Amos 1:1-15

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 And he said: "The Lord roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers." 3 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron. 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. 5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir," Says the Lord. 6 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom. 7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour its palaces. 8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn My hand against Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish," Says the Lord God. 9 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. 10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, Which shall devour its palaces." 11 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever. 12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah." 13 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead, That they might enlarge their territory. 14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour its palaces, Amid shouting in the day of battle, And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind. 15 Their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together," Says the Lord.

Chapter 1 of Amos begins with the general title of the book, in which the author is described by name, and by his condition of life, and by his country, and the time of his prophecy (v. 1).  In verse 2 he foretells a drought in the land of Israel, in the most fruitful places, which would cause mourning among the shepherds.  Next, Amos announces the wrath of the Lord, which will discharge itself upon Damascus (vs. 3-5), Philistia (vs. 6-8), Tyre (vs. 9-10), Edom (vs. 11-12), and lastly the desolation of the Ammonites, whose metropolis, Rabbah, should be destroyed, and their king and princes go into captivity, (vs. 13-15); and all this for the sins of each of these nations.

What stands out to me today is how Amos spoke against those who exploited or ignored the needy.  It is very clear from my study that Israel was enjoying peace and economic prosperity.  But this blessing had caused her to become a selfish and materilistic society.  Those who were well-off ignored the needs of those less fortunate.  This lifestyle caused the people to be self-centered and eventually indifferent toward God. 

We need to be reminded that believing in God is more than a matter of individual faith.  God calls all believers to work against inujustices in society and to aid those less fortunate.  Justice is very important to God because it promotes good relations between people and between groups of people.  Injustice breaks down good relationships and produces anger, hostility, and violence.  God created the human race to enjoy good relations with Him and with each other; therefore, injustice that produces alienation in all of its varieties breaks God's heart.

I pray that you would learn to love what God loves and hate what God hates.

Learning to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before our God,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 2:1-16

Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting and trumpet sound. 3 And I will cut off the judge from its midst, and slay all its princes with him," says the Lord. 4 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies which their fathers followed. 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem." 6 Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. 7 They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name. 8 They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, and drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. 9 "Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. 10 Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel?" says the Lord. 12 "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets saying, do not prophesy! 13 "Behold, I am weighed down by you, as a cart full of sheaves is weighed down. 14 Therefore flight shall perish from the swift, the strong shall not strengthen his power, nor shall the mighty deliver himself; 15 He shall not stand who handles the bow, the swift of foot shall not escape, nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself. 16 The most courageous men of might shall flee naked in that day," says the Lord.

In chapter 2 of Amos the prophet foretells the calamities that should come upon the Moabites for their transgressions, and the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem for their iniquities. He also foretells the judgments of God that should come upon Israel for their sins, which sins are explained: their oppression of the poor, their lewdness and idolatry, and their forgetting of what God had done for them.  The chapter concludes with a judgment that can not be withstood even with the most courageous men of might.

What stands out to me today is how the prophets were constantly challenging people to remember what God had done! When we read verses 9-11 we are amazed at Israel's forgetfulness. God recites His past mercies for Israel-He destroyed the Amorites, who dwelt like cedars and oaks in the land of Canaan. He saved Israel out of the land of Egypt and raised up ... Nazirites to exhibit to them lives of separation. But they corrupted the Nazirites and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

The question can be asked, what would the prophets say about us? God's past faithfulness should have reminded the Israelites to obey him; likewise, what He has done for us should remind us to live for him.

I pray that you would take time to remember the goodness of the LORD today.  Give thanks, give praise, and give honor and glory due His name!  Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

We love Him today, because He first loved us.  Never forget!

Blessings,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 3:1-15

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: 2 "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." 3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? 4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? 5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? 6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? 7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy? 9 "Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; see great tumults in her midst, and the oppressed within her. 10 For they do not know to do right, says the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces." 11 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "An adversary shall be all around the land; he shall sap your strength from you, and your palaces shall be plundered." 12 Thus says the Lord: "As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be taken out who dwell in Samaria- in the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! 13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob," says the Lord God, the God of hosts, 14 "That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end," says the Lord.

