Introduction:
Amos is a different kind of prophet. He is not the son of a prophet, does not come from a prophetical school or a priestly family. Instead, he is a working man, a sheep herder, and a tender of sycamore fruit. But there can be no doubt as to the veracity of his message. It only takes until the third verse of the first chapter until we hear the all too familiar mark of the prophetic message, “Thus says the LORD...”
He has a distinctive message for an all-inclusive audience. His message is not reserved for the Jewish community but expands to the entire region. He includes everyone. This is a potent reminder that Jehovah God is not a local or national deity. He is the Supreme Ruler of the universe and demands to be treated as such. Amos was a different type of messenger with an age-old message, “Repent of face the wrath of God.”
John the Baptist and Amos were similar in dress, conduct and message. They were both outdoorsmen, accustomed to the wilds of nature, and of hard, honest toil. Both would have little sympathy for the lazy and materialistic. Both preached the same message: repent or perish.
To this end the ninth chapter of Amos reaches the heights of the fury of God and the pinnacle of the grace of God. God will judge EVERYONE on the planet. God will open the doors of heaven for His own!
I. The Fallen
A. Amos Eviscerates The Nations That Surround Israel
1. Judgment on Israel=s Neighbors 1—2
a. Transgressions of Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre
b. Transgressions of Edom, Ammon, and Damascus
2. There is a pattern that Amos follows as he pronounces the LORD’s judgments.
3 “Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.” —Amos 1:3
3. I imagine that with each of the succeeding judgments, the people of Israel were shouting their hallelujahs and amens. But then…
B. Amos Eviscerates Judah
1. Judah is not left out of God’s judgment!
2. How much greater punishment do you think is reserved for those who KNOW THE LAW and REFUSE TO OBEY IT?
“4 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have despised the law of the LORD, And have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, Lies which their fathers followed.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.””
—Amos 2:4-5
3. I need to do a little housekeeping before we go on.
a. The NATION of Judah the NATION of Israel are divided geographically.
b. But look at how they are united:
i. United by common ancestry: Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel
ii. United by a common experience:
a. Moses is their 1st Lawgiver
b. Aaron is their 1st High Priest
c. From slaves in a foreign land to the Land of Promise.
iii. United by a common language.
iv. United by a common religion:
a. It was God Himself who gave the 10 Commandments!
b. It was God Himself who gave the 3 Great Feasts!
c. It was God Himself who instituted the Sacrificial System.
d. It was God Himself who demanded the Sabbath.
c. And it was this very God they had turned their backs on!
4. I believe there were NO hallelujahs and amens when Amos shocked the people of Judah with his prophecy of God’s judgment!
C. Amos Eviscerates Israel
1. Amos is not done with the Hebrews!
“6 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals.
—Amos 2:6-7
2. The LORD GOD of heaven includes the two nations (they are His people).
3. In Amos 1 and 2, six nations are reserved for judgment.
4. If we consider Judah and Israel to be one people (Hebrews or Jews) then they are the seventh nation reserved for judgment – God’s perfect judgment!
D. The Suffering of the Fallen Israelites
1. After the prophecy of Amos, the House of Israel was destroyed:
a. In 722 BC, Sargon II, the king of Assyria, whose capital city was Nineveh, completed a 3 years siege and took the city!
b. The 10 tribes who comprised the nation spread to the four winds and are now called the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel or the Diaspora.
2. After the prophecy of Amos, the House of Judah was destroyed:
a. In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon!
b. The nation was taken into Babylonian Captivity for 70 years.
3. The list is long of the atrocities committed against the Jewish people.
4. None is worse than the Holocaust!
5. And now the word we have all been waiting for – but – there is a brighter day on the horizon!
II. The Fallen Rise
“On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old”
—Amos 9.11
A. On That Day
1. This is that great and glorious day of the LORD!
2. The Day of the LORD occurs 30 times in the Bible – 25 times in the OT!
3. It is called:
a. An honorable day Is 58.13
b. A day of battle Ez 13.5
c. A day of decision Joel 3.14
d. A day of sacrifice Zeph 1.8
e. A day in which the LORD defeats all His enemies.
B. The Tabernacle Of David
1. In the literal sense, a tabernacle is a tent.
a. THE Tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy
Seat of God.
b. King David wanted to build a house for God and was NOT allowed.
c. David was able to move the Ark of the Covenant into a new tabernacle.
d. But neither of these tabernacles is the Tabernacle of David that Amos speaks of.
2. In a spiritual sense, a tabernacle is communion with God.
a. Amos foretells, how that salvation, of those indeed His own, should be effected through the house of David, in whose line Christ was to come.
b. He speaks of the house of David, not in terms of royal greatness; he tells, not of its palaces, but of its ruins.
c. With the use of the word “tabernacle,” he probably blends the ideas, that it should be in a poor condition, and yet that it should be the means whereby God should protect His people.
d. So it was that when Jesus began his ministry:
i. King David had been dead for 1000 years!
ii. The Tabernacle had long since passed away!
iii. The Temple of Solomon has been destroyed and the Temple of Zerubbabel had taken its place (it would be destroyed in 70AD)
3. God promised through Amos that Jesus would
a. Raise up the Tabernacle of David – have communion with His own.
b. Repair the damages and ruins – call the sinners to repentance.
c. Rebuild it as in the days of old – provide a place of perpetual protection to those who would fly to the waiting arms of Jesus!
C. Application To The Church
1. For Amos there are only two positions:
a. Belong to God
b. Be judged by God
2. Listen to Amos one more time
12 “That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the LORD who does this thing.”
—Amos 9:12
3. We are the Gentiles called by His Name!
III. Conclusion
A. Realize
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
—Romans 3:23
B. Recognize
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
—Romans 5:8
C. Repent
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
—Luke 13:3
D. Receive
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
—Romans 10:9
