Seek the LORD and Live

Order of Service

Welcome

Prayer

Hymn - GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND OUR STRENGTH (46a) - THE PSALTER 1912, ALT.

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm Wed

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Hymn - SOLDIERS OF CHRIST, ARISE (889) - CHARLES WESLEY 1707-88

Reading

Amos 5:1–4 ESV

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” For thus says the Lord God: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

Amos 5:5–8 ESV

but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name;

Amos 5:9–13 ESV

who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

Amos 5:15–17 ESV

Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: “In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

Sermon

God, through Amos, has condemned the actions of the women, worship and sturbbornness of his people

Amos 5:1-17 follows a classic biblical structure ("chiasm"):

5:1–2 Introduction to Lament

5:3 Lamentation/Decimation

5:4–6 Exhortation

5:7 Accusation

5:8–9 Hymn

5:10–13 Accusation and Judgment

5:14–15 Exhortation

5:16–17 Lamentation

Lament over Fallen Israel (v1-3)

Amos 5:1–2 ESV

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.”

The third chapter to start with “hear this word”

People of Israel

Cows of Bashan

House of Israel

qinah - funeral song sung over the deceased

singing funersal song signified that the nation was dead

what a shock when the people considerd the nation strong and prosperous

the future death of the nation was so certain Amos saw it as an accomplished fact

Amos grieved over that truth

Once God has declared war on a people, they are as good as defeated

“Fallen”

as a term indicates a person who died tragically or unnecessarily

rather than died from disease or old age

“Virgin”

is used here to describe youthfulness and purity

If Sanaria fell then Israel could not endure long after

The prophet’s proclamation of the catastrophe about to break upon Israel must had had a terrifying effect

Amos 5:3 ESV

For thus says the Lord God: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

This is a military description

Company was 1000 men

Platoon was 100 men

Squad was 10 men

Whatever the number of men they send out 10% will survive

Appeal to Repentance (v4-6)

Amos 5:4–6 ESV

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

The announcement of Judgement

Is a call to repentance

it announces a time of grace

“seek me and live”

Seeking God is not at a religious site

These centres were under a sentence of divine judgement (3:14)

They had become a substitute for “seeking” YHWH himself

Seeking God it turning to him in submission and living under his authority and in dependence upon his power

Repentance requires a change of heart and attitude

resulting in a change of action

Condemnation of Injustice (v7)

Amos 5:7 ESV

O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!

They had turned justice upside down

what was right before God was of little consequence to them

the result is chaos

Death would be the result of pilgrimages to the shrines

The Creator’s Sovereign Control (v8-9)

Amos 5:8–9 ESV

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name; who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

The theme of the hymn is praise to God

The God who is creator and exercises his sovereign control over creation

Is a God of Justice and Wrath

He will bring order and righteousness

replacing the choas and unrighteousness

God controls the day and night, the rainfall

also brings destruction on is people

even where his people thought they were secure

Israel may be destroyed by an army, but they must understand that God is in control of that army

No man-made security system protects them against God’s judgement

Silent in an Evil Time (v10-13)

Amos 5:10–13 ESV

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

“They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth”

they hated the poor, deprived them of justice, and exacted taxes from them

they bribed (ransom) and intimidated people to get what they wanted

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

all they have built up will be removed from them

Amos 5:13 “Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.”

There is significant translation difficulties in thie verse

The Hebrew is not recommending silence

The righteous could not keep silent

The tense is: that wise men who in better times would be consulted for their wisdom were silent because no one would listen

even a sense that they will be silenced / killed

goodness during a time of evil will not be tolerated

Hope for God’s Gracious Response (v14-15)

Amos 5:14–15 ESV

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

“Seek good, and not evil, that you may live”

Seek - Desire, by definition to love

God will be with you

“Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate”

God will judge you

To believe any different is to lie to yourself

Amos prescribes coming before God in humility before a sovereign God

who is under no obligation to be gracious

His prescence is an act of grace

God will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph

Amos, Obadiah, Jonah Hope for God’s Gracious Response (5:14–15)

Purity in moral behavior and complete devotion to Yahweh in worship were synonymous with life in the presence of Yahweh

Wailing when God Passes Through (v16-17)

Amos 5:16–17 ESV

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: “In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

There will be wailing and mourning in the streets

Hymn - GOD OF THE POOR (944) - Graham Kendrick

Q&A

Hymn - O CHRIST, THE GREAT FOUNDATION (573) - Daniel T Niles 1908-1970

Closing Prayer

Doxology