Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The Book of Amos

Amos was a shepherd when he was called by God (Amos 1:1a, 7:14–15).
His prophetic ministry was under Uzziah, king of the southern kingdom (Judah), 
and in the time of Jeroboam II, king of the northern kingdom (Israel),
two years before a big earthquake (Amos 1:1b, Zec 14:5b). 
See Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel in Kings of Judah and Israel.

He was called to tell the people of Judah and Israel that their prosperity wasn't evidence of blessings from God. Both Judah and Israel were experiencing a time
of prosperity at that time. This is a difficult time to share the need for a Savior.
They took their prosperity as an unmistakable sign that they were blessed by God,
to be compared to Laodicea in The Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation. 

The people longed for The Day of the Lord to come, which they believed
would only remove their enemies (Amos 5:18–20). That wasn't the case.
Judah and Israel would be judged: 

  • Judah had forsaken the Mosaic Laws in the Old Covenant
    and worshiped other gods     (Amos 2:4–5). 
  • Israel sought to become rich by exploring the poor (Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11, 8:4, 6). They have abandoned all that God had told them to be right, good, and true. (Amos 2:6–16, 3:2, 5:10–11a, 12). There was an agreement between God and Israel, which Israel didn't follow (Amos 3:3). It would therefore have consequences for Israel (Amos 3:4–6, 11). About 20 years after Amos began his prophesy, Israel ceased to be a nation (Amos 5:27). 
    However, a remnant would be saved (Amos 3:12, 5:3, 9:8b–9).
    See this described in The Depth of the Riches in The Book of Romans.

God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets
(Amos 3:7). God warns us, to give us the opportunity to repent.

Key themes from the book of Amos:

  1. God is the Creator of the universe (Amos 4:13, 5:8),
    see Evidence for Creation. Hence his ethical standards are universal,
    and all men are subject to judgement in the light of them,
    see The Sheep and the Goats.
  2. Correct treatment of other people is the key evidence of a right relationship with the Lord, see The Golden Rule in The Sermon on the Mount.
  3. Rituals in the absence of proper treatment of others are disgusting to God,
    see Confronting Meaningless Religion.
  4. Israel's Old Covenant with the Lord didn't guarantee them special protection when they broke his Law. Then bad things would happen to them
    in order to make them repent and come back to him (Amos 4:6–11).
    If they didn't repent, they would be subject to harsher judgments,
    as they were held to a higher standard of obedience.
    Judgment begins at God's household (1 Pet 4:17). See also Jesus and the Law.
  5. The Day of the Lord wouldn't be a time for miraculous deliverance 
    from Israel's enemies. Rather, it would be a time of terrible destruction
    and darkness, especially for the northern nation of Israel     (Amos 5:18–27).
  6. The following is about The Millennial Kingdom in The Prophecies of Isaiah:
    "On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen,
    and rebuild its ruins    , and raise up its destruction,
    and rebuild it as the days of old     in order that those remaining of humans, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called,
    might     seek     out me, says the Lord who does these things.
    Behold days are coming, says the Lord, and the grain harvest
    shall overtake the vintage, and the grapes shall ripen at seedtime,
    and the mountains shall drip sweetness, and all the hills shall be thickly grown.
    And     I will return the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the annihilated cities and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards
    and drink their wine, and they shall plant gardens and eat their fruit.
    And I will plant them upon their land, and     they shall never again
    be plucked from their land that I have given them    , 
    says the Lord God the Almighty.    " (Amos 9:11–15 (LXX (page 19))).

    This is quoted by Jesus' half-brother James: "After they finished speaking,
    James replied: 'Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God
    first visited the Gentiles    , to take from them a people for his name.
    And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:     
    '    After this I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David 
    that has fallen    ; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
    that     the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, 
    and     all the Gentiles who are called by my name    , says the Lord,
    who makes these things known from of old.''    "(Acts 15:13–18).

    It's used as a proof that even the Gentiles are called by God and that they don't have to be circumcised. See the end of Paul's First Missionary Journey,
    and     time 5:24–11:07 in The Septuagint (LXX).
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