In chapter 3 of Amos the prophet goes on with his prophecy against Israel, whom God had highly favored, and yet sinned against Him. We see in verse 1-8 the judgments of God denounced against them and the warnings He gave them of those judgments. Next the heathen nations are appealed unto as witnesses of the sins of Israel and then an adversary is threatened to be sent among them that should utterly destroy them, so that few should escape.  The prophet makes it clear that as Israel has heaped up oppression, violence, and wickedness, an enemy will come upon the land and plunder Samaria, and cause its inhabitants to perish, and demolish the altars of Bethel, and destroy the capital.

What stands out to me today is how God shows mercy even in the midst of pronouncing judgment.  In other words even in anger, God is merciful: He always warned His people through prophets before punishing them. Warnings about sin and judgment apply to people today just as they did to Israel. Because we have been warned about our sin, we have no excuse when punishment comes. God had warned His people through His prophets, so they could not rationalize or complain when God punished them for refusing to repent. We can not take lightly the warnings in God's Word about judgment. His warnings are a way of showing mercy to us.  I believe the church is called to be that prophetic voice in the land today.  If we keep silent the blood will be on our hands.

Ezekiel 33:4-6 (KJV) 

    Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. [5] He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. [6] But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

I pray that we would be found faithful proclaiming the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:27 (KJV) 

    For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Love in Christ,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 4:1-13

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 wine, let us drink!" 2 The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: "Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. 3 You will go out through broken walls, each one straight ahead of her, and you will be cast into Harmon," Says the Lord. 4 "Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgal multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days. 5 Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; for this you love, you children of Israel!" Says the Lord God. 6 "Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. And lack of bread in all your places; yet you have not returned to Me," says the Lord. 7 "I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me," says the Lord. 9 "I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to Me," says the Lord. 10 "I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me," says the Lord. 11 "I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me," says the Lord. 12 "Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" 13 For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth- the Lord God of hosts is His name.

In chapter 4 of Amos the people of Israel are threatened with calamities for their oppression of the poor (vs. 1-3).  Next the idolaters in Israel, who are given up to their own heart's lusts, are reproved for their idolatry (v. 4:4).  Then follows a list of several judgments that had been upon them, yet had not affected them, to bring them to repentance, nor return them to the Lord's mercies (vs.6-11). Lastly, Israel is called upon to prepare to meet their God, who is described by his power, greatness, and goodness (vs. 12-13). 

What stands out to me today is how God warned the people?through famine, drought, blight, locusts, plagues, or war?they still ignored him. Because the Israelites didn't get the message, they would have to meet God face to face in judgment. No longer would they ignore God; they would have to face the One they had rejected, the One they had refused to obey when He commanded them to care for the poor. This judgment is so sure that God "swears" shaba`, (shaw-bah') by His Holiness (qodesh, ko'-desh).  The bible reminds us in Exodus 15 "Who is like thee, glorious in holiness?"  Holiness is applied to the Supreme Being, and denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of His essential attributes. "by his holiness" ?binds Him to punish the guilty (Psalm 89:35).  I would like to share with you some notes regarding Holiness:

Commanded- Lev_11:45; Lev_20:7; Eph_5:8; Col_3:12; Rom_12:1;

CHRIST

Desires for his people- Joh_17:17;

Effects, in his people - Eph_5:25-27;

An example of - Heb_7:26; 1Pe_2:21; 1Pe_2:22;

The character of God, the standard of - Lev_19:2; 1Pe_1:15; 1Pe_1:16; Eph_5:1;

The character of Christ, the standard of - Rom_8:29; 1Jo_2:6; Phi_2:5;

The gospel the way of - Isa_35:8;

Necessary to God's worship - Psa_24:3; Psa_24:4;

None shall see God without - Eph_5:5; Heb_12:14;

SAINTS

Elected to - Rom_8:29; Eph_1:4;

Called to - 1Th_4:7; 2Ti_1:9;

New created in - Eph_4:24;

Possess - 1Co_3:17; Heb_3:1;

Have their fruit to - Rom_6:22;

Should follow after - Heb_12:14;

Should serve God in - Luk_1:74; Luk_1:75;

Should yield their members as instruments of - Rom_6:13; Rom_6:19;

Should present their bodies to God in - Rom_12:1;

Should have their conversation in - 1Pe_1:15; 2Pe_3:11;

Should continue in - Luk_1:75;

Should seek perfection in - 2Co_7:1;

Shall be presented to God in - Col_1:22; 1Th_3:13;

Shall continue in, for ever - Rev_22:11;

Promised to the Church - Isa_35:8; Oba_1:17; Zec_14:20; Zec_14:21;

Becoming to the Church - Psa_93:5;

The Churches worship - 1Ch_16:29; Psa_29:2;

The word of God the means of producing - Joh_17:17; 2Ti_3:16; 2Ti_3:17;

Required in prayer - 1Ti_2:8;

MINISTERS SHOULD

Possess - Tit_1:8;

Avoid everything inconsistent with - Lev_21:6; Isa_52:11;

Be examples of - 1Ti_4:12;

Exhort to - Heb_12:14; 1Pe_1:14-16;

The wicked are without - 1Ti_1:9; 2Ti_3:2;

One day each of us will meet God face to face to account for what we have done or refused to do. Are you prepared to meet him? 

