A Revival Back to the Bible (Amos 2)

Introduction

We all know our nation is in a mess right now. It seems every day this country and this world just grows darker and darker and we see people get farther and farther away from God.

We like to think things will get better if we could just pass this law or elect this person or that person, but the truth is… no matter what happens this Tuesday, the answer doesnt lie with any of those people we’ll be casting votes for.

Israel was facing a similar problem in their nation… They had gone so far away from God that The Lord rose up an uneducated Herdman from Tekoa to bring a message to the people of God that they needed to repent of their ways and turn back to God or else they would suffer the chastening hand of God. God spends the 1st chapter of Amos condemning all the pagan nations around Israel and saying that He would bring judgment upon them for their many sins. No doubt the Israelites probably loved hearing this and supported Amos’ condemnation of the enemies of Israel… but then God turned His focus on His people, and thats where things got a little uncomfortable. We have no problem hearing about God’s judgment and wrath upon wicked people and nations, but when the focus comes upon us, we don’t like it so much anymore.

So the entire rest of the book from Amos 2 until the end of the book is about Israel being confronted with their sin and urged to repent and return to God.

Keep in mind this is God’s people He’s talking to, not the unbelieving pagan nations.

I. The Word Rejected (v. 4-5)

Amos 2:4 “4 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, And for four...”

This is a way of saying, “because Judah has heaped sin upon sin upon sin.” Not necessarily naming 4 specific things theyve done

God turns His attention to Judah. He does not wink at their sin just because they are God’s people. As a matter of fact, God holds His people to a higher standard than He does those who are not. (Luke 12:48 . “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”)

What was their great sin?

They neglected the Word of God

They disobeyed the commandments of God

They replaced truth with a lie and it caused them to err

As a result, God was going to send a fire and devour the palaces of Jerusalem

Was it a literal fire or a symbol of God’s judgment? Both. God was going to judge and purify His people (fire was used for purification. I Corinthians 3)

Even though their sin was not near as egregious as the gentile nations around them (at least from a human perspective), God had a higher standard for His people! The Gentile nations around them were not given the Law, they were not given the Word of God, but Judah did.

God has a higher standard for His people rather than unbelievers. We ought to act better because we know better

But also notice that it is a natural progression

When you neglect/ignore the Word

Naturally it progresses to disobedience of the Word

Disobedience of the Word leads to replacing the Truth with a Lie and it causing you to err

Something will always fill the void… if you remove truth, a lie will take its place

Matthew 12:43–45 KJV 1900

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Are we guilty of this? Have we neglected His Word? Have we disobeyed His commands? Have we replaced truth with error in our lives and homes?

Lord send fire to purge and purify me if I am! Burn down the walls that i’ve built against you!

II. The Wickedness Embraced (6-12)

God’s longest condemnation and rebuke was for Israel (the northern kingdom) which were also His people

What was their sin? (6-8)

INJUSTICE - They exploited the poor and oppressed. (v.6-7a,8a)

The rich people would sue the poor people and exploit them for profit. The poor struggled to even buy shoes and yet the rich were still trying to squeeze every last penny out of them

They took the clothes of the people that owed them money and instead of giving them back as was commanded in Exodus 22, they defiantly kept the garments, and slept on them with the prostitutes! They knew what they were supposed to do and defiantly went against it

Exodus 22:25-26 “25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. 26 If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:”

IMMORALITY - They engaged in gross, immoral sexual sin (v. 7b)

A man and his father would lie with the same maid (probably a temple prostitute)

This sin was two-fold… not only were they committing licentiousness, but also idolatry by participating in the worship of a false god (lying with a prostitute was a form of pagan worship)

IDOLATRY - They were worshiping false gods! (v. 8)

They openly and defiantly participated in the worship of pagan gods

They were proud of their sin as well… They bought wine with money that they had exploited from the poor and oppressed and celebrated by drinking it at the altar of their false gods. They had absolutely no shame!!!

How did they get to this point? (9-12)

They forgot what God had done for them. (9-12)

- God destroyed Israel’s enemies and protected them (v. 9)

They had watched the true God defeat the gods of the Ammonites and several other pagan nations. And yet now, theyve turned to worshiping those false gods

Do we forget how good God has been to us? He has led us through so many things in life and has protected us through so much

- God saved them and freed them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt (v. 10)

They were once oppressed and exploited for 400 years in Egypt, but God delivered them. And now here they are doing the same to others, exploiting and oppressing

Do we forget how God saved us? Do we fail to remember where we were and who we were before God redeemed us and released us from the bondage of sin?

- God raised up godly men and women who wanted to live for God and preach His word (v. 11)

Nazarites - explained in Numbers 6 - men and women would take a vow (usually temporary for a set amount of time) to abstain from alcohol, stay away from anything dead, and refrain from cutting their hair. It was usually done as a means of dying to self and drawing closer to God

Represents Godly-sanctified living - influence of God’s Word

Prophets - Called by God to proclaim His word

Represents Preaching - proclaiming of God’s Word

Do we forget the calling God has placed on our lives to live for Him and proclaim His truth?

Israel’s response to this (v.12)

They gave wine to the Nazarites… they intentionally tried to get them to break their vows

They did not want the influence of God’s Word anymore

They did not want people living godly lives

Why? More than likely because it caused conviction in their hearts and they wanted to continue in sin

They told their prophets to stop preaching

They did not want the proclaiming of God’s Word

Why? Again, they probably did not want the conviction it would bring.

Let this be a warning… sin will draw you further and further away from God until you get to the point where you dont want to hear His Word and you dont want people who are trying to live out His Word around you

How did they get to this point?

They forgot

His Word

His Commands

His Truth

His goodness

His salvation

His calling

A neglect of God’s word (4-5) can lead to us forgetting God’s goodness, salvation, and calling. Which will lead us into sin and being far away from the Lord.

Make it a point to remember these things often in life

The Weight Imputed (13-16)

God said that Israel had become a burden to Him!(v. 13)

What an indictment! May I never be viewed by God as a burden to Him!!!

It wasnt that God did not love them anymore, it never says that. It says that they became a burden to Him. They were like a child that never obeys his parents, always gets into trouble, and is even disrespectful… its not that the parents dont love that child, but that child has become a burden to the parent

In a sense it was God’s way of saying “I cant bear this anymore” or “I cant take it anymore, I must do something”

God’s patience had run out with Israel and now He must reign down judgment

Have we as the church of Jesus Christ become a burden to the Lord with our neglect of His Word and our defiance in sin?

God then reigns down judgment upon Israel. (14-16)

Basically, the Lord declares that no one will be able to escape the judgment that is coming to them. Their place of refuge will be destroyed and they shall not escape.

God would fulfill this by allowing the Assyrians come and carry them into captivity roughly 30 years later

Notice how God still had mercy and gave them 30 years to repent

God’s timetable is much different than ours

1 Peter 4:17 “17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God”

Conclusion (Amos 5)

All of these things began when they neglected God’s Word and forgot His Works in their lives, so how do we “turn the tide” so to speak?

How do we get back on track with God? How do we get back to a place where we are no longer a burden?

Amos 5 gives 3 ways

Hear the Word (v.1)

Seek the Lord (v.6)

Seek good and not evil (v.14)

May God work in our hearts as the church to get back to the Bible, for it is the only hope for our nation. It is not what happens this Tuesday, or what happens in 2024, that will change the trajectory of our nation… but it is the church getting back to where it needs to be!