Amos 7:10

 Amos 7:10 says, Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.  Amos had shown nothing but good will toward the people of Israel, making Intercession to God for them when he revealed His plan to bring destruction on them.  Instead of being grateful, Amaziah the priest of Bethel went to the king accusing Amos of conspiring against the king.  Matthew Henry said this was because Amos prophesied without license from Amaziah and also prophesied against him.  Some so called religious leaders today become very upset if someone speaks out against what they are preaching and teaching because it is not consistent with what God's word teaches.   Verse eleven adds, For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.  Amaziah said that Amos was prophesying that Jeroboam would be killed by the sword and Israel would be taken away captive.  He did not say that Amos said that this was because of their sins and that they needed to repent and return to God to possibly avoid this.  Some people will always be more concerned about their position in the world than they are about their relationship to God.  Verse twelve declares, Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:  Amaziah tried to send Amos away to the land of Judah to prophesy.  He had been unsuccessful in getting the king to take action against Amos, so he tried his own method to get rid of him, by telling him that he was in the wrong place to prophesy.  We as Christians must go where God sends us and proclaim the word that He gives us, whether people want to listen to us or not.  Verse thirteen adds, But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.  Amaziah told Amos to no longer prophesy in Bethel, because it was the king’s chapel and court.  He was wrong though, because it was God's chapel and court, even if it had been corrupted by the religious leaders.  We should never begin to believe that the things of God belong to us to do with as we please.  Verse fourteen declares, Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:  Amos answered Amaziah by saving that he had not been a prophet nor a prophet’s son.  We are not born into a calling from God, but we are called from wherever we are and from whatever we are doing.  Verse fifteen adds, And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.  Amos said that as he was following the flock that God took him and told him to go and prophesy.  When we go to proclaim God's word today, it must be because the Holy Spirit has taken us and sent us.  We can never just go under our own power or by our own calling.  Verse sixteen proclaims, Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.  Amos called on Amaziah to hear the word of God that He had for Amaziah because he had told Amos not to prophesy in Israel.  Verse seventeen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.  God said that Amaziah's family was going to be destroyed and that Amaziah would die in  polluted land,because they would not listen to God.  No matter who may oppose us today when we proclaim the gospel and teach God's law, we can never change our message. 

Amos 7:1

 Amos 7:1 says, Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.  Amos said that God showed him in a vision what was going to happen to the latter growth.  God was going to send grasshoppers to destroy it.  God doesn't need an army to accomplish His purpose, but often uses the simple things of nature to do so.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.  Amos said that after he saw the results of the grasshoppers destroying the crops, he asked God how Jacob would arise, or get up again, because he was small.  Matthew Henry says Jacob referred to the people of Israel who still believed in God, and Amos was making intercession to God for them. We are not wrong to intercede with God when we see Christians suffering today.  Verse three declares, The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.  Matthew Henry says this does not mean that God changed His mind but that He chose to change His method out of mercy instead of wrath.  We can either face God out of His mercy through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, or we can face His wrath if we don't.  Verse four states, Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.  Amos said God next showed him that He was going to destroy the people of Israel by fire.  God has already shown us the fate of those who refuse His gift of salvation, and that is everlasting punishment separated from Him.  Verse five adds, Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.  Amos once again interceded for the people out of concern for their survival.  We need to have that same concern for people today and intercede for them in prayer that they might accept the salvation that God provides.  Verse six declares, The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.  God once again granted Amos' request.  We will never get God to excuse or overlook sin, but our prayers may delay His judgment long enough for people to repent and come to Him.  Verse seven says, Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.  God then showed Amos a vision of Himself standing on a wall with a plumbline.  This was not a vision of destruction, but was still one of holding the people of Israel to a standard.  Though we will not be destroyed if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are still held to a standard, and that is obedience to God's word and direction in our lives.  Verse eight adds, And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:  God asked Amos what he saw, and Amos replied a plumb line.  We may only see something as an ordinary thing if we do not look to God for His revelation of what it means when He is showing us a vision of what He wants us to do.  God told Amos that He was now going to hold people to His standard.  Verse nine concludes, And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.  God said that those who were not found to be straight and true by the plumbline, which was faith in and obedience to Him, would be destroyed.  Today, Jesus is our plumbline.  It is only through obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ that we can be made straight with God.

