Verse 1. "Thus the Lord God showed
me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit."
Don't you love the imagery of God?
He speaks and acts with such grace and beauty - there is CLARITY in all that
He says. If He always spoke in a merely direct manner, however, we might
comprehend Him intellectually, but miss the message that reaches to the heart.
In the midst of a series of prophesies that spoke of the impending doom upon ancient
Israel, God now touched Amos with a vision - "a basket of summer fruit."
The gathering of fruit was the last harvest of the year.
Jesus spoke to what was largely a rural nation, as Amos did, and both often
referred to
the crops that literally filled the hillsides and valleys. Jesus spoke
about
a harvest of SOULS, urging us to "pray the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers in His harvest" (Matthew 9:37-38). Amos was given a darker message:
ancient Israel was to reap a harvest of destruction!
Verse 2. "He said, 'What do you
see, Amos?' And I said, 'A basket of summer fruit." Then the Lord said to me,
'The end has come for My people Israel I will spare them no longer.'"
God has many questions for us and it's interesting that He already knows the answers.
Millennia before this verse, God called to Adam, asking, "Where are you?"
(Genesis 3:9). God KNEW the situation and whereabouts of Adam. The
idea is that we are revealed to others and to ourselves by our
responses to God. The Lord God was now asking Amos the prophet, "What do you see?"
Amos, who was not only a herdsman, but was also a grower
of fruit ("figs") himself (Amos 7:14), knew precisely what was being shown to him:
"a basket of summer fruit!" God now gave him the application of the vision
of the basket of fruit - just as there is a time for the harvest of fruit, so
also there is a time when the righteousness that comes from faith in God is largely gone from a nation; and that is
when judgment will come.
Verse 3. "The songs of the palace
will turn to wailing in that day," declares the Lord God, "Many will be the
corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence."
Every nation and culture has its poetry, literature and
activities somewhat exclusive to that group. There is a sense of identity
in belonging that is revealed in the songs, dances and books that are unique to
each place and time. Israel was no exception. The Psalms of David and other
works were continually sung in that nation, but soon they would be gone.
The reason was stark and frightening: Many of them would
be killed in a war they were about to fight on their own soil - and lose!
All the families of that land were to know the terrible wailing that
would take the place of singing. So many would die that even the
traditional dirges of mourning over "corpses" would be replaced by: "silence."
Verse 4. "Hear this, you who
trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,"
Israel's sins against God and their crimes against the
people had reached maturity in its meanness. It had ripened in that land
to the point that it could be compared to ripe fruit, ready for the
harvest. Note that we should be concerned about the advent of sinful
thoughts and actions in our "modern" nations, for sin AGAINST God leads to judgment BY God.
The sinful nation will be destroyed.
Once again, God through the prophet, is revealing
something of the people's sin. He said,
"You who trample the needy" - they were
about to literally "do away with the humble of the land." Jesus said, "the
poor you will have with you always" (Matthew 26:11), and part of the
reason is that our circumstances reveal who we are. The poor man has the opportunity to praise God
within difficult
circumstances, and the rich person is entrusted with the gift of being able to
help those who are in need. To not help is to risk - judgment!
Verse 5. "saying, 'When will the
new moon be over, so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may open
the wheat market, to make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, and to cheat
with dishonest scales,'"
God continues His indictment of Israel through the
prophet Amos. In the previous verse, the tendency of those in that land to
"trample the needy" and "do away with the humble of the land"
was shown.
The Lord now continues with observations about their religious and business practices.
They had been outwardly diligent in religion, but their hearts were far from the Lord.
God observes our hearts. The people were
irritated with anything, religious or otherwise, that interfered with the making of a financial profit.
And note the habit they had of cheating their customers. If God entrusts businesses, properties or other resources to you, He has in mind that you will
prayerfully HELP others,
not harm them. James defined religion: It is "to
visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted by the
world" (James 1:27).
