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All right. Good evening. Hey, Houston, could you do me a favor? I left the clicker on my seat up there. Thanks, brother. All right. Well, welcome. Glad you're here. Thanks, Houston. You can turn to the book of Amos. We're continuing our series on the minor prophets. We are in the book of Amos.

We're only going to do the first part this evening, chapters 1 through 4. As you're turning to Amos, I want you to think if you've ever been in a sermon, maybe one of my sermons, maybe one of Pastor Tom's sermons, and while you're listening, you just can't shake the thought that, man, I really wish so-and-so were here to hear this sermon.

Like, they really need that message from Pastor Tom. Like, that's for them. In fact, as soon as it's online, I'm going to send that sermon to that person, and they're just going to really feel convicted by the Holy Spirit. None of y'all have felt that, right? Okay, just checking.

Just checking. Amos is a preacher with a plot twist. He's a preacher that's going to have an effect kind of like this, where he's going to be preaching. His audience is going to make kind of an initial assumption, and then he's going to have a Nathan moment. Remember the prophet Nathan who ministered to David?

David tells a story, and then he points to David and he says, You know what? This is for you. You are that man. And Amos is going to do something similar. If you're familiar with Paul Washer, there's kind of a famous clip where he's preaching at a youth conference, and he's talking about sin and the need for repentance.

And the crowd is cheering and saying, Amen. And then he looks at them and he says, I don't know why you're clapping. I'm talking about you. Amos does this. This is why I love the book of Amos. So if you're with me, you can read chapter 1, verse 1.

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tocoa, which he envisioned and visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. All right, let's stop there. We have some background information.

And now that you're in Amos, go ahead and put a bookmark or a finger there and turn back to 2 Kings chapter 14. 2 Kings 14, and we'll look at verse 23 through 27. The reason we're turning to 2 Kings is because we get some juicy details in Amos, first verse, about what is going on as Amos is prophesying.

We read a few things. First of all, we read that Amos is a shepherd. As far as we know, he's the only prophet that has that particular occupation. We also read that he's prophesying two years before the earthquake. It doesn't mention which earthquake he's talking about, but obviously the earthquake was big enough and memorable enough that everyone who's listening to Amos would have probably known what this earthquake was.

Most importantly, for our purposes, we learn that he's prophesying during the reign of these two kings. You have Uzziah, who's in the south, and Jeroboam, son of Joash, who is in the north. And I say north and south, remember that the kingdom of Israel is split during this time.

It's the split kingdom. Up in the north, you have the capital city of Samaria. Up in the south, you have the capital city of Jerusalem. And Amos is going to be prophesying in the northern kingdom during this time. And so, for our purposes, we're going to read the account of King Jeroboam, son of Joash, who is reigning in the north.

So, 2 Kings 14, verse 23 starts this way. In the 15th year of Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria and reigned 41 years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebut, which he made Israel to sin.

He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the sea of Erebah. According to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel. Of Israel, which he spoke through his servant Jonah, the son of Amati, the prophet who was of Gath Hefer, excuse me.

For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter, for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. The Lord did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash.

All right, we'll stop there. A lot of names. Good tongue twister for you. But this sets the scene for the book of Amos. And you have to ask your question for all of these prophets. What is the state of the nation that he's prophesying to? So we get some clues here in 2 Kings.

By the way, a lot of this may sound familiar if you were here when we studied Hosea, because Amos and Hosea are prophesying around the same time, both to the northern kingdom. And so you may have heard some of these details before, but let's quickly review what's going on.

First of all, we learn in 2 Kings that Jeroboam is a wicked king. He did not follow the Lord with his whole heart. He does evil in the sight of the Lord. We see that in verse 24. Now, it gives us some more detail. Why is he evil in the sight of the Lord?

Well, because he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Now, I know it's confusing because there are two Jeroboams that we're talking about. Jeroboam I, that is Jeroboam the son of Nebat, now he ruled about a hundred years before the time of Amos.

And he was actually the first king. Of the northern kingdom. And you can read his story in 1 Kings 12. When he became king of the northern kingdom, he made a decision. And this was a fateful decision that resonates throughout the rest of the northern kingdom's history. And his decision was this.

When the northern tribes split, the temple remained in Jerusalem. And Jeroboam recognizes that this is a problem because the people would travel. They were required to travel to the temple to make sacrifices, yearly sacrifices to Yahweh. And if the temple was in the southern kingdom, then he was afraid.

He was afraid that all the people would defect and go to Judah. And so he decides to do something, something sinful. He builds an altar. He actually builds two altars in the northern kingdom. One of them is in Dan, which is kind of in the north side of the northern kingdom.

The other altar is in Bethel. And he sets up golden calves at these places, and he invites the people for Yahweh worship. They're there to worship Yahweh. But obviously, this is not what the Lord intends. The Lord does not want a graven image. The Lord does not want people worshiping him other than in his designated temple.

But this is what's called the sin of Jeroboam. And throughout the book of 1 and 2 Kings, as you read the stories of the kings of Israel, every single one of them falls into this sin. There's not a single king that's going to take down these altars and institute proper Yahweh worship.

And Jeroboam II, Jeroboam's son of Joash, he's no exception to this rule. So we read that, we read that he was a wicked king, but we also read, and this is very interesting, we read that Yahweh was blessing the land. The Lord blesses Israel during his reign. You see that in verse 25, the borders of Israel are expanded.

Verse 26, there's relief from all their enemies. Many consider the reign of Jeroboam II to be the most prosperous reign other than that of King Solomon. So there's just a time of peace and prosperity. And that's going to characterize the nation when Amos arrives on the scene. Two things in particular, economic prosperity and spiritual poverty.

And both of those are important for understanding the context and the content of Amos' prophecy. Israel is a nation that thinks that they're serving God. They think that God is on their side. After all, God is blessing the land, right? But they are in fact neglecting the finer details of God's law.

Two in particular. One, temple worship, and the second is justice for the poor. And we'll read about that. So let's read what Amos has to say. And as we turn... To back to Amos. I want you just to get in the scene. Use your imagination for a little bit.

Picture this. You're an Israelite in the northern kingdom, and life is sweet. Life is good. Like I said, you're living in a time of peace and economic growth. The big, bad Assyrian Empire up in the north, they haven't been attacking lately, probably because they all repented at the preaching of Jonah that just happened.

But you are part of this emerging, wealthy middle class. God has been blessing your business and your family, and frankly, you feel like you deserve it. Because after all, you've been careful to make the yearly trip to Bethel to make sacrifices. But then walks in this shepherd from Tocoa.

His name is Amos. And he opens his mouth and he starts prophesying. And he says, The Lord roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem he utters his voice. You're like, okay, Amos, you know, a little dramatic, maybe. But you want to hear this guy out. What's this shepherd going to say?

The shepherd starts listing out judgments, starting with your immediate neighbors to the north, who, by the way, your king just defeated in battle and took all his lands. And you can't contain your delight. God must be really happy with Israel. So you're beginning to like this Amos guy.

And I know we're just imagining here. This isn't in Scripture, but it's perhaps not too far off the target of who Amos is preaching to. So let's get into these judgments, starting in verse 3. This is the first judgment that he's going to make against Damascus. Damascus is the capital city of Syria.

Amos 1:3 starts with this phrase, for three transgressions of Damascus and for four, I will not revoke its punishment. I'll pause there real quick. As a side note, Amos is going to begin each of these judgments with this formula, for three transgressions and for four. This is to indicate multiplicity.

Now, it's not just three or four. Don't get hung up on there's just three or four sins. In fact, Amos is only going to list one or two specific sins for each nation. But the idea there is that, well, a third sin is going to, in the Hebrew mind, is going to elevate something from the dual to the plural.

And then when you keep on listing four, five, six, it's just to mean, you know, these are innumerable. Like, God is really, there are multiple infractions, even though one or two is specifically mentioned. And so, like I said, Damascus is on the chopping block. And they're being judged for persecuting the people of Gilead.