Amos 6;8

 Amos 6:8 says, The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.  God swore by Himself, because there was and is no greater One to swear by.  God is the ultimate authority, and if He commits Himself to something by His word, there is no power that can overrule Him.  God said that He hated the houses of the people of Judah and Israel because they were built on false gods.  Verse nine adds, And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.  God said that those who escaped the sword would still die by famine or some other means.  People today may escape one tragedy, but they will not escape death, and if they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, then they will face everlasting separation from God.  Verse ten continues, And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.   Matthew Henry says that the fact that an uncle was burying someone meant that there were no closer kin to do so and that the younger people were dead, since the uncle would be an older man.  We are told that those who were left, what few they were, would not be allowed to even speak the name of God.  I believe that this may have been because they still were not calling out to Him in repentance and faith, but were calling out to Him thinking He would have to save them no matter what since they were His people in name.  God does not have to save anyone no matter whether they profess to have put their faith in Jesus Christ or not.  Someone may call themself a Christian, but unless his or her relationship with Jesus Christ is real, they will find that God is not obligated to save them because of an empty claim to be His.  Verse eleven states, For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.  Amos said that God had pronounced His judgment on them and that it would be carried out.  God has pronounced His judgment on those who will not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and one day it will be carried out.  Of this we can be certain.  Verse twelve asks, Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:  God asked what it would accomplish to attempt to grow things on rocks.  Matthew Henry says this refers to the people of Judah and Israel refusing to allow God to turn their hearts into fallow ground.   Verse thirteen adds, Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?  God sends His warning to those who believe that they have been successful by their own strength and not by His power and blessings.  Some people today say that they really don't need God because they are being successful by their own abilities, but one day they will find out how wrong they are.   Verse fourteen declares, But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.  God said He was raising up an nation to defeat the people of Israel.  Once they stopped being obedient to their part of the covenant relationship with God, they sacrificed His protection and earned His punishment instead.  We cannot expect God's protection in the world today, even if we have become His through accepting Jesus Christ, if we are then not obedient to His leadership.  Again, we will not lose our salvation if we have it, but we can certainly lose all the peace and joy that our salvation should bring.  We cannot expect God to just bless us or matter what. 

Amos 6:1

Amos 6:1 says, Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!  God pronounced His woe on those who trusted in the mountains of Samaria to keep them safe.  This was a physical barrier between them and other nations.  Because of this, they were at ease in Zion, but they were not following God and His word.  We may be at ease in the world today because of material blessings, but if we are not following God and His word, then He will pronounce His woe to us.  Verse two adds, Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?  God called on the people of Judah and Israel to look around at these nations that had once been stronger than them and were now defeated and in ruins.  God asked if Israel were greater physically than these nations were and the answer was no.  Israel was never a powerful nation because of her military might, but were so because of the blessings of God, and the same is true of Christians today.  Verse three states, Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;  God said that they thought that they could put aside the day of evil, or judgment.  God's judgment will be a day of evil for those who are not saved, and though people may not want to believe it, that day will come.  For many people, it will come today, since we cannot change our relationship to God once we die.  Verse four adds, That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;  God said that they were living the life of ease and luxury and felt that this was their right and that it would always continue.  We should never put our faith in the things of this world, nor feel that if we are materially blessed that it is our right as Christians.   Verse five continues, That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;  God said that the people were making music that they claimed was to worship Him as David did.  Yet, this was done simply to satisfy their carnal lusts Matthew Henry says.  We need to make sure that what we do in the name of worshipping God is not done simply to satisfy our carnal lusts.  Verse six says, That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.  God said that they drank wine by the bowl full and anointed themselves with experience ointments, and yet were not concerned with those around them who were in need.  We should never feel that God has blessed us simply for our own benefit, but must use all that He blesses us with under His guidance.   I don't believe this will ever lead to self indulgence.  Verse seven declares, Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.  God said the people who had felt safe and rich would be the first to go into captivity.  Our material status in the world will never exempt us from God's judgment.   

Amos 5:14

 Amos 5:14 says, 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.  To seek good and other evil calls for making a decision, and after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we must do as the people of Israel were called on to do, and that is to seek good.  Once we accept Him, the Holy Spirit will always lead us to do good.  Verse fifteen adds, 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.  Amos told the people of Israel that God called on them to hate evil and love good and if they did, God would be gracious to the remnant of Israel.  If we want God to be gracious to us today, we need to hate evil and love good.  We, like they, are also called on to establish honest judgment in all our interactions with others.  Verse sixteen states, Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.  God said because of the sins of the people of Israel that they were about to face His judgment.  If we do not accept God's gracious gift of salvation, then one day we will face His judgment.  Verse seventeen adds, And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.  God said their wailing would be everywhere because God was going to pass through in judgment of them.  Verse eighteen says, Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.  The people of Israel thought that when the day of God's judgment came that He would restore them, but God said this was not the case.  Like the people of Israel, many people today think that as long as they call themselves God's people that He has to bless them in all that they do, and yet they still worship the things of the world ahead of Him.  Verse nineteen states, As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.  God said that they might escape one dangerous situation, but they were not safe as long as they continued to sin against God.  Verse twenty asks, Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?  When God came in judgment, He asked if the people thought it would be a time of light, then answered by saying that it would be a time of very great darkness.  Anytime we are out of God's will, we will be wandering around in a great spiritual darkness.  Verse twenty-one declares, I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.  God said He hated what the people of Israel were calling worship, and we need to insure today that our worship is not something God hates.  We must make sure that it glorifies God.  Verse twenty-two continues, Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.  God will never accept our offerings if they are given for the wrong reason or with the wrong attitude.  Verse twenty-three declares, Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.  God said that they should not even play music to Him, because He wouldn't hear it.  We need to make sure the music we use to worship God is acceptable to Him.  Verse twenty-four adds, But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.  Like God called on the people of Israel to let judgment and righteousness to flow freely, so does He call on us to do today.   Verse twenty-five asks, Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?  God asked if the people of Israel offered Him sacrifices in the wilderness.  The answer for the most part was no.  God wanted their obedience to Him and not just empty sacrifices that they were offering.  If we are not following God's teachings, then whatever we do in the name of worshipping Him will never be acceptable.   Verse twenty-six adds, But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.  God said instead of worshipping Him that they had allowed idols to become the focus of their worship.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.  God said He would cause them to go into captivity, and if we do not accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our life, one day God will cause us to go away into everlasting captivity in hell.

Amos 5:1

 Amos 5:1 says, Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.  God through Amos called on the people of Israel to hear the word that He had against them.   I believe that God will always let us know when we are doing something that He does not approve of if we are followers of Christ.  Verse two adds, The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.  Israel, when the people were obedient to God, was like a virgin bride to Him, but now because of sin they had fallen away and could not get back up by their own power.  When we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, we are washed clean, but if we allow sin back into our lives, we cannot restore ourselves to Him by our own abilities.   We will not lose our salvation, but we will certainly lose our effectiveness as witnesses for Christ and the joy of our salvation.  Verse three states, For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.  God said that the number of people in Israel was going to be greatly reduced7.  Only ten percent were to remain.  This is why God said that His word here would be a lamentation.  It is truly sad that those who claim to accept God often only accept Him by word and not real faith.  Verse four declares, For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:  God told the people of Israel, His chosen people, to seek Him and they would live.  God today calls on all people to seek Him if they would live spiritually.  Verse five adds, But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.  God warned them not to go to the places that were associated with worshipping Him because they had been corrupted and would be destroyed.  Verse five declares, Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.  Instead of going to a place, God called on the people of Israel to seek Him.  When we sincerely seek God, He will be found.  Verse seven adds, Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,  God called the people of Israel out for their hypocrisy.  They had turned His truth into something unrighteous by misusing it.  We need to make sure that as Christians we do not misuse God's word for our own benefit.  Verse eight continues, 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:  God called on them to seek the only true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  God is the only God.  Veree nine says, That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.  The people of Israel had begun to worship idols in the house of God, and they had lost His protection and instead faced His judgment.  We must never allow the things of this world to corrupt our worship of God.  If we do, we like the people of Israel were warned will lose His protection.  Verse ten states, They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.  God said that the people of Israel, His chosen people, hated to hear the truth of His word.  People of the world today are often so set against God that they cannot bear to hear His word, but we need to insure that we as Christians are not that way.  Verse eleven adds, Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.  God warned them that the riches that they had gotten by oppressing and mistreating the poor would not last.  If we attempt to use our relationship with God for our own gain with no concern for others, what we gain by doing so will never last.  Verse twelve declares, For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.  God said that the sins of the people of Israel were manifold, or numerous.  They mistreated the just and the poor.  Verse thirteen adds, Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.  Matthew Henry says that even though the prophets can never keep silent  that it was prudent for other believers to keep silent.  Though I don't believe that we should ever be silent in proclaiming the gospel as we are led to do so by the Holy Spirit, there may be issues in the world that it does us no good to continue to speak out against.  It is only the things of God that we are to never be silent about.

Amos 4:1

 Amos 4:1 says, Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.  God called those who oppressed the poor people of Isreal kine, or cattle.  He said that they went out of their way to oppress the poor.  They crushed the poor with unreasonable demands.  God always holds those who oppress the poor accountable.  Verse two declares, The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.  God warned those who were mistreating the poor people so badly that their day of judgment was coming.  We cannot oppress the poor today and expect God not to notice and hold us accountable one day.  Verse three adds, And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.  God said that the oppressors would look for a way to escape but that there would be none.  Verse four states, Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:  The people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to idols instead of God, and He called on them to increase their sacrifices if they thought it would bring them relief.  Whatever we put before our relationship with God, no matter how much we may increase our devotion to or worship of it, will never bring us relief from the judgment of God.  Verse five adds, And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.  The people were going through the motions of worshipping God, but they had no real relationship with Him.  Empty worship, no matter how often we practice it, will never make us right with God, but in fact will only lead us farther from Him.  Verse six says, And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  God said that He had left them without enough bread to eat in order to get them to return to Him, but they had not.  Being in need does not mean that a person is in a right relationship with God.  Sometimes God may leave a person in need, especially those who call themselves His people who are not truly following Him, in order to get to get them to return to Him.  Verse seven adds, And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.  God said that He had withheld the rain so their crops failed.  God was sending them warnings and they were ignoring Him and looking to false gods for hope.  God sends everyone enough warning to know that they need to come to Him for salvation and everlasting security, but the majority of people look for it everywhere but through God's salvation plan.   Verse eight states, So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  God said that the people from two or three cities were gathering together in one city hoping to find relief but that there was none to be found.  When we cut ourselves off from God, there will never be an lasting peace and satisfaction, no matter how many other people we join together with.  Verse nine declares, I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  God said that He had caused their crops to be destroyed, and they still did not return to Him.  Verse ten adds, I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  God said that He had even allowed the young men of Israel to be defeated and die in war, but the people still would not return to Him.  Many people today are just as obstinate in their refusal to come to God.   Verse eleven declares, I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.  God said He had sent destruction on them as He had on Sodom and Gomorrah, yet they still refused to return to Him.  God also said that those that He had rescued would not return to Him.  God has rescued every person from the horror of hell, and all they have to do is put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord to claim this salvation, but many still look everywhere but to God for salvation.   Verse twelve adds, Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.  God again gives the people of Israel a warning about what He was about to do to them.  No one will ever be able to claim that God did not give them a warning about what is going to happen if they refuse His gift of salvation.   Verse thirteen continues, For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.  God said that He was the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and that He was the only One Who could bring them redemption.  If we do not look to God for salvation today we will never find it.  God provided the only way to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and He calls everyone to this free gift of salvation, but too many refuse His gift and continue to look elsewhere for redemption and peace.