Wednesday, December 25, 2024 ▫ Read Amos 7:10–17
Questions from the Scripture text: Who speaks
in Amos 7:10? What office does he hold? To whom does he speak? What office does he
hold? About whom does he speak? Of what does he accuse him? What does he say
about his words? What had Amos said about Jeroboam (Amos 7:11a–b)? and about Israel
(verse 11c–d)? To whom does Amaziah speak in Amos 7:12a? What does he tell him to do
(verse 12b)? What does he call him? Where does he tell him to go (verse 12c)? What does
he imply about Amos’s motive (verse 12d–e)? Where does he tell him to stop (Amos 7:13a)? What
does he call that place (verse 13b)? Who speaks in Amos 7:14a? To whom? What does he say
was not his vocation (verse 14b–c)? What was (verse 14d)? And what else (verse 14e)? But Who
made the change (Amos 7:15a)? And what did He tell him to do (verse 15b–c)? Whose people
are they? With what formula does Amos begin his speech in Amos 7:16–17? What does he
say that Amaziah has said (verse 16b–c)? But what does he now specifically prophesy
about Amaziah’s wife (Amos 7:17b)? And what does he prophesy about whom else (verse 17c)?
And what does he prophesy about what else (verse 17d)? And what does he prophesy
about Amaziah himself (verse 17e)? And what does he prophesy about the nation as a
whole?
What responses to God’s judgment should we watch
against? Amos 7:10–17 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read,
in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these eight verses of Holy
Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should watch against any
murmuring or complaining against God’s judgment or those who preach it.
Don’t
shoot the messenger (Amos 7:10). It’s a common enough saying, but when it comes to faithful
preachers of the Word, that’s all that the offended can do. Truly, it is YHWH
Who has said that Jeroboam shall die by the sword and all Israel surely be led
away captive from their own land (Amos 7:11). But men cannot attack the living God.
He is untouchable. We see all of the mediatorial offices in Amos 7:10: a priest, a
king, and a prophet. And it is the priest who is indignant with the faithful
prophet. Let men be careful not to bristle or lash out against the man who
speaks God’s words to them; this will not end well for Amaziah.
Common
accusations (Amos 7:11–12). Amaziah doesn’t deal at all with any of the substance of
Amos’s preaching. Remember, the Lord began by painstakingly established His
justness (chapters 1–2) and presenting His case (chapters 3–5). Only then did He pronounce
the sentence/woes of Amos 6:1–7:9. The Lord did not owe this to Israel, Jeroboam, or
Amaziah. But in presenting His case so clearly, He has left them even more
without excuse.
So
what does Amaziah do? He attacks Amos’s motives. He accuses him of being
personal/political. “Flee to the land of Judah” (Amos 7:12c) isn’t just a recommended
change of venue. It implies that Amos is a southern man, with southern
leanings, and he belongs down there in the south. And “there eat bread” (Amos 7:12d)
isn’t counsel to take nourishment. It implies that Amos’s words are mercenary
not ministry, that he’s in it for the money. When people attack the Word of
God, they often attack the motives of the one speaking those words. And their
attacks often include these two types. Let us not be surprised if they are
levied against us. And if ever we catch ourselves thinking such things about a
preacher of the Word, let us make certain that we are not actually trying to
evade biblical truth in what he says (whatever the mixture of motives may be).
Religious
Pride (Amos 7:13). The king’s residence was actually at Samaria (cf. Amos 6:2). So, when Amos 7:13c uses the word “house,” it most likely means “temple,” as that word is also
often used that way. This corresponds well to the “holy place of the king” in Amos 7:13b. It has been several hundred years since Jeroboam I set up his manmade
YHWH worship in Bethel, with its own priesthood and religious calendar. Amaziah
doesn’t just fail to see that this worship is offensive and provoking to God.
He actually thinks that these manmade religious traditions are too sacrosanct
to be subjected to Amos’s denunciations. Men reveal how ingrained their
idolatry is, when they actually think that it is holy and defend it with such
zeal.
The
Innocence of the Preacher (Amos 7:14–15). Not every sound preacher is a faithful man. Sin and sinners
are complex. Many a sound preacher has been justly liable to such accusations
as Amaziah has made about Amos. That still doesn’t negate their sound words,
but Amos is not one of them. He is not financially motivated at all. This
wasn’t his business (Amos 7:14b) or the family business (verse 14c). And, he made a much
better living before he became a preacher. The word for “sheepbreeder” (verse 14d)
is different than that for “shepherd,” and implies a higher position above the
shepherds. Indeed, his agricultural employments were diversified verse 14e),
implying that Amos was actually fairly well off before YHWH called him out of
that. Furthermore, Amos 7:15 answers the arrogance of Amos 7:13 by reminding Amaziah that
Israel are YHWH’s own people, and He has the right to prophesy against them.
