Amos; The approach of judgement

“You alone have I known of all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos ch3 v1).

The one who speaks, Amos will have us know, is the Lord of all the earth and beyond;
“He who made the Pleiades and Orion
And turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night” (ch5 v8).
So he is not just a local god. He is not known as the God of Israel because his power is limited to Israel;
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” (ch9 v7)

Yet he has “known” the family of Israel in a more special sense.
They are the people he has chosen to train up in the understanding of his ways (with the intention of letting them loose later to train the rest of the world).
But this privilege comes at a price.
It would be like going to school as the Headmaster’s child. The beady eyes would be upon you, along with the jealous eyes of the rest of the class, and there would be little chance that your misdemeanours would go unnoticed.
(I’ve been there, I know what I’m talking about.)
That’s why the Lord says ”therefore” he will punish them for all their iniquities.

These warnings are given on the authority of a prophet, so Amos must first vindicate the authority of prophets.
He explains it this way; there are things which go together so closely that the presence of one implies the other.
If two people walk together, that shows them to be friends.
If a lion roars in the forest, that shows he has found a victim.
If a snare has been tripped, that shows that something has walked into it.
And if misfortune happens to a city, that shows the Lord is at work.
As does the announcement of a prophecy, because “the Lord God does nothing without revealing it to his servants the prophets” (ch3 vv2-8).
Amos himself attests that he had been an ordinary herdsman until the Lord took him from his flock and said “Go, prophesy to my people Israel” (ch7 vv14-15).

He reminds them first of the minor chastisements they’ve already received.
There was famine;
“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places” (ch4 v6).
There was drought, with a very erratic supply of rain.
There was mildew.
There was pestilence.
There was defeat in battle.
Yet none of these events had induced them to return to the Lord (vv7-11).

This being the case, stronger measures will be taken.
The Lord will summon the might of Egypt and Assyria to come to Samaria and see for themselves the tumults and the oppression which are taking place there.
“An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defences from you” (ch3 v11).
The usual effects of invasion will follow.
“The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left” (ch5 v3).
The wealthy will lose their pleasant homes, and they will be the first to go into exile (ch6 v7).
There will be mourning in all the squares and the streets, and in the farms and the vineyards.
“They shall call to wailing those who are skilled in lamentations” (ch5 vv16-17).
A nation will oppress them “from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah” (ch6 v14).
These limits stretch from the north to the deep south, including the kingdom of Judah, so this warning is not just about the northern kingdom.

The warning is enhanced by a series of dramatic images.

Amos sees a picture of locusts eating up the whole of the land. He protests;
“How can Jacob stand? He is so small”.
At this appeal, the Lord relents; “It shall not be” (ch7 vv1-3).
He sees another picture of “a judgement by fire”, eating up the whole of the land.
Again the appeal, “How can Jacob stand?”, and again the Lord relents.
The message seems to be that the chastisement of Israel will not bring their total destruction, though that would have been possible.
As usual in the Old Testament, the Lord contemplates the most extreme solution and then draws back.

Then the prophet sees a picture of a wall and a plumb-line.
The metaphorical plumb-line is for testing the righteousness of the building work of Israel.
Its altars and sanctuaries will fail to pass the test, and so they will be destroyed (ch7 vv7-9).
He also sees a picture of a basket of summer fruit- that is, fruit which comes at the very end of the growing season.
The message is that the kingdom of Israel, too, is about to come to an end (ch8 vvv1-3).

At the same time, there will be an end of their previous contact with the Lord.
The Lord spoke to them, and they did not listen.
So thereafter there would be “a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it” (ch8 vv11-12).

The final image is based on the great earthquake which has already shaken the nation.
The prophet sees the Lord standing beside the altar, and the Lord proclaims the earthquake as a metaphor.
It means that he will shake the kingdom to its complete destruction.
“I will set my eyes on them for evil and not for good” (ch9 vv1-4)

There is also a message here for all those in later times who understand themselves to be part of God’s people.
It serves as a warning that that their confidence in their status should not cause them to relax into complacency.

a reply to: DISRAELI

I'm beginning to wonder whether God can actually do anything else part from threatening everybody if they don't obey Him. He sounds like some horrible dictator.

