Let the Verdict Be Read!
Amos 8:11-12; 9:8-15
The context of this section is Amos’s fourth vision – a basket of summer fruit. It may well be that Amos could see this fruit as the last of the crop for the season and the last before the judgment. Anyone who heard Amos preach knew he believed with all of his heart that doom was coming to the nation of Israel. Unlike us, Amos knew what was going to happen, and he knew why. Amos gave a whole list of flagrant sins that gave justification for the coming disaster. What a field day he would have with our society and the ungodly practices that even Christians tolerate and participate in. Amos also said we need to be honest about the sin around us and work to make things different.
Trust comes by hearing (Amos 8:11-12). The people of Israel knew well the fear associated with times of famine and drought, as well as the ravages of these disasters. Amos turned their attention to another kind of hunger – the desire for spiritual bread and water. There would come a day when they would be eager to hear a word from the Lord, and there would be silence. The false worship at Bethel, Dan, and Beersheba would be of no help. Even the young people would fail for lack of nourishment.
How applicable are these words for us who spend so much time and money seeking substitutes for God and never finding satisfaction? There will come a time when we will desire a word from God, but He may be silent. How relevant are the words of Isaiah: “Seek you the Lord while he may be found, call out to him while he is near” (55:6). The privilege of knowing God is now available, but it may not always be so.
Sovereignty cuts both ways (Amos 9:8-10). The proud nation of Israel had long appealed for preferential treatment on the basis of being the chosen people of God. In the light of Israel’s moral failure, she forfeited her place in the divine economy of God. She now stood as other nations who were guilty of such sinful behavior. Amos asserts that God is Lord over all nations and all of human history. All are equal in His sight. God declared that He would bring judgment, yet He would not completely destroy His covenant people. God can act to punish sin, but by His grace He can also show mercy to His people.
True hope rests in God (Amos 9:11-15). While God’s people would be taken into exile as judgment for their sin, in the future God would restore them to the Promised Land and to a life of divine blessing. After all of the talk of judgment and doom, Amos’ last words were of hope and restoration. God’s judgment is to be seen as redemptive. It is an effort to bring His people back to Him, and Him alone. The message is: Remain faithful to the Lord, because only in Him do we find true hope for a blessed and just future.
Davis– Lessons in the ETB series for the winter quarter are being written by Ron Davis, director of missions for Greenville Baptist Association.