The Lord Roars

Introduction: One area that the church has often missed the mark is what it means to be called by God. Mistakes in this area can include:

Believing that God only “calls” pastors and missionaries.

Believing that God only “calls” you to one specific ministry that will be the dominate focus of your life.

To set the record straight remember that:

The vast majority of Scriptures that talk about God calling us refer to Him calling us to saving faith.

Every believer has a call of God because God has a will for every believer. What is God’s will for your life?

We are all called to repent of our sin, trust in Jesus and live for the glory of God.

You will be surprised how easy it is follow God’s will when you read God’s word.

Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Peter 2:15 “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;”

Finally, please understand that believers who are filled by the Spirit of God are in the will of God. So if you struggle with the question of if you are fulfilling your calling or if you are in the will of God, stop and repent of whatever sin has quenched the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life, and pray to be filled with Spirit. Spirit filled believers are always doing what God wants them to do.

Now, that brings us to Amos. A guy who was, as we might say, living his best life. It appears that Amos was doing very well for himself when God called him to a big but likely temporary ministry.

Background

Amos, A Normal Guy (Guess how he put his pants on.)

The book of Amos has a more informal introduction than we are use to from the prophetic writers.

Haggai 1:1 “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:”

Zechariah 1:1 “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,”

Malachi 1:1 “The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”

Hosea 1:1 “The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.”

Amos 1:1 “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.”

Amos had a normal job.

Shepherd/Sheep-breeder/Sheepherder

The word is rare but may indicate that Amos was the owner of multiple flocks.

He is also fig farmer.

He was not a professional prophet.

Amos lived in a normal town.

Tekoa

10 miles south of Jerusalem.

7 miles south of Bethlehem

It was of course largely an agricultural town.

It did have military significance. King Rehoboam fortified the city to sure up Israel’s southern territory.

Jewish historical tradition preposes that Amos’ grave is somewhere in Tekoa.

Amos was born into a normal family.

Amos was not a prince.

Amos was not a priest.

His family line is not even mentioned. You may have noticed that most of the other prophets are at least the “son of somebody.”

His name means “to lift a burden.” Nothing particularly special.

Israel, A Prosperous Time

Uzziah - Amos’ King

Uzziah ascended to Judah’s throne at age sixteen and reigned for fifty-two years, a period marked by dramatic contrasts between divine blessing and personal catastrophe. His reign spanned from 792 to 740 BC, with the first twenty-five years overlapping his father Amaziah’s imprisonment.

The early decades witnessed remarkable success. Following his father’s example of righteousness and guided by the prophet Zechariah, Uzziah sought God and experienced divine favor. He launched military campaigns against the Philistines, dismantling their fortifications at Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, while God enabled victories against Arabian and Ammonite forces. His reputation extended to Egypt’s borders as his power grew.

Uzziah invested heavily in infrastructure and military modernization. He fortified Jerusalem’s gates and constructed defensive towers throughout the wilderness, while developing agricultural resources including livestock operations and vineyards. His reorganized military comprised 2,600 commanders overseeing 307,500 trained soldiers, equipped with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and innovative siege machines mounted on towers.

However, prosperity bred arrogance, and his heart grew proud toward destruction1. After forty-two years of reign, Uzziah violated the law restricting incense-burning to consecrated Levites by entering the Temple himself, ignoring the chief priest’s objections2. As he prepared to offer incense, leprosy suddenly appeared on his forehead, forcing his immediate removal from the Temple and isolation for life2. His son Jotham became co-regent, ruling alongside his afflicted father until Uzziah’s death in 740 BC.

Jeroboam II - Israel’s King

Jeroboam II ruled for forty-one years (793–753 BC) as the third descendant of Jehu’s dynasty, becoming the most politically successful of all the kings of northern Israel. His reign marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for a kingdom that had been in decline.

Jeroboam’s primary achievement involved territorial expansion. He built a stable kingdom by extending the eastern and northern borders to approximately where they were under David and Solomon. He restored Israel’s border from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah (the Dead Sea) and regained control of much of the Transjordan. A lull in Assyrian military campaigns permitted Jeroboam II to move into Syria with virtually no challenges2.

This military success generated extraordinary prosperity. In less than twenty-five years, Jeroboam II transformed a nation facing collapse into one of the great powers of his day. However, the economic turnaround created a separation between the rich and the poor, with the wealthy adorning themselves in luxury while ignoring social injustice. This era witnessed the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Jonah, whose writings reveal the moral corruption underlying material success—a time of moral and spiritual corruption in Israel3 despite outward power.

Jeroboam II’s death in 753 BC marked the beginning of the end of the Northern Kingdom. His son Zechariah succeeded him but ruled only six months before being assassinated by Shallum, initiating a period of instability that would culminate in Israel’s fall.

What often happens to God’s people during times of prosperity and safety?

Introduction

A Roar From Heaven

“The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem.”

God is angry. When God is angry what should His people do? Listen and obey.

Amos pictures God as a Lion prepared to devore his prey. It pictures an immanent attack.

Amos 3:8 “The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?””

A Famine On Earth

Illustration: A mistake that parents often make is threatening punishment without ever following through.

What God says He will do, He does.

Sometimes we describe someone as “all bark and no bite”.

God doesn’t bark, He roars, and when He roars things happen. This has been coming up a lot in our Wednesday night studies, but when God speaks it effects space, time, matter and existence.

In this case the effect of the roar was a famine. Amos 1:2 “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.””

A Earthquake In Israel

Lets go back to v.1 for a second. Amos 1:1 “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.”

Did you catch that last phrase? It seems significant.

“Two years before the earthquake” places this written document at least two years after their original proclamation. The large earthquake mentioned has already happened and is a reminder of Amos’s predictions that God will shake the earth (2:13; 8:8; 9:1–2, 5). It verifies the authority and truthfulness of this prophet’s claims and gives people a reason to preserve and publish his sermons.

Amos 2:13 ““Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down.”

Amos 8:8 “Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?””

Amos 9:1–2 “I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape. “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.”

Amos 9:5 “The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;”

Conclusion:

God calls normal people sometimes to big things, but often to small things.

God is not silent.