The Logic of God’s Judgment
Book of Amos Chapters 1 through 4
As we take a look into the Book of Amos, we should realize that the Ten Tribes called Israel had moved away from God from the very first day of separating from Judah.
As we study this book of prophecy, we will see that God has given this nation a last chance to repent and return to the truth of Jehovah and worship as God had given them in the Books of Moses.
None of the kings of this divided nation called Israel had any interest in the truth of God nor the worship of the LORD Jehovah.
We know the Lord is patient with His people, but there is an end to that patience, and after patience runs out, it is replaced with judgment.
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God always has to overcome His compassion for His people to bring judgment, but He will.
It is these lessons we read about in the Old Testament that we can learn how God will react to these same types of things today.
Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
We can visibly see how patient God is with the world we live in today, but the Old Testament proves that God’s patience will end, and judgment will come.
God will not allow wickedness and sin to continue indefinitely!
The Book of Amos is a book of judgment!
For one hundred and eighty years, the Northern Kingdom had rebelled against the LORD.
Amos preached a message that focused on the coming judgment of God.
Amos was just a lowly shepherd from Judah who prophesied mostly in Israel, showing us that God can use anyone willing to serve Him.
*Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
In the Scriptures, earthquakes are mentioned as tokens of God’s power, but also as a means of fine-tuning the timeline of the Scriptures.
Job 9:6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
Earthquakes are also tokens of God’s presence.
Psa 68:8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Earthquakes that we are more familiar with are those that are from God’s anger.
Psa 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
God’s fierce anger is still in the future.
Isa 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Isa 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
*Amo 1:2 And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
Amos was chosen because, in his preaching, he could roar, and his message was that God would soon roar out of Zion.
In fact, Amos begins where the Book of Joel ends.
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Zion was the same as the city of David to Amos.
1Ki 8:1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
Amos first begins to prophecy judgment on all those nations that have had any dealings with Israel.
The LORD speaks from Zion, which He had assigned to be the central place of worship of the Jews and also the central place of government, as formed by King David.
Israel was to have a theocratic government. A government that followed the Word of God.
God speaks to all His people, and He includes strangers.
Zion is the dwelling place of the LORD, spiritually and soon will be physically for one thousand years!
A roaring of the lion can be heard from five to eight miles, but God’s roar will be heard from any location upon this earth if He so chooses.
A lion’s roar is aimed as a threat to his enemies, and the roar of God in judgment will be directed at His enemies, the enemies of the Church and the enemies of Israel.
Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
This is another reason why the Lord Jesus is known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He will roar in judgment sooner than we think.
*Amo 2:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Amo 2:7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
Amo 2:8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
What was wrong with Israel in the day of Amos and still so today?
This sent waves of shock through the crowd that Amos was preaching to, for in their mind they would say to you, “There is no way God’s judgment would fall on them”.
They are so wrong because they know the key to God’s Grace is obedience to His Word. Why would God not judge those who refuse to obey Him?
To the world today that misunderstands God’s nature. Yes, God is Love, and because of this, He is long-suffering.
His long-suffering means He is waiting for the world to repent and turn from its wicked ways, but it never will, so eventually God’s justice must prevail on those who live wickedly, or He would not be the God of truth.
Israel was feeling really good about everything when Amos was preaching about judgment on all those other nations, but their attitude changed when Amos began with God’s judgment upon Israel.
The Judgment of God is coming to this world, and the only way to miss it is to repent and turn back to our Creator. Our God is also our Creator!
God has warned this entire world.
Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
God’s justice must prevail!
These verses describe to us the crimes of Israel.
1) We see a perversion of justice. The judges took bribes and condemned the righteous.
Keep in mind, Judas took silver to condemn our righteous Savior.
For the very smallest of bribes, they rejected the cause of poverty in their own nation.
Eze 13:19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
They continuously broke the Laws of God.
2) They desired that the poor be removed from the earth.
This sounds like today, when our politicians remind us that if not for the poor and the elders there would be plenty of money to waste on other things, while they intentionally try to move the middle class into that poor category.
Those who are poor are also those who are depressed, even though depression can attack anyone, no matter their status.
It is many of those who are poor who are almost forced to do crooked and evil things in an attempt to survive.
We cannot defend this, but we can acknowledge it.
The world continuously ignores the dignity of human life if you are not a part of their crowd.
3) For a man and his father to go into the same maid could be said to be incest, which was forbidden and could be seen as organized prostitution, but it is certainly fornication.
Eze 36:20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
4) Those who were well off would take the outer clothes of those who had fallen on hard times, as a pledge. These would be the clothes they wore during the day and covered themselves with at night.
Those who stole those clothes would think nothing of wearing them to the House of God.
They engaged in hypocritical worship by worshipping at every altar in any place of worship, even those places where idols were worshipped.
Israel’s worship of Jehovah had become corrupt.
Before we pray and worship at any altar, we had better be sure we are in a true House of God!
5) Israel rejected the Lord as the source of their blessings since the Lord removed them from the Iron Furnace of Egypt.
