Amos 1-9

Introduction to the book

• Amos means “burden bearer.”

• Message of the book: doom.

• The book was written approximately 760-750 B.C.

Four major divisions of prophecy in the book:

• Judgment on six nations around Judah

  • Damascus (Amos 1:3-5) – for cruelty in war

  • Gaza (Amos 1:6-8)

  • Tyre (Amos 1:9-10)

  • Edom (Amos 1:11-12) – for hatred of Israel

  • Ammon (Amos 1:13-15) – for cruelty to people

  • Moab (Amos 2:1-3) – for burning the bones of the king of Edom

• Judgment on Judah (Amos 2:4-5) – for religious apostasy

• Judgment on Israel (Amos 2:6-9:10)

  • Amos 2:6-8 – God rebukes Israel for injustice, immorality, and idolatry.

    • See I Kings 12:30.

  • Amos 3 – Israel no longer walked with God.

  • Amos 4:12 – Summation of the book: “prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

  • Amos 5:23; 6:5 – Some try to misuse these verses to show that instrumental worship is not approved.

    • II Chronicles 29:25 – Instrumental music was approved for worship under the Old Covenant.

    • Doing the right thing with wrong motives is not approved by God.

  • Amos 7:10-17 – Amos was ordered not to prophesy in Israel by Amaziah.

• Messianic hope (Amos 9:11-15)

  • See Acts 15:13-18 (quotation of Amos 9:11-12).

  • This is the only optimistic message in the book!

Lessons for us:

• We are going to meet God in judgment, so prepare!

• God is righteous, both in punishment and blessing.

• Even right acts are an insult to God if done with wrong motives.

• All can be blessed in the restored tabernacle of David.

I Timothy 2:9-10 – The emphasis should be on being a godly woman. Appearance is secondary.

I Peter 3:1-4

So … how long, how tight?

• Proverbs 5:18-20

• Genesis 2:25; 3:7, 20 – The fig leaves covered the bare essentials, but God made them coverings to cover more.

• Genesis 29:17; 39:6 – “form and appearance”: Beauty involves shape and contours – not just the face.

• Esther 2:7

Lack of specifics does not mean God’s word does not powerfully direct us.

• Ephesians 4:29 (language)

• I Corinthians 16:2 (giving)

• Titus 2:12 (substance abuse)

Love for God and others

• Matthew 22:37-40

• Matthew 18:6-10

• I John 2:16-17 – We should not use our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness.

• Romans 6:12-13; 13:13-14 – Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

• I Corinthians 6:19-7:5 – Our bodies belong to God, so we should glorify God in our bodies.

• I Thessalonians 1:1 – See I Peter 5:12; Acts 15:22, 40 – Silvanus (Silas)

• The Thessalonians were already an example to others. We don’t get to a certain age and suddenly become examples to others!

• The Thessalonians were doing such a good job that other people were bringing news of their good deeds back to Paul! What a great example they were!

Galatians 2:20

First of all, it’s impossible to remove God from the world He created.

• Colossians 1:16-17

• Removing God from the world is like trying to improve the car by removing the engine!

• Good science has never been at odds with good Bible interpretation.

  • Fake science: We know the universe began through natural causes.

    • “We have not explained the beginning of the cosmos at all.”

    • Biblical truth: Genesis 1:1

  • Fake science: Some races are superior to others.

    • Original subtitle of Origin of Species: “Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life”

    • Biblical truth: Genesis 1:27. We are all equal before God.

  • Fake science: Dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago.

    • Now we are finding soft tissue in dinosaur bones!

    • Biblical truth: Genesis 5, 11

      • Present à Christ: 2,000 years

      • Christ à Abraham: 2,000 years

      • Abraham à Adam: 2,000 years

      • Total age of the earth: roughly 6,000 years.

    • See also David’s previous sermon: The Age of the Earth

Furthermore, the world is better when God is revered and obeyed.

• Proverbs 3:19-23; Psalms 119:160

• Genesis 2:15-17

• If we banish God, we are left with morals that are merely opinions!

• John 17:17

• Proverbs 14:34

• I Thessalonians 2:12-14; 4:3; 5:15-22

• James 1:22-25

• “Men have forgotten God. That’s why all this has happened.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

Exodus 20:12 – The Law of Moses required children to honor their father and mother.

• Ephesians 6:2-3 – The same law applied to Christians.

• I Timothy 5:8

Malachi 1:6; Genesis 45:8; Job 29:16; Psalms 68:5; Proverbs 1:8; Psalms 103:13 – Father is used in the scripture with a more wider meaning than just the biological relationship.

What does it mean to honor father and mother?

• Respect

  • Exodus 21:15, 17 – Striking or cursing a parent was punishable by death under the Law of Moses!

  • Leviticus 19:32

  • Proverbs 30:17

  • I Timothy 5:1-2

  • Hebrews 12:9-10 – Honor parents even if they aren’t always right. It’s not based on being right. It’s based on the underlying relationship of parent to child.

  • Genesis 9:20-27

  • Honor is not based on the quality of character of the parents.

• Obedience

  • Ephesians 6:1-2 – Obedience is not based on parents being right. Again, it is based on the relationship.

  • Esther 2:20; 4:8, 14 – Esther obeyed Mordecai even though she was a grown woman and no longer under his care.

  • Proverbs 13:24; 23:13-14 – As the child grows older, the relationship with the father changes.

  • Deuteronomy 21:18-21

  • Ephesians 5:22f – Other relationships may supersede the parent-child relationship over time.

  • Ephesians 6:4

  • I Timothy 5:14 – Women get new duties over time as their relationships change.

  • Ephesians 6:5f

• Provision

  • Mark 7:9-12 – Children are not to shirk the duty of providing for their parents.

  • I Timothy 5:8 – Failure to provide makes you worse than an infidel!

  • Although children are obligated to provide for their parents, they are not obligated to forsake their own spouse and children to spend time with parents or cater to their every whim.

II Chronicles 34:1-3 (II Chronicles 33:1-2, 21-22) – King Josiah had a terrible family, but he obeyed God! Despite his family, he started seeking God at age 16.

Matthew 22:37-38 – The greatest command: Love God with all your heart. This is our duty because we are God’s creation.

I Corinthians 10:31 – Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.