them as “cows of Bashan”.

Amos did not go to school to learn to speak eloquently and politically correct - he was a herdsmen and a farmer and so he speaks what the Lord gives Him to speak to get the point across.

The cows of Bashan were cows that were well fed yet unmanageable known for being fat and healthy.

That was Amos’s nickname for the women.

Amos says listen up you fattened cows.

Despite the truth that skinny ideal for female beauty is a relatively new and modern construct and also that plumpness in ancient times was a valued sign of affluence - I can confidently believe that no woman ever no matter what at anytime in the coarse of all of history desires to be called a fat cow.

Needless to say that Amos’s words stung and hit the heart and offended just like they were meant to.

Amos continues now with their glaring attention at him.

Women who oppress the poor and crush the needy.

Women who say to their husbands bring us something to drink.

The rich women like the cows were being equally pampered and fattened off the finer things.

Interesting note is that the word for husbands is not the traditional word used for husband but a rare word meaning lord or master.

I read into this a sort of scorn from Amos for the husbands who were supposedly lords and masters but in reality obeyed as meek servants in order to provide what their wives demanded.

This was provided by way of exploiting the poor and needy.

It is important to point out the confrontation is not because these women were affluent - it is because their wealth came by way of oppressing and crushing the poor and the needy and it was because they used their affluence in selfish pursuit of pleasure.

What is luxury?

Luxury comes from a Latin word meaning “excessive”.

Originally used of plants growing abundantly, but has come to refer to people who have an abundance - money, time, and comfort which they spend and use for themselves.

Deluxe service same Latin word - service above and beyond what you really need.

Is luxury a sin?

It is not a sin to have riches or to have comfort in life - if God has given that to you.

Abraham and David were both wealthy men.

They however chose to use that wealth for the glory of God.

We may not think we live in luxury today but truth is unless you are living in a third world country you enjoy extreme luxury.

Thermostatically controlled temperature - now even wireless and remote.

Refrigerators, automobiles (sometimes more than 1), medical care, telephones, cell phones, electricity, running water, fuel etc.

The sin of luxury and a lifestyle of luxury is not in owning or having abundance, but in using what we have for ourselves only as we ignore the desperate needs of others.

The sin of luxury is using what we have irresponsibly instead of for God’s glory.

God saw these women living this lifestyle and promised to confront it.

The Lord has sworn by His holiness.

Solemnly promising according to His holiness - His holiness demands that this injustice of sinful lifestyle be confronted.

The days are coming where you will be dragged away by fishhooks.

Led in a straight line through the breaches in the walls.

Driven toward Harmon.

Harmon may refer to Hermon - which would be a mountain at the northern tip of the Bashan region on the way to Assyria.

God tells unrepentant Israel their coming agony from the Assyrians.

When the Assyrians depopulated and exiled a conquered community they would lead the captives on journeys of hundreds of miles.

The captives would be naked and attached together with a system of strings and fishhooks piercing their lower lips.

The fat cows of Bashan would be humbled on their way to Bashan

This is the Lord’s declaration - YHWH.

Basically like the Lord signing His name to this promised judgment - we will see this several times coming up.

In Our Vain Worship

Amos continues in his message from the Lord, and whether this was inspired by the Lord or of the personality of Amos I do not know, but a sarcastic call for the nation is given now.

Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal.

Bethel is a place that is rich with history of worship of God and being a meeting place with God.

Gilgal is a place of memorial and training.

Gilgal is where Israel placed the memorial stones when they crossed into the promised land with Joshua.

Then it became a training center and dwelling place for the prophets.

Now however Bethel and Gilgal are places for idolatry, false and vain empty worship.

A parody of a priest’s summons has been given instead of the customary.

Come and rebel and rebel even more.

The kings of Israel set up Bethel and Gilgal as rival worship centers.

The people could offer sacrifices - supposedly to the Lord.

The worship and offerings to God wasnt made in accordance with His request and His word and therefore the worship was empty vain and even downright sinful.

Worship is not true worship just because it is done it must be done in obedience or it is just rebellion.

Amos says bring your sacrifices every morning and your tenths every three days.

Tenths is from the word tithe.

The tithe was only offered every three years in order to assist the poor.

Amos says sacrifice every day and bring your tithe every three days (many times over the requirement) It would not matter because it is all outward show.

In worship it is not the outward that matters it is the inward; the heart - if only the outward is offered and not the heart it is vain and empty worship.

Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice.

A sacrifice given in acknowledgement of the provision of the hand of God.

Amos mocks their corrupt offerings and sacrifices for they offer unto the Lord that which is permeated with sin.

Loudly proclaim your freewill offering - freely offered born from inner devotion to God

Amos calls them to go to Bethel and Gilgal and sin more in their vain hypocritical and empty worship.

This is what you Israelites LOVE to do!

You love your false worship it isnt done for God it is done for show and is nothing more than a elaborate sham.

Their corrupted worship disobedient in heart and action but they loved it.

Do not mistakenly measure worship in regard to how it makes us feel or how it pleases us.

It is totally possible for corrupt and disobedient worship to be wonderfully pleasing to our deceiving hearts.

No to be fair worship doesnt have to hurt to be acceptable - it is allowed to be pleasing but that is not the defining mark.

Authentic worship is measured accurately by how it honors and pleases God.

The Lord’s declaration is that they love their worship but they are not at all worshiping God.

In Refusing Discipline

Amos in this next section speaks the record of how God has brought various chastisements against His people with the express desire to bring them back to Himself and for them to repent and turn back.

With each punishment see how God anticipated repentance, but Israel refused in obstinacy.

Persistent obstinacy must be confronted and as it is confronted the continual refusal becomes accumulated guilt.

I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities.

Yet you did not return to Me

I also withheld the rain from you while three months remained until harvest.