WEEKLY
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An
international Sunday school lesson commentary
For
Sunday July 30, 2017
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GOD’S
VISIONS TO AMOS
(The
results of judgment)
(Amos
7)
Throughout
biblical history GOD has communicated “spiritual visions” to HIS prophets as,
both, “an encouragement” to HIS people, and, as “an indication of their moral deficiencies”.
The prophet Amos’ ministry is focused primarily on the streets of northern
Israel, just outside the luxurious homes of the rich and famous, whom, GOD
called him specifically to condemn.
Inside those homes, the residents were
reclined on their ivory-laden beds and couches, feasting on meat and exotic wines,
while listening to, and singing, the latest popular secular (idle) music from pagan
artists, who, talent-wise, compared themselves to the, now famous psalmist, King
David (Amos 6:4-6).
In Amos, chapters 3-6, we saw the prophet
Amos listing a myriad of reasons why GOD must punish HIS wayward people, Israel.
Among those reasons were “pride”, “social injustice”, “religious hypocrisy”,
and “economic disparity”. Here in chapter 7, Israel has already been charged
and found guilty by GOD for their falling away, and, for their covenant violations.
In this particular passage, Amos begins to
relate a series of five visions that he received from GOD, that foretell the
results of HIS coming judgment upon Israel. We see here in chapter 7, the
revelation of the first three of those visions, with the final two being revealed
in chapters 8 and 9.
The first vision is that of a great swarm
of locust that was so vast, it actually cast a dark cloud over the entire land
of Israel. When they came, they quickly devoured all of the green vegetation in
sight. As we all know, the locust was a frequent instrument of punishment that was
used by GOD to deal with HIS wayward people in biblical times, and whenever
this type of punishment was handed down, because of its devastating effect on
the land, it was naturally always followed by sickness and famine.
Amos says here, that, this event would
occur after the king’s share had been harvested, and just as the main crops
were blooming (v.1). As a rule, the first crops in Israel would be taken by the
king to feed his vast army and the animals that were used in battle. This meant
that the remainder of the people would have to wait a whole year for the second
crop to be produced, before there would be ample food for them and their
animals.
After seeing the first vision, Amos prayed “a
prayer of intercession” for the people of northern Israel, asking that GOD
would relent from HIS anger against them. He knew that no one could survive
such a devastating blow as the LORD had just shown in the vision. The people
were usually only stocked with enough grain to carry through the first harvest
that was taken by the king. A failed crop in the second year would bring about
widespread starvation in Israel. And so, because of Amos’ earnest petition of
intercession, and GOD’s penchant for showing mercy even upon the guilty, the
LORD decided not to fulfill the events of the first vision (Vs.2-3).
In the second vision, the LORD showed Amos
a scene that depicted HIM setting a great fire. It was a fire that had already
burned up the depths of the sea and all of the land. Again Amos petitioned to
the LORD that HE might postpone HIS dreadful punishment, and again, the LORD granted
his request for leniency for the people of northern Israel (Vs.4-6).
However, even though the prayers of the
righteous does prevail probably most of the time, eventually, those who are
interceded for must at some point, began to line up and turn their hearts
toward GOD. If we can glean anything from Scripture, surely we’ve learned that
there is a limit to how long GOD will put up with our foolishness before HE
exacts punishment on us, and on the land on which we stand.
In the ensuing “vision of the plumb line”
we are reminded of a very simple and basic tool which was used in building and
construction in biblical times. It consisted of a small “weight” that was tied
at the end of a “cord” or a “string”. It was held up against a wall to detect
its “vertical trueness”. We can liken GOD’s test and measurement of our “moral
trueness” to the use of this construction instrument. GOD wants us to see how “true”
we are in our “vertical relationship” with HIM.
In verses 7-9 we see the LORD standing by a
wall that has been built using a plumb line. GOD is holding the plumb line
against the wall to check its vertical straightness. HE then asks Amos what
does he see, and he replied, “A plumb line”. Then the LORD said to Amos, “I will
test MY people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins (spiritual
flaws). The pagan shrines of your ancestors and “the temples of Israel” will be
destroyed, and I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end”.
Apparently when the LORD administered this
plumb line test upon Israel, the people failed miserably, by way of crooked
behavior. In fact, they were shown to be very far off in their vertical
relationship with GOD, and so the whole construction of their perverted “horizontal
relationship” with paganism and immorality had to be torn down so that Israel
could be “re-built”, or, “restored” into a “true vertical relationship with GOD”.
In the final segment of this chapter
(Vs.10-17), an idolatrous priest in Bethel, by the name of Amaziah is told
about the visions and prophesies of Amos. He hurriedly gets the message to King
Jeroboam informing him of the dim forecast for himself, and, for northern
Israel. Amaziah, perceiving Amos’ visions as being “a plot against the king”,
sent orders to Amos, commanding him to leave and go back to Judah and preach
his message there.
However, Amos boldly continued to speak to
Amaziah telling him that he was not one of his “paid prophets”, and nor was he “trained”
to be one. He went on to tell the “misinformed” priest that he was just “a
shepherd” who took care of fig trees. But the LORD called him away from his
earthly duties so that he might attend to, and obey, the divine commands of
GOD.
Even, and especially, here in this, the
twenty-first century, our “professed” Christian Churches are filled with
ministers and Church leaders whose only desire is to “kiss up to the pastors”
that they sit under, while completely ignoring the Word of GOD altogether. Here
in verse 13 we see the phrase “the king’s sanctuary”. This phrase reveals the
true heart and allegiance of the chief priest, Amaziah, to King Jeroboam, and
not to GOD.
In this day and age, in our modern churches,
with all the money being made and offered to pastors, their assistants, and
other church workers, it becomes easy to become confused as to where one’s
allegiance should lie. And oftentimes, we let our loyalty to an “unGODly”, or “out-of-focus”
pastor, pull us out of the will of GOD also.
The danger always exists, that, in our zeal
to please and protect our “human leaders”, we actually lose track of the fact,
that our ultimate loyalty must be to JESUS CHRIST, “the true HEAD of the Christian
Church”, and not to the man, who sits under HIM (Psalm 118:8). We don’t want to
follow, nor let any man lead us to Hell, by reason of our desire to obtain, or
maintain, a position in the Church, and nor, for the love of the money that holding
that position might earn us.
It is absolutely critical that all Church
workers, first, have a personal, experiential relationship with CHRIST, the
undisputed HEAD of the Christian Church, so that they will be able to help each
when one is leaning toward going astray, or who may be operating in error of
the Scriptures that we are all sworn by GOD to uphold.
When we align our thinking with CHRIST
JESUS, through a careful study of HIS Word, we will automatically be able to
discern that which is right, from that which is wrong, even though, as humans,
we will still come into error from time to time. However, we must remember that
it is just as much unGODly to let the errors of a pastor, or other Church
leaders, go unchecked, as it is to intentionally commit the error ourselves,
because, after all is said and done, “we really are our brother’s keeper, and
no man is right all of the time. Everyone in the Christian Church needs to be
undergirded by one another, all of the time, as no man is an island.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
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