Preface

“The handwriting is on the wall” is a cliché describing a situation where all the evidence points to an imminent climactic event. The saying originated when God judged the Babylonian Empire and found it wanting (Daniel 5). Babylon fell that very night! Though our nations may not fall this very night, there is no doubt we are being judged—and the outlook is grim.

Some feel we have reached a time in history that parallels the period just before the Flood. God recorded what conditions were like as Noah built the ark: “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). What a horrifying thought! What danger and oppression must have lurked at every turn!

Yet Jesus predicts in a prophecy regarding the time of the end, the time we live in today, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37). In a larger, more general context, Jesus meant that, despite the dangerous, portentous events occurring all around them, people will be going about their everyday routines without seriously considering the meaning of these events (verses 38-39). They will not take the time to wonder if these cataclysmic events are affecting them personally.

How about you? Even though we live in momentous times, we are easily distracted from their importance by our high standard of living and convenient access to almost anything we desire. The nations of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States are, for the most part, wallowing in unprecedented technological luxury. Much to our spiritual detriment, our lives are caught up in our possessions and keeping our noses above water economically.

But we must not allow this to happen any longer! Time and prophecy are relentlessly marching on. The book of Amos records an almost exact parallel account to what is happening in our day. It chronicles the social, political, economic, military, and religious conditions and attitudes prevalent in ancient Israel in about 760 BC, about forty years before Assyria invaded and completely devastated the nation. So remarkable was Israel’s defeat that, as far as the world is concerned, her people disappeared from history! Today, they are known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Amos is not a happy book to read. It does not contain the encouraging, soaring, and hope-inspiring prophecies of Isaiah. No, Amos speaks of almost unending gloom and doom, presenting an interesting contrast to Israel’s surging power, wealth, and influence. During the days of Amos’ ministry, the nation underwent a burst of prosperity second only to Solomon’s time. On the surface, it appeared that Israel’s prosperity indicated God’s pleasure, but Amos’ words prove beyond any doubt that God was not pleased in the least! He was deadly serious! If the people would not repent, they were doomed!

The Israelites did not repent. They suffered war, famine, pestilence, and captivity as a result. Tens of thousands died. They learned the hard way that God means exactly what He says through His prophets (Amos 3:7).

Though Amos describes what was literally happening in ancient Israel, God intended the message for us, the physical and/or spiritual descendants of Israel. It was written to stir us to action, seeing that the times indicate Jesus Christ will return soon.

Amos clearly shows that our nations are heading along the same path to destruction as ancient Israel. There is still hope that we will turn around and avoid the wrath of God, but as each day passes, it becomes more unlikely. We have many lessons to learn, and we seem determined to learn them the hard way.

One of our primary problems is that our focus is solely on ourselves and what we do. We judge a person based on how much wealth he can accumulate over a lifetime. It is a wrong standard. Even the world understands that money and possessions bring little satisfaction, yet we continue to pursue that kind of “success” as if that is all that matters. The great Creator never intended materialism to be the basis for abundant living.

We publish this series hoping that it will stir church members to be astute enough spiritually to prevent themselves from being ensnared in this seductive, self-centered trap. The basis of a truly abundant life is a God-centered life as shown through devotion to keeping the commandments, praying regularly, studying the Bible, and sacrificing ourselves in service in family relationships and community responsibilities. God will look favorably upon the Christian who is doing these things.

We also hope that it will awaken others to the impending crisis descending upon the modern descendants of Israel. Their attitudes are like the Laodiceans’—apathetic, self-absorbed, materialistic, and spiritually asleep (Revelation 3:14-22)—and headed pell-mell and unheeding toward the prophesied Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord. But there is still time for individuals to wake up and return to God.

We must not allow this attractive and easily absorbed way of life to become our own. Avoiding it will require an ever-closer relationship with God and disciplining our attitudes and conduct. God promises in Revelation 3:10 to provide a way of escape for His faithful, loving, and enthusiastic children. Thus, we must yield to the urgent message given through His servant Amos.

Introduction

Has the world ever witnessed a time like this? Has any nation experienced such prosperity and strength yet such turmoil, injustice, and oppression as our nations have?

The answer to these questions is both yes and no. Yes, other nations have risen to power on the world scene, though none as spectacularly nor to such dizzying heights as America and the British Commonwealth. Yes, other countries have fallen from the peak of their power for the same reasons: The peoples’ spiritual, moral, and ethical disregard, irresponsibility, and apathy. On the other hand, never in history has a nation’s decline been so deep, so rapid, so extreme, so unnecessary, and so clearly prophesied in the pages of the Bible.

Human nature has not changed. Mankind is no more sinful now than at any other time in human history. With the rise of technology, though, man has the ability and opportunity to sin more frequently, to involve others in his sins more efficiently, and thus multiply the devastating effects of sin—all to a magnitude unparalleled in history.

No nation ever had less excuse for wallowing in a crisis of morality than have the English-speaking nations, the descendants of ancient Israel. We have collectively gone from exalting godly morality to complaining about its lack in about a generation. What is ironic is that, individually, our actions border on being amoral. We once extolled and defended our foundational laws based on God’s Word, and Christianity was our national religion by choice. But in our lifetimes, we have seen both our founding principles and God’s Word assailed relentlessly and often forgotten. Humanism—exalting man over God—has risen as our new religion to replace Christianity.

We have even fewer excuses because God has provided a record of a nation that took the same course. If we continue down its path of moral decay, we will arrive at the same destination: national military defeat and captivity.

The book of Amos records God’s assessment of ancient Israel’s internal condition some forty years before she fell. He sent the prophet to warn the people and lead them to repentance, but they would not change. As punishment for her spiritual and moral decay, Israel was invaded by Assyria in 721 BC and crushed in a devastating war. The surviving Israelites were taken into captivity, where they seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth. This was God’s answer to their sin and rebellion!

But Israel was God’s “chosen nation”! He rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:40-42) and made a covenant with them on Mount Sinai, giving them His laws and His way of life (Exodus 19-24). After their years of wandering in the wilderness, He established them in the land of promise (Joshua 11:16-23), and as they grew, He provided for them and protected them (Psalm 147).

No nation ever had God so near and so willing to help!

How far they must have fallen! What did the Israelites do to incur God’s wrath? What was Israel like when God sent His servant Amos with a burdensome message of evaluation? How did God see the people’s moral and ethical condition?

These are essential questions, but others are even more vital for those in God’s church. Was Amos’ message only for the ancient nation of Israel? Did God leave this account for our benefit also? Are there any parallels in Israel’s decline and fall from which the church can learn?

At baptism, we, like Israel, made a covenant with God. In Galatians 6:16, the church is even called “the Israel of God.” The church exists in the world, and her members must not merely function but grow amid free-falling moral and spiritual standards. Does Amos show any area of decline that we might see reflected in ourselves?

May Amos motivate us to turn to God and please Him—and thereby escape what is as sure to fall upon our nations as fell upon ancient Israel!

Amos’ Approach

Amos writes primarily to or against Israel, but he approaches his primary subject like a bird of prey, circling overhead, effortlessly gliding in the sky searching for game, floating on the updrafts. The circle keeps getting smaller and smaller. Then—whoosh!—it dives for its victim.

Amos designed his prophecy exactly this way. Like an eagle, Amos starts in a wide circle, denouncing nations surrounding Israel—Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah—then he suddenly swoops down on Israel. He devotes a little over one chapter to all these other nations but more than seven chapters to Israel.

Syria, Philistia, and Tyre were part of Israel’s political world, and Edom, Ammon, and Moab were ethnic cousins. Judah was a brother. Notice Amos’ method. He moves from associates to relatives, finally attacking Israel inside the house, the immediate family.

The prophet gets God’s message across masterfully and powerfully. Imagine Amos going into Bethel or Samaria, two of Israel’s chief cities, and to catch the attention of his audience, attacking Israel’s enemies. He denounces the sins of the Syrians, Philistines, Tyrians, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and—yes—Israel’s rivals to the south, the Jews! Soon, they begin to agree eagerly with his pronouncements. “Give it to them, Amos! I always knew those people were rats!”

But they had been set up for the kill. As they point their fingers at their neighbors, Amos, like an eagle with talons bared, descends on them for their own sins.

Conditions in Israel

After the Assyrians attacked and defeated Syria in 805 BC, they suddenly stopped their advance toward Palestine and returned to Assyria. This abrupt retreat unwittingly set the stage for a surge of Israelite wealth and power that had steadily waned since Solomon’s reign. In the absence of foreign domination, Israel’s prosperity and influence grew.

When Jeroboam II became king of Israel in 793 BC, he continued the governmental and religious systems that Jeroboam I (931-910 BC) had instituted. From God’s perspective, Jeroboam II was an evil king but a capable administrator and military leader (II Kings 14:23-29). During the vacuum of power caused by the Assyrian withdrawal, he seized control of the lucrative trade routes through Israel. Coming from Babylon and Assyria, Egypt and North Africa, Syria and Asia Minor, these roads made Israel the crossroads of trade and commerce.

Because of the outrageous tolls Jeroboam II charged merchants to travel on these Israelite-controlled trade routes, the nation’s wealth and power began to rival that of Solomon’s kingdom two centuries earlier. A similar surge in prosperity occurred in Judah under Uzziah (II Chronicles 26). Unlike any other pair of kings, Jeroboam and Uzziah restored Israel’s boundaries to what they were under David and Solomon. Historian Leon J. Wood, in A Survey of Israel’s History (p. 277), describes this period as “the almost unprecedented prosperity of Jeroboam’s rule.”

But there were problems.

Rich and proud Israel! The nations sang Israel’s praises and beat a path to her doors. As a whole, the people were well-fed, well-dressed, and well-entertained. Politically and militarily, Israel was powerful and influential, making alliances with other nations and extending her trade over all the known world. While the nation looked very impressive on the outside, the cancer of moral degeneracy was eating away at her spiritual core.

Biblical historian Charles F. Pfeiffer writes:

A rich merchant class developed and merchants and nobles alike built elaborate houses and revelled in the comforts which wealth made possible. The poor, however, did not share in the prosperity. . . . Society was divided between the dissolute rich and the embittered poor. (Old Testament History, p. 328)

When Amos looks at Israel, he confirms Pfeiffer’s assessment: “‘I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end,’ says the LORD” (Amos 3:15). Some of the people had so much wealth they hardly knew what to do with it! These few wealthy Israelites were so rich that they owned not just one house but two, three, or four! Blinded by their riches, thinking God had prospered them for their righteousness, they ignored the terrible oppressions they were inflicting on the poor and weak. For this, God promises punishment.

Thus, Amos scathingly rebukes them:

» I will not turn away its punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. (Amos 2:6-7)

» Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’ (Amos 4:1).

» Woe to you . . . who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; who chant to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments (Amos 6:3-6).

He describes a tremendously wealthy people. Men sought to make money at any price, regardless of the consequences to the “little guy.” The derogatory term “cows of Bashan” describes the rich women who controlled Israelite families, making demands on their husbands to keep them in their accustomed lifestyle. Spoiled people living ostentatious lives, luxuriating in expensive materialism, satiating their flesh with wine and rich foods, they denied themselves nothing.

But how did they obtain such wealth? Property and legal rackets! Exploiting the poor! Shady business deals! The powerful and wealthy used the laws and the courts to their advantage against the weak and poor who could not afford legal assistance. The latter always came out on the short end of the deal.

They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly . . .. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. You afflict the just and take bribes; you divert the poor from justice at the gate. (Amos 5:10, 12)

Israelites held public meetings and court trials at the city gate, where everyone could witness the proceedings. When rebuked for the way that they lived, for their social attitudes, their immorality, and their lack of spirituality, the hedonistic Israelites would typically malign or assault their critic rather than repent. Bribery, obstruction of justice, and attacks on law-abiding citizens were common occurrences.

Israelite Religion

Maybe their business practices were corrupt, but surely the religious sector of society upheld a high moral standard! What did Amos see when he observed the people’s religious life?

» “Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgal multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days [margin, years]. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; for this you love, you children of Israel!” says the Lord GOD. (Amos 4:4-5)

» But do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek the LORD and live. (Amos 5:5-6)

» I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:21-24)

Because of their connection to Israel’s past, Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba all bore significant religious meaning to the common Israelite. Jeroboam I set up a golden calf at Bethel (I Kings 12:25-31) since the city had religious associations from the days of Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22; 35:1-7). Gilgal’s significance sprang from Israel’s entrance into Canaan after her forty years in the wilderness and the circumcision of her men there (Joshua 5:1-12). Beersheba had strong connections with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the nation’s fathers (Genesis 21:22-34; 22:19; 26:32-33; 28:10).

