Amos: Judgment Over Comfort

David, Nathan, and the Person in the Mirror

Once upon a time…

There was great king named David.

He was the rare kind of political leader who just about everybody loved (and loved rooting for).

He had kind of a rags to riches story:

The youngest of 8 boys;

A shepherd who killed a giant enemy super-soldier;

Rare combination of great artist and great warrior…

Yet humble. Someone God himself called “a man after my own heart.”

And yet, one day, while strolling on the rooftop patio of his palace, he sees a woman, in her home, bathing.

And he’s got a decision to make:

He can look away and go about his day doing far more productive things, or…

He can keep looking in her direction.

He decides | to ask someone to find out who she is.

Now: when he learns that she’s married—

But not only that:

Married to one of his elite bodyguards. Someone who at that very moment was away from his bathing wife, putting his life at risk for his king and his country on the battlefield…

David’s got another decision to make:

He can let it be. Or:

He can see it as a window to get away with something that he wants to do | but knows he shouldn’t.

He decides | to summon the woman to his palace.

And then he decides to sleep with her.

And then he discovers that she is pregnant. With his child.

And at this point, even though he’s still able to decide to go in a different direction if he wanted to, he doesn’t want to. He’s simply so far down this path that he’s not going to make the right decision. He’s created so much momentum in the wrong direction that he’s decided it’s in his best interest to cover it up.

And we don’t have time to unpack all of how he tried to cover it up,

But at the end of it all, he’s worked out a way to kill the husband under the cover of a military battle,

Take the woman he widowed | to be his wife, and…

Problem solved. Pregnancy explained.

He even gets to be the hero of the story by making a widow into a queen.

The only problem he didn’t account for, though, was that there is a God | who can see.

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God sees.

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God saw him looking at this woman when he shouldn’t have.

God saw him summon someone else’s wife to his bed when he shouldn’t have.

And God even saw him successfully conspire and murder an innocent man to cover it all up.

Which is really uncomfortable to think about, because:

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God sees.

God allows us to do evil things—

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God allows | you and me | to do evil things.

David went far, far down a path that on some level he knew was wrong. But God allowed it. Which is uncomfortable to think about and raises all kinds of other questions.

But that is reality. That is our reality.

God lets us—all of us; you and me included—do some pretty awful, pretty bad, pretty evil things to one another.

But only to a point.

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God sees.

God allows us to do evil things—

To a point.

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See, God is holy. He’s perfect. Perfectly loving. Perfectly righteous. Perfectly just.

And even though it seems like people literally get away with murder in this world, all the time—

God keeps score. And he will balance the scales.

And he’s going to balance David’s scales through a prophet named Nathan.

Prophets were people who God spoke directly to, and who spoke those words to the people God directed.

But remember: God allows us to do evil things.

So even though he’s given Nathan a message to confront David, there’s no guarantee that David won’t kill him right there on the spot. I mean, he’s already killed one of his best bodyguards to cover up his adultery. Why not kill the whistleblower?

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It’s risky to confront evil behavior.

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It’s risky to confront evil behavior. No one likes to be confronted—even when they know they’re in the wrong—and especially when they have a vested interest in keeping their wrongdoing hidden.

So Nathan’s task is to confront his king—to obey God and let the chips fall where they may.

And he does—but he’s shrewd about it. He approaches the king not with a shout, but with a story.

There was a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had hundreds, even thousands of flocks and herds of livestock; the poor man had one little ewe lamb that was more like a child to him than a meal.

The rich man has some friends coming into town and goes to prepare a feast for them.

But rather than take from his own abundant resources, he instead took the poor man’s only lamb.

Because he could.

And that’s how the story ended.

Now, when David the king heard this, he demanded to know who this calloused, selfish, abusive rich jerk was | so he could make sure this guy got what was coming to him.

To which Nathan answered:

“It’s you.”

(Pause.)

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It’s risky to confront evil behavior.

The hardest messages to accept are the ones delivered to the person in the mirror.

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The hardest messages to accept are the ones delivered to the person in the mirror. Why?