Father, we have not done well in Your sight. We
ask, Holy Spirit, that You will help us to remember and care for those who are
in need. Help the poor and needy of our land. Save us. Heal
us. Forgive us. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study – Amos 8:6-10
Verse 6. "So as to buy the
helpless for money and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the
refuse of the wheat?"
In the preceding verse, we saw the greed of the social
"in-crowd" of Israel, as it was nearly 3,000 years ago. The "new moon"
mentioned in that verse was a holiday on the first day of the month (Numbers 28:11).
Trade (buying and selling) was suspended at such a time.
The shop keepers and other tradesmen of Israel resented Sabbaths (rest days), because they represented a loss of income.
Everything was about money to them. In this verse
it is reported they would "buy the helpless for money and the needy for a pair
of sandals." The idea was that they took so much from the poor man that he
had to sell himself into slavery to pay his debts (which was a custom of the
time - Leviticus 30:39, Deuteronomy 15:12). The wealthy wore shoes purchased by
the enslaving of a human being. And the wheat they sold in the marketplace
was often spoiled. In God's eyes, they were cheaters who deserved
judgment.
Verse 7. "The Lord has sworn by
the pride of Jacob, 'Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.'"
Jacob's name had been changed to "Israel." The man
Jacob had "pride" in his cleverness, but then he found faith in the Lord. He
no longer had pride in himself; his pride was in God. So here in this
verse we find God swearing by Himself, who had become "the
pride of Jacob." God can only swear by
Himself because there is no higher authority in heaven or on earth. His
oath was addressed to a nation that was full of pride.
And here is God's promise to the Israel of that time: "I
will never forget any of their deeds." But interestingly, an intervening
Force has entered into history, that changes everything! God has introduced a
"new covenant" (contract) to humanity, in which He will be "our God" and we
can be His "people."
He says, "I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more"
(Jeremiah 31:33-34, Hebrews 8:10-12). We were to be (and are) FORGIVEN in Christ Jesus!
Verse 8. "Because of this will not
the land quake and everyone who dwells in it mourn? Indeed, all of it will rise
up like the Nile, and it will be tossed about and subside like the Nile of
Egypt."
Just like the Israel of old, every one of us needs to be
shaken out of our complacency, our pride. We are not as efficient or as
good as we think we are. When things go wrong, it can seem like the very
"land" under us begins to "tremble." The drunken laughter,
the cheating of Israel would be
turned to mourning.
Israel knew their history and remembered that the nation
had once lived in the land of Egypt, a place that had at its center, the Nile
River. The lore of Israel included a remembrance of the rising and falling
of that river. The pride of Israel had swelled and heaved, but now it
would "subside." And so must your pride and mine be reduced in the sight
of God and man.
Verse 9. "It will come about in
that day," declares the Lord God, 'that I will make the sun go down at noon and
make the earth dark in broad daylight."
To understand the phrases, "The sun (will)
go down at
noon" and "the earth (would be)
dark in broad daylight," it's important for you
to have known depression. Israel at that time was like a ship that
was about to hit the rocks. They were like an airplane that would suddenly
go down. Any survivors would be lost in a state of extreme depression, a
condition not unlike darkness "in broad daylight."
It's really time for us all to consider these verses in
relation to OUR lives, our nations. We are not that different from ancient Israel.
God created you and your nation, just as surely as He created those of
long ago. He made us and therefore we are His; and it is reasonable that
we should repent and trust in Him - before it is too late!
Verse 10. "Then I will turn your
festivals into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring
sackcloth on everyone's loins and baldness on every head and I will make it like
a time of mourning for an only son, and the end of it will be like a bitter
day."
Our priorities and the Lord's are often not the same.
The typical goals of a human being are the reverse of God's words in this verse:
We want "mourning" to be changed into "festivals," and "lamentation" to become
"songs" of joy. "Sackcloth" was the rough clothing worn by those in
mourning for lost loved ones, and those who experienced grief often shaved their
heads.
