TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 1:13-2:16
Though they were as tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks[,] I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. - Amos 2:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
In today’s reading, God promised to crush Israel “as a cart crushes when loaded with grain” (2:13). A modern equivalent would be a monster truck rolling over everything in its path. A monster truck is a pickup truck with huge tires and suspension—current designs tend to resemble gigantic dune buggies. As monster truck rallies or jams, it might squash cars, motor homes, school buses, and even small airplanes as part of organized competitions, including a freestyling event judged on both crushing and creativity.

In today’s reading, Amos continued with two additional oracles against Israel’s enemies. The fifth oracle was against the Ammonites (1:13-15). They were guilty of military atrocities such as the killing and mutilation of pregnant women. The sixth oracle was against Moab (2:1-3). They were guilty of desecrating an enemy king’s body, thus showing sinful disrespect. For these and other sins, the judgment in both cases was the same as yesterday—a destroying fire representing military defeat, exile, or death. If you look at a map, you can see that the seven nations condemned in today’s and yesterday’s readings form a circle around Israel.

The seventh and eighth oracles came as a surprise to Amos’s hearers, for they were directed against Judah and Israel. They probably enjoyed hearing that justice would be done against their enemies, but to find their own sins as the “climax” and main target of the message was a shock. Judah was guilty of idolatry and disobedience and would also be judged by fire (2:4-5).

Israel was even worse. The northern kingdom was guilty of sins including idolatry, exploitation of the poor, injustice, oppression, greed, sexual immorality, drunkenness, and self-indulgence (2:6-16; cf. Deut. 15:7-11). They had “forgotten” God’s character and what He had already done in their history, they had been unfaithful to the covenant. As a result, they were marked for destruction and would surely, despite their imagined immunity from judgment, be crushed. “The swift will not escape . . . the warrior will not save his life.”

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The fundamental sin was pride. Pride allowed them to believe that as God’s “chosen people” they wouldn’t be held accountable for the various forms of wickedness in which they were engaged. Pride blinded them to the truth of the character of God. As we know, however: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Better to follow this proverb: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor” (Prov. 29:23, NAS).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 3:1-8
When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? - Amos 3:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Lions tend to hunt at night or early in the morning, when the weather is cooler. Most of the hunting is actually done by the lionesses rather than the male lions in a pride. Since they’re not very fast, at least not compared to their prey, lions use patience and guile, including ambushes near waterholes. They prefer to stay hidden and use natural cover to stalk antelope and other food sources, often finishing with a short burst of speed and a bite to the neck.

“Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey?” God asked in today’s reading (v. 4). In this case, the “lion” is the Lord and His “prey” is the northern kingdom of Israel. Summoned to His court (v. 1), they were informed that not only did their “chosen” status provide no immunity from judgment, but in fact that very status and the covenant in which it was grounded made them even more culpable for their offenses against God (v. 2). He had chosen and redeemed them, and their covenant responsibility was to bear witness to His glory and exalt

Him among the nations. Not only hadthey failed to do this, but they had actually done the opposite.

This message gave Amos’s hearers a bitter jolt. To convince them He was serious, God asked a series of rhetorical questions (vv. 3-6). The picture of two people walking together reminded them of the covenant obligations they had violated. Then the image of the hunting lion conveyed the fact that God wasn’t bluffing. Lions don’t roar for nothing—this prophecy of judgment wasn’t an empty threat.

Third, the bird in a trap was a “gotcha” picture. They had been caught in their sins and were guilty as charged. Fourth, a trumpet doesn’t blow for no reason. Amos’s prophecy was like a trumpet, signaling impending disaster. Finally, “has not the Lord caused it?” (v. 6) The seven enemy nations encircling Israel were nothing—the real problem was that Israel had earned the wrath of God! If the people ignored His warning, they would have only themselves to blame (vv. 7-8).

APPLY THE WORD
How amazing that the people of Israel are pictured taking a walk with their friend God (v. 3)! We use the phrase, “walk with the Lord,” so often that perhaps we’ve lost the amazement we should feel. The God of the universe has initiated a relationship with us—His Spirit indwells us so that we can walk with Him every hour of the day! The very thought should take our breath away. Reflect on this reality and thank Him for your walk today.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 3:9-15
“They do not know how to do right,” declares the LORD. - Amos 3:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
On a Saturday night in 1969, Florida A&M and the University of Tampa played the first interracial college football game in the South. Florida A&M had long fielded a dominant football team among black colleges, while the up-and-coming University of Tampa team was “overwhelmingly white.” A race riot had occurred just two years earlier in the city. What would happen at the game? The stands were packed. The cheers were deafening. Throughout the offensive battle, the fans, players, and coaches behaved well, knowing they were making history. Florida A&M claimed the victory, with the final score of 34-28.

This football game, a little-known civil rights and sports milestone, struck a blow against the injustice of racial segregation. In today’s reading, the Lord testified against the sins of His people, including social injustice. Since Israel had so utterly failed to be an upright witness to the nations, the nations were summoned to see God’s justice in action (vv. 9, 13). Even pagans would agree that God’s people were guilty and deserved punishment. Specifically, Israel was guilty of oppression, moral foolishness (not knowing how to do right), greed and exploiting the poor (hoarding plunder and loot), and lack of care (barricading themselves in fortresses). Divine judgment would relieve them of the illicit spoils in which they had sinfully placed their hope. The destruction would be so severe that only a remnant would be saved, like a small body part of a sheep being saved from a lion’s mouth.

God’s attack would destroy the altars at Bethel, the northern kingdom’s national center of worship (vv. 14-15; see 1 Kings 12:26-30). Since idolatry was their most heinous sin, He would strike at its heart. Cutting off the horns of the altar meant that no protection was left—there was nowhere they could hide or flee. In addition, He would destroy “the winter house along with the summer house,” that is, the luxuries and self-indulgences enjoyed by the rich oppressors. “Declares the Lord” makes this righteous judgment a certainty.

APPLY THE WORD
As we see in today’s reading, money can be a powerful temptation. Paul warned, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:6-10). This doesn’t mean that money itself is evil. As with any resource, the point is to be good stewards, earning and using money in obedience to God’s will. If money is earned unjustly or used selfishly, God is not pleased. Instead, we are to be content with what we have, whether little or much (Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11-13).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 4:1-8
The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: The time will surely come. - Amos 4:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
“Black Angus” beef commands top dollar these days. The label stands out in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. As popular as red and white Herefords used to be, now these black cows appear to be the most coveted breed of American cattle. The “certified Angus beef” brand has been advertised and promoted so successfully that the market has followed. Black cows now sell for more than any other color of cow. The perception among American consumers is that Black Angus beef now has superior quality or taste.

The “cows of Bashan” in today’s reading were also considered the top of the line. A sarcastic metaphor for rich and powerful women, the “cows of Bashan” were oppressors of the poor and needy. One can almost see them sitting by the pool, calling for more drinks, callously pursuing their self-indulgent lifestyle at the expense of others (v. 1). Amos 4 is generally regarded as the second of three main sermons or messages directed against Israel. (Chapter 3 was the first; the third is found in chapters 5 and 6.) While the first message focused straightforwardly on sin and judgment, the second sermon goes into more depth concerning how the people had ignored warnings, multiplied sin, and refused to repent. It’s a powerful indictment.

For the uncaring leaders and other power brokers, justice was coming at the hands of a sovereign God (vv. 2-3). The “cows of Bashan” would be led away with hooks through their noses—an image that would be literally fulfilled in how the Assyrians treated their prisoners of war. Their sins were serious business, serious enough for God to swear by His own holiness to accomplish justice. The people were sarcastically encouraged to ignore this prophecy and keep on sinning (vv. 4-5). Go ahead, God said, keep bringing sacrifices and playing the hypocrite. Do you imagine I don’t see? Do you think I won’t respond? You’re kidding yourselves! Though He had given them many warnings and opportunities to repent, they had ignored and rejected them all (vv. 6-8; cf. Deuteronomy 28).

APPLY THE WORD
The Israelites went through the motions of worshiping God, all the while bowing down before idols and pursuing greed, immorality, and other vices. Do we go through the motions on Sunday mornings, while living as we please from Monday to Saturday? Do we talk the talk but not walk the walk? If we are culpable of hypocrisy, self-indulgence, and a lack of concern for the needy, we should take warning from today’s passage and stop kidding ourselves.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 4:9-13
“You have not returned to me,” declares the LORD. - Amos 4:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
A near-shipwreck off the coast of Georgia led a young Anglican pastor, John Wesley, to reflect on whether he had genuine faith in Christ. Back in England after a failed ministry in the New World, he felt his heart “strangely warmed” during a reading of Martin Luther’s preface to Romans. “I felt I did trust in Christ,” he said, “Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” An itinerant preacher and evangelist and the founder of Methodism, he called himself “a brand plucked from the fire” (Zech. 3:2)—a reference to his amazing rescue from a fire as a child, and a tribute to God’s grace in his life.

