Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Amos continued to prophesy against the people and nations. He started with the lazy. The complacent. The ‘things are fine’ crowd. They were NOT stirred up at the condition of the country. In Leviticus 26:11 the Lord had stated: “And I will put my dwelling place in your midst, and my inner self shall not abhor you.” But the CONDITION was Leviticus 26:3 “If you walk in my statutes and you keep my commands and you do them.” They were NOT walking in His statutes. They were NOT keeping His commands. And they didn’t care! They were not concerned about this. Therefore, He was not obligated to keep His side of the agreement. They had broken it and their response to that brokenness was making Him abhor them. A nation was being raised up against them. They would come and afflict the entire country because the Israelites were NOT keeping their covenant.

The first future punishment Amos was shown was locusts who would come and eat ALL the crops. Amos lamented and interceded, so the Lord agreed to lift that plague. Then Amos was shown a future judgment of fire so intense that some of the deep waters around them would be consumed. Amos AGAIN lamented and interceded, and the Lord again agreed to lift that plague from the Land. Next was a vision of the Lord standing on a wall with a plumb line. The Lord had measured His people and found them wanting. The Lord declared that He had spared them for the last time. He would desolate the high places. He would bring the sword against the house of Jeroboam. This is the point that Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, got involved.

The priest wanted the king to force Amos to stop prophesying. Amaziah went to Amos and demanded that he go to Judah if he wanted to prophesy. Amos responded that he WASN’T a prophet. He was a farmer. It was the LORD who told him to prophesy and he was going to do what God told him to. In fact, because of Amaziah’s efforts to shut the words of the Lord up, a judgment would come upon Amaziah’s house.

The Lord showed Amos a basket of summer fruit. The fruit from the end of the season. The time was ripe for judgment. There would be wailing in the land. Because of whom? The greedy who oppressed the needy. Those who cheated with false scales. Those who took advantage of the poor. Those who refused to repent and refused to turn back. The Land would tremble for it. The Lord would turn their feasting and celebrations into sorrow and mourning. The days were coming where there would be a famine of His Word. Not of bread or water, but of hearing the Word of God. They would wander the Land looking for it, but not find it. They would faint and fall and not rise again.

“I saw my Lord standing by the altar and he said, “Strike the capitals so that the thresholds will shake, and shatter them on the head of all of them, and I will kill the rest of them with the sword. A fugitive belonging to them will not run away, and a survivor belonging to them will not escape.” (Amos 9:1)

The pagan altars of the northern kingdom (Israel) would be destroyed. Even if they could dig down to hell, they would not escape. They would go into captivity. Their land would be desolate. They would be destroyed like a flood coming against them. God had brought them out of Egypt to the Land like He had brought the Philistines from Caphtor or the Syrians from Kir. The Philistines and Syrians had turned against Him and were judged. Would He not judge them too? BUT He would not TOTALLY destroy Israel. He would keep a remnant safe. They would walk through fire, but be saved. Then He would raise up the Tabernacle of David and repair the damages. He would rebuild it and they would possess it again, calling on His name in true worship. He would bring back the captives and the people would again inhabit the Land. He would plant them, and they would NOT be pulled up from the Land He gave them.

Summary

Key Players: God, Amos, Amaziah

Key Verse(s): Amos 6:1-7,9-10; 7:1-6, 12-17; 8:1-12; 9:8-10, 13-15