The Prophet’s Warning

AMOS 56-15, 21-24

GOLDEN TEXT: “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live.”—Amos 5:14

MUCH in the Book of Amos is in the nature of warnings to Israel calling upon the people to repent of their transgressions and to return to the worship of Jehovah, their true and living God. In this lesson assignment, two particular sins of the Israelites are called to their attention; First is the fact that they had turned away from God to the worship of false deities; and second, their practice of injustice in dealing with one another. In reality, the first leads to the second; for in ignoring the commandment forbidding their worship of other gods, it naturally followed that they would have little respect for the commandments which called upon them to deal justly with their neighbors.

As long as they ignored the law of their God, and failed to recognize Jehovah as their supreme and only Deity, they could not expect favors from him. Amos was instructed by God to say unto Israel, “Seek ye me, and ye shall live: but seek not Bethel,” (Amos 5:4,5) There is a particular significance attached to this admonition. When Jeroboam led the ten tribes in revolt against Rehoboam, he tried to make the insurrection permanent by diverting the worship of the ten tribes away from Jehovah by setting up altars and establishing “groves” at Bethel and Dan where the people could gather and sacrifice unto the gods of the heathen. (I Kings 12:29-33) Jeroboam, out of the wisdom of his selfish heart, thought he had devised an arrangement which would be for his own good, but it led Israel away from Jehovah. And now, through the Prophet Amos, God is telling the Israelites that in seeking his blessings they were not to go to Bethel to offer sacrifice, but were to worship him in the manner in which he had commanded.

How striking is the prophet’s introduction to Jehovah: “Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.” He also says of Jehovah, “That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.”

Jehovah is not only the true and living God, but he is powerful and just and loving. None of the false gods which Israel worshiped interfered with their exploitation of the poor, but they could not be loyal to Jehovah and at the same time practice injustice upon their fellows. They lacked in God’s ways of justice, thinking that to obey him would lead to personal loss; but the prophet corrects this, saying, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.”

And then comes a final warning to unfaithful Israel: “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.” God had already been gracious unto the Israelites far beyond what they justly deserved; and he was willing to continue being gracious if they showed a disposition of true repentance. But few of them did. As a nation they continued their rebellious ways, and went into decline.

It was for Israel’s own good that God demanded obedience to him, the High Tower of their strength, their King and their Deliverer; and what riches of divine blessing they failed to obtain because they were unfaithful. At the same time, God was using the kingdom of Israel to illustrate the kingdom of Messiah when it is established throughout the whole earth and for the blessing of all the people. For this reason, as well as for their own good, God wanted the Israelites not only to acknowledge him as the only true God, but, in keeping with his own attributes of justice and love, to deal justly with each another and to take proper care of the poor and needy instead of exploiting and oppressing them.

Concerning Christ’s method of dealing with the people when his kingdom is fully established, the Psalmist wrote, “He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.”—Psalm 72:2-4

The privileged class in Israel did not so deal with their poorer brethren. Instead, as the Prophet Amos points out, they trod upon the poor, and levied unjust taxes of wheat, etc. They made the poor build houses but they were not permitted to live in them. But this will be changed, too, when the antitypical kingdom of the Lord is established, for then they shall “build houses and inhabit them; and … plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.” (Isa: 65:21) Justice along all lines will then operate, for the laws of God will reign supreme. Concerning the Ruler and Judge of that time the prophet wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”—Isaiah 11:2

QUESTIONS:

What two sins of Israel are emphasized in today’s Scripture lesson?

Why did the prophet tell the Israelites not to go to Bethel?

When, and under what circumstances will God’s laws of justice and equity be operative on behalf of all the people?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |