Amos: The Sheepherd Intercessor

Introduction

Open to Amos 7:1-6 this evening. Amos 7:1-6.

Moving from Joel

Joel’s date is not clear, but this book is well know.

“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.” (Am 1:1, esv)

He is a shepherd, not a prophet, a poetic reality that we will see later.

He lives and preaches in Isreal not in Judah.

The sins of Isreal are,

Golden Calf’s

Baal worship

Moloch worship

Abomination after abomination.

Neglecting the feast and the sabbaths

AS we have just been meditating

Context of Chapters 1-6

The world stands condemned, but there is a people that have an intercessor.

Isreal is the worst offender.

A chapter is dedicated to, Edom, Moab, Tyre (Assyrians)

Chapter 2-4 focuses on Israels sins, the things we just talked about.

Chapter 5 is again a call to repentance,

See how central throughout scripture repentant is.

Joel 2:13 “and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

Jonah 3:10“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

Jeremiah 18:8 “and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.”

Chronology of these

Joel first.

Amos, and Jonah are happening at like the same time.

Jeremiah later, after Isreal is already carried away.

God is indefatigable, loud, consistent, and persistent, in calling Isreal to repentance.

Elijah and Mount Carmel

Let’s Read

Amos 7:1–6 ESV

1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, “O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” 3 The Lord relented concerning this: “It shall not be,” said the Lord. 4 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said, “O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” 6 The Lord relented concerning this: “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

May God Bless The Reading of His Holy, Infallible, and Sufficient Word

Let’s Pray

Transition

Think about God’s patients here.

The sins we have seen

The repeated continues calls for repentance.

Even miracles and signs

Calvin comments on these first 3 verses. “Amos shows in this chapter that God had already often deferred the punishment, which he had yet determined to inflict on the people; and thus he reminds the Israelites of their perverseness, inasmuch as they had abused the forbearance of God, and repented not after a long lapse of time: for God had suspended his judgments for this end—that they might willingly return to the right way, as he commonly allures men by his kindness, provided they be teachable.” [1]

That is the question of us this evening, are we teachable?

Will we repent when the Lord calls for it?

Lets look at verse 1.

Body

The first Vision

Amos 7:1 ESV

1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

What God Showed

What are the reasons God shows

Formed the Locusts

Isaiah 45:7 “7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

The word Yet-sar, same word

The Kings Mowings.

Two Harvests

The first goes to the King,

Imagine if there was no frost in Iowa

This connects to the sabbath for the Land

Leviticus 25:1–4 “1 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.”

“latter growth … king’s mowings. This verse seems to indicate that the first crop (the “king’s mowings”) represents the king’s share (cf. 5:11; 1 Kin. 12:4), while the farmer and his family depend on the second harvest for survival. Destruction of this second crop by locusts places the population at risk of starvation.

Starvation, support, everything from God

Transition

Let our response here be like Amos,

O Lord God please forgive.

Verse 2-3

Repentance His Granted to Amos

Amos 7:2–3 ESV

2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, “O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” 3 The Lord relented concerning this: “It shall not be,” said the Lord.

They finished off the grass

This is interpreted two ways,

In the vision, or in reality

“Now by locusts I understand a moderate kind of punishment. We have seen elsewhere (Joel 1) that the country had been then nearly consumed by the locusts and the cankerworms, and the like pests. But in this place the Prophet metaphorically designates hostile invasions, which had not immediately laid waste the whole country, but in some measure desolated it.” [3]

A moderate punishment.

There are three visions given top Amos (V1-3, V4-9, and 8:1-3)

This is the smallest, judgement.

Who can stand against even the smallest drop of the wrath of God?

As the prophet says, “How can Jacob stand? He is so small!”

the mighty nation of Israel, a world power at this time, is small.

God Wrath, God’s Holiness is an consuming fire and we are dry grass.

There is nothing that can stop his judgments.

You have more chance of stopping the earth flying though space than stopping God’s judgments.

Notice Amos, doesn't say look people, God showed my this so as long as we make enough bug spray, we will be good.

So that we are left with what Amos was left with, Lord please forgive, lord please relent.

There is something poetic in Amos's words, the shepherd Amos prays Lord forgive and “The Lord relented concerning this: “It shall not be,” said the Lord.”

The locust are turned away and the destruction is not final.

The the wrath of God, must be satisfied the justice of God must be met.

So there is one that stood in and faced this wrath, he was not a shepherd by trade but he is the great shepherd by his nature.

He took the coup of wrath and drained it down and he cries Lord forgive, their debit is paid, the justice is done, tetelestai, it is finish.

Conclusion

God’s relenting is to have a purposes my dear family in Christ, God showed Amos this vision in love for his people.

He reminds us that even the smallest of his judgments is bigger than us.

He reminds us to cry Lord please forgive,

Let us remember that judgement begins at the house of God

Let us never be found self confident, never be sitting in church and saying, what have I to fear I am a Christian.

God gives us the vision on purpose so that when we see him relent, we see our shepherd.

We see him who is loving and lovely, we see him who is strong, and he used that strength for us, we teach our children the song,

Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.” Yes Jesus loves me,

Friends, you and I are the little ones,

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 “24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

References

[1] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 326.

[2] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1547.

[3] John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 328.

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and John Owen. Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.