Delve Into The Prophets预览

DAY 3 – AMOS

The northern kingdom of Israel reached its greatest heights during the forty-year reign of Jeroboam II, 783–743 BC. He took back much of the territory that had been lost to surrounding nations, and he even conquered some additional lands. These victories led the people of his kingdom to anticipate what they called “the day of the Lord.” This was how they described the time when they expected God to strike down all the enemies that still surrounded them and establish their nation as the undisputed ruler of the region. 

Besides the victories their armies were winning, the Israelites drew confidence from their own dedication to worship. They believed that God would surely favor a nation that lavished its attention on him. And so they went frequently to shrines at places like Gilgal and traveled to the great royal temple at Bethel for festivals three times a year. They were careful not to do any business on the Sabbath or during new moon festivals, and they regularly brought sacrifices and offerings to the temple. They also knew that God had delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt and had driven out mighty nations before them, and they were sure this same God still wanted to help them. Confident in their victories, their worship, and their heritage, they adopted the motto, “God is with us!” 

Into this atmosphere of exuberant optimism stepped a man from the southern kingdom of Judah. His name was Amos. By his own admission, he wasn’t a prophet but a shepherd. Nevertheless, he claimed that God had shown him a series of visions that showed all of Israel’s confidence to be misplaced. Amos stood in the royal temple at Bethel and announced that the nation would not prevail against its enemies. Instead, it would soon be conquered by a nation that God would “stir up” against it, and its people would be uprooted from their land. "The day of the Lord,” he insisted, “will be darkness, not light.” 

Amos argued that God wasn’t impressed that Israel had a strong army, or that the Israelites were descended from the people he’d brought out of Egypt, or even that they were so lavish in their religious observances. What God cared about, Amos declared, was justice. And there was no justice in Israel under Jeroboam II. Even those who had legitimate cases didn’t win in court, because judges could be bribed. In the end, people stopped speaking up for the innocent entirely, because they’d only get in trouble themselves. The wealthy and powerful took advantage of the poor and landless through every means they could think of. They used the money they extorted to fund their self-indulgent lifestyles. As long as this continued, Amos insisted, God could not and would not bless the nation. And so he called the nation to repentance as the only way to avoid destruction. “Seek good, not evil,” he cried, “that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy.” 

PRAYER: Help me to seek good, not evil. Help me to hate evil and love good. Have mercy on me.