I am praying that you would be found holy in His sight.  Remember, your holiness comes from Him alone. 

Blessings,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 5:1-13

Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel: 2 The virgin of Israel has fallen; she will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up. 3 For thus says the Lord God: "The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel." 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live; 5 But do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. 6 Seek the Lord and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, with no one to quench it in Bethel- 7 You who turn justice to wormwood, and lay righteousness to rest in the earth!" 8 He made the Pleiades and Orion; he turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth; the Lord is His name. 9 He rains ruin upon the strong, so that fury comes upon the fortress. 10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. 11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor and take grain taxes from him, though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them. 12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. 15 Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: "There shall be wailing in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! Alas! They shall call the farmer to mourning, and skillful lamenters to wailing. 17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through you," says the Lord. 18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? 21 "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. 25 "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26 You also carried Sikkuth your king and Chiun, your idols, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

In chapter 5 of Amos the prophet exhorts Israel to hear his lamentation over them for their impending destruction.  The people of Israel are admonished to seek the Lord, and all that is good; to forsake their idols, and repent of their sins, in hopes of finding mercy, and living comfortably; or otherwise they must expect the wrath of God for their iniquities, especially their oppression of the poor.  Next the prophet warns that if they did not seek the Lord it would be a time of weeping and wailing, of darkness and distress, because all their confidences would fail them if they did not seek unto God, and make him their friend.  Amos reveals Israel's profane contempt of God's judgments, for all their sacrifices and ceremonial worship would signify nothing, so long as they continued their idolatry with them; and therefore should surely go into captivity.  They have therefore no way left them to save themselves, but by repentance and reformation.

What stands out to me this morning is the Hebrew word darash. This Hebrew verb can be correctly translated "to inquire of," "to ask," and "to seek." The term conveys the idea of "going to see" in the sense of personally verifying something said, or "searching for," in the sense of pressing for an answer to a question. Amos encourages his audience to seek life in the living God, not in the dead idols of Bethel and Gilgal.

There is one sure remedy for a world that is sick and dying in sin?"seek the LORD and live." Sin seeks to destroy, but faith, hope, and love is found in seeking God. In times of difficulty, seek God. In personal discomfort and struggle, seek God. When others are struggling, encourage them to seek God too.

One thing we can glean from this chapter is that when God's people seek Him, we will cry out for justice for the poor and needy.  In Amos' day the law courts were meant to be places of justice where the poor and oppressed could find relief. Instead, they had become places of greed and injustice. The truth is any society that exploits the poor and defenseless or hates the truth is bent on destroying itself.

I pray that you would continue to "Seek the Lord and Live".

Blessings,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 6:1-14

Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, and trust in Mount Samaria, notable persons in the chief nation, to whom the house of Israel comes! 2 Go over to Calneh and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory? 3 Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near; 4 Who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; 5 Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; 6 Who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, and those who recline at banquets shall be removed. 8 The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts says: "I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it." 9 Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, "Are there any more with you?" Then someone will say, "None." And he will say, "Hold your tongue! For we dare not mention the name of the Lord." 11 For behold, the Lord gives a command: He will break the great house into bits, and the little house into pieces. 12 Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood, 13 You who rejoice over Lo Debar, who say, "Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?" 14 "But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel," says the Lord God of hosts; "And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the Valley of the Arabah."

Chapter 6 of Amos seems to be directed both to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the ten tribes of Israel, under the names of Zion and Samaria, and to the principal men in both; who are reproved and threatened for their carnal security and self-confidence, being in no fear of the evil day.  The prophet reproves his people for indulging themselves in luxurious ease, and forming alliances with their powerful idolatrous neighbors.

