Lord of All Nations (Amos)
Memory text: Amos 3:8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken!
Who can but prophesy?
Like many of the prophets, Amos was called out by
God from wherever he was to prophecy.
Per the Lord, Amos presents several indictments to kingdoms of his
day. Amos mentions God’s indictment
against that respective kingdom and what God will do to “punish” that
Kingdom. Interestingly, Judah and Israel
are included in that list. In Amos 1, 2
some of the crimes listed are: Human trafficking, perpetual anger, killing
pregnant women, dishonoring a treaty, disrespect of the dead, taking bribes,
dishonesty, despising the law of the LORD, not keeping His commandments and,
lying.
These indictments come from God. God was not pleased with these people’s
inhumane behavior. And, if He was not
pleased it is because they lacked faith (Hebrews 11: 6). So, whatever they did was sin (Romans 14: 23). So, this meant that these people had stop
hearing God’s Word; they turned away from God (Romans 10: 17).
Why was Israel included? What were they doing? Here is a list of Isreal’s wrong doings:
Amo
2:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I
will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the
righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Amo
2:7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn
aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same
maid, to profane my holy name:
Amo
2:8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every
altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their
god.
Amo
2:12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets,
saying, Prophesy not.
Amo
3:10 For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and
robbery in their palaces.
Amo
4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of
Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their
masters, Bring, and let us drink.
To this we add what is said in verse 9 through 11:
Amo
4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your
vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm
devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo
4:10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young
men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have
made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not
returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo
4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned
unto me, saith the LORD.
The Lord had tried everything to get Israel’s attention, but
they had not heeded God’s warnings.
Because, they had not turn back to the Lord, He would bring the greatest
judgment on Israel, because Israel had the greatest privilege of all
nations. They had the greatest knowledge
of God, and yet acted as if God did not even exist. So, God expected much more of Israel. Jesus says in Luke 12:47-48:
Luke
12:47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself
or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luke
12:48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall
be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be
required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Now this
was not retributive justice. God always
has an agenda when He rebukes, motivated by love. He says in Revelation 3: 19,
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent.
Ellen White states in this subject,
“God speaks to his people in blessings bestowed; and
when these are not appreciated, he speaks to them in blessings removed, that
they may be led to see their sins, and return to Him with all the heart.” PP
470.
Now, let’s be very clear on this: Whether it’s
blessings given or removed, whether it’s discipline given or protection from
Satan’s decided attacks on us, everything God does is a revelation of His love
for humanity. Even “God’s wrath” of
letting them go at the time of the final judgment is a revelation of God’s
love. All that God does reveals love.
Does this apply to us? Are there any parallels
between the Israel of Amos’ day, and present day SDA’s? What privileges do we have in common? Education, higher socio-economic status, a unique
understanding of scripture, waiting on a messiah [1st vs 2nd advent], knowledge
of health laws.
Are SDA’s honest in all of their financial dealings?
Do we care for our poor? Have we robbed God? Have we grown fat and lazy, like
Sodom?
Like Judah and Israel of old, we might be glad as we
hear the voice of Amos proclaiming God’s justice against the wickedness and
oppression of the world. But, what if our modern Amos starts calling out
wickedness and oppression in the Seventh Day Adventist Church? We can also tremble as we read the list of
besetting sins in chapters 2 and 3 that we would by parallel apply to ourselves
as spiritual Israel today: despising the law and breaking the commandments, following
lies about God and His will, practicing greed and avarice, perverting the way
of the humble, winking at sexual immorality, closing our ears to the prophet, and promoting
unhealthy lifestyles. Yet, as the called
out remnant at the end of time, we are to minister to the spiritual and
physical needs of all humanity in spite of ourselves.
The Bible says we are Loadicea. The passage where this is mentioned has an
indictment,
Rev
3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot.
Rev
3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth.
Rev
3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked:
Clearly we cannot accomplish the Lord’s work for the world in
this time without the cleansing, enduring love coming from heart appreciation
of the gospel. When we can let the “light of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ” shine in and through us, then our light can “break forth as the
morning,” bringing a healing righteousness to ourselves and the world. We
desperately need what the Laodicean Messenger prescribes!
Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
This says in essence, “return to me.” It is a call to repentance. Will we heed?
