#138. When God Confronts Complacency: Amos' Call to Justice, Compassion & True Worship | Amos 1–9

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This is the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today, we're reading how the Lord

used a humble shepherd and fig

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tree farmer to speak God's words

of the impending judgment These

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nine chapters of Amos confront

complacency and a lack of compassion.

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His name means burden bearer, and although

he was born in Judah, god sent him to

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confront Israel during the reign of

Jeroboam II the king that the prophets

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largely considered Israel's worst The

nation of Israel was experiencing

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financial prosperity under his reign,

but their hearts were far from the Lord.

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There was an absence of true

worship and a lack of justice.

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Although the law had allowed Israel to

use servants to help them break free from

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financial debt, what Israel was doing at

this time more resembles chattel slavery.

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God rebuked this evil and the way

they took advantage of others.

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Some of these verses were

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Speaker 9: also

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Steph: heavily relied upon

by abolitionists working to

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defeat slavery in history.

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the book of Amos often

uses courtroom terminology.

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God is the judge, and he's calling the

nations to account for their evil deeds.

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Amos compiles his sermons, poems,

and visions, and it begins with a

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timestamp you're already familiar

with: Uzziah's earthquake.

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It was such a monumental event that

it was used as a timestamp in history

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In chapters one and two, Amos

shows the words of the Lord

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that rebuke nation after nation.

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First Damascus, then Gaza, then

Tyre, then Edom, then the Ammonites,

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then Moab, and next Judah.

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Lest they think they were safe from God's

judgment, Amos tells them, " Thus says

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the Lord, ' For three transgressions

of Judah and for four, I will not

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revoke the punishment, because they

have rejected the law of the Lord

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and have not kept His statutes,

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but their lies have led them astray,

those after which their fathers walked.

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So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it

shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.

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If you follow these rebukes

geographically, they form an exact

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target around the nation of Israel

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and Israel is a recipient of

the longest rebuke in the book

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Thus says the Lord, for three

transgressions of Israel, and for four,

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I will not revoke the punishment, because

they sell the righteous for silver,

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and the needy for a pair of sandals.

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Those who trample the head of the

poor into the dust of the earth, and

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turn aside the way of the afflicted.

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A man and his father shall go

into the same girl, so that

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my holy name is profaned.

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They shall lay themselves down beside

every altar on garments taken on pledge,

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and in the house of their god they drink

the wine of those who have been fined.

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Yet it was I who destroyed the

Amorite before them, whose height

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was like the height of the cedars

and who was as strong as the oaks.

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I destroyed his fruit above

and his roots beneath.

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And it was I who brought you up out

of the land of Egypt and led you

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forty years in the wilderness to

possess the land of the Ammonite.

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And I raised up some of your

sons for prophets and some of

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your young men for Nazirites.

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Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?

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declares the Lord.

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But you made the Nazirites drink

wine and commanded the prophets,

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saying, 'You shall not prophesy.'

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Behold, I will press you

down in your place as a cart

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full of sheaves presses down.

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Flight shall perish from the swift, and

the strong shall not retain his strength,

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nor shall the mighty save his life.

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He who handles the bow shall not

stand, and he who is swift of foot

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shall not save himself, nor shall he

who rides the horse save his life.

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And he who is stout of heart among

the mighty shall flee away naked

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in that day, declares the Lord.

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Hear this word that the Lord has

spoken against you, O people of

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Israel, against the whole family that

I brought up out of the land of Egypt.

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You only have I known of all

the families of the earth.

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Therefore, I will punish

you for all your iniquities.

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as God reminds them of

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this history lesson, He's

saying, "I was mighty for you.

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I rescued you and saved you.

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And you who think you're mighty now

without Me will not be able to stand You

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have been my people, and that's why I

will hold you accountable for your sin.

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This is more evidence that a father

disciplines those he loves, and God is

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willing to bring earthly consequences

to spare us eternally Picking

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up in 3:12, " Thus says the Lord

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As the shepherd rescues from the mouth

of the lion two legs or a piece of an

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ear so shall the people of Israel who

dwell in Samaria be rescued with the

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corner of a couch and part of a bed

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Hear and testify against the house

of Jacob, declares the Lord God,

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the God of hosts, that on the day I

punish Israel for his transgressions,

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I will punish the altars of Bethel,

and the horns of the altar shall

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be cut off and fall to the ground

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The people had chosen to

worship golden calves and pagan

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gods at the temple in Bethel.

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And of their high places, the Lord says,

"I'm bringing an end to all of it."

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But he will rescue them as a

shepherd rescues his flock.

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We continue in chapter four Hear this

word, you cows of Bashan, who are on

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the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the

poor, who crush the needy Who say to your

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husbands, "Bring, that we may drink."

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The Lord has sworn in His holiness that

behold, the days are coming upon you

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when they shall take you away with hooks,

even the last of you with fish hooks

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God tells them judgment is

coming for their injustice

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Come to Bethel to Gilgal

and multiply transgression.