Even so, Israelite religion displeased God on two counts. First, the Israelites of Amos’ day were guilty of following the sin of Jeroboam I, combining the worship of the true God with that of idols. God hates idolatry (Exodus 20:1-6). Apparently, the people were thronging to these pagan shrines and punctiliously offering sacrifices. However, in all their religious fervor, their eyes were not on the God of heaven. They did not practice religion in obedience to God as they claimed; it had been conceived in the mind of a man. In His denunciations of their religiosity, God tells them that their worship would do them no good because its foundations were in a source other than Himself.

Second, their religion was self-pleasing. Because of their careful observance of their form of worship, Israelites felt good about themselves, but they forgot their social responsibility. They failed to love their neighbors (Amos 8:4). Ritual sexual indulgence was common practice (Amos 2:7). Despite their sincerity, they abandoned all godly standards and values and despised authority and law (Amos 3:10).

Application to Our Time

What significance does Amos’ prophecy have for us today? How deeply should we consider it? Amos is speaking to us just as much as he was speaking to ancient Israel—he might as well have been walking through Los Angeles or New York, London or Edinburgh, Sydney or Brisbane, Toronto or Montreal.

His indictments against Israel are indictments against sin, and “sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Thus, Amos speaks to any nation caught in the destructive grip of moral decay. What he says may not apply to every individual within these nations, but the principles apply to these societies in general.

He addresses the problems he saw with his own eyes and speaks against the evils of his time. But if we accept this historical view only, we miss the point. To feel the intended force of his message, we must understand that his book also addresses us as individuals living in the nations of modern Israel. Like Amos, we live in times when morals and ethics are in full retreat, and the ramifications affect us all.

Yet even this is not close enough. Though what Amos says certainly applies to the world’s nations, his message has its first and foremost audience as those of us whose “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Amos speaks—indeed he shouts—to God’s people, His church, the future Bride of Christ.

In the biblical sense, the church is the continuation of Old Testament Israel, which can be seen in the promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31: “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.’” When Jesus came and founded the church, beginning with His disciples, He showed that the New Covenant is made with His disciples, the church of God: “In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” (I Corinthians 11:25).

As a part of the church of God, His saints are forerunners of the covenant that God will also eventually make with physical Israel. “For we [the church] are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). As regenerated children of God, the elect are the true spiritual Jews or Israelites (John 4:22-24).

They are also the children of promise (Galatians 4:28-29) and Abraham’s seed (Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:28-29). Of all mankind, God’s people are the ones most directly involved in His purpose. His called-out ones are most aware of and striving the hardest for the Kingdom of God. Because of this incredible calling as His New Covenant people, God had the Scriptures written for His church’s benefit: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Paul also writes, “Now all these things happened to them [the Israelites] as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (I Corinthians 10:11). As we saw earlier, the church is specifically named “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). God inspired the book of Amos so that in this end time His people, surrounded by materialism and worldly distractions unparalleled in human history, would not follow Israel’s example.

In this series, we will look into Israel’s example, noting where it applies to our nations, the church, and us as individuals. Amos’ approach is straightforward yet challenging to expound verse by verse. Instead, we have taken a thematic approach to this vital warning message to God’s people. Together, the following themes in Amos give us a complete picture of Israelite society, culture, and religion and demonstrate how they apply to us:

» The responsibilities of those who make a covenant with God.

» The fairness of God’s judgment.

» The effects of sin upon a nation.

» The importance of true religion and holiness.

» The cancer of complacency and Laodiceanism.

» The terrible punishment for sin.

» The need for repentance and the promise of God’s blessing.

The book of Amos is a stinging rebuke of a nation that has rejected and forgotten God. It is a stirring warning of all the dangers of apostasy, rebellion, and complacency. And we must never forget that Amos is speaking to us, the church of God, the Israel of God! He urgently warns, “Prepare to meet your God!” and shows us how.

Are we listening?