THE DAY OF THE LORD
Amos 5:18-24
Amos - one of the most relevant, practical and contemporary books. The times in which Amos lived are remarkably similar...the social and cultural conditions are much like those today. Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah, Micah, and Hosea. He came from the little town of Tekoa...10 miles south of Jerusalem. It was on the edge of the desert...a desolate, barren place.
This man was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet (7:14) He was a herdsman & dresser of sycamore trees...actually a wild fig or mulberry fig trees. A dresser of sycamore trees would be better translated bruiser. Sycamore trees had a fig-like fruit. In order to make these ripen and increase the sugar content they would take a stick and tap them and bruise them. Amos picked these for a living. The fruit was not especially good, and only the poor people ate it.
So we can see that Amos was a common "farmer" from a small town trying to make a living. And it was while he was tending sheep and dressing trees that he became aware of the conditions of his day. Amos lived on a much traveled route...(Interstate)...Caravans would pass through Tekoa, and this is where he learned of the conditions of that day and time.
Amos was from Judah...which was in the south. But God called him to go to Israel, which is in the north...This didn’t go over very well. While there was peace between the northern and southern kingdoms there was still a lot of strife between the people.
This situation could be compared to our country 100 years ago. It would be like a rebel going north and telling them yankees they need to get their lives right. Besides that...in Israel things were going well. There was a period of peace and prosperity between the conquering armies of Assyria and Egypt.
Wealth abounded...actually it was an either or situation. On one hand there was luxury and self-indulgence and on the other was abject poverty. The government was corrupt...there was evidence of extortion...there were riots and violence...class hatred. Dishonesty was the rule rather than the exception. There was also a gross indifference to suffering.
The religious conditions followed the same pattern. Outwardly it seemed that religion was thriving...attendance soared, the treasuries bulged...religious pilgrimages were common to the holy cities of Gilgal and Bethel. But inside there was sickness. The priests were little more than professional leeches. They would preach exactly what would tickle the ears of the people.
Immorality was practiced in the name of Jehovah...There was so much hypocrisy, and superstition and insincerity. Real righteousness was hated and opposed it wasn’t just not encouraged - it was opposed... sometimes violently.
Here it becomes painfully relevant for us today. In this period of peace - instead of being grateful to God for the peace and prosperity He had given...they used this time to go more deeply into sin. It’s just like America today...outwardly it seems like things are going fairly well...but inside is decay and rottenness.
Amos saw the judgment of God coming upon the nation. But the greatest threat, then and now, lies in the religious community!! Amos was God’s gift to Israel...he was God’s attempt to convey the message to the people. But they had their minds...their conscious seared. They wouldn’t listen. They said, "Go Home! Make your living there!"
In chapters 1 & 2 Amos speaks of judgment on the surrounding nations. They really liked that part. You’ll notice that Amos repeats the phrase, "For three sins...even for four" He uses this formula to focus attention on the final item. He doesn’t list the first three, but moves directly to the fourth because this is the one that is the final straw that brings on the judgment of God.
down to the actual audience to whom his message is directed - Israel. Now Amos goes on to describe in great detail the conditions I mentioned briefly...the corruption, greed, immoral activities, and the overriding desire for pleasure - at any cost. In chapter 5 he says 3 times, "Seek the Lord that you may live!" But they wouldn’t listen. This brings us to our text for today - 5:18-24 (Read)
This section is probably one of the most famous sections of Amos and it introduces for the first time in Scripture the concept of the Day of the Lord. A term that appears only in prophetic texts. What do we think of when we hear the term the Day of the Lord? Do we think of the time when Christ will come back for His people? That glorious time when we’ll leave this old world and go to heaven?
In Israel’s mind the Day of the Lord was a time when God’s judgment would fall on other nations...on their behalf. They would be liberated from these heathen nations and would become the dominant political force in the world. The coming Day of the Lord was celebrated in many of their feasts and festivals. But Amos gives a clear picture of what the Day of the Lord would be like for them.
1st it would be a time of Darkness - not light. People thought it would be a bright, happy time of celebration...tickertape parades, etc. Instead, it would be a time of unprecedented despair...There would be no place for them to escape the judgment of God!
He says it would be like a man who would run from a lion only to meet a bear. From something ferocious to something even worse. In desperation this man manages to reach his house. A house is to be a place of safety and shelter. He arrives breathless, leans his hand against the wall to catch his breath...and as he does a snake, hidden in some crevice emerges to bite him.
The death he thought he would escape awaited him at his own house. No safety...no escape anywhere. Vs. 20 Not only darkness...pitch dark...without a ray of light. (D.I.W. in Med..."scary") Pitch dark. This is a far cry from the joyful expectations the people of Israel had. In vs. 21-23 he details some of the things that helped bring on this judgment.
I hate...I despise your religious feasts. I cannot stand your assemblies. Each of the essential elements of their worship was examined and in each case they were totally rejected by God. What God required was not the ritual or the offerings, but rather righteousness in the courts, in the marketplace, in every aspect of their conduct, because this is the essential element of the worship of God...not the outward show.
But these "saints" all still perform their duty on occasion...and think it will be enough to cause God to overlook the sin in their lives. But their commitment to God is revealed in their lifestyles. The Israelites had their feast days at Bethel...imitating the real worship of Jerusalem.
They pretended to rejoice, Praise the Lord...they had their solemn assembly for their worship. All the right moves...all the right motions...But God hated it. He so hated and despised it...it became an abomination to Him. He said take it away...Get it out! Vs. 22
Even though you bring choice offerings...it’s a waste of time. It’s just a way of trying to "buy off" God. It is clear that the religion of Israel was full of strict attention to detail...everything was celebrated regularly and correctly, but it was all an empty show rather than true devotion to God. God doesn’t desire slavish observance of ritual...He desires right conduct, which is in itself an act of true worship.
Micah 6:6-8ƒ` Micah was a contemporary of Amos. "Shall I come with burnt offerings...thousands of rams...even my first born? Vs. 8 What does the Lord require? To act justly...to love mercy...to walk humbly with your God.
Vs. 23 Away with the noise of your songs...Music was an important part of their worship to God. How could they mess that up? It had the right words...the music was sweet, but it wasn’t being offered to God...it was just the next step in the process.
How about us? When we sing, do we mean what we say? I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating...because it is such a grievous thing to God. Now, this has not been all too pleasant so far...it’s been pretty negative. But when God deals harshly with His people, it’s always redemptive in nature. It’s never meant to beat you down...rather it’s to help us to get our focus back on Him. This brings us to vs. 24
Begins with a conjunction. But...let justice roll. What is he saying? He wants us to do a turn-around. Specifically he is saying as Micah said...Act justly. Be honest! That means in our everyday life, in our dealings with others...whether business or social. Don’t take unfair advantage. Treat everyone as God Himself would treat them.
Also means being honest before God...recognizing our true nature. Righteousness like a never-ending stream. This is where we demonstrate the godly fulfillment of interpersonal relationships and all the responsibilities that these involve. And when we do that..the never ending stream will have as its source our true source - Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "He that drinks of the water that I give...out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. That’s what is available to us today. We need to examine ourselves...examine our motives - honestly, and make whatever adjustments the Holy Spirit tells us to. And then we can truly long for the Day of the Lord.