And Gilead is east of the Jordan. Jordan River. It's an area where Israelites have settled. And it says in verse 3 that Syria has threshed them with instruments of sharp iron. This probably indicates that there was some sort of violent purge that went on. As a punishment, the people of Syria would be taken into exile to Kerr.

And by the way, you can read about this prophecy's fulfillment in 2 Kings 16:9 if you want to write that down. Next, we move on to Gaza. Gaza back then is where Gaza is today. And I'm just remembering I have some maps here, if I can get them to show.

All right. So you have the northern kingdom, southern kingdom. Syria, up there to the north, is the area that Israel has just conquered. Gaza, over there to the west, kind of the southwest. Gaza was one of the five cities of Philistia, and yes, that's the same Philistines that produced Goliath.

And they are judged, read this in verse 6, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. We're going to get to Edom in just a second. But in short, the Edomites were involved in some sort of human trafficking. We can read about it actually in the book of Joel, chapter 3, and in the book of Obadiah.

And the Philistines were in some way complicit with this human trafficking. They were assisting the Edomites, perhaps, in kidnapping and transporting the Jewish people away from the region. And for this wickedness, God is going to punish Philistia by completely wiping out their remnant. Amos then moves on to the city of Tyre, which is up there in the north.

Tyre is a city in modern-day Lebanon. And Tyre has had an on-and-off relationship with Israel. You might remember in Solomon's day, Solomon made a treaty with the king of Tyre for construction supplies. And this could be the covenant of brotherhood that's referenced here in Amos. You can see that in verse 9.

Tyre's sins are the same as Gaza's. They're guilty of the same crime, something to do with Edom and this exile that's going on. But their crime is worse. Their crime is worse because of this covenant, this covenant of brotherhood. And you can imagine the outrage that Israel feels.

They're turncloaks. They're traitors. And for this, God will judge Tyre. God cares about this too. God cares about the covenants that we make with people. God is going to judge Tyre by sending fire to destroy its walls. You read that in verse 10. This is a pretty unlikely prophecy.

I bet it was kind of laughed at in Amos' day because Tyre is a city of God. On an island, and so how could fire possibly devour its walls? But we know from history that Alexander the Great famously built a causeway out to that island to sack the city, and he conquered the city with fire, just like Amos prophesied.

Next, we turn to Edom, down there in the south. So, when you hear Edom, think Esau. Esau, the twin brother of Jacob that we read about in Genesis. Jacob's offspring, as we know, becomes the nation of Israel. Esau's offspring becomes Edom, the Edomites. And because of this family connection, there's a running theme in the Old Testament that Edom ought to have come to Israel's aid.

There's several moments in Israel's history where they are in trouble, where they are vulnerable, and Edom, instead of helping them, is actually going to oppose them. And this is why Amos says in verse 11: Edom has pursued his brother with the sword. While he stifled his compassion, his anger tore continually.

So Edom's judgment is because they were consumed by anger when they should have been showing compassion. Next, Amos is going to call down destruction on Ammon. Ammonites were also ancient enemies of Israel. They opposed Israel upon entering the promised land, and they're judged here for their unusual cruelty.

In verse 13, you can read what they did. It says, they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their borders. So even in war, savage brutality is an affront against God. God cares about the helpless, God cares about the unborn. He demands justice for them.

And Ammon is going to be judged for doing this. How are we doing? We made it to chapter 2. Everyone with me still? Okay, good, good. Y'all are doing great. Imagine again, if you're an Israelite listening to this, I think we can kind of get in the moment.

It's hard for us, but if you can, just imagine these are your enemies that Amos is talking about. If you're listening just to this list of enemies of Israel and these judgments that are being prophesied against them, you're pretty excited. Like this shepherd prophet is systematically singling out your godless neighbors, and you're feeling pretty high and mighty right now.

And I bet you're excited to hear more. And Amos has more. He's going to continue. Chapter 2, he turns to Moab. Ammon and Moab are descended from Lot, Abraham's nephew. So in prophecy, they're often mentioned together. Here, just like Ammon, you know, Moab is going to be judged.

