This section of Amos has a series of accusations and judgements from God against Israel. After that, God pleads 5 times for a response, and the section ends with God’s imminent warning: Prepare to Meet Your Maker. The situation is harsh, but through it all God’s heart and desire for his children comes through. God’s heart hasn’t changed: God still calls us to return to him in faith and in the pursuit of justice and righteousness. The Good News is that through Christ, our lives can be shaped to meet our Maker with confidence!
What does it take for God to get the attention of his children? When do they listen best? When are they most hard of hearing? Israel was not very receptive to God’s word through the prophet Amos, and this week we see Amos make the case that they should start paying close attention to the signs around them. Amos’ words call us to see the signs in our day. Are we receptive to God’s Word, or are we also prone to hear only what we want to hear?
It must have been comforting for Israel to hear God pronounce judgement on all her neighbor enemies, but was she ready to face the music herself? This week we see Israel delight in the speck in her brothers’ eyes, but it’s doubtful she’s going to recognize the log in her own. Will we? May we be moved by God’s sovereignty and God’s heart as we read God’s Bullseye of prophecies.
This fall we are working through the Old Testament prophet Amos, and the book begins with a lion’s roar from God. Later Amos will ask, “The lion has roared – who will not fear?” This week we will introduce the prophet Amos by looking at God’s relationship with humanity in general, and specifically God’s covenant relationship with his people, his children. Within the covenant relationship, God makes promises, and God’s children must respond. How do you respond When the Lion Roars?
The accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings can be frustrating to read: It’s a years-long tug of war between good and evil. Most of the kings of the two nations were bad, but there are a few sprinkled throughout whom the writers call good. In opposition to their culture, and even contrary to the way they were raised, these good kings followed the Lord, or at least tried. And that’s what God always wants - a heart that is turned to Him. This Sunday, we will take a look at the last four major kings of Judah: Hezekiah, Mannaseh, Amon, and Josiah. We will tie into the Psalms for the signs of a heart devoted to God. Despite everything that’s going on around us that would get us off track, let us be those who say, “As for me…”