Judgment
against the Murmurer (Amos 7:16–17). It is not surprising that a priest would take a
holier-than-thou attitude, or even any member of the holy people (cf. Numbers 16:3). In all likelihood, Amaziah felt that he was merely serving the greater
interests of “Israel” and “the house of Isaac” (Amos 7:16). But the truth is that one
who does this is often also venting his own spirit, and the prophesying was
about to get personal. The “Your,” “Your,” “Your,” and “You” in Amos 7:17 are all
singular. It was Amaziah’s own wife who would become a harlot (verse 17b), his own
children who would be slaughtered before him (verse 17c), his own land which would
be distributed to others (verse 17d), and his own death that would be in a land as
pagan in name as the Bethel worship was in substance (verse 17e). We must remember
that God’s judgment is not just macro and corporate. It is also (and,
eternally, all-the-more) individual and personal. We must each deal with Him.
And how will we do so apart from Christ? Oh, do not resist His righteous
judgment, but repent and fly to Christ!
When
have you spoken Bible truth to someone and received a response in the same vein
as Amaziah’s? What Bible truths have been hard for you to hear, and how did you
respond to that truth? To the servant of the Lord who proclaimed it? Since you
deserve the same judgment as Amaziah, what is your hope for escaping it?
Sample prayer: Lord, You are just when You speak, and
blameless when You judge (Ps 51:4b–c). The sin is ours, and we have even shown that
wickedness by our responses to being corrected by Your truth. Do not let us
respond like Amaziah any longer, lest we come under judgment like his, or
worse. Give us, instead, soft hearts that admit sin and repent, looking to
Jesus Christ alone to be our righteousness and atonement, which He surely will
be. For His sake, forgive us, we ask in His Name, AMEN!
Suggested
Songs: ARP51A “God, Be Merciful to Me” or TPH51C “God, Be Merciful to Me”
Read Psalm 126
Questions from the Scripture text: What sort of song is this (superscript)? Who had done what (Psalm 126:1a)? With what effect upon the singers (verse 1b)? With what were their mouths filled (Psalm 126:2a)? And their tongues (verse 2b)? Who (verse 2c) said what (verse 2d)? Who else said this (Psalm 126:3a)? With what result (verse 3b)? What prayer does Psalm 126:4 make? In what condition do believers sow (Psalm 126:5a)? In what condition do they reap (verse 5b)? How much do they do this sort of sowing (Psalm 126:6a–b)? How surely will they do this sort of reaping (verse 6c–d)?
What sustains believers’ diligence in seasons of sorrow? Psalm 126 looks forward to the opening portion of morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord sustains believers in their seasons of sorrow by the greatness and certainty of the joy into which He will deliver them.
The Pleasure of Salvation, Psalm 126:1–2b. YHWH saves His people in order to give them joy. The Lord Jesus spoke so that His joy might be in us (cf. John 15:11, John 17:13). He gave us to pray in His Name (cf. John 16:24), and to receive His inspired Scriptures (cf. 1 John 1:4) that our joy might be full. For His Zion, who are His by election and redemption, their captivity (Psalm 126:1a) was a prelude to overwhelming joy (Psalm 126:1-2b).
The Praise of Salvation, Psalm 126:2-3. The Lord shows forth His greatness in the great work of creation. So also, He shows forth that greatness in the great works of His providence. But the greatest work of His providence is the work of redemption. It is this work that causes the whole world (Psalm 126:2c–d), and especially His people (Psalm 126:3), to praise the greatness of His work.
The Prayer of Salvation, Psalm 126:4. This Psalm may have been entirely prophetic, relating the gladness, while yet in the midst of the sorrow. Or, it may be taking a previous, already laughed-over, deliverance as an encouragement to pray for a new deliverance from a new captivity. In either case, it applies to believers throughout all generations, who have experienced much captivity and tears. We know how His work in/for them ends.
The Perseverance of Salvation, Psalm 126:5-6. Psalm 126:5 establishes a principle, and then Psalm 126:6 drives it home. In verse 6, there is a doubling of the verb for going (verse 6a) and for coming (verse 6c). The first doubling lays a heavy emphasis upon the determination and perseverance of the one who serves the Lord and walks with Him, despite the current sorrow. The second doubling lays a heavy emphasis upon the certainty of the rejoicing and the fruitfulness that they shall have at last. For believers, it is this certainty by which the Lord sustains their determination. And He does so, in part, by giving them songs like this to sing.
What sorts of sorrows do you have that hinder you in serving the Lord well in set times of worship and in the whole of your life? What is the greatness of the joy that the worship times set before you? What is the certainty of the joy that the worship times set before you? How does this help you in this age of labor and sorrow?
Sample prayer: Lord, how great are Your works in all of creation and history! But greatest of all is Your work of redeeming us. For, You have brought us out of captivity by the blood and righteousness of Your own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, You have saved us by Him Himself, Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. And now You set His own joy before us. Surely, we already laugh and sing and say, “The Lord has done great things for us!” But, how much more shall we do so on that day when all weeping has ceased, and the full harvest has been brought in. So, grant unto us to know You and Your salvation in Christ as we worship You, by the help of Your Spirit, which we ask in the Name of Your Son, our Lord Jesus, AMEN!
Suggested Songs: ARP126 “All, Like Mount Zion” or TPH126A “When Zion’s Fortunes God Restored”