But what's unique about Moab's judgment is that Moab is not judged for committing sins against Israel. You know, they're actually judged for attacking Edom, another one of Israel's enemies. You know, that's a little bit curious. And we don't know the exact context of this attack, you know, what Moab did to Edom, but I do think it's significant that God cares about justice no matter who it's against.

You know, God's justice does not discriminate. Well, Amos continues. There's Moab right below Ammon. All right. If you're keeping track, we're on judgment number seven. And that should tell you something. You know, in Hebrew prophecy, or just Old Testament in general, the Bible really likes the number seven.

It's pretty typical for prophecies to have seven main points. And so if you're listening through Amos's prophecy, you're counting, you're keeping track. And so this is his finale. This is his seventh prophecy. And so Amos continues. He says, for three transgressions of Judah and for four. Yes, this is Judah.

This is the southern kingdom. And at this time, remember, they are another nation. You might even say it's Israel's chief rival. You know, it's the longhorns to their Aggies. And like. The previous nations. They are to be judged, but unlike the previous nations, Judah is accountable to the Mosaic covenant, just like Israel is.

And so Amos is going to call them out for rejecting this covenant, for breaking this law. And you can read that in chapter 2, verse 4: Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. And Amos prophesies that because of this, Judah and Jerusalem are going to be burned with fire, which is, of course, what happens when they're taken into captivity to Babylon.

So, all right, let's get back in the moment. I imagine, as Amos is finishing up the seventh prophecy, that the people in Israel are on their feet. They're cheering him on. Amen, brother Amos. Yes, hallelujah. You're right. You're right. I knew we were better than those southerners. Yes, this is awesome.

What a great prophecy. Just imagine the sense of validation that they felt. God has blessed the land. He's pronounced judgments on all their enemies. And sure, they bent a few rules to get there, but now Amos' prophecy proves that God really doesn't care about that. That they're actually, they've got the favor of the Lord.

But then Amos clears his throat. He's not done. And he continues in verse 16. 6. This is a surprise prophecy. For three transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not revoke its punishment. And here I imagine the place goes quiet. Nobody expected this to come. And this time, Amos just doesn't just give one or two specific judgments.

He's going to spend the entire rest of the prophecy describing just how guilty Israel has become before a righteous God. And this is the theme of Amos. This is the grand theme. God's justice does not discriminate. It doesn't matter how blessed you are, doesn't matter how prosperous you are, doesn't matter how outwardly religious you are.

It doesn't even matter that you're God's chosen people. When you sin against a righteous God, there will be a reckoning. The rest of Amos' prophecy expounds on just how blind Israel has become to this fact. Outwardly, they are loving God, but inwardly they are despising God. And Amos is going to call them out for it.

There are three specific ways in which Israel has been despising God. And we'll talk about each of them briefly. Pick up in Amos chapter 2, verse 6 through 8. We'll go ahead and read that together. Amos chapter 2, starting in verse 6, says, Thus says the Lord, for three transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because they sell the righteous for money and the needy for a pair of sandals.

These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless also turn aside the way of the humble, and a man and his father resort to the same girl in order to profane my holy name. On garments taken as pledge, they stretch out beside every altar, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

We'll stop there. What's going on? Well, I think it's significant that Amos is not accusing the people of idolatry, at least not directly. Remember that Hosea is prophesying around the same time as Amos, and he's going to talk at length about the idolatry of Israel. So we know that it's going on, but this is not Amos' chief concern.

Amos is going to focus on injustice. During this time of peace and prosperity in the land, apparently the wealthy class has been ignoring their legal obligation to the poor. In fact, they're taking advantage of the poor. Now remember back. To the law. How is Israel supposed to treat the poor and the sojourner among them?

Do y'all remember? How are they supposed to orient themselves toward the poor? With compassion. And that's very, very clear in the law, and there's a reason for it. Why? Because they were once slaves in Egypt. They were poor and exiled, and God showed compassion to them. And this is all over the law.

One example is in Leviticus 25, 39 through 46. You can write that down. Leviticus 25. And in this example, the law is giving instructions for someone who has fallen into a state of poverty. Now, the person who has fallen into poverty, now they can sell themselves out as a hired worker to a fellow Israelite.