If we had the choice, we would probably live
self-sufficient, self-satisfied little lives - forever! But God has
allowed sickness, sorrow, loss and death in our midst, so we will see our
need of Him. This is why we are taught, "in
EVERYTHING give thanks" (1
Thessalonians 5:18), for even the "bad" in life is carefully designed to take us
out of selfishness and bring us to faith in the Lord.
Dear God, save us now. Let our pride be brought
low, to the extent that we will look to the Lord and not to ourselves.
We trust in You now. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Friday Study 5/5/06 – Amos
8:11-14
Verse 11. "'Behold,
days are coming,' declares the Lord God, 'When I will send a
famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for
water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.'"
Here is another instance where God's
priorities and ours do not coincide. Our definition of a "famine"
certainly would include a lack of food and water. To lose
our marriage, our money, a loved one or a career, is a type
of "famine" also, and such
events are so awful that none of us want to bear them. The
Lord, however, has a more complete perspective.
God through the prophet speaks of a
"famine" even greater,
infinitely greater than any other type of loss. It's not
appreciated by most on earth, but to no longer hear "the
words of the Lord" is the greatest loss in the
world. The nation Israel was trying to get rid of the
prophet Amos at the time of this verse (Amos 7:12-13), and
his words were what they needed most. In today's world,
God's Word, the Bible, that so few read and understand, is
the greatest need of all.
Verse 12. "People
will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the
east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it."
A person who is drunk on alcohol or
some other drug, will "stagger"
from place-to-place. The phrase "sea
to sea" typically meant "all the world over," but it
can also bring the imagery of a sailor who copes with long
days at sea through alcoholic beverages. But that is not
quite the point of this verse. It's actually this: you and
I desperately need "the word of the
Lord" and we will "stagger"
in life without it!
Why is the world in such confusion?
Why do spouses make the bad decisions that lead marriages to
divorce? Why do politicians make mistakes that bring
nations into war? God will allow His Word to be withdrawn
from a land by those who do not want Him, which is the real
reason why the people of that nation, that marriage, "stagger"
from place-to-place, knowing something is wrong, but not
understanding what to do!
Verse 13. "In that
day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint from
thirst."
The young people of a nation are
usually its strength. It's often the "young
men" who go off to war and its young women who train
up their children in the way they should go. The survivors
of these experiences grow older, and their strength, which
had grown greater-and-greater through the years, now becomes
less, physically and mentally, through the process of
aging. But then other young people are expected to replace
them as the nation's strength.
What will a nation do when the "beautiful"
and "young" of that place are
struck down? It's a national disaster! And if the
condition persists, the nation will not survive. Nations
all over the world right now are being starved to death for
"the Word of the Lord" (Amos
8:12) and they do not know what is wrong. You DO know and
that is a good reason to pray for your leaders, your nation
- all of us, including the "young"
NEED your prayers; we need the Lord!
Verse 14. "As for
those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, Who say, 'As your
god lives, O Dan,' And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives,'
they will fall and not rise again."
"Samaria"
(Watch Tower) was the capital of the ten tribes to the north
of Jerusalem, a nation called by the name, "Israel." It was
considered the "in" place at the time of Amos (as compared
to Judah in the south), but Israel was soon to be
destroyed. It was to gradually be rebuilt, but never like
it was before - the "in" place became a land of outsiders, a
people thought to be "less" than those who lived in Judah.
It's interesting that Jesus chose to be from Nazareth, in
Galilee, a place just a little north of the Sea of Galilee.
He deliberately became an "outsider."
We read in this verse about "Beersheba"
(the Seventh Well), a city far to the south, which was a
place where the worship of idols was openly practiced. "Dan"
was the northernmost tribe of Israel, located where the
Jordan River originates. It was one of the places of golden
calf worship in the Israel of that time. From North to
South, the land, buildings and many of the people were to "fall
and not rise again." God will judge nations and
individuals who do not look to Him.
Lord, we want to have faith in
You, but really do not know how. Forgive us, Lord. Plant
YOUR faith deep in our hearts and lives. Please take our
little faith and make it grow. We give ourselves to You.
We trust in the Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham,
Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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