Series: Shepherds Roar
Message: A Shepherd's Vision
Preacher: J. Murdock
Reflection: Nathan Brown
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: Art Preuss
Live Purpose: Don Pate
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Amos 1-2 in the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: Amos began his utterances with what might be considered a clever rhetorical device: he began calling out the nations surrounding the northern kingdom of Israel—nations that had been or were continuing enemies of his audience—for their outrages, atrocities, and evils. The people of Israel would have enjoyed hearing the condemnation of the sins of their neighbors, particularly as Amos proclaimed God’s judgment against them for the crimes they had committed—for the most part—against God’s people.
But this form of “oracle against the nations” was also a recurring motif for a number of the Hebrew prophets. It includes the bold claim that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the judge of all the nations. Even while these other nations might not be held to the same standard as the Israelites, the surrounding nations were condemned for their war crimes, cruelty and brutality: “Under the aegis of Yahweh’s sovereignty, there is a kind of international law or code of human standards . . . that requires every nation to act in civility and humanness toward others” (Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 503). As such, this might be one of the first specific assertions of this kind of human rights in world literature, a kind of natural law to which all are accountable.
Even though it was not merely rhetorical, we can readily imagine it working in this way as Amos began to speak. We can imagine the people listening and nodding as Amos listed these sins and the threatened punishments on the Syrians, Philistines, Sidonians, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites in turn. Even when his attention turned to the southern kingdom of Judah (see Amos 2:4, 5), preaching against their unfaithfulness to God, the people would have leaned in, perhaps enjoying the warnings of the judgment to come up on them. We can almost hear the cheers—or perhaps hearty ‘Amen’s—from the crowd growing as each new target was named, condemned, and sentenced.
Then, barely pausing for breath, Amos turned it back on the people of Israel themselves, condemning their sin, exploitation, injustice and unfaithfulness. He had drawn them in, caught their attention and imaginations, then spoke directly to them. Their cheers died away into silence.
Recalibrate: Do you think people who know God are judged differently from those who don’t know Him or what He commands? Should they be?
Respond: Pray these words: “God, may we not be so tempted to focus on the sin of others that we neglect of our sin, failings and brokenness. May we look first to You for our own healing and restoration.”
Research: Using a Bible atlas or online map of Bible nations, trace the progress of Amos’ focus in his “oracles against the nations” through Chapters 1 and 2.
Remember: “The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem. His loud voice will sound like a growl from Jerusalem” (Amos 1:2, ICB).
Nathan Brown is a writer and book editor at Signs Publishing Company, near Melbourne, Australia. Nathan is author/editor of 16 books, including two this year—Of Falafels and Following Jesus and For the Least of These.
Go for a walk with your child and listen for sounds that tell you something is coming. Listen for a car. Listen for a dog barking. Listen for the beep at the traffic lights that say it safe to cross the street. Sounds help us know when something is happening. When our little ones cry we know to go and find out what is going on. It can often take some time to pinpoint what the problem is and why our little ones are upset. Know that God hears and sees us and understands why we are hurting. Listen and look for all that is good today.
Make a target by drawing a circle and putting a spot in the middle of the circle. Put your finger on the top of the outside circle and trace around it. Around the nation of Israel were many other nations. They made up a circle around Israel. Now put your finger on the spot in the middle. This is where Israel is, right in the middle. Israel could have been a good thing in the middle, spreading good outward. Instead it chose to be bad and do evil things to people in the circle of nations surrounding it. All the time they did these things they claimed to be God’s people. Would you want someone doing stuff like that saying they were your family?
“. . . from Zion, He utters his voice from Jerusalem” (Amos 1:2). Everyone at that time knew that the temple was where the ark of the covenant was located and inside it was God’s commandments. Psalm 19:11 tells us that the law also functions as a warning—a sign to help people get back in line. There is a great reward in listening to those warnings.
In addition to the law of God, Zion is where the mercy seat was located, which also happens to be the place where the temple is located. In other words, God’s act of mercy in this instance was to pronounce a warning to His people.
Let’s get real: Have you ever confused a warning for something negative rather than an act of mercy? What happened?
One day, Jesus put the tools away, gave Mary a gentle kiss, and turned toward the Jordan River. He had a destiny to meet. John was on the far side of the river because the Herod family had no jurisdiction over there and John could say anything he wanted to. Jesus approached from the west and John saw Him coming. As Jesus waded into the stream to get toward the east bank it was as though He was saying to John, “Thanks, friend, but now I’m taking over!” and John let Him. John graciously deferred and cried out: “It’s all about Him, friends. It always has been. I’m out of the picture now . . .” I really imagine that as Jesus came up out of the water, dripping, He embraced John and whispered so no one else could hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” None of us will ever hear sweeter words in eternity, ever.
Zan Long is GRC director for faith development for ages 0-17. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
Art Preuss pastors in Massachusetts at the Springfield, Florence, and Warren Adventist churches and serves in the U. S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain.
Don Pate is “retired” in Tennessee after decades of teaching and pastoring but is still active in speaking and creating for the Kingdom.