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It’s risky to confront evil behavior.

The hardest messages to accept are the ones delivered to the person in the mirror.

Because none of us wants to admit that we care so little

For those who God cares about the most.

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(Pause.)

David goes on to have another son with his newly widowed wife. They have a boy named Solomon.

Solomon grows up to be the next king after his father.

And Solomon has a son named Rehoboam who becomes king after Solomon.

And Rehoboam commits the same sin as his grandfather David—only on a national level instead of an individual one.

Rehoboam inherited (2) generations worth of national wealth—but he decides that he’s going to demand more.

More taxes. More forced labor from his subjects.

Why? Because he can.

Which splits the kingdom in two. Ten tribes form a kingdom in the north under a king named Jeroboam; two tribes form a kingdom in the south under their king, Rehoboam.

SHOW GRAPHIC: STORY ARC - PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (KEEP UP THROUGH SERIES INTRO)

And this begins a decline that, just a few generations later, takes us to where we are going to jump into the story today and for the next 5 weeks.

It’s the story of another prophet who has to do exactly what his predecessor Nathan did:

A prophet named Amos, who has to confront not just a king, but an entire nation of people who,

Once again,

Care very little for those who God cares about the most.

Welcome/Series Intro

Welcome to Prairie Lakes, by the way. Glad you’re here. We’re 10 minutes in already—so I thought I should at least get that in.

Hey:

A couple of times a year at Prairie Lakes—once in the spring, and once in the fall—we like to sync up all of our small groups (those are groups of people that meet outside of Sundays to do life together and get around the Bible together)—we like to sync up our small groups | and our weekend sermon series. And we start to dig deeper together in some of the content we heard at church.

And that’s really our rallying cry this year at Prairie Lakes: deeper relationships, but in the right direction.

So we’re starting that this weekend as we begin a 5-week series in the Old Testament | super-intense | very uncomfortable | highly confrontational book | of Amos.

And in case you’re still in need of a heads up: it’s going to be a pretty wild ride.

And at points, uncomfortable. Because as you’re going to see: history repeats itself. Amos walked this earth around 27-2800 years ago. But some of the same stuff that was going on then is still in the headlines today. And so God may confront you and me with some of the same things today as he did back then.

Background: Amos

Let’s go ahead and turn to the book of Amos. (Help people find it.)

And as you find it, let me share with you with some background and some context that will hopefully help you grab on to what you’re reading and discussing in your groups.

There’s a graphic that’s been on the screen behind me for awhile now. This is the story arc of the Old Testament, which is really the story of a group of people who became (for a short time) the nation of Israel.

Amos lives and prophesies around 760 B.C.—and he lives during the time of a divided Israel

King David was king at the peak of a unified Israel—but just two generations after him, 10 tribes in the north split off under a king named Jeroboam

David’s grandson, Rehoboam, retains his kingship in the south with two tribes remaining loyal to David’s line: the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin

And about 150 years pass between Jeroboam I and Jeroboam II. And this is the king who is reigning over the northern kingdom of Israel during the time of Amos.

Now, Amos is from a town called Tekoa. Tekoa is in the southern kingdom of Judah, just south of Bethlehem, which is just south of Jerusalem.

But he’s gonna prophesy against the southern kingdom, against the northern kingdom, and against the neighboring kingdoms… he’s just got a lot to say about everyone. And heads up: hardly any of it is encouraging. It’s mostly messages of judgment.

But no one wants to listen to what Amos has to say. Because the hardest messages to accept or the ones delivered to the person in the mirror. Nobody in the south; nobody in the north wants to give him the time of day.

And that’s because they’re still in pretty good shape; pretty high up. They’re still way better off and a far cry from where they started as wandering tribes out from slavery in Egypt.

SHOW GRAPHIC: A NATION UNWILLING TO ADMIT DECLINE

And this is really the story of a nation unwilling to admit that they had gone astray; that they are in decline; and that they’re in trouble.

The Assyrian empire is going to conquer Israel in the north in 722 B.C.—about 40 or so years after Amos prophesies.

