Day 557: Amos 1- The Lord Roars

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
2 And he said:
“The Lord roars from Zion
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
    and the top of Carmel withers.”
3 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Damascus,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have threshed Gilead
    with threshing sledges of iron.
4 So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
5 I will break the gate-bar of Damascus,
    and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven,
and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
    and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,”
says the Lord.
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Gaza,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they carried into exile a whole people
    to deliver them up to Edom.
7 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.
8 I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod,
    and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
    and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Tyre,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
    and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.”
11 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Edom,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword
    and cast off all pity,
and his anger tore perpetually,
    and he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send a fire upon Teman,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
    that they might enlarge their border.
14 So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
    and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
    with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and their king shall go into exile,
    he and his princes together,”
says the Lord.
 
Meditation
God calls ordinary people to do extra ordinary things. The loud roar of God’s word sounds forth through the lives of God’s people to accomplish God’s work.
 
Amos was “among the shepherds of Tehoa,” (1) a small town south of Jerusalem. He was vocationally a “dresser of sycamore fig trees” with no formal training in prophetic ministry (7:14). God calls Amos to speak His extra-ordinary word.
 
Amos is one of the earliest writing prophets, serving during the reign of king Jeroboam II, @ 793-753 BC (1). The strong international economy of Amos’ day provided fertile ground for idolatry and immorality to flourish. The roar of the Lord from Zion is a warning to all who are rejecting God as Lord and King.
 
Ultimately the words of Amos are targeted at Israel but God begins by speaking with the nations encircling the land (Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab). The messages follow the same formula and should form the hearers in the same way. God is sovereign over the nations and all who reject God will face God’s judgment (4, 7, 10, 12, 14, 2:2).
 
God’s mission is to bless the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Part of the mission is the proclamation to repent and return to the Lord. Part of the mission and blessing is portraying the amazing love of Jesus with our lips, lives, and labor. As God’s people we have the privilege of participation in God’s work of redemptive restoration, in our neighborhoods and among the nations.  God wants the message of His love to roar from His people. And He wants to use you to do it.
 
Richly Dwelling
-God uses ordinary Amos. God wants to use you. How does this Divine dignity of humanity empower you?
 
-Judgment is the center of God’s mission to bless the nations. The message of judgment should lead to repentance, turning to the Lord for refuge and forgiveness. The work of the cross is Jesus receiving the judgment we deserve! Are you bothered that judgment is central to God’s mission? Why or why not?
 
-In Christ Jesus we all can be forgiven. God’s message of love should flow from the lives of believers. How can you share the love of God today? Jesus did not come to condemn the world but that the world would be saved through Him.
 
Key Verses
2 And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem…”