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Bring your sacrifices every morning,

your tithes every three days.

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Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of

that which is leavened, and proclaim

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freewill offerings, publish them.

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For so you love to do, O people

of Israel," declares the Lord God

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God is calling them out for their

wicked sacrifices to these false gods

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And next we see the efforts of the

Lord to bring them to the end of

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themselves I gave you cleanness of

teeth in all your cities, and lack of

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bread in all your places; yet you did

not return to Me," declares the Lord.

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" I also withheld the rain

from you when there were yet

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three months to the harvest.

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I would send rain on one city,

and send no rain on another

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city; one field would have rain,

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and the field on which it

did not rain would wither.

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So two or three cities would wander

to another city to drink water, and

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would not be satisfied; yet you did

not return to Me," declares the Lord.

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" I struck you with blight and

mildew; your many gardens and your

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vineyards, your fig trees and your

olive trees the locust devoured.

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Yet you did not return to

Me," declares the Lord.

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" I sent among you a pestilence after the

manner of Egypt; I killed your young

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men with the sword and carried away your

horses, and I made the stench of your

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camp go up into your nostrils; yet you

did not return to Me," declares the Lord.

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" I overthrew some of you as when

God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

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and you were as a brand plucked

out of the burning; yet you did not

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return to Me," declares the Lord.

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" Therefore thus will I do to you, O

Israel; because I will do this to you,

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prepare to meet your God, O Israel."

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For behold, he who forms the mountains

and creates the wind, and declares

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to man what is his thought, who

makes the morning darkness, and

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treads on the heights of the earth.

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The Lord, the God of Hosts is His

name God has disciplined them over and

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over for their abominations, yet they

have continued in their wickedness.

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He is righteously jealous for His people.

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He knows He is the best thing for

them, and He will not relent until

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this chosen nation returns to Him

This faithfulness of God to teach

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His children, " You will have no joy

apart from Me," is such a model for us

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As we parent and point our kids to

the lasting joy of the Lord While

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they're learning about the pleasures

this world has to offer, it's our job

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as parents to say, " We can enjoy the

gifts of the Lord, but never think

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you'll be satisfied apart from the giver

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At times, we may see God taking

away things they love dearly, and

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we can rejoice for God's faithful

jealousy in their lives as well.

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Perhaps you recognize that pattern

in your own life, whether it's been

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the loss or the grieving of something

you held dear that made you realize

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the sufficiency of your Savior

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The God of scripture does not

punish for punishment's sake.

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He is a teacher and a restorer

And we see this in chapter five.

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For thus says the Lord to the house

of Israel, " Seek me and live.

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But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter

into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba.

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For Gilgal shall surely go into exile,

and Bethel shall come to nothing."

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Seek the Lord and live Next, God

continues to rebuke their injustices.

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They hate him who reproves in the gate,

and they abhor him who speaks the truth.

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Therefore, because you trample on the

poor and you exact taxes of grain from

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him, you have built houses of hewn

stone, but you shall not dwell in them.

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You have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

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For I know how many are

your transgressions and

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how great are your sins.

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You who afflict the righteous

who take a bribe and turn

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aside the needy in the gate.

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Therefore, he who is prudent

will keep silent in such a

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time, for it is an evil time.

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Seek good and not evil, that you may live.

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And so the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be with you as you have said.

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Hate evil and love good, and

establish justice in the gate.

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It may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

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And many in the nation were

hopeful for the day of the Lord to

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bring judgment upon the nations.

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But God strongly rebukes them, saying

in essence, "You want my justice?

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Be careful."

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Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord.

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Why would you have the day of the Lord?

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It is darkness and not light.

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As if a man fled from a lion and

a bear met him, or went into the

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house and leaned his hands against

the wall and a serpent bit him.

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Is not the day of the Lord

darkness and not light, and

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gloom with no brightness in it?

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I despise your feasts, and I take no

delight in your solemn assemblies.

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Even though you offer me your

burnt offerings and grain

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offerings, I will not accept them.

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And the peace offerings of your fattened

animals, I will not look upon them.

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Take away from me the noise of your songs.

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To the melody of your harps I will

not listen, But let justice roll

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down like waters and righteousness

like an ever-flowing stream.

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Do you hear these repeated calls

that our faith in God should

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result in compassion toward others?

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God is saying, "Don't pretend

to honor me when you don't honor

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your fellow image-bearers."

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But you have turned justice into

poison and the fruit of righteousness

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into wormwood So God tells them

For behold, I will raise up against

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you a nation, a house of Israel,

declares the Lord, the God of hosts.

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And they shall oppress you

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Next we come to chapter seven,

where Amos begins sharing different

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visions the Lord gave him.

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Initially, he envisions God sending

locusts upon the nation, and he

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asks God to stop his judgment.

