2:4 — “Their lies also have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.”
If we do not immerse ourselves in the truth of God’s Word, the lies that flourish all around us can easily take hold in our minds and lead us astray to our own destruction.
2:10 — “It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness forty years that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.”
It is good to regularly remind ourselves how the Lord has helped and delivered us in the past, otherwise we may either forget His goodness to us or begin to imagine that we have earned the blessings ourselves—as the Israelites had done in this passage. We must always remember that everything we have and every blessing we enjoy comes to us from the hand of the Lord God (James 1:17).
3:2 — “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
A relationship with God is not only a phenomenal privilege, it is also a great responsibility. When He puts His name on us, it is so we can represent Him in the world and all people will seek Him and accept His salvation. This was the Lord’s intention when He promised Abram, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; also Gen. 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25, 26; Gal. 3:6–9). We are to be an example of faith and represent Him faithfully to those who are lost (2 Cor. 5:20).
3:15 — “I will also smite the winter house together with the summer house; the houses of ivory will also perish and the great houses will come to an end,” declares the LORD.
The ancient Israelites allowed their pursuit of material abundance to eclipse their commitment to God. Yet He will not allow anything or anyone to take the place that belongs to Him alone. Eventually, He will judge iniquity and assert His rightful place as Lord.
4:2 — The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness.
The Lord called Israel to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6), but the people chose to spurn His commands and go their own sinful way instead. Although the Lord loves His people, His “eyes are too pure to approve evil” (Hab. 1:13). Because of His holiness, He could not accept their transgressions; therefore, He would have to judge them. Thankfully for us as believers, Christ paid for all of our sins on the Cross and has become our righteousness (Rom. 3:21–26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Titus 3:4–6; 1 Pet. 2:24).
4:11 — “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD.
Although Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed (Gen. 19:1–29), God saved Israel from complete devastation because of His amazing grace toward His people. Even so, they continued to reject Him. They saw the stunningly terrible consequences of disobedience, but they still persisted in their sinfulness. When we refuse to obey the Lord, He will gradually “turn up the heat” to prompt us to repent and turn back to Him. What will it take to get our attention? Remember, “The kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4), and the path of disobedience leads to destruction (6:23).
5:14 — Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you.
We find life when we seek the Lord (John 17:3). Christ delivers us from our sins so we can joyfully live the abundant life free of them (John 8:37; 10:10; Rom. 7:24—8:6).
5:24 — “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
The Israelites were still practicing their festivals and solemn assemblies, offering sacrifices and singing hymns (Amos 5:21–23). However, they also rejected God’s Word, served false deities, oppressed the poor, and denied justice (2:6–8; 5:10–12, 26). Therefore, the Lord told them if they truly wanted to return to Him, they would have to begin to live as His people (5:14, 15, and 24). He intends for our walk with Him to be expressed through obedient devotion to Him and loving service to others (John 13:34, 35; 15:10–14; 1 John 3:23, 24). After all, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Gal. 5:22, 23). If we are not expressing godly character, what good is it (James 1:26, 27; 2:15, 16)?
6:6, 7 — They anoint themselves with the finest of oils, yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they will now go into exile.
The Israelites were so enamored of their prosperity, they forgot God (Hos. 10:1–3). They became so prideful in their affluence and military victories that they believed they didn’t need Him anymore. So when God called them to repentance, they refused to obey Him. They were not willing to give up their wealth and ease for Him—and it cost them everything.
Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.
In seventeenth century France, a humble church leader named François Fénelon wrote a letter of encouragement to believers who sought spiritual perspective during some discouraging trials. He said,
Do not worry about the future. It makes no sense to worry if God loves you and has taken care of you. However, when God blesses you, remember to keep your eyes on Him and not the blessing. Enjoy your blessings day by day, just as the Israelites enjoyed their manna; but do not try to store the blessings for the future. . . .
Sometimes in this life of faith, God will remove His blessings from you. But remember that He knows how and when to replace them, either through the ministry of others or by Himself. He can raise up children from the very stones.
Eat then your daily bread without worrying about tomorrow. There is time enough tomorrow to think about the things tomorrow will bring. The same God who feeds you today is the very God who will feed you tomorrow. God will see to it that manna falls again from Heaven in the midst of the desert, before His children lack any good thing.
If we lived with faith of this kind, we would stop being so anxious and fretting about all our troubles. Will we humbly depend on God to provide?
Admit it—in a tough situation, your first emotional response is to take control. We all want control. We want to live with the assurance that everything will be okay and that the things that aren’t right can be fixed with concentrated effort. Secretly, we often think, “If I plan carefully and labor enough, I can overcome any difficulty.”