“A brand [or burning stick] plucked from the fire” is a phrase also found in today’s reading (v. 11). In context, it means that only a remnant had been rescued from God’s previous judgments. The people should have learned from all the disasters they had experienced, including locusts and military defeat (vv. 9-10). These were natural or social catastrophes, but with a deeper supernatural cause—God was trying to get their attention. Unfortunately, this historical recitation is punctuated by the refrain, “yet you have not returned to me.” Their ears were deaf to God’s shouting—their hard hearts remained obstinately closed.

Therefore, Israel was warned to “prepare to meet your God” (v. 12). It was time for the sin to stop. It was time for justice to be done. The solemn tone in these verses has the ring of a judge pronouncing sentence on a convicted prisoner. Finally, rather than repeating the description of the coming disaster or the list of sins for which they had been condemned, the concluding verse of Amos’s sermon highlights the almighty and sovereign nature of God and His absolute right to pronounce sentence (v. 13). God’s people seemed to have “forgotten” who He is, although the evidence was all around them in the created world and in the fact that He “reveals his thoughts to mankind.” They should have known better!

APPLY THE WORD
In the midst of the awesomeness of verse 13, it is comforting to read that God “reveals his thoughts to mankind.” The fact that He has revealed Himself in both nature and Scripture is a tremendous encouragement. Without revelation, there is no chance of a relationship with God. We are reminded that we’re not headed for an impersonal “doom” or “fate,” but for justice as determined by a loving God. Because of this truth, we have hope!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 5:1-6
Seek the LORD and live. - Amos 5:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Ronald Reagan was known as “The Great Communicator.” Among numerous memorable speeches that he delivered during his presidency, few are as poignant as his words after the disastrous Challenger space shuttle disintegration that killed seven astronauts. He closed his address to a grieving nation with words from the poem “High Flight,” by John Gillespie Magee Jr.: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God’.”

Today’s reading is Amos’s lament for the devastation resulting from God’s coming judgment on Israel. A lament is a literary form expressing grief over a death or tragedy, in this case, a future tragedy (v. 1). The anticipated disaster was the fall of Israel. The nation was represented as a virgin bride, a picture of purity and commitment to the covenant relationship. The tragedy was that this “virgin” had been unfaithful and strayed far from the covenant, as we’ve already seen throughout Amos. As a result, she will be left deserted and helpless, like a dead body abandoned in a field—an image of joy turned to one of despair. This was certainly not how Israel imagined its future!

As part of this lament poem, God made two pronouncements concerning Israel (vv. 3-6). The first emphasized the completeness of the nation’s coming defeat. A thousand soldiers might march out to war, but only a hundred would come home. The military conquest by Assyria would be a crushing defeat, total annihilation.

The second pronouncement was another call to repentance. God urged the people, “Seek me and live.” Do not go to Bethel and other sites of idolatry and hypocrisy, He said, for there’s no hope there. The gods they followed would be powerless to help them. One option was repentance and a restored relationship with the Lord. The other option was defeat, exile, and God as a devouring fire. They were going to meet God, either as a loving Forgiver or as a holy Judge. The choice was theirs.

APPLY THE WORD
Amos knew that God’s judgment on Israel was just and righteous, yet he still mourned the destruction to come. This is a helpful model for us. We can acknowledge God’s holiness and sovereignty and still feel grief at the suffering caused by sin. In our own lives, this lament should cause us to repent from sin and embrace the forgiveness and restoration offered by the Lord. Psalm 51 provides a beautiful template for our confession in these circumstances.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 5:7-17
There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground. - Amos 5:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
A recent report found that every year, one out of every 50 children in America is homeless. That’s about 1.5 million children. Forty-two percent are younger than age six. Consequences include poor health and lost education opportunities. The report said these numbers could rise if home foreclosures also rise, and found that the worst states for child homelessness are Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. The long-term consequences for these children and their communities remind us that child homelessness is a social injustice that needs more attention, resources, and remedies.

Social injustice was one of the sins for which Israel was condemned in today’s reading. It was these and other sins that had put them on the wrong side of God’s wrath. Israel and the Lord were supposed to be in a faithful covenant relationship, but Israel had been continuously unfaithful. They were sinning. He is holy. The status quo simply could not continue!

Today’s reading again feels like a courtroom scene in which a judge is reading out a sentence to a convicted criminal. Israel was guilty of discarding righteousness and turning justice to bitterness, that is, of doing the exact opposite of what they ought to have been doing (v. 7). The goodness and integrity of the Judge, by contrast, were beyond question (vv. 8-9). God is the creator of the universe and sustains it by His great power. He is Lord over all, and is not to be mocked. Israel was guilty of hating truth, refusing correction, exploiting the poor, and other social and spiritual evils (vv. 10-13). Their self-deception was so thorough that God had to repeatedly expose their sins through His prophets.

He also repeatedly offered the people opportunities to repent and turn from their wickedness (vv. 14-15). Seeking the Lord is equated in these verses with seeking life and goodness and justice and mercy, for He is all these things. Fail to do this, God warned, and tears and grief would be the result (vv. 16-17). Judgment had been rendered and punishment would be administered, if they persisted in their sinful ways.

APPLY THE WORD
Standing for justice in the larger society is part of what it means to be “salt and light” and to follow Christ (Matt. 5:13-16). Whether the issue is the exploitation of the poor or the killing of the unborn, we as Christians need to take a stand for what is right. That might be through voting, volunteering, giving, social activism, or other means. In the words of another prophet: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” (Zech. 7:9).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 5:18-27
Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! - Amos 5:24
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1960, legendary CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow hosted a television special entitled, “Harvest of Shame.” This was a one-hour investigative news program exposing the plight of migrant farmworkers in America. White, black, and Hispanic, these workers were being ruthlessly exploited with substandard pay and housing. One of the wealthy growers said, “We used to own our slaves—now we just rent them.” The pay, working conditions, and legal status of such migrants are still important social issues a half-century later. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack estimates that 50 to 60 percent of the food we eat “has been touched by immigrant hands.”

God is passionate about issues of justice, as we see again in today’s reading. The passage opens, “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD!” (v. 18). Why “woe”? Because the “day of the Lord” is a double-edged sword. The complacent Israelites imagined only that it would be a wonderful day of victory and blessing for themselves as God’s “chosen people.” They forgot that covenant unfaithfulness would earn His wrath. Therefore, the “day of the Lord” is an occasion of blessing for some—but justice for others. Since they had embraced such sinfulness, for them to wish for the “day” was to wish for their own judgment.

As things stood, the “day of the Lord” would be a dark day indeed (vv. 19-20). It would make things worse, as if a man escaped from a lion only to meet a bear, or as if he entered his house and thought himself safe only to be bitten by a snake. God’s passion for justice will be highlighted on this “day” (vv. 21-23). He hates, despises, can’t stand, rejects, and doesn’t listen to the false worship and false hearts of the people. “Away with the noise of your songs!” He shouts. What He longs for instead are justice and righteousness (v. 24). The similes of a “river” and a “never-failing stream” show that justice and righteousness are rich, powerful, and life-giving. In conclusion, God says plainly that because of the sin of idolatry, Israel will be defeated and sent into exile (vv. 25-27).

APPLY THE WORD
We cannot compensate for a lifestyle of indulgence at the expense of others by singing a few songs or even by giving money to the church on Sunday. The Lord receives our worship only when our lives are oriented toward His pleasure, not our own. Do we go through the motions at church, but in fact worship at the altar of success, security, or satisfaction? God offers us a river of mercy, but only if we turn from our shallow droplets of seeking our own desires.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 6:1-7
You will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end. - Amos 6:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
An international anti-corruption organization released a list of the top ten most corrupt world leaders ever, as measured by how much money they took in through bribery and graft. Former Indonesian President Mohamed Suharto is at the head of the list, with his ill-gotten gains estimated at $15 to $35 billion. Next is Ferdinand Marcos, former President of the Philippines, at $5 to $10 billion, then Mobutu Sese Seko, former President of Zaire, at $5 billion. Each of the ten men on the list was eventually ousted from power—justice caught up with them.

God’s way of thinking is that leaders should serve, not use people for their personal gain. The second “woe” of Amos is directed at bad leaders (v. 1). The leaders of Israel and Judah were so blind and self-deceived that instead of fearing the coming judgment and turning to God in repentance, they were feeling good about life and smugly expecting His blessings. Instead of learning from the conquered fate of their wicked neighbors, they continued to think they would be fine (v. 2). Divine judgment would fall on them first of all (v. 7). Their current activities of “feasting and lounging” would cease as they went into exile.

Instead of leading God’s people in paths of righteousness, the leaders had blazed a trail of sinfulness (vv. 3-6). Their ivory beds and couches reflected an opulent, self-indulgent lifestyle. Their meal menu of choice lambs and fattened calves revealed gluttony at the expense of others. Lounging and strumming indicated idleness, while the wine and lotion signified a decadent addiction to pleasure and comfort. They were oblivious to the state of spiritual ruin to which they had brought their nation. “Like David” was an ironic contrast—they might be strumming a harp like David, but that’s where the similarities ended. They didn’t understand David’s heart of worship.

Israel’s leaders should have been leading the way in obedience, worship, and covenant faithfulness. They should have been the first to repent at the prophecies of Amos and others. They should have known better—and they would be held responsible.

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God wants leaders to be serving, not self-serving. When the disciples argued about who was the greatest, Jesus explained: “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. . . . I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:24-27). May we seek to follow His example!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 6:8-14
You have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. - Amos 6:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1940, Polish army captain Witold Pilecki snuck into Auschwitz. He wanted to find out what was going on there and report it to the world. He stayed in the concentration camp for two-and-a-half years and smuggled out news of the executions and brutal treatment of prisoners. The Polish resistance thought he was surely exaggerating; the Allied command in London refused to act. After escaping, he wrote the first intelligence report on the now-infamous death camp. Though a hero, he was shot by the Communists who took over Poland after the war, and the story of his courage was suppressed until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Turning justice into poison is an abomination in God’s eyes (v. 12). In Amos’s day, the people of Israel had also turned the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.” They had taken for granted their relationship with the Lord. The covenant relationship should have been a spur for them to obey, worship, and witness. Instead, they disobeyed, bowed before idols, and defamed God’s name among the nations.

Yet in their pride and self-deception, they somehow continued to believe that God was on their side. The truth was that not only would God not protect them, it was He Himself who had passed judgment and would execute the punishment (vv. 8-11). He’d had enough! To “swear by himself” was as serious as it gets. The picture of the survivors who don’t want to mention God’s name was Amos’s way of showing that it would eventually dawn on people that God Himself—not circumstances or human enemies—was the one responsible for their downfall. Indeed, the Lord Himself would be the one to give the command for Israel’s defeat.

To turn justice into poison and righteousness into bitterness is to make things the opposite of what they should be—like making oxen plow on “rocky crags” or like trusting in one’s own strength instead of God’s (vv. 12-13). As a result, the Lord was preparing a nation—which we know to be Assyria—to conquer His people and send them into exile (v. 14).

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Amos’s audience felt invincible (having won military victories) and immune (having God on their side). The entire book of Amos aimed to cure them of this delusion. Did they think they had accomplished success all by themselves? Did they think God didn’t see their idolatry and other sins? This should prompt us to ask ourselves if we’re putting our faith in anything other than God—perhaps our own abilities, resources, or plans. If so, the prophet’s wake-up call is aimed at us, too!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 7:1-9
This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me. - Amos 7:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
A bad golf shot accidentally started a brush fire that consumed 20 acres. On a golf course near Reno, Nevada, the golfer had hit his ball into the grass. Trying to get back to the fairway on his next shot, he started a fire when his metal club struck something that created a spark. It took 50 firefighters and several fire engines from two cities hours to subdue the blaze. Talk about a poor round of golf!

Fire is at the center of one of the three visions seen by Amos in today’s reading. This marks a shift in the book’s content. Chapters 1 and 2 feature a series of prophetic judgments against the nations, beginning with Israel’s enemies, then stunningly announcing that Israel herself is the chief offender. Chapters 3 through 6 contain three sermons or oracles, directed mainly at the northern kingdom of Israel, which emphasize the severity of the nation’s sins and the certainty of God’s righteous judgment if they did not repent. Chapters 7 through 9 are built around five visions—three short ones (today’s reading) and two longer ones.

The themes and meanings of these visions are the same as the messages in the earlier chapters, but God now uses Amos to communicate them in a different way.

In the first three visions, a pattern repeats: God shows Amos a form of judgment, the prophet cries out or intercedes for the people as unable to bear His wrath, then God relents—but notice, He does not forgive because the people haven’t repented. In the first vision, it’s a swarm of locusts, a kind of natural disaster (vv. 1-3). In the second vision, it’s fire, with the imagery more supernatural and apocalyptic (vv. 4-6). In the third vision, it’s a plumb line (vv. 7-9). This picture is less dramatic but more chilling. The message is that the standard is holiness and that Israel was failing miserably. A time of accountability and judgment had arrived. The idolaters and their high places would be destroyed. God had measured correctly—they’re the ones who were so off course, and they would reap the results.

APPLY THE WORD
Amos is one among a great tradition of biblical characters interceding for their nation. Moses prayed to the Lord on behalf of the Israelites when God responded to their complaints with fire (Num. 11:1-3). We can join this great tradition by praying for communities, our nation, and for the world. Interceding for country and four our elected leaders and asking God to continue to call sinners to Himself should be a regular part of our prayer lives.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 7:10-17
The LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” - Amos 7:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Leaving home in order to preserve his life, Jacob spent a night camping out with a rock for a pillow. While sleeping, he saw a stairway to heaven, with angels ascending and descending. In the dream, God reaffirmed the covenant and told Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.” When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place,” and called it “Bethel,” or “house of God” (Gen. 28:10-22).

In the days of Amos, the people of Israel had turned the sacred site of Bethel into a place of idolatry. When Amos challenged their sins, the leaders lashed out. Today’s reading is a brief narrative interlude showing the hostility and hardheartedness faced by the prophet during his ministry. Thematically, we can see the truth of the plumb line judgment in yesterday’s reading, as well as the vast difference between true and false followers of God.

Amaziah’s response to Amos’s prophecy demonstrated a false heart (vv. 10-13). When Amaziah, a priest and religious leader, heard Amos’s message, he sent word to Jeroboam II, presumably seeking the king’s political support for opposing Amos. He must have received confirmation of such support, because he condemned Amos and accused him of being a mercenary “seer,” that is, a false prophet who delivered messages for pay. He saw Amos’s prophecies as a political ploy to rouse opposition and conspire against the king. He also identified Bethel as the spiritual center of the kingdom, indicating that Amos had brought his message to the right place.

Amos’s response to Amaziah’s challenge demonstrated true faith (vv. 14-17). He had no prophetic lineage or political aspirations. He had been taking care of his own business, staying occupied with sheep and orchards. But God had seen fit to call him to prophesy, and when God calls, we dare not refuse! His call trumped all other considerations. At great personal risk, Amos affirmed the message of judgment and exile and added a word of warning for Amaziah’s family as well.

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Amos answered Amaziah’s accusations by sharing his personal testimony, the story of his call to ministry. A book by professor Alan Jacobs, Looking Before and After: Testimony and the Christian Life, discusses the importance of personal spiritual testimony. Seeing how God has worked in your life will encourage you, and sharing it can encourage someone else. These testimonies, like Jacob’s stone of remembrance at Bethel, remind us of what God has done for us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 8:1-8
The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. - Amos 8:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
“The time is ripe” is an English idiom suggesting “sufficiently advanced, especially for a particular action or purpose” or “ready for execution, action, or use.” Practically, it means “the most favorable time to do something,” as in, “Since Joe was in a good mood, I judged that the time was ripe to ask him for the favor I needed.”

In today’s reading, “the time is ripe” for God’s judgment on Israel (v. 2). The main image in this fourth vision of Amos is a basket of fruit (v. 1). God showed it to the prophet as a confirmation of the coming judgment. The idea of “ripeness” means that this was not a random or sudden decision of God, but rather that it had been a long time coming. Like the slow process of fruit growing and ripening toward a harvest, the nation’s sins—including its rejection of God’s prophets and their warnings—had been accumulating and deepening toward a harvest of judgment (v. 3).

This message is aimed especially at rich oppressors (vv. 4-6). Their pride and brutality are seen in the picture of them trampling the needy and doing away with the poor. Instead of repenting and seeking the Lord, they were waiting impatiently for holy days and Sabbaths to be over so that they could get back to doing business. They showed no respect for the rhythms of community life as established by God. They showed no respect for people, seeing them only as a source of profit. Perhaps they were workaholics—at the very least they had put money at the center of their lives. What’s worse, they were guilty of dishonest weights and measures, not to mention price-gouging. “Selling even the sweepings” was the exact opposite of the Law’s compassionate principle of gleaning, in which the poor were allowed to harvest “leftovers” from the fields (see Lev. 19:9-10).

Justice would be done on these sins and others (vv. 7-8). God would not forget. As surely as the annual rising and receding of the Nile River, a flood of judgment would overwhelm Israel.

APPLY THE WORD
A number of godly business principles can be derived from today’s passage. The significance of honesty and integrity stand out. Other principles include the importance of rest (not being a workaholic), the importance of respecting people (customers are more than a source of revenue), the fact that the bottom line is about more than money (price-gouging is immoral), and the truth that our ultimate accountability is to the Lord (and you can be sure He’ll see that justice is done).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 8:9-14
“In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD. - Amos 8:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
We’re familiar with symbols or signs of grief or mourning in American culture. People wear dark clothes to a funeral. The hearse is black. Sending flowers is an appropriate remembrance. The body is typically displayed in a coffin. A gravestone marks the spot where the deceased is laid to rest.

In the Israelite culture of Amos’s day, typical symbols or signs of grief or mourning included tearing one’s garment, wearing sackcloth, shaving one’s head, and sitting in ashes. The death of an only son would have led to particularly intense grief. This is one of the pictures God used to communicate the severity of His judgment in today’s reading, which follows up on yesterday’s by giving a more extended description of “that day” (vv. 3, 9), that is, the “day of the LORD.” The images in this passage are poetic, hyperbolic, and sometimes apocalyptic.

Verses 9 through 11 focus on what God will do. From a human perspective, He will do things that are unexpected or even impossible, like making the sun go down at noon. Because of the people’s self-deception and unresponsive hearts, they will be shocked when He turns their feasting into mourning and singing into weeping. He will overturn their empty rituals and bring judgment instead. It will be as bad as the death of an only son—the grief and bitterness will be violent when they grasp the brokenness of the covenant relationship. They had been taking for granted and rejecting the prophecies of Amos and others, not understanding that it was a privilege for them even to be receiving God’s words. In “that day,” there would be a “famine of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Verses 12 through 14 highlight the effects of God’s judgment as mirrored in people’s actions. They will desperately search everywhere for the word of the Lord, but they won’t find it. Prophets won’t be sent; God will be “silent.” Those who took their spiritual sustenance from false idols will find themselves spiritually thirsty and starving. Having regarded God and His words so carelessly, they will discover His true worth and learn again the true meaning of the covenant relationship.

APPLY THE WORD
Amazing as it is, the one true God wants a genuine relationship with us! He desires our time and attention and worship because He loves us and knows what is best for us. All the empty rituals in the world can’t substitute for hearts that hunger and thirst for Him (Matt. 5:6). Spend time today worshiping the Lord and thanking Him for sending His Word. May we never take for granted the rich feast He has provided for us!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Amos 9:1-10
I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve. - Amos 9:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards impressed on his listeners the fearfulness of God’s just wrath: “The wrath of God burns against [sinners], their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them. . . . This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.” The mercy is that sinners do not immediately pay this penalty, because God chooses to give them an opportunity to repent. If they do not, they remain “in the hands of an angry God.”

Amos’s version of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is found in today’s reading. This fifth and final vision does not have one main image, like the previous four visions, but rather presents a series of pictures that together create a book-concluding tableau of the “day of the LORD.” To begin, there is a picture of God standing by the altar in the temple (vv. 1-4). Here, at the very heart of the covenant relationship, He would destroy the temple and execute judgment on the Israelites. There would be no escape, for although it might seem that the Assyrians were the ones doing it, in fact the sovereign God would be the true agent of action: “I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good” (v. 4).

God is sovereign over the destinies of nations (vv. 5-7). He is the creator and sustainer of the world. His ways and thoughts are far above ours. Because of who He is, His judgment is as sure as His mercy (vv. 8-10). He will shake the nation, like grain shaken in a sieve, and His judgment will find all those who think it can’t happen to them. But in His mercy, which is also part of who He is, He will protect a remnant.

APPLY THE WORD
In today’s judgment scenario, divine omnipresence is a fearful reality—there is nowhere the guilty can escape. But for those who trust in Him, God’s omnipresence is a comforting reality. In Psalm 139, for example, David reflected: “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (vv. 8-10).