He never lifts a finger to help anyone, especially those who need Him most. They get hard impoverished lives, cheated and abused by the system then He just threatens them for being no good to add salt to sore wounds. Does this God have any sympathy? He makes imperfect creatures then blames them for being useless. Great!

a reply to: Revolution9
One way that he can help people is by telling other humans to lend a hand.
For example, rebuking and threatening to punish the nation for exploiting the poor, which was one of the topics of the previous thread on Amos, is a way of helping the poor.
You need to look at the overall picture.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Maybe I misunderstood, but this "And if misfortune happens to a city, that shows the Lord is at work."
please explain, Lord is to blame for traffic accidents in the city or what???

a reply to: Lora73
I think he is talking about bigger misfortunes like being besieged and conquered by an invading army.
It's dropping a strong hint that this might be on the cards for the cities of Israel.

P.S. The exact wording of Amos in the passage I summarised is;
"Is a trumpet blown in a city and the people are not afraid?
Does evil befall a city unless the Lord has done it?" ch3 v6

a reply to: DISRAELI

A true story:

I was brought up with my Grandma. When I was 13 I was just getting ready for school in the morning. I was unusually late as I normally kept very good time. That year I was moved up to the top class for being such a bright boy and having excelled in my exams. I was taking my Grandma cups of tea as, unusually for her, of late she was staying bed in the morning. I could tell she was not well.

My Grandma died that morning aged 54, in my arms suddenly, with no one else at home but me. Watched them take her body away in a black body bag clunking down the stairs and out of the house. While she was doing the death rattle I was praying and screaming at God not to let her die, praying my little head off. No can do that day from God. Been the same ever since. Not been given one break in this life. Was bad enough my Mom leaving me when I was 3 years old then losing another when I was 13. True to form, God has not lifted a finger any time I needed Him. My guitar has been more of a crutch than any God. At least music helped me stay sane through it all.

Where are You God? What kind of Father does not protect His sons and daughters when they cry out to Him? I id not even have the chance to know my real Dad either. I don't understand why we have to come into the world to be treated so badly when others get a fair start to life. It is really #ed up.

What were some of Jesus' last words,

"Eli, Eli why have You forsaken me?".

Seems like He is good at doing a no show when needed. Didn't see Him lift a finger for the Jews when Hitler was having them all gassed either. No God then. He just kicks them in and out of Israel at a whim.

I'm not too sure about this God any more. My guitar has been far more useful in real terms.

Should I have even bothered posting this personal #? What does it matter any way.

a reply to: Revolution9
For practical purposes, the help you were demanding was the abolition of death, which is a tall order.
That is actually promised as a long-term outcome.
I'm not going to get into speculating why it has to be long-term.
But thank you for talking about it, anyway.

originally posted by: Revolution9
a reply to: DISRAELI

A true story:

I was brought up with my Grandma. When I was 13 I was just getting ready for school in the morning. I was unusually late as I normally kept very good time. That year I was moved up to the top class for being such a bright boy and having excelled in my exams. I was taking my Grandma cups of tea as, unusually for her, of late she was staying bed in the morning. I could tell she was not well.

My Grandma died that morning aged 54, in my arms suddenly, with no one else at home but me. Watched them take her body away in a black body bag clunking down the stairs and out of the house. While she was doing the death rattle I was praying and screaming at God not to let her die, praying my little head off. No can do that day from God. Been the same ever since. Not been given one break in this life. Was bad enough my Mom leaving me when I was 3 years old then losing another when I was 13. True to form, God has not lifted a finger any time I needed Him. My guitar has been more of a crutch than any God. At least music helped me stay sane through it all.

Where are You God? What kind of Father does not protect His sons and daughters when they cry out to Him? I id not even have the chance to know my real Dad either. I don't understand why we have to come into the world to be treated so badly when others get a fair start to life. It is really #ed up.

What were some of Jesus' last words,

"Eli, Eli why have You forsaken me?".