*Amo 2:9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Amo 2:10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amo 2:11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
Amo 2:12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
As we read the Old Testament, we read over and over how God had blessed this nation and had forgiven their many sins.
It was the Almighty God who had destroyed the Amorites and allowed Israel to take over their cities and their homes.
They were certainly wicked people, but Israel was falling into the same trap of judgment.
It was the Almighty Living God who had saved Israel from Egypt, where they had been slaves for nearly four hundred years.
It was the Almighty God who had sent to them His prophets from their own nation, and they had murdered many of them.
6) Even the Nazarites who had committed themselves to live righteously and devote themselves to the Lord were forced to drink wine against their vows.
I absolutely cannot see how those of a certain religion can serve wine at communion, knowing God said not to drink wine at all.
We have to make a vow to live righteously to be saved!
Those who interfere with God’s children will truly suffer the wrath of God.
Mat_18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mrk_9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Luk_17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
Israel at this time was no different than the nations and peoples God had removed from Canaan Land!
Have you noticed how the Church is following in these same steps?
If you are in a godly church today, it is a must to resist any change that goes against the Word of God! All the Word of God!
Jer_6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
We cannot be so foolish as not to walk in the truth of God.
What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a person who pretends and is deceitful.
Claiming to believe in the LORD is not enough to become acceptable to God.
A true believer will do their best to follow the LORD!
A true believer will do their best to be obedient to all the Word of God.
A true believer will do their best to live righteously in this world.
A true believer will be looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
A hypocrite is deceitful.
What did the Lord Jesus say we needed to watch out for in the end times?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
We cannot allow false so-called Christians to destroy our churches!
1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
*Amo 2:13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
Amo 2:14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
In response to any rebellious attitude and opposition of people in answer to His concerns, God has no choice but to react in “Judgment”.
Sin is a heavy burden that will take us into the pits of Hell, when God is so willing to forgive if we will repent and return to Him.
Why would anyone want to go to Hell to spend an eternity there?
The Northern Tribes of Israel were guilty of extreme wickedness, and God judged them by sending them into captivity into a nation that worshipped idols and rejected Jehovah.
God is saying that His cart is so heavily loaded with sin that anything He rolls over will be crushed into non-existence.
God will have removed His compassion.
God will have removed His mercy.
God will have removed His grace.
God will have removed His love, and this leaves only His “judgment”!
God had stated that He hated Esau and the Edomites no longer exist as a people.
God is telling sinners that He hates sin, and the Lord Jesus will say, “I never knew you,” or to Him, you did not exist.
Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Are those Ten Tribes of Israel still lost?
The “lost tribes” were not entirely lost — many integrated into local populations, and some groups, like the Samaritans, preserved their identity.
The one thing we know for sure is that there are Jews scattered all over the world, and many of them have gone back home to Israel.
We can say that there are no lost Tribes of Israel because God knows where they all are.
What did God do?
God shows them instances of judgments He had sent at various times to correct His people.
*Amo 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
Amo 4:8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
This is not some form of toothache, but it is famine.
Their teeth would be clean because they had nothing to eat.
The Laws of Moses, which they were so proud of, stated: Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he hath destroyed thee.
Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
In all the years since God had taken Israel out of Egypt and formed the nation that they are today, they have never truly repented of rejecting God and His Word.
God disciplines because He loves us, not because He hates us!
The stubbornness of Israel’s rejection caused God to be harsher with His people.
All God has ever asked from any of us is to repent and turn back to Him.
The LORD sent famine and hunger, and this famine struck every city so that each city would not have the resources to feed its people.
Next, God sent drought, and God sent this drought three months before harvest time, so there would be very little to harvest.
They had three months to repent and save their crops, but they were too stubborn to give in.
They would hear about rain in another city, but by the time they got there, the water would be used up.
When they did have enough water for meager crops to grow, God sent the blight and the palmerworm.
Blasting was the damage caused by the scorching East wind.
Eze 17:10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
Mildew would also ruin some crops. Mildew is caused by fungi from dampness and is the opposite of conditions caused by drought.
The locust swarms and disease would take anything that was left of their crops.
They faced economic devastation, but they still would not repent.
War, drought, and famine always end in disease, sickness, and plagues among the people.
These would be the same type of plagues that God used on Egypt, but they still would not repent.
So, God sent war.
The young men, the pride of most nations, were slain with the sword of their enemies. This is what war does. War removes many of the next generation and affects a nation for years.
God took away their ability to defend themselves.
The stink of unburied carcasses lay everywhere, and even more disease came to Israel.
*Amo 4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
Amo 4:12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
Amo 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
God reminds them that their sin was counted just as hideous and wicked as the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they would have perished if God had not plucked them out of the fire.
Their homes were burned, their cities were burned, and everything they had left was burned, and they have been to if God had not plucked them from the fire.
There was only one thing left to do, and it was for God to come to this earth and take care of this rebellion Himself.
We should all ask ourselves, “Are we ready to meet the God of the Bible?”
God’s judgment is certainly coming to this world.
Judgment is inescapable for those who refuse to repent and return to the