Day 252

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The Fiery Judgment

Amos Introduction

Times were good in Israel. The nation basked in peace, prosperity, strength and security. Then came Amos, breaking through the facade of respectability and exposing the rotten core of immorality, injustice, false optimism and shallow piety. To those who had grown soft and lax in luxurious living, Amos declares God's terrible warning and issues his last call to repentance. But the people fail to respond, and Amos announces God's unwelcome but necessary discipline.

Scripture

September 8—Amos 1-2: Doom for Israel's Neighbors

Observation

A farmer and fig-picker from the South is called by God to deliver a fiery message of judgment to the North. Amos, whose coarse country manner is better suited to the pasture than to the palace, obeys his prophetic call to take an uncompromising and unpopular stand for God in a day of materialism and injustice. Six neighboring nations feel the sting of his verbal missiles before the prophet from Tekoa aims his blistering rebuke at his fellow Jews in Judah (southern kingdom) and Israel (northern kingdom). There can be no mistaking God's intent: "I will set a fire..."(1:4, 7, 10, 14; 2:2, 5).

About Amos' Funnel of Fire, God is concerned for all nations, and they all must answer to his justice and judgment. Notice how Amos begins his "Rouges' Gallery" with Israel's neighbors, then spirals inward, leaving the judgment of Israel for last. Can you sense the expectation building as Amos moves ever closer to the principal target of his sermon?

Application

Question: What symbol is used in the Bible to describe the tongue, the Word of God, and angels? (Write down your answer; then check James 3:6; Jeremiah 5:14; Hebrews 1:7)

Few things in life can rival the bittersweet properties of fire. With it you can warm yourself or burn yourself; cook a dinner or burn it; refine metal or ruin it; heat a house or reduce it to embers. It all depends on how you handle the heat!

Thirty-three of the thirty-nine Old Testament books talk about fire. But none is more "fiery" in its theme than Amos! The same God who gave fire to man as a blessing will one day use fire to remove from his creation the decay of sin and rebellion. Eight nations in Amos' day learned that God means business when he declares, "I will set a fire."

As a family or with friends, read together 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and discuss this question: "Where is there fire in the Christian's future, and what can we be doing today to prepare for it?"

Prayer

Dear God, because Christ died for us, and because you gave us your Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us through this life on earth, we are able to trust and obey you to meet your demands. Thank you, Father! We know that Jesus has not come for us believers to be where He is yet because there are others we must share the Good News with to encourage them to become believers so that they too can enter eternity. Help us to reach them, Lord, and we will be so careful to give you the honor, the praise and the glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen!

Share the Good News!



© Odessa Mathis about my Father's business! 2020

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