Seems like He is good at doing a no show when needed. Didn't see Him lift a finger for the Jews when Hitler was having them all gassed either. No God then. He just kicks them in and out of Israel at a whim.

I'm not too sure about this God any more. My guitar has been far more useful in real terms.

Should I have even bothered posting this personal #? What does it matter any way.

Sorry Bro,

You really got kicked in the balls. Hang in there.

I have no words. Don't give up. It gets better.

a reply to: Revolution9

I'm not a huge fan of the way things are going in this world as far as 'God' is concerned...

....but I have had a life of difficulty which I could not endure, if I let myself believe for one second that God is nonexistent, so I have 'searched' long and hard, seeking and learning and pondering and conjecturing in order to develop my own personal 'concept' or way of 'relating' to God...

I made a decision to believe in God's love for us without having expectations of specific kinds of help from Him.

I 'choose' Faith in God even when I cannot 'feel' it, and I continually seek for knowledge and understanding which can aid me in continually refining a 'version' of God which makes enough sense to me that I 'can' maintain belief in Him -

- the most important thing I've learned: you do not have to believe in the bible (or any other religious 'teachings') in order to believe in God...it's all about the 'relationship' between the two of you...

Something that really helped me in the beginning of my 'search' is a book called, "Where is God when it hurts?" by Phillip Yancey.

The book was extremely helpful in giving understanding to the problem of why there is suffering if God loves us.

I truly think you could benefit from reading the book, it will give you a whole new perspective...

...Also, although the author is a Christian, the book is not any of that overly "Christian/praise the lord" type stuff.

Best wishes..

a reply to: Revolution9

The most disappointing aspect of the bible is the teaching that Gods promise is not for the life we live.
Gods promise is for the life that is to come, the new life we receive.
We all have our story's, we all have this life and it would be far easier if we didn't have to live it out

Christianity is a religion of faith, Christians are called to have faith even though in our circumstances it's seems obvious God doesn't exist or care

It amazes me all these churches where people think God will bless them with spouses,cars, wealth, fame, ministers talk healing and prosperity.
Jesus taught the sermon on the mount, loss humility brokenness and then Himself went to the cross And was executed

Christianity offers Christians suffering, maybe even more than those in the world.
Happy news, rest is promised, just not in the here and now

This is the earth, it's not heaven, God is heaven, this isn't the life God wants for us, this life is unfair, that's why I have faith in God

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Lora73
I think he is talking about bigger misfortunes like being besieged and conquered by an invading army.
It's dropping a strong hint...

What Does The Statement Above Reveal About The Ten Plagues Of Egypt... And The Mighty Hand Of God... ???

P.S. Hinting At...

a reply to: Pinocchio
Exodus itself tells us that the "plagues of Egypt" came from the hand of God.
It was all about exerting pressure on Pharaoh. As everybody remembers from Sunday school.
So your ingenious "discovery" is, in fact, old news.

a reply to: DISRAELI

For As Certain As You Seem... And For As Much As I'd Like To Believe You're Right...
There Is Nothing From God That Day Save The Hardened Heart Of A Pharoah.

The Rest Was Funny To Me... People Of Israel Surely Did Have Fun... Especially The Locusts.

Can You Elaborate Just A Bit More... Before I Disappoint You With Ingenious Aftethoughts.

a reply to: Pinocchio
E.g. "Yet one plague will I bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt" Exodus ch11 v1

If you're only interested in playing silly games, I won't be interested in renewing this conversation.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Pinocchio

If you're only interested in playing silly games, I won't be interested in renewing this conversation.

No Offense given...
Only meant to help you out... that you may later on begin to make sense of the kingdom of men... And all their works under the sun which is made holy by attributing the cause to a lonely God.

Again... no offense. I follow you as often as I can. You're border line scholar.

I would post my intent in full if I could. My tablet allows me to write my whole post... But... when I Click Reply... my posts are drastically cut short. Mysterious. LOL...

This thread is the sequel to
What's wrong with Israel?
The earlier thread shows why the judgement is taking place.

So I am covering Amos in these four threads;

What's wrong with Israel?
The approach of judgement
The Day of the Lord
Return to the land