But then Babylon conquers Assyria and swings back to finish the job on the southern kingdom of Judah 140 years after Israel fell—in 586 B.C.

And that’s really the story of the ancient superpowers:

Egypt—>Assyria—>Babylon—>Persia—>Greece—>Rome. And so Amos takes place in the “Assyria/Babylon” chapter of world history.

One more background thing that might be helpful to you as a reference as you go to read Amos and talk about it in your groups:

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Nation Capital/A.K.A

Judah Jerusalem

Israel Samaria

Aram Damascus

Assyria Ninevah

Gaza Philistines

Edom Family Feud

Moab Family Feud

Ammon Family Feud

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As you read Amos, sometimes nations are referred to by their country’s name, but other times by their capital’s name. And those last three nations all share a common ancestor with the Israelites—but have grown apart and become enemies.

Amos Week 1: Judgment Over Comfort

So let’s dig into it this weekend—because there’s an idea that is foundational to Amos’ message, and so it’s foundational for what we’ll be talking about this weekend (and really, the rest of the series)—and that is this:

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Judgment Over Comfort

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Let’s start reading together in Amos, beginning with Amos’ very first words. Chapter 1, verse 2:

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Judgment Over Comfort

“He said:

“The LORD roars from Zion

and thunders from Jerusalem;

the pastures of the shepherds dry up,

and the top of Carmel withers.”

Amos 1:2

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Exegesis

If you’re reading on your phone or in a physical Bible, you’ll notice that the lines of text in this verse are intentionally indented—in order to look more like a poem than a newspaper. And that’s because… that’s exactly what Amos is.

In fact, the whole book is comprised of poems. If you read it in the original language, it would rhyme and had a rhythm to it.

But in poetry, you can expect to encounter a lot of symbolic language and imagery (like we see here in verse 2).

So, let’s unpack some of the imagery here so you can get a sense of what’s going on—because verse 2 sets the tone for the entire book.

Amos starts with God’s personal name, Yahweh (which always gets translated as “Lord” but in caps—out of reverence for his name). And Amos says that God is roaring like thunder from Zion.

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Zion

God’s dwelling place in the Temple in Jerusalem

Like God’s “capitol” or “county seat”

Pointed to a future hope still unrealized between God and his people

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But God is thundering (from Zion) like a lion’s roar. Meaning he’s angry. And the result of his anger will be the “pastures drying up” and the “top of Carmel withering.”

Pastures are lowlands where you’d take sheep for safety, rest and refreshment. Carmel is a mountain you’d climb for perspective and to get above it all—or as a position of defense.

So here’s what verse 2 is saying:

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God is angry—and there’s nowhere you can go, high or low, to escape his judgment.

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Which is a pretty scary thought. Terrifying, even. In fact, it’s a thought that more than a few of us have probably had and spent money in therapy trying to unpack.

Now, thankfully, Amos starts pronouncing God’s judgment on all of those evil nations surrounding his people—which was a relief, I’m sure, to those who first read and heard Amos’ prophecy.

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Judgment Over Comfort

Against the surrounding nations for crimes against humanity.

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And let me just draw your attention to a few verses here in the first couple of chapters (with a warning of some more mature content here):

In 1:6, against the Philistines for human trafficking.

In 1:9, against the people of Tyre for human trafficking.

In 1:11, against the Edomites for violence against women.

In 1:13, against the Ammonites for violence against pregnant women.

In 2:1, against the Moabites for desecration of graves.

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Judgment Over Comfort

Against the surrounding nations for crimes against humanity.

Against Judah for rejecting God’s ways and embracing idolatry.

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But then Amos turns his megaphone toward his Judean brothers in chapter 2 verse 4—for rejecting God’s ways and embracing idolatry. So now, things are starting to hit a little closer to home.

And then beginning in verse 6 of chapter 2, Amos begins pronouncing God’s judgment on his brothers to the north, the people of Israel. And as we already know (but they don’t), they’re doom is just 4 decades away.