You know, there's an allowance for this. But not a slave. According to this law, the poor must be paid for their labor so that they can pay off their debt. They must not be treated ruthlessly. And they have the right to return to their own clan and their own family once their debt is paid.

All of this is spelled out. Verse 6 seems to indicate that this was not happening in Israel during this time. Amos says, you sell the righteous for money and the needy for a payment. Pair of sandals. So instead of hiring the poor so that the poor could pay off their debts, the wealthy class was actually selling the poor.

The poor would come to them to try and get out of debt, and the wealthy class would take advantage of it. They would turn around and sell that person just for a pair of sandals, for just a small amount of money. That's what they were doing. They were manipulating the system for an extra buck.

Verse 7, a man and his father resort to the same girl in order to profane my holy name. Now, this may just be referring to the sin of incest, but it more likely goes back to this theme of enslavement. Again, remember, the poor are indebted to the wealthy.

And just like we read about in the history books, when this happens, the wealthy class, the wicked and corrupt of the wealthy class, take advantage of them. They take advantage of them economically and sometimes sexually. And this, we think, would be just a problem with the pagans, right?

But apparently, it was happening among the Israelites as well. And perhaps they thought that they were honoring God. Perhaps, like the pagans, they thought that they were using sex as an act of worship. But of course, it's not. It's not worship. It's profanity. And Amos. Calls it by its name.

They are profaning the name of God. Verse 8 has a similar theme. On garments taken as pledges, they stretch out beside every altar. In the house of their God, they drink the wine of those who have been fined. Again, Amos seems to be referencing a certain section of the law, Exodus 22, 26, which says, If you ever take your neighbor's cloak and pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down.

For that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body. And what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. So the law says that if you take your neighbor's cloak, you have 24 hours. Give it back to them.

But here in Amos' time, you see that they were taking the cloaks of the poor unlawfully. And not only were they taking the poor's clothing, the only clothing that they had, but they were actually using it for their worship services. They were laying it down so that they could kneel at the altar.

And they were doing the same thing with the wine. You know, the wine that they were buying with this corrupt money was being used in the religious feasts. So do you see Amos' point in all of this? He's rightly pointing out that this is insanity. This is illogical.

Do you really think that you can fool God? This way? Do you really think that God is pleased by your outward show of religion? Do you presume that God's justice will overlook your injustice because you rationalize that it's for a good cause? God's justice does not discriminate, and neither should ours.

If God cares about the plight of the poor, then so should we. So should we. Social justice, that's a big theme in the book of Amos, and honestly, it's a big theme today in modern society. We're going to spend more time on it next week. But for now, we're going to move on.

So, Israel despised God by despising the poor. They also despise God by despising prophecy, by despising his word. You skip down with me to verse 11, chapter 2, verse 11. Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, and some of your young men to be Nazarites.

Is this not so, O sons of Israel, declares the Lord. But you made the Nazarites drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, saying, You shall not prophesy. Stop there. So a Nazarite, now that is a man who has made a voluntary oath to the Lord, and part of this oath was not to drink wine.

You can read more about it in Numbers chapter 6. But society was not allowing these men to honor their Oath in this way. There was something about their temperate lifestyle that was so at odds with the mainstream lifestyle of the time that they were persuading these Nazarites to forsake their oaths, drink a little bit of wine.

Similarly, God has been sending Israel prophets, and we know some of them by name, you know, Elijah, Elisha, Joel. You know, these prophets have come and gone to the northern kingdom at this time. And yet, as each of these prophets go, and probably many who are unnamed, they come and go.

But the people, the message that they're declaring is so at odds with what the people believe that they're saying to them, do not prophesy. Just be quiet. We don't say that around here. And this is a big problem for Israel. In fact, later on in the book of Amos, Amos himself is going to be told not to prophesy.

And we'll get to that next week. Israel is so convinced that they are in the right that they're not going to tolerate correction. We don't do this today, do we? We never say, do not prophesy. We don't accumulate teachers to suit our own passions, right? I think we do this all the time.