The problem comes when your efforts aren’t enough—the problem you face is greater than all of your resources or completely outside your scope of influence. God allows those trials for an important reason—He wants you to recognize that He is in control. Yet the Lord does not want merely to be the resource you call on when you’re in trouble. God wants to be your all-sufficient Lord and Master, Savior and Friend. He knows you intimately; He formed your very cells and fibers (Ps. 139:13–16); He has a good plan for every day of your life (Eph. 2:10), and He knows how to fulfill His purpose for you (Ps. 138:8).
When you face circumstances that rapidly deplete your spiritual, emotional, and physical reserves, you may want to cling to something strong out of fear. The question you must consider is whether your worries drive you to the arms of God or to your own resources.
Are you hanging on to something other than the Lord? Are you gripping some form of earthly security instead of trusting Him to help you? Remember, whatever you hold too tightly, you will lose. Whatever you are clutching for safety has become an idol to you—regardless of whether it is wealth, your giftedness, relationships, religious rituals, or what have you—and God is not going to allow you to keep that idol as your source of confidence—a role that rightly belongs to Him. Rather, He will allow it to fail you so you can see that He truly is your sovereign and unfailing Lord.
God longs for you to release yourself into His control and eternal support. He will take care of all that concerns you in the best way possible, and He will also sustain you in the process (Phil. 4:6, 7).
When you feel ready to yield wholly to the Lord, Psalm 56 provides a wonderful model prayer: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” (vv. 3, 4)
Maybe to this point in your relationship with the Lord you have not experienced a trial so extreme that it caused you to assess the true foundation of your trust. God has blessed you with a time of quiet strengthening.
But understand that He loves you too much to allow you any notions of self-sufficiency. He will test you in time, but always with the purpose of demonstrating His never-ending love.
See the Life Principles Index for further study.
7:8 — “Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.”
Just as a plumb line ensures the straightness of a wall, God would employ a plumb line to carefully evaluate the hearts and behavior of His people. We are to live by His standards—and He will accept nothing short of holiness. This, of course, is why Jesus came (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:8–11).
Life Examples
Obedient Without Compromise
God called Amos from his flocks and groves in Judah to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel. Although King Jeroboam II had expanded Israel’s territory and the nation was enjoying a time of prosperity, the people were corrupt, immoral, and idolatrous. Without hesitation or argument, the shepherd complied with God’s command and declared the Lord’s judgment upon Israel and the surrounding nations.
Amos knew he would be fighting an uphill battle. During this economic golden era, the people did not welcome his words of warning. Yet he understood that for the people to be saved from God’s wrath, they would have to repent—turning from their wicked ways and serving the Lord wholeheartedly. And so the shepherd proclaimed God’s call to repentance, “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:15).
How many of us today have the mighty spirit of Amos? How many boldly face a hostile world and faithfully proclaim the truth of the Lord? How many obey, regardless of the repercussions? How many absorb blow after blow from the enemy, only to turn and take the next obedient step in their walk of faith?
See the Life Principles Index for further study:
2. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
7:14 — “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsmen and a grower of sycamore figs.”
Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, God wants to use you to bring the Good News to those around you, and ultimately to the whole world. If you love Christ, you are His ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20).
8:5 — “When will the new moon be over, so that we may sell grain, and the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market?”
Something has gone seriously wrong in our hearts when we see God’s commandments and regular, corporate worship as a burden we must endure, rather than as a privilege to look forward to and enjoy. No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith. That’s why we should say as David did, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Ps. 122:1).
8:11 — “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD.”
From the time of the prophet Malachi to the time of John the Baptist—a period of almost 500 years—this deprivation of communication from the Lord withered the land. Let us daily feast on God’s Word, and so avoid a similar famine in our souls.
9:2 — “Though they dig into Sheol, from there will My hand take them; and though they ascend to heaven, from there will I bring them down.”
No one can escape the Lord’s judgment because God is omnipresent. He is everywhere—no place is inaccessible to Him. Although this is bad news for God’s enemies, as believers we can be thankful that no matter where we go, the Lord is with us to help, guide, and rescue us (Ps. 139:5–14).
9:11, 12 — “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David . . . that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name.”
This verse foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would not only offer salvation to the people of Israel, but to every person who believes in Him and His provision on the Cross (John 3:16–18; Rom. 1:15–17; Gal. 3:8). Our God calls men and women, boys and girls into His family from every tribe and nation on earth, so that we may “exalt His name together” (Ps. 34:3; also Rev. 5:9; 7:9, 10; 14:6, 7).