And the first thing he says God will judge Israel for is this:

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Amos 2:6–7 “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. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed…”

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And this is going to be a theme for the rest of the book.

It’s not the only thing God was going to judge Israel for. But it was the main thing. The “straw that broke the camel’s back” kind of thing:

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Judgment Over Comfort

Against the surrounding nations for crimes against humanity.

Against Judah for rejecting God’s ways and embracing idolatry.

Against Israel for caring so little for those God cares about the most: people in need who can’t help themselves.

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Amos in 2025 Language

Amos used four different terms to describe this group of people—and I think he does that because it’s because it’s a pretty big umbrella of people.

So if you would, let me inject some 2025 examples into this—because if Amos were talking to us today about this, I think he’d be talking about these kinds of people:

Foster kids

Kids who don’t have dads in their lives

Elderly people who’s kids have abandoned them

Refugees and immigrants fleeing for their lives and their safety

Women in abusive relationships

Disabled people who can’t work

People born into generational poverty

People born into 3rd world countries

People wrongfully convicted

People rightfully convicted wanting to be rehabilitated

And I could go on. But the point is this:

There’s a bunch of people in this world who, for a variety of reasons beyond their control, can’t help themselves get out of where they are stuck. And their lives will only get better if other people who can help themselves choose to help them.

That’s something that God cares deeply about. Because those are people God cares deeply for.

It’s why Jesus is quoted as saying this in Matthew 25:

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Matthew 25:34–36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

Matthew 25:41–43 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’”

Matthew 25:40 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

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The least of these. People in need who can’t help themselves.

From Amos to Jesus, the message is the same:

If you’re really a part of God’s family, you will care about those people God cares about the most: people in need who can’t help themselves.

And if you don’t, then…

Then…

Then what?

Getting Through to You

This is where it gets really insidious.

And I’m not going to lie to you: I told you that story about David and Nathan on purpose.

I don’t know this for sure, but if I were a betting man, I’d bet Nathan was doing some negotiating in the mirror the night before he was gonna go to David with that story.

I bet he was doing some negotiating.

And I’d bet that because I’ve often done the same. In my mirror. On a Saturday night. Asking the guy in the mirror:

“Are you really gonna say that to our people?”

“Some of them aren’t going to like it.”

“Some of them might leave. Some loudly; some quietly.”

But I am gonna say “it.” And I’m gonna ask you to hang with me—because:

If you can get through this—

Or, maybe better put:

If you let this message get through to you—

What’s on the other side is transformation. It’s a heart that looks more like those who Jesus says are on his “right.”

Remember our lesson from David’s story:

“The hardest messages to accept are the ones delivered to the person in the mirror”—because none of us wants to admit that we care so little for those people in need who can’t help themselves.

In fact, we do the opposite. We insulate ourselves from these messages. We create a world for ourselves where messages like that can’t really get through—or if they do, they don’t stick.

We might think they’re true—but not true of us.

And that’s what the people of Israel were doing: they were insulating themselves from these messages of judgment so that they either didn’t get through or kinda bounced right off.

Take Off Your Armor

So here’s what I’m hoping for you:

I’m hoping that, as you see these, you’ll choose to “uninsulate” yourself—that you’ll take off your armor and allow these messages to get through to you and to your heart.

And I’m hoping that, as you do, these message will soften and transform your heart—making it more like Jesus’.

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Insulating Ourselves from God’s Judgment | Allowing God to Correct Us

Made building up wealth for themselves their mission | Help your neighbors in need (Amos 5:11-12)

Longed for God to return and judge their enemies | Judge yourself first (Amos 5:18-20)

Saw worship services as God’s rubber stamp | Worship through justice for the powerless (Amos 5:21-24)

Saw their country as exceptional | Know that your country isn’t the exception (Amos 6:1-3)

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Close/Prayer

Amos doesn’t argue for equity as much as he argues for how to navigate the inequities of this world in a godly manner.

None of the inequities of this world have a clear policy solution. But what God expects our posture to be towards them is clear.

Look in the Word. Look in the mirror. Let go of your comfort. And let’s get to work.

(Pray.)