We like teachers that excuse our lifestyle, or at the very least, that don't criticize it. I think we need to be very careful. To continually check our lifestyle with what Scripture teaches to make sure that we are not slipping into habitual sin. I like this illustration from Jeff Depew.

How many times have you looked at the Bible on your nightstand and said, do not prophesy? One more sin of Israel that Amos draws out. We see it at the beginning of chapter 3. They've despised the poor, they've despised prophecy, they're also despising God's covenant love. I'll pick up in Amos 3, verse 1: Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which he brought out from the land of Egypt.

You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. We'll stop there. So Amos here is going to clarify his audience. He's talking against the entire family which the Lord brought up from the land of Egypt. Remember, when the Israelite nation was in Egypt, there was no northern or southern kingdom.

It was the twelve tribes of Israel, and together, a unified nation, they're brought out of Egypt into the promised land. So God is clearly talking about Israel and Judah here. But notice that he doesn't call them a nation. He calls them a family. A family. Now we know that they are, in fact, descended from a family, the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But it's still pretty rare for the Bible to use this word to refer to Israel, unless it's emphasizing God's role in the family. And we know that God has a role in the family. Exodus 4.22, Moses is at the burning bush, and God says something very significant to Moses.

He says, Israel is my son, my firstborn. Now, the pagan deities, they don't talk about their people this way in terms of sonship, in terms of adoption, but this is the way that God speaks about his people. And I think that is the image that Amos is evoking here.

This adoption, this family. This is what's going to define everything about Israel, especially the way that they're supposed to live. They are the firstborn of the living God. Amos 3.2, just going on down, says, You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. And just recognize that this is covenant language.

The word chosen is how the NASB translates it, but you might have a translation that says the word known. It's the same word, same basic meaning. This is the language of intimacy. And we talked about this briefly in Hosea. God loves us because he knows us. He knows us because he has chosen us.

And here's Amos' point. The Israelites were presuming that their covenant status would let them off the hook for their sin. They thought they might be held to a lesser standard because of who their father was. But Amos says that the opposite is in fact true. When the judgment comes, God is actually going to hold Israel to a higher standard because he has chosen them, because he has elected them.

And you can read verse 2 again. You I have chosen, therefore I will punish you for your iniquities. This is cause and effect language going on. Amos continues to emphasize this in the rest of chapter 3. As you go through verses 3 through 15, he lists off several other cause and effect relationships.

A lion sees his prey, therefore a lion roars. A trap is set, therefore a bird is snared. An enemy approaches, therefore the people are afraid, therefore a trumpet is blown. Cause-effect, cause-effect. Israel has sinned. Cause. Therefore, judgment is rendered. Effect. God's justice does not discriminate. You get to the end of chapter 3.

You start reading just what that judgment is going to be. We'll pick it up in chapter 4. Read with me, chapter 4, verse 1. Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, you who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, Bring now that we may drink.

The cows of Bashan, Bashan is a really fertile area of Israel, so the cows of Bashan would be very, very well fed. You know, this is the image of fat and plump. Amos is referring back to the theme of oppressing the poor. They're getting fat off of the spoils of the poor.

You read on in verse 2: The Lord God has sworn by his holiness, Behold, the days are coming upon you when they will take you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks. You will go out through breaches in the wall, each one straight before her, and you will be cast into harmony, declares the Lord.

So Amos is saying, you may feel secure now, but a day is coming when that security will fail you, when the walls that were protecting you will fall down. These breaches in the wall that Amos is talking about, this is probably the result of a large-scale attack from a foreign nation.

They tear down the wall so much so that every person can walk straight ahead of them and not run into any walls. This is the extent of the destruction that's coming upon them. And you remember that Amos is prophesying around 760 BC, and that 40 years, actually a little bit less than 40 years later, this is exactly what's going to happen.

Assyria is going to come, and they're going to conquer Samaria. They're going to conquer the northern kingdom. They're going to lead out everyone from their cities and take them to a foreign land. Just as Amos describes. Pick back up in verse 4. Enter Bethel and transgress. In Gilgal, multiply transgression.

Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days. Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened, and proclaim free will offerings. Make them known. For so you love to do, you sons of Israel, declares the Lord. Now, obviously, God is employing some sarcasm here. He's not telling them to transgress, but he is alluding to the fact that they think that they are doing the right thing.

They think that they're offering a service to God. And he's saying, just keep up this charade and see how far it gets you. Remember that Bethel, you see that name? That's one of the places where Jeroboam set up that false altar, that alternate place of worship. Gilgal, there was probably another one at Gilgal at the time.

Now, this is the first. Phony religiosity of the time. And God is saying, You love letting your voice be heard in the marketplace, so to speak. You love these pretenses of religion. Let's see how that works out for you. The implication is, of course, that God doesn't care about these pretenses of religion.

God cares about the heart. You see intonations of Psalm 51 here: a broken and contrite heart you will not despise. God is disgusted, in fact, by this outward show of religion. God cares about the heart, He cares about justice, which brings us to the middle of chapter 4 as we wrap up.

Chapter 4, verses 6 through 11, God is systematically walking through all of the warning signs that He has sent Israel. God mentions hunger and drought and plague as things that God has providentially sent to Israel in order to draw them back to Him. Now, notice here, these warning signs are not pleasant.

We wouldn't look at these things and say, Oh man, these are such great gifts from a loving Father. But they are. They are signs of love. You think of it this way: waking up my kids is an uncomfortable experience for them. It brings them a certain measure of pain and discomfort.

However, If my house was burning down, would I be a loving father if I let them keep sleeping? Absolutely not. We all understand this. This is what God is doing by sending these warning signs, these afflictions. He's trying to wake up a sleeping child whose house is burning down.

You see the repeated phrase, yet you have not returned to me. God is sending these warnings, asking them to seek him so that they may be saved, and yet they have not returned to him. Five times a warning comes. Five times they have not returned to him. They will not come to God, and so God is going to come to them.

Chapter 4, verse 12. Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel, because I will do this to you. Prepare to meet your God. What a statement. Prepare to meet your God. And the implied question that Amos has for his audience is, Are you ready? Are you ready to meet your God?

It's a very timeless question, isn't it? No less powerful today than when Amos preached it. Verse 13 says, For behold, he who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man. What his thoughts are. He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the Lord God of hosts is his name.

Who knows, he declares to man what his thoughts are. Are you ready to meet that God? Every human being, every human being who has ever lived will meet the righteous judge. A judge whose justice does not discriminate. And that means you, that means me, that means every single person will stand before him.

What will you say? What can you say? What will your excuses be? So, how can we prepare for this meeting? We're all going to do it. How can we prepare? Amos gives the answer in the next chapter, which we're not going to read today, but the answer, spoiler, is: seek me and live.

Seek me and live. Seek God, and you will live. Now, for you and I, seeking the Father has a very specific application. And I think you know what it is. Our access to the Father doesn't come through a temple, it doesn't come through sacrifices, it comes from being in Christ.

In Christ. Being in Christ satisfies the justice of God, the justice of God that does not discriminate. 2 Corinthians 5, 21, God made him sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might be declared the righteousness of God. What an awesome verse. But being in Christ also has ethical implications.

Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live, I live by faith. So, are you living a life that honors what God has done for you, that honors what Christ did on the cross for you?

Are you living a life that declares that God has chosen you, that God loves you? If you are truly in Christ, then you will love the things that God loves. And this is the message of the prophet Amos. And we're going to continue studying it next week, so please come back as we go through the rest of Amos.

And we'll dive more into these themes that I introduced tonight. Let me pray. Father, thank you for this time tonight. God, I pray that our hearts... We would be broken and contrite, Father, that this outward show, these good deeds that are just filthy rags, unless, unless we are in Christ, unless we are clothed in his righteousness.

Oh, God, I pray that that wouldn't be us. I pray that we would be ready to meet our God, Lord, because we have been clothed with Christ's righteousness. Thankful for Amos. Thankful for the minor prophets. Thankful for your Son. Jesus' name, amen.