23 September

Bible In 365 Days

Amos 6-9

Amos 6

From the formalists the prophet turned toward those who had lost all sense of the spiritual and the moral, and were indifferent, those were ''at ease in Zion", and "secure upon the mountains of Samaria." He had in mind the national leaders, "the notable men of the chief of the nation." Zion and Samaria were the headquarters of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Here the rulers were living in luxury, and abandoned to animalism, having lost all consciousness of their relationship to Jehovah, with its consequent demands on life and conduct. It would seem that they had given up all reference to "the Day of the Lord", being careless concerning it, and probably disbelieving in it.

On such, the prophet declared the coming of the swift and terrible judgments of Jehovah.

Amos 7

In this division the prophet gave a fivefold vision of judgment, introduced in the first four cases by the words, "The Lord God showed me." The last vision was of Jehovah Himself. The vision of the locusts declared judgment to be threatened, and restrained in answer to intercession.

The vision of the fire had the same significance. The prophet saw the devowing fire and interceded. His intercession was answered by Jehovah's repentance, and the judgment was restrained.

The vision of the plumbline is different. Jehovah was seen standing by a wall, testing it with a plumbline. Having done so, He appealed to the prophet. No charge was made, but it is evident that as Amos beheld, he realized all the irregularities the plumbline revealed. There was no intercession. Doom was determined. So long as prophecy was mingled with messages of mercy, it was tolerated by the people. Directly that element was missing, hostility broke forth. Amaziah was an impostor, and yet held the position of priest of Bethel. He reported to Jeroboam what Amos was saying, advising his exile. Moreover, he attempted to appeal to the fear of Amos, and advised him to flee to Judah. The answer of Amos was full of dignity, born of the consciousness of the divine authority of his commission. He declared that he was no prophet, but that Jehovah had taken him and spoken to him, thus he had become a prophet in very deed. Then, answering Amaziah, he declared that God's judgment would overtake Amaziah.

Amos 8

The next vision, that of the basket of summer fruit, indicated the im minence of the judgment. Jehovah declared that the end was come, that He would not pass by them any more.

This announcement was followed by the prophet's impassioned address to the moneymakers, in which he first declared the effect of their lust for gain. They swallowed the needy, and caused the poor to fail. He described the intensity of that lust; the new moon and sabbath were irksome.

Then followed a figurative description of judgment which declared Jehovah's perpetual consciousness of these things, and His consequent retribution. The final judgment would be a famine of hearing the words of the Lord, as a result of which there would be eager and fruitless search for substitutes, followed by the fainting of the youth for lack.

Amos 9

The final vision was of judgment executed. In this there was no symbol, no sign. We hear the manifesto of Jehovah Himself. It is one of the most awe-inspiring visions of the whole Bible.

The message proceeded in two phases. First, announcement of judgment, irrevocable and irresistible; second, announcement of the procedure as reasonable and discriminative. Jehovah is seen standing by the altar, declaring the stroke of destruction to be inevitable, and all attempts at escape futile, because He has proceeded to act. While the judgment is to be reasonable and discriminative, the claims in which Israel had trusted were nothing. They became as children of Ethiopians. Philistines and Syrians had also been led by God. The eyes of Jehovah were on the sinful kingdom. The sifting process must go forward, but no grain of wheat should perish. The phrase "in that day" indicates the closing message of restoration, and all that is to precede it.

It is now declared that the reason of the divine judgment is not revenge, but the only way in which it is possible to usher in the restored order on which the heart of God is set. The process of restoration is described as threefold. First, preliminary: "I will raise up . . . that they may possess"; second: progressive, "I will bring again the captivity . . . they shall build the waste cities . . . Plant vineyards . . . make gardens"; finally, permanent: "I will plant them . . . they shall no more be plucked up."