What stands out to me today is how the prophet Amos rebukes those living in complacency and luxury in both Israel and Judah. Great wealth and comfortable life-styles may make people think they are secure, but God is not pleased when we only think of ourselves and not on the needs of others. God wants us to care for others as he cares for us. His kingdom has no place for selfishness or self-centeredness. We must learn to put the needs of others before our wants. Using our wealth to help others is one way to guard against pride and help us walk in humility.  I am reminded of the scripture in Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."  The truth is selfish ambition can ruin a community, but genuine humility can build it. Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves (see Romans 12:3). It does not mean that we should put ourselves down. Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God's grace, but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God's kingdom. We are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. Considering others' interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of humility.

I pray that you would be on guard.  Remember, that evaluating our self by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause us to think too much about our worth in the eyes of others and then we end up missing our true value in God's eyes.

Love in Christ,

Alan J. Schrader

November 28, 2008

Amos 7:1-17

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king's mowings. 2 And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: "O Lord God, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, for he is small!" 3 So the Lord relented concerning this.  "It shall not be," said the Lord. 4 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. 5 Then I said: "O Lord God, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, for he is small!" 6 So the Lord relented concerning this. "This also shall not be," said the Lord God. 7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said: "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. 9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam." 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive from their own land. " 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos: "Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, and there prophesy. 13 But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal residence." 14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: "I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. 15 Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, go, prophesy to My people Israel. 16 Now therefore, hear the word of the Lord: You say, do not prophesy against Israel, and do not spout against the house of Isaac. 17 "Therefore thus says the Lord: Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; your land shall be divided by survey line; you shall die in a defiled land; and Israel shall surely be led away captive from his own land. "

In chapter 7 of Amos God gives the prophet visions in regard to the judgments He is about to bring on Israel. The first is a plague of locusts, threatening to cut of the hopes of the harvest by attacking it in the time of the second growth.  The next vision threatens a judgment by fire, which consumed "the great deep and devoured the territory". The third vision is a total overthrow of Israel, leveling it as it were by a plumb line, (vs. 7-9).  Next follows the prophet's vindication of himself showing his divine call to the prophetic office, and his commission from the Lord to prophesy unto Israel. The rest of the chapter is a pronouncement of heavy judgments against Amaziah, priest of Beth-el, who had brought an accusation to the king against the prophet, (vs. 10-17).

One of the things that stands out to me today is how Amos was shown, on two occasions, a vision of Israel's impending punishment, and his immediate response was to pray that God would spare Israel. "Oh, that Jacob may stand": If God carried out the threatened punishment, Jacob (the nation of Israel) might be destroyed. One function of the prophet was to serve as intercessor for the people before God. Amos prayed that the vision decreed in heaven might be halted before it was accomplished on earth. The basis of Amos's petition lay in the true assessment of Israel's position. They were not large and strong, as they thought; rather they were small and weak. In response to Amos's intercession, and out of His own love for Israel, God stayed His decree. Prayer is a powerful privilege. Amos's prayers should remind us to pray for our nation. 

The second thing that stands out to me today is how Prophets, like Amos, were often seen as traitors and conspirators because they spoke out against the king and his advisers, questioning their authority and exposing their sin. The kings often saw the prophets as enemies rather than as God's spokesmen who were really trying to help them and the nation.  In other words, don't think it strange if the world looks at the church the same way today.  Remember Jesus warned us of persecution.

John 15:20 (KJV) 

    Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

I pray that in the days to come, that know matter what we may face, in regards to persecution, we may be able to say what the apostle Paul said:

2 Cor. 4:9 (KJV) 

    Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

His Peace,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 8:1-14

Thus the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2 And He said, "Amos, what do you see?" So I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the Lord said to me: "The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. 3 And the songs of the temple shall be wailing in that day," says the Lord God- "Many dead bodies everywhere, they shall be thrown out in silence." 4 Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, and make the poor of the land fail, 5 Saying: "When will the New Moon be past, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large, falsifying the scales by deceit, 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals-even sell the bad wheat?" 7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their works. 8 Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? All of it shall swell like the River, heave and subside like the River of Egypt. 9 "And it shall come to pass in that day," says the Lord God, that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight; 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, and baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day. 11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God, "that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. 13 "In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. 14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, as your god lives, O Dan! And, as the way of Beersheba lives! They shall fall and never rise again."

