Read Amos 2
2 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Moab,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes
the bones of Edom’s king,
2 I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet.
3 I will destroy her ruler
and kill all her officials with him,”
says the Lord.
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,
because they have been led astray by false gods,
the gods their ancestors followed,
5 I will send fire on Judah
that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
they drink wine taken as fines.
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them,
though they were tall as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt
and led you forty years in the wilderness
to give you the land of the Amorites.
11 “I also raised up prophets from among your children
and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
13 “Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
14 The swift will not escape,
the strong will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman will not save his life.
16 Even the bravest warriors
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Go Deeper
When we read these verses, we get the sense of how much the Lord truly grieves over sin. We see the heart of God on full display. He is devastated. His own children are responding poorly to His grace, blessings and provision. He wants a relationship with His people. Yet, they are ungrateful, forgetful and eager to indulge in what the world has to offer instead. We see this as a pattern in the Old Testament. The Lord puts His power and sovereignty on display. Then, His people are quick to forget and turn to false gods.
A major shift starts in verse 9. The Lord speaks in the first person. He says, “Yet I destroyed,” “I brought you up out of Egypt,” “I led you forty years,” and, “I also raised up prophets.” The Lord is reminding Israel of the mercies in which He bestowed upon them. He reminds them of His provision, His guidance, His strength, and His power on their behalf. Yet, His own people so easily abuse that grace with sin. The fact the Lord has to remind them of everything He has done for them shows their tendency to forget.
Surely, we would not do the same? We would not commit the same error of forgetfulness, apathy and ingratitude, right?
Sometimes it is easy to think our sins are minor or that the effect is small. All sin, including the sin of professing believers, is a great burden to God. We need to be reminded daily when we sin, we are sinning against the almighty God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and the one who gave His own son to die so that we may be set free from the bondage of sin and live forever with Him. Praise be to God for not leaving us on our own, but rescuing us and calling us His children. May we grow in our awareness of our sin and the way that it grieves the Father. May we respond to all that He has done for us with gratitude, praise, and a heart of obedience.
Questions
- How do you understand the heart of God more fully after today’s reading? What stands out to you about His character?
- How can you remind yourself daily of what the Lord has done for you to cultivate a heart of gratitude?
- With a greater awareness of how our sin grieves the Lord, is there anything you need to confess that you have been holding on to? Take a moment to do that now in prayer, then confess to your Life Group this week as well. See James 5:16.
Quote
“A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God. This is man’s greatest tragedy and God’s heaviest grief.”– A. W. Tozer
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5 thoughts on “Amos 2”
Amos shifts from announcing judgement on surrounding nations to delivering a strong message to Judah & Israel.
What’s so tragic is that God went to great lengths to rescue & reveal himself to his chosen people, yet they ignored his ways and joined in the practices of pagan nations. Amos calls out 5 specific sins revealed by God:
1. selling the poor as slaves
2. exploiting the poor
3. engaging in perverse sexual sins
4. taking illegal collateral for loans
5. worshipping false gods
How much greater is our guilt, when we like Israel, know God’s word and refuse to obey it. Acts 20:34 says that God is no respecter of persons. Regardless of wealth, social rank or knowledge, he despises all sin and will call us into account. Let’s humbly bow before the One who deserves our adoration and repent of falling short, making every effort to walk blameless before him. Let’s challenge each other to remember what God has done and let His past faithfulness propel us on our journey. To God be the glory, great things he has done!
Well said, Ella. I caught the same thing about regardless to rank. Reading this passage, one should really fear God. It’s one thing to be fearful of people on earth when you rebel or repeatedly sin against one another, but God? That’s who many are not taking into consideration. I liked the quote from Tozer today as well. Proverbs 26:11 came to mind, too.
How quickly do some rebuke God’s commandments and return to sin. But we read today of the consequences from household to warriors—none will escape. V.14.
Today’s reading should be a wake up call for our nation. But does our nation want to obey God’s commandments? Do people fear the wrath of God in their lives? I witness people around me everyday living with no fear—returning to their vomit. I was there once, too, years ago. I have a messy testimony…BUT God. So I will not judge peoples’s seasons for I know He is working and relentlessly seeking after his children.
Yet, we have to want to be willing to surrender ALL to Jesus. We have to want that relationship—the accountability. We have to wake up each morning and pray for strength and guidance to do good and turn from following the world. It’s an act of obedience. And sadly, many are struggling all around us—even someone reading today’s scripture. So pray for your neighbor. Love one another as Christ has loved you. Reach out to someone today struggling, and seek to lead them back to the gospel. Don’t watch the wrath of God unfold on their life—let’s make a commitment to put on our armor and help those in need.
Thank you Father, for teaching us today to have compassion for those deep in sin. Teach us, Father how to be shepherds of your kingdom and help those who have went astray. Let us be humble and slow to judge. Let us love. In Jesus name
http://www.tonyevans.org
Tearing down Personal Strongholds
Someone said this weekend to me when I forget to speak God to someone I can remember by thinking of that person as a pebble in my shoe. Since that moment I stepped into a rock pile. BUT GOD is helping me to bring those people to memory and pray for them. Today I shall endeavor to have both shoes empty
God thank you for helping me speak about You and your goodness in all I do in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
Wow. Here’s what struck me:
Verses 14-16 speak of man’s futility before God’s wrath. The judgment of the Lord is impossible to outrun or outfight. When I read it, I recognize my helplessness in my own battles against sin.
“Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves” (Amos 2:14 NLT). The Message puts it this way: “the strength of the strong won’t count.”
I can—and should—suit up daily with every piece of spiritual armor available (see HCBC sermon, “Battle Ready, https://subspla.sh/8vct4q6)
I must fight temptation and sin on every front.
But I cannot outfit myself to be my own Savior.
Praise God for that!
As we sang at the Michael W. Smith concert only a few days ago:
“This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I’m surrounded – but I’m surrounded by You.”