Amos

Order of Service

Welcome

PrayerAmos

Hymn -

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm Wed

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Hymn -

Reading

Amos 1:1–2 ESV

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. 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.”

Sermon

Prophets after Moses:

Nine Named Prophets

Joshua (Deut 34:9)

Deborah (Judges 4:4)

Samuel (1 Sam 3:20)

Nathan (2 Sam 7)

Gad (1 Sam 22:5)

Ahijah of Shiloh (1 Kings 11)

Elijah (1 Kings 17)

Elisha (2 Kings 2)

Micaiah son of Imlah (1 Kings 22)

The unnamed prophets in Kings and Chronicles

Amos: The Background

Amos (a. 760 BC) was the first of four 8th Century BC prophets in Israel

Clue: Two years before the earthquake

Later Prophets

Hosea (750 BC)

Isaiah (740 BC)

Micah (735 BC)

Issues with neighbouring peoples

(883–824) two Assyrian kings campaigned aggressively outside Assyria proper to control trade routes

An anti-Assyrian coalition formed in the west to resist Assyrian aggression

Shalmaneser III fought this anti-Assyrian coalition four times between 853-844 B.C. Hadadezer, king of Damascus, was the prominent leader in the coalition

The coalition disvolved

Israel throughout did not participate and remains pro-Assyrian

for the next 40 years weak Assyrian kings ruled and left Israel and Judah alone.

Jehoash became king of Israel 802-786 BC, following Assyrians defeat of Damascus in 802 BC

While the other kingdoms fought it out

Israel and Judah enjoyed peace and become prosperous

Economic boom saw and increase in religious activities

With shrines in Bethal, Dan, Gilgal and Beer-Sheba had a constant stream of worshipers bringing animal sacrifices

Yet the period was characterised by moral and spiritual decline and social upheaval

Amos showed God’s disapporval of such relitious activities by announcing Gods judgement on the reigious sites

He gave counsel to stay away from those sites, and by declaring God’s rejection of their religious actvities

Israel’s outward show of devotion to God, contradicted by their moral, spiritual, and social problems, called for a discerning and courageous prophet.

Amos: The Man

We only know about Amos from what is in this book

Names were given based their character and often changed during their life time

Amos comes from the root mean “lift a load”, or can mean “burden bearer”

Old testament names were often associated with messages from God (e.g. Abram -> Abraham {his father was Terah})

Amos came with a weighty word from God

He was a Sheepbreeder, more than just a shepherd

and employed by a wealty owner of sheep

original word {nōqēd} only used in one other place: 2 Kings 3:4 referring to Mesha, King of Moab, who supplied Joram, King of Israel, with large numbers of lambs and wool

Amos 7:15 - Amos mentions his calling by God was “tending the flock”

Amos refused the term “prophet” as an appropriate description of his role

He claimed no special authority associated with traditional titles

Amos 7:14-15 The Lord ordered him to propesy to Israel

Such a strong sense of a call has continued to be the authority and motivation for service to the Lord

Amos: The Message

The coming day of the Lord would be a day of darkness and destruction, not light and salvation for “the sinful kingdom” (9:8)

The Remnant of “the house of Jacob,” however, will survive the judgment of God and form the nucleus of a restored, blessed, and secure future Israel (9:11–15).

Outline:

The Soverignty of the Lord

Extends over Amos, Judah, Israel, the nations (despite their rejection) and the whole of creation

All have to answer to God for their “inhumanity”

God has not relinquished his control over the universe to any other entity, authority, or power.

He is sovereign over all people.

The End for Israel

Widespread sin brings God’s Judgement

An unrepentant Israel will not survive God’s Judgement

Israel (Northern Kingdom) did not survive the assault of the Assyrians in 725 BC

The attack was the judgement of God upon his people Israel

The judgement upon Sin

Israel’s priviledged relationship as the people of God did not shield them from the judgement of God

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Day of the Lord

A popular opinion was that it was a day of “light” or salvation

Amos says it would be a day of “darkeness” or destruction

Israel’s Future Restoration

The remanant will always be saved

Hymn -

how firm a foundation

Therefore the redeemed of the Lord (MP685)

Q&A

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Closing Prayer

Doxology