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And the Lord relented concerning this.

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"It shall not be," said the Lord.

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Next, Amos sees judgment by fire.

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Once again, Amos asks the

Lord to change his mind.

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And the Lord relented concerning this.

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" This also shall not

be," said the Lord God.

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Next, God shows Amos a

construction tool of a plumb line.

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A plumb line indicates whether

or not the building is level.

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And we know throughout the Bible that

if you're not building on the foundation

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of the Lord, it's sure to be crooked.

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God warns that these temples to

false gods will be laid waste

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inserted here the wicked priest Amaziah

goes to King Jeroboam II and tells him

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what Amos is saying against the nation.

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Instead of repenting, this prophet and

king rebuke Amos and order him to flee.

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But Amos is confident in

his mission from the Lord.

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He responds, " I was no prophet nor

a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman

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and a dresser of sycamore figs.

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But the Lord took me from following

the flock, and the Lord said to me,

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' Go prophesy to my people Israel.'"

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And therefore hear the word of the Lord

you say, do not prophesy against me?

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And do not preach against

the house of Isaac.

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Therefore thus says the Lord, " Your

wife shall be a prostitute in the

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city, and your sons and daughters shall

fall by the sword, and your land shall

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be divided up with a measuring line.

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You yourself shall die in an unclean

land, and Israel shall surely go

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into exile, away from its land."

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Next, God reveals to Amos

a basket of summer fruit.

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And in Hebrew, there's a play on words

that we can't quite catch in English

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The Hebrew word for summer fruit and the

word for the end are quite similar So when

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the Lord says, " Amos, what do you see?"

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And he said, "A basket of summer

fruit," then the Lord replies, " The

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end has come upon my people, Israel.

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I will never again pass by them."

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And to these people that do not want to

hear the words of the Lord, God tells them

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in Amos 11 and 12, " Behold, the days

are coming," declares the Lord God, " when

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I will send a famine on the land, not a

famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

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but of hearing the words of the Lord.

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They shall wander from sea to

sea and from north to east.

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They shall run to and fro to seek the word

of the Lord, but they shall not find it."

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This refers to the 400 years

of silence between the Old

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Testament and the New Testament.

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These people don't want to listen

to God's words, and eventually

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He will issue His silence.

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But after this purification

of the nation, there is hope.

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The book concludes,

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In that day I will rise up the booth

of David that has fallen and repair

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its breaches and raise up its ruins and

rebuild it as in the days of old that

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they may possess the remnant of Eden,

and all the nations who are called by

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my name declares the Lord who does this.

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And in the Jerusalem Council, in

Acts 15, James quoted this very verse

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To confirm that our God

is for every nation.

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next God describes a restored

Jerusalem Where the cities

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are rebuilt and inhabited, the

vineyards are planted and enjoyed.

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And God says, "I will plant them

on their land, and they shall

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never again be uprooted out of

the land that I have given them."

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Though all of his disciplines to

date have not produced fruit in

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their hearts, there will come a point

where the nation will be purified.

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Their religious hypocrisy will

cease, and their love for God

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will produce a love for others.

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Forty years after Amos proclaimed

these words, the nation of Assyria

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entered and took them into captivity

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but it's not the end of the story.

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Our God is a God that

makes beauty from ashes.

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And maybe you're looking

at ruins in your own life.

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Are there hopes and visions you had for

yourself or your family you're evaluating

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circumstances and you only see ruins.

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It's not turned out how you've expected.

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Your family's health is struggling.

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Your finances are dwindling.

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Your relationships are far from thriving.

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The things you wanted to do for the Lord

haven't come to pass And when you look in

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the mirror you don't see what you used to

But maybe in all of this, our hearts can

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be purified, and we can be thankful for

all of the circumstances that confront our

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complacency and help us be compassionate

toward others that are struggling.

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Let's pray now that the trials of this

earth would produce a purity in our hearts

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that sets Christ alone on the throne

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Heavenly Father, as we read about

your righteous judgment upon

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the nations, we are well aware

of the injustice we see today.

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We plead for revival and a return to you,

not just in our own hearts and in our

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families But in the countries we live,

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We don't just ask for a moral return,

but rather pure-hearted worship

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that produces a love for others.

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We know without your hand of redemption,

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We are hopeless to produce this.

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And Lord, it's a hard thing to praise

you for, but we're grateful for the

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times that you have put an end to

our dreams and our hopes so we could

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realize we have no delight apart

from you We pray for patience as

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we watch trials come upon our kids.

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Help us to be mothers that meet

our kids with compassion, but also

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faithfully point them to pursue you.

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When doors close in their lives, give

us eyes to see what you might be doing.

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In the midst of it all, we thank

you, God, that we have your word to

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continually guide us to your heart.

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We thank you, Jesus, for the model

that true love of God produces love

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for others And we long for this

reality in our hearts and in our homes.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen