Amos 5-6

Matthew 23

"The Lamentation of Amos"

One hundred and fifty years ago, a wise ruling elder wrote a little volume entitled,

"Charity and the Clergy."

In the preface, he penned these words:

"Few seem to perceive what appears fearfully evident to the writer, that our existent Christianity is almost universally corrupt, and is becoming more so continually; that unless its present tendencies be speedily reversed, a state worse than medieval darkness will soon settle upon Christendom; not a state of intellectual decrepitude and enslavement, but one of intellectual triumph and haughty independence...one in which man will rise in proud supremacy, and either trample the Church under foot, or else spare her in Gibeonite degradation to become a 'hewer of wood and drawer of water' about the gorgeous Temple of Mammon!"

Does that sound like the church today?

In Europe the church has been trampled under foot,

but in America she is merely a hewer of wood and drawer of water,

-a mere servant of the Temple of Mammon.

The mainline churches sacrificed the gospel in order to maintain cultural power,

and the evangelical churches are walking in their footsteps.

Stephen Colwell didn't need to be a prophet

to understand that the judgment of God was coming upon Christendom;

all he needed to do was read the Scriptures.

Amos had made it clear that God's judgment will come upon the church

that refuses to worship him as he has commanded,

and fails to care for the poor.

Amos brought his covenant lawsuit against Israel

because the people of God had broken the covenant in two basic ways:

1) they had failed to love God,

as demonstrated in their refusal to worship him in Jerusalem as he had commanded;

and 2) they had failed to love their neighbor,

as demonstrated in their oppression of the poor.

The covenant lawsuit consists of three "words":

God's rationale for bringing judgment against Israel (chapter 3),

God's oath that his patience has run out (chapter 4),

and now Amos's lamentation over Israel.

Amos's lamentation consists of three calls to seek the LORD (5:4-15),

and three "woes" against Israel. (5:16-6:7)

and concludes, once again, with God's oath (6:8-14)

The entire two chapters form a single literary unit.

In 5:2, Amos declares that the virgin Israel is fallen with none to raise her up.

In 6:14, God declares that he will raise up a nation against Israel.

Yahweh, the God who had raised up judges and kings on behalf of his people,

will no longer raise Israel up.

Now, he is going to raise up another nation to oppress and destroy Israel.

Likewise, in 5:3, God declares that only 10% of a city shall survive,

and in 6:9, God declares that only 10% of a household shall survive.

First the three "seeks"

1) Seek me and live,

but do not seek Bethel,

and do not enter into Gilgal

or cross over into Beersheba;

for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,

and Bethel shall come to nothing."

There's a pun here,

but you have to hear it in Hebrew:

"HaGilgal galah higleh" (Gilgal shall surely go away)

It's like saying, those who live in Pittsburgh will fall into a pit,

or London will be undone.

Seek me and live.

You're looking in all the wrong places.

You're going to Gilgal and Bethel-places where I have not put my name.

The LORD utters his voice from Jerusalem (1:2),

so if you want to live, seek him there!

Those who seek the Lord anyplace besides Christ, will not find him.

What did Jesus say?

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Mt 6:33)

If you seek anything else, you will find death.

Where is your heart set?

What are you seeking?

2) Amos calls again, "Seek the LORD and live,"

but now he gives greater detail:

"lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,

and devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness from the earth!"

Once again, we hear the reason why God is bringing judgment upon Israel.

They have perverted justice.

And once again God reminds them who he is:

"He who made the Pleiades and Orion,

and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night

who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth,

Yahweh is his name."

who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,

so that destruction comes upon the fortress." (5:8-9)

Why should you seek Yahweh?

Because he is the one who can destroy you!

He is the creator of all things,

and the one who formed the stars can certainly bring judgment to the earth.

Nonetheless, Amos laments that Israel has refused to listen to God's warning:

"They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth."

Israel has ignored the prophets.

And notice what the prophets message is:

"Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him,

you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not dwell in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine."

Judgment will come upon Israel because they taxed the poor.

The wealthy are supposed to help the poor.

Amos speaks of Israel's sin:

"For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins-

you who afflict the righteous,

who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate." (5:12)

If you had sought the LORD, you would live.

But the eye of the LORD is on the righteous,

and his ear is open to their cry (Psalm 33),

and he will vindicate them against those who pervert justice.

"Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time."

(5:13)

When the wicked rule, sometimes it is necessary for the righteous to remain quiet.

Yes, God will send some prophets to speak against the evil,

but it may be wise for most Christians to quietly do what is right,

and let their actions speak, rather than their words.

3) Amos declares, "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live."

Seek me and live;

Seek the LORD and live;

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live.

The one who says that he loves God, and yet hates his brother,

is a liar; he neither loves God nor knows God.

John says that in 1 John 4:20,

but Amos said something similar centuries before:

"Seek good, and not evil, that you may life;

and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said."

If you say that God is with you, act like it!

Pursue that which is good.

"Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;

it may be the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

Notice that Yahweh is called "the God of hosts" (Elohe Sabaoth) twice in these two verses:

the God of armies, or of warfare.

In the next 28 verses, Elohe Sabaoth is used six times (only 26 times in the entire OT).

The God of Hosts-the God of Warfare-will be with you.

He will either be your defender or your attacker.

And if you seek him-seeking good and not evil-then you will live.

But Israel would not seek God.

They would not seek good.

And so therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord:

thus says Yahweh, Elohim Sabaoth, Adonai:

In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Woe! Woe!'

They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,

and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst, says the LORD.

God will be with you, promises Amos.

One way or another, God will be in your midst!

Having warned Israel to seek the LORD and seek good,

Amos now pronounces three woes against Israel.

1) Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!

This woe turns against those who have not loved the Lord their God.

Why would you-of all people!-have the day of the LORD?

For the Day of the LORD is darkness, and not light,

as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him,

or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.

Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,

and gloom with no brightness in it? (5:18-20)

Israel was looking forward to the Day of the LORD.

They had heard the prophets, that the Day of the LORD was the day

when God would vindicate his people and destroy his enemies.

That would be a great and glorious day!

Jesus speaks of these people when he says,

"Many shall come in that day and say, 'Lord, Lord."

They shall come in joyful expectation of the Day of the LORD,

but Jesus response will be, "depart from me, I never knew you." (Mt 7:23)

Why?

Jesus explains this in verse 21:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

The Day of the LORD is the day of judgment.

The people of God will be vindicated, and his enemies will be destroyed.

But Israel has rebelled against God,

They have broken his law, and are bound for destruction.

For them, the Day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

Amos has condemned Israel for worshiping at Bethel,

rather than at Jerusalem.

But their failure in worship is compounded by their failure in ethics.

Amos now brings together their liturgical and ethical failures:

"I hate, I despise your feasts,

and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,

I will not look upon them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Do not think for a moment that you can separate worship and ethics.

You cannot live in rebellion against God in your daily life,

and then expect God to bless you on Sunday!

These people who were longing for the Day of the LORD

will be sent into exile beyond Damascus (verse 27).

The second woe turns to the wealthy in Zion and Samaria:

If the first woe focuses on the failure to worship God aright,

the latter two woes focus on the failure to love their neighbors:

2) Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria

the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!

Amos calls them to look at Philistines.

Look at what I did to them.

"Are you better than these kingdoms?"

Are you able to defend yourselves from the God of hosts?

Once again Amos is comparing Israel with the nations.

You are no better than Calneh (the region of Ninevah),

You are no better than the Philistines!

That's an insult!

God will judge any nation that oppresses the poor and despises justice.

But God will especially judge his people-the church.

The third woe continues this theme:

3) Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall,

who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,

and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,

who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

The wealthy in Israel were enjoying a life of luxury-heedless of the woe that was to befall them.

Their lifestyle reflects their priorities.

They do not think of the poor,

they do not think of God;

they merely think of indulging their passions.

Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,

and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away. (6:7)

Amos concludes the covenant lawsuit with God's oath (6:8-14)

God swears by himself: "I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds,

and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it."

Israel will try to hide from God's judgment, but will fail:

if ten men hide in a house, they will die;

and those that bury them will do so quietly, so as not to arose the wrath of God.

God's judgment will surely come.

And in Jesus Christ, the Day of the LORD has dawned.

For him, the Day of the LORD was darkness-not light.

He was judged for our sins.

He endured the wrath of God on the cross.

He endured the exile from the Father that we deserved.

Jesus, after all, is the true Israel.

He is the one who loved the Father with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

He offered the perfect sacrifice which was acceptable to the Father.

He is the one who loved his neighbor as himself.

He lay down his life as an atoning sacrifice for many.

And because Jesus has fulfilled the covenant,

because he has done what Israel failed to do,

we now hear the voice of Amos calling us to remember who we are.

Seek the LORD and live!

Do not seek the earthly Jerusalem.

For she is in bondage with her children.

Instead, seek our Lord Jesus Christ,

who sits at the right hand of the Father in glory.

For though the Day of the LORD is indeed a day of judgment,

through the darkness of cross,

the light of the resurrection dawns.

And as you seek the LORD,

do not forget to "seek good and not evil, that you may live."

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10)

Yes, salvation is all of grace.

And because it is all of grace,

we may be confident that what God has promised will indeed happen!

And God has promised that YOU will do good works;

works that are truly pleasing in his sight,

because they are done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It all comes back to how our Lord summarized the law and the prophets in Matthew 22:

"You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

This is the great and first commandment.

And the second is like it.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

But we must also hear the "woes" of Amos's lamentation,

just as we must hear the "woes" that Jesus spoke in Matthew 23.

Immediately after giving the two great commandments,

Jesus proceeds to speak seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees.

They are condemned because they have not paid attention to the law and the prophets,

but have perverted justice and have turned people aside from the way of Christ.

Jesus goes after the scribes and Pharisees because they have failed to love God and neighbor.

They have spent their energies on the minor matters of the law,

neglecting "the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness."

Are we guilty of focusing on minor matters?

Have we neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness?

Do you seek justice in your home?

Do you seek mercy in your relations at work?

Do you seek faithfulness in our civic responsibilities?

Or are you so busy with minor matters that you have forgotten what is that God requires of you:

as Micah put it, "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

(Micah 6:8)