In chapter 8 of Amos a fourth vision is given, the vision of a "basket of summer fruit"; signifying the destruction of the ten tribes, for which they were ripe, and which would quickly come upon them. Next the rich are reproved for their oppression of the poor, their covetousness and earthly mindedness and then they are threatened with entire ruin, sudden calamities, and very mournful times, instead of light, joy, and gladness.  Lastly the people are threatened with a most awful judgment, a famine of the word God and the consequence would be, a fainting of the young men and virgins, and then the utter ruin of all idolaters.

What stands out to me today is how the people were ripe for punishment; though once beautiful, they were now rotten.  The basket of summer fruit signified that Israel was ripe for judgment. God would not pass by in mercy anymore. The rich were oppressing the poor; they could not wait for the feast days to end so they could make more money; their business practices were corrupt; they were guilty of falsifying the scales. I am sure that Amos could not have discerned the meaning of this vision until God's pronouncement. Israel's wickedness was about to result in a harvest of judgment. Most good harvests are times of rejoicing. But in this one, the songs of the temple-the songs of thanksgiving-would be turned to wailing because the harvest would be death.  Amos reminds Israel that God had sent famine upon them, yet they had not returned to Him. Now the famine would be, not of food, but of hearing the words of the Lord.  People will long to hear the word of the Lord, but it will be withheld from them.

I pray that we would be able to hear this strong warning.  We can not live without the Word of God.  We are reminded in the scripture of our great need for the Word:

Psalm 119:105 (KJV) 

    Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Matthew 4:4 (KJV) 

    But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Luke 4:4 (KJV) 

    And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

John 6:51 (KJV) 

    I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Loving His Word,

Alan J. Schrader

Amos 9:1-15

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: "Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, and break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, and he who escapes from them shall not be delivered. 2 "Though they dig into hell, from there My hand shall take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down; 3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, from there I will search and take them; though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them; 4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good." 5 The Lord God of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell there mourn; all of it shall swell like the River, and subside like the River of Egypt. 6 He who builds His layers in the sky, and has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth- the Lord is His name. 7 "Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?" says the Lord. "Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? 8 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," says the Lord. 9 "For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say, The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us. 11 "On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name," says the Lord who does this thing. 13 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God.

The first part of this chapter contains another vision, in which God is represented as declaring the final ruin of the kingdom of Israel, and the general dispersion of the people, Amo_9:1-10. The prophet then passes to the great blessedness of the people of God under the Gospel dispensation, Amo_9:11-15. See Act_15:15, Act_15:16.

Chapter 9 of Amos contains the fifth and last vision the prophet saw; which represents the final ruin of the kingdom of Israel.  The land, city, and temple, and the slaughter of all sorts of persons, high and low, none should escape it.  But though the sinful kingdom should be destroyed, yet not utterly, a remnant should be saved, (v. 8).   The chapter is concluded with gracious promises of raising up the tabernacle of David fallen down, and of the return of the people of Israel to their own land; and of their settlement and continuance in it, never more to depart from it.  This is believed to be the days of the Messiah.

What stands out to me today is how God's Judgment would begin at the altar, the center of the nation's life, the place where the people expected protection and blessing. In other words, God would destroy their base of security in order to bring them to Himself. But in Amos 9:11 he promises to restore his renewed people and their broken world.  Amos assured the Israelites that God would not "totally destroy" Israel, the punishment would not be permanent or total. The truth is, God wants to redeem, not punish. But when punishment is necessary, He doesn't withhold it. Like a loving father, God disciplines those He loves in order to correct them. In the punishment, the house of David was reduced to a "fallen tent." God's covenant with David stated that one of David's descendants would always sit on his throne (2 Samuel 7:12-16). The exile made this promise seem impossible. But "in that day" God would raise up and restore the kingdom to its promised glory. This was a promise to both Israel and Judah, not to be fulfilled by an earthly, political ruler, but by the Messiah, who would renew the spiritual kingdom and rule forever.

James quoted these verses (Acts 15:16-17), finding the promise fulfilled in Christ's resurrection and in the presence of both Jews and Gentiles in the church. "Possess the remnant of Edom" envisions the Messianic kingdom, which will be universal and include Gentiles. When God brings in the Gentiles, He is restoring the ruins. After the Gentiles are called together, God will renew and restore the fortunes of the new Israel. All the land that was once under David's rule will again be part of God's nation.  This is such a beautiful picture of HOPE in the midst of destruction.

The truth is God expects our belief in Him to penetrate all areas of our conduct and to extend to all people and circumstances. I pray that we would let Amos's words inspire us to live faithfully according to God's desires.

In His Mercy,

Alan J. Schrader