Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20100711.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Amos: Heeding The Word Of The God Of The Whole World
Part XIII: Our Personal Need To Revere God So As To Heed His Word
(Amos 7:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. We can be tempted to deflect Scripture's warnings of sin onto others rather than apply them to ourselves.
    2. However, that is a tremendous mistake, one Amos 7:1-17 reveals in a powerful way as follows:
  2. <+@>Our Personal Need To Revere God So As To Heed His Word, Amos 7:1-17.
    1. God gave Amos visions of such devastation on Israel that it led him to plea for mercy on her, Amos 7:1-6:
      1. In Amos 7:1, God gave Amos a heart-wrenching vision of terrible devastation of Israel by locusts:
        1. After the king's share was harvested and as the second crop the people needed was growing, Amos saw God bring a locust plague to eat the second crop, Amos 7:1; Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 1444.
        2. This was a terrible plight: if that crop was lost, there would be nothing for the people to eat until the next year's crops, for after the second crop came the summer heat where no such crop grew, Ibid.
      2. Accordingly, Amos pleaded with the Lord to relent of this judgment lest the nation be annihilated with such devastation (Amos 7:2a,b), and the Lord relented concerning this particular judgment, Amos 7:3.
      3. In Amos 7:4, God gave Amos another heart-wrenching vision of the total destruction of Israel by fire:
        1. In this vision, God intensified the summer heat to where all vegetation dried up, and fires broke out and consumed unchecked because the underground waters that fed the springs had dried up, Ibid.
        2. Unchecked by water, the fires in this vision devastated everything in Israel that could burn, Ibid.
      4. Accordingly, Amos again interceded to God for the nation to relent of this judgment lest the nation be annihilated with it (Amos 7:5), and the Lord relented concerning this calamity, too, Amos 7:6.
    2. Then, in Amos 7:7, God gave Amos a vision of a plumbline in a way that Amos could not counter by way of intercession (Amos 7:8), for He willed to destroy Israel for her false worship sanctuaries and the house of king Jeroboam II who supported them, Amos 7:9 (with 2 Kings 14:23-24 in light of 1 Kings 12:26-33):
      1. The third vision of a plumbline was given by God in a way that Amos could not have opportunity to intercede to stop it, for God declared such judgment was surely coming upon Israel, Amos 7:7-8a,b.
      2. This judgment was announced with a focus on Israel's false worship centers and the house of Jeroboam II who upheld them, Am. 7:9; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978, p. 1264; 2 Kings 14:23-24; 1 Kings 12:26-33.
    3. However, Amaziah, priest of the false Bethel sanctuary, reacted to Amos' message of the plumbline not out of respect for God, but in disregard for Him and His authority in Amos' word and call, Amos 7:10-13:
      1. Amaziah, the priest of the false Bethel sanctuary (1 Kings 12:26-33), sent word to Jeroboam II that Amos from [rival] nation Judah was forming a conspiracy in predicting Jeroboam would be slain and Israel be exiled, a distortion of Amos' message meant to rile Jeroboam II against Amos, Amos 7:10-11!
      2. Then, Amaziah told Amos to return to Judah and earn his bread as a professional seller of prophecies there, for Bethel was the king's sanctuary and temple, Am. 7:12-13 NIV; Ibid., B. K. C., O. T. , p. 1446.
    4. Amos answered Amaziah out of deep respect for the Lord caused in part by the heart-wrenching visions of His judgment in contrast to Amaziah's disregard for God in spiritual hardness, Amos 7:14-15: Amos replied he had not been a professional prophet in a profession of prophets, but a herder and farmer, but that God called him to prophecy up in Israel, implying Amaziah's critique of Amos was a critique of God!
    5. God thus had Amos make a personal prophecy of judgment against Amaziah since he failed to apply the message of God about Israel in his personal life, Amos 7:16-17: God would judge Amaziah by having his wife become a lowly prostitute in the city where he had been a noble, his sons and daughters would be slain and his property be measured and divided (by God's plumbline of judgment) with Amaziah being destined to die as an exile in a pagan land. Indeed, Israel and Amaziah would go off into captivity!
Lesson: Amos deeply revered God and obeyed Him in his calling in part over his terror of God's visions of judgment where Amaziah had no reverence for God or for His prophet, the prophet's office or vision. As a result, Amos was used of God in blessing and Amaziah ended up terribly judged and unblessed.

Application: May we see God's Word given to OTHERS or the GROUP to which we belong as being PERSONALLY applicable out of REVERENCE for God in our own lives, and heed Him for blessing!