GOD WANTS TO HEAR A GREAT, LOUD LAMENT!

Not too many people are interested in reading from the minor prophets.  But like the whole of scripture, sometimes their lessons are extremely relevant.  

Amos writes around the year 755 B.C.  

Now, you may say, "How can anything written that long ago be relevant in the 21st century A.D.?"  

This was a period in history when Israel was prospering.  Uzziah was the king of Judah [southern tribes].  He fortified Jerusalem and had subdued the Philistines, the Ammonites and the Edomites.  During these years Assyria, Babylonia, Syria and Egypt were relatively weak.  

Amos was delivering a message that "Catastrophe is just around the corner."  [6:2 TM]   In the following verses he tells the people:

• you live in luxury and expect others to serve you.
• you live only for today.
• you're indifferent to the fate of others.
• you think life is a party.
• you're addicted to feeling good - a life without pain.
• you're obsessed with looking good - life without wrinkles.
• you couldn't care less about your country going to ruins.

Then, Amos warns:  [vs.7f  TM]

"But here's what's really coming."  You're going to experience "a forced march into exile."  

Then, in verse 14, "Enjoy it while you can, you Israelites [northern tribes].  I've got a pagan army on the move against you...this is your GOD speaking, God-of-the-Angel-Armies - and they'll make hash of you, from one end of the country to the other."  

Hosea obviously foresees the fall of Israel [the northern tribes] to Assyria in 722 B.C which occurs thirty-three years after his prophecy.  Judah [southern tribes] will last another one-hundred-thirty-five years before it falls to Babylon!  Frequently during these Old Testament times, a prophet was called a 'seer'.  Somehow, by the choice of God, they were enabled to foresee - and therefore describe - future events!  

Apparently, Amos saw the sun being turned off in the middle of the day (Amos 8:9).  Because of the clockwork order and consistency of the heavenly bodies, we know that a solar eclipse took place in Israel [northern tribes] on June 15, 763 B.C.  Did this event rattle any Israelites and make them consider that possibly Amos was delivering a real message from God?

His message was very clear.  In 5:14-16 [TM], he says:

Seek good and not evil - and live!

You talk about GOD, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, being your best friend.

Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen.

Hate evil and love good...

God wants to hear a great, loud lament!

Verses 21-24 [TM]   [Hosea speaking for God]

I can't stand your religious meetings.

I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.

I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals.

I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making.

I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.  

When was the last time you sang to me?  Do you know what I want?  

I want justice - oceans of it.

I want fairness - rivers of it.

That's what I want.  That's all I want.

As you know, Israel [northern tribes] and Judah [southern tribes] failed to respond to the messages of the prophets.  Both were carried away into exile after oft-repeated attempts to reach them by God!  

If you've stayed with me this far, I have only one more observation:

This all sounds remarkably relevant to the United States in 2022!  Read the above descriptions again.  It seems ridiculous to us that we would ever be carried away into exile.  That's what the people of Israel and Judah thought too!  Could God - likewise - be fed up with the mediocrity and predictability of our worship and faith?  

Has the message of Amos been preserved just for our benefit?  It makes you wonder...