7/12/13. Amos 1:1-2:3.  THE LORD ROARS FROM ZION – my devotional

Amos 1:1-2:3                                                                                                    Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 1:2                                                                                                   7-12-13

^“He said: ‘The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up,    and the top of Carmel withers.’ Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors^{” (NIV 2011)}

      Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank you for you great love for us and planting your hope in our hearts. As a nurse I see people battling with serious health problems. I see the fragility of life. I can see how people fight the transition from this world to the next. But because of the Gospel with the knowledge of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I can have peace with the transition. 108 billion people have lived and died on this planet and because of your love and resurrecting power, I can accept that for myself because I know that based on your grace I will spend eternity with you. Thank you Lord. May the Gospel free souls from their fear of death. Please help me now to accept one word from this passage. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Who is this famous Amos? Verses 1:1-2 read, “ The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoashwas king of Israel.”

     Amos was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah,He was active c. 750 BC during the reign of Jeroboam II. (786-746 BCE) making the Book of Amos the first biblical prophetic book written. Amos lived in the kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern kingdom of Israel.His major themes of social justice, God’s omnipotence, and divine judgment.

Amos was a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam ben Joash (Jeroboam II), ruler of Israel from 793 BC to 753 BC, and the reign of Uzziah, King of Judah, at a time when both kingdoms (Israel in the North and Judah in the South) were peaking in prosperity. Amos is the first prophet whose name also serves as the title of the corresponding biblical book in which his story is found. Amos also made it a point that before his calling he was a simple husbandman and that he was not a “professional” prophet of the prophetic guild. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Amos)

Part 1: The Shepherd From Tekoah (1-2)

I like the fact that Amos was not a professional prophet from the prophet guild. He was “one of the shepherds of Tekoa”. Tekoa. Amos’ hometown, was located in the rugged sheep country of Judea. It was 10 miles south of Jerusalem. Amos was a shepherd and a fig grower. (Life Application Bible p. 1538)

      He was like a lay minister or a lay pastor today. Not only was he a lay minister, but he was a “shepherd” lay minister. The Bible frequently uses sheep as an analogy for humanity. (Like it or not.) If you read the book, “A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23” by Phillip Keller. There are so many parallels between the shepherding of humanity and taking care of sheep. Here is a description, “The Lord is my shepherd….” The words of this famous psalm have brought comfort to many – but what impact do they have on an actual shepherd? Best selling author and shepherd Phillip Keller draws on his firsthand experience to lead and prod listeners to the greenest pastures of discovery and coolest waters of fulfillment hidden in the psalm. This lively devotional commentary will show you how to experience Psalm 23 in a new way. See with the eyes, touch with the hands, and feel with the heart of our Lord – the Great Shepherd.” (audio.com)

The raising of sheep was not such a spiritual job, yet Amos, the shepherd became the one who was the channel of God’s word to the people. We may not feel that our job is important and even that spiritual. But it is of utmost importance if you are in the place where God wants you to be. The fact is that God can work through you and do many wonderful things through you even if your job seems unimportant. (Life Application Bible p. 1538)

God can use people who come from ordinary “blue collar” backgrounds and from rural settings in his work. He has worked through such people again and again throughout history. I thank God for this. He can work through First Nation people in NW Ontario. He can also work through students, children, the handicapped, the homeless, the unemployed, retired seniors, the under educated, the disenfranchised, the weaker ones in society, etc. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 confirms this truth. It reads, “²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:26-30)

I thank God that I can be “a nurse from Dekalb”. I am a lay minister. I do not have a theological degree. Maybe one day I will get a degree in missiology or the like. But as for now I am a nurse and a father and husband and a lay minister in the church. In my job I learned so many things from being a nurse and taking care of people in need. I can apply that to ministry.

I may be a floor nurse at the local hospital. It seems to be inconsequential in the work of God. I am not a pastor. I do not have a degree from Moody or from WheatonCollege. But my job and lay minister position is setting a great example in my church. I am also the off site co-ordinator for the sending of missionaries to NW Ontario Canada. This is history in the making. Who am I that I can be involved in such a great movement of the Spirit and having fellowship with world class missionaries? Who am I that God wants to work through me in this way? It is nothing but the pure grace of God.

God wants to work through lay ministers. The rapid increase in population on the 10/40 window and the growing need for gospel workers, as well as the growing. closed nature of many countries to missionaries, means that the traditional way of raising up ministers through seminary and fundraising, can not meet the present challenge. There must be a rapid increase in lay ministers to meet the need. May God raise up many thousands of people like this shepherd from Tekoah to preach the gospel to the whole world.

Part 2: What God Would To Them And Why? (8-10) 

Amos told of what God would do, who he would do it to and why he did it. Look at verses 8-10, “² He said: “The Lord roars from Zion   and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up,    and the top of Carmel withers.” Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors ³ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, ⁴ I will send fire on the house of Hazael  that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. ⁵ I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Avenand the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord. ⁶ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not relent. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, ⁷ I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses. ⁸ I will destroy the king of Ashdod  and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines are dead,” says the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not relent. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, ¹⁰ I will send fire on the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses.”  Let’s break all of these verses (1:2-2:3) down to there component parts to see what God will do, to who and why. It is very interesting to dissect the text in this way…

What God Will Do:

 The Lord roars..  Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors. I will not relent. I will send fire 

I will break down the gate. I will destroy the king. The people…will go into exile

 I will send fire on the walls. I will turn my hand against. I… will consume her fortresses.

I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah  that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. Moab will go down in great tumult  amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet.  I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him.

Who He Will Do It To

 Israel’s Neighbors…

 the house of Hazael  . The fortresses of Ben-Hadad. Damascus. The king who is in the Valley of Avenand the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram. Gaza. The king of Ashdod. Ashkelon. Ekron. the Philistines. Tyre.

 Israel’s distant cousins…

 Edom. Teman  that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah. Ammon. Rabbah. Moab. The fortresses of Kerioth.  

 Why He Will Do It

Because

… she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth.

 …she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood.

… he pursued his brother with a sword  and slaughtered the women of the land.

…his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.

…he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders.

…he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king.

Damascus was the capital of Syria; Gaza, the capital of Philistia; and Type, a wealthy trading center in its own right. These were nations who had harassed Israel from early times. Hazel king of Aram, treated God’s people so ruthlessly (2 Ki 8:12). Philistia and Type engaged in slave trade with Edom.

The God of Israel, whose throne is in Jerusalem, is Sovereign Lord of all the earth. The Sovereign Lord would judge these crimes against humanity. When he saw the wickedness of the Gentile nations, he roared like a lion ready to pounce on his prey. His roar is a warning of judgment.

God is not joking. He is looking from heaven and he sees the weak and the downtrodden and he is mighty to save and mighty to deliver. Our God cares. He sees. Some may not believe it. Some say, If God is alive, how can he allow so much suffering? In the book “The Grieving Indian”, this is the question that many Native people, who have experienced so many unexpected tragedies, are asking themselves. It is a stumbling block to their acceptance of the Gospel. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that God see and cares. He wants to do something about our suffering.

What goes around, comes around. That is the way God made this world. A people, a nation, a group or an individual can not get away with wickedness. They will have to face the consequences of their actions. Think of the dictators in history. They have all met miserable ends and their legacies have been trashed. They will have to face the judgment seat of God. Nations who dealt unjustly towards others…suffered. Even America, with its centuries of slavery, suffered greatly. Think about the American civil war. A father or husband who is harsh and disconnected and neglectful will taste the fruit of their own alienation from those whom God placed in his life. Who are we to think that we can get away with unjust treatment of our own fellow human beings?

When God allows us to experience the consequences of our unjust treatment of others, how should we respond? Obviously, we need to face the facts, confess sins and repent and accept the forgiveness that God extends. Then we can be set free from the grip of our sins to live a new life free from inflicting unjust treatment towards others.

I have not experienced very many injustices. I have been treated fairly by most people in my life. I thank God for this. The most unjust treatment I received was probably five years of persecution I experienced from others concerning my Christian faith and my calling in life. It was very tough to endure. I cried many times. But I know that God was with me and caring about it all and leading me along the best possible path. On the flip side, I have treated others unjustly in so many ways. I deserve the judgment of God and the consequences of my sins. But I repent of these sins and rely on the grace of God. I can stand only because of Christ.

Part 3. Judgment on Edom, Ammon, Moab (1:11-2:3)

In the following verses God continues to reveal his wrath against injustice. At first it sounds like more of the same as in verses 1:2-10. But knowing some of the history of these nations, it can be discovered that there is one difference. These nations had a “blood tie” with the nation of Israel, in some ways related the Israelites.

Look at verses 1:11-2:3, “¹¹ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with a sword  and slaughtered the women of the land, ,because his anger raged continually  and his fury flamed unchecked, ¹² I will send fire on Teman  that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.” ¹³ This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead    in order to extend his borders, ¹⁴ I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah  that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. ¹⁵ Her kingwill go into exile, he and his officials together,” says the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes  the bones of Edom’s king, ² I will send fire on Moab  that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.Moab will go down in great tumult  amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. ³ I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him,” says the Lord.”

Each of these nations had a blood tie with Israel. But they, too, had been enemies. God would punish them because of their inhumanity and lack of regard for their brothers, God’s people, in Israel.

The relationship between these nations is like Europe and the United States. We have some kind of genetic and historical connection. Most of the time we show some deference to people who are related to us. In America we are more graceful to European nations than other nations that don’t have the same connection. We show favoritism. This goes on, on a national scale and even on a personal scale. We show favoritism to our family members, even though our family members may have done wrong…even sheltering those who have done some very serious crimes. This is not good because it leads to breaches of injustice, the social breakdown of whole neighborhoods and promotes prejudice. It makes people dole out punishments that are unequally distributed to one segment of society over the other.

But I can see here that God does not show favoritism. He is no respecter of persons. He judges all people fairly and impartially. The nations who have sinned against humanity will receive their due, even if they are the long lost cousins of Israel. Deuteronomy 10:16-18 reads, “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. ¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” (NIV 2011)

God is very truthful and right in his dealings with humanity. He is fair. You can trust God. Our court system, if run ideally, also operates on the premise that all people should be held accountable according to the law, no matter who they are. I thank God for that. In America there is the rule of law. If a person has some power and clout in our nation, they are still held accountable to our laws. Recently we have even seen governors going to prison. In other nations you would never see this. I think that our premise, of showing no favoritism is a direct result of the Bible’s teachings.

God is an impartial judge. I would have been condemned impartially. God is fair in his dealings with people. That is good news for me, because I can be forgiven for my sins. I would surely have been judged by this just God, because of my many sins. But God sent his One and Only Son, Jesus to be judged in my place. All the punishment that was due me, because of my sins, was poured out on Jesus. Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God. His shed, innocent blood, means that the impartial judge, the Lord God Almighty, impartially forgives me completely when I believe. I have eternal life. I am eternally his son, and while I live in this world, I am his servant and friend. Praise the Lord for his grace and forgiveness.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, attune our nation’s ears to hear your roar, and help us to repent and enter into your salvation by faith.

One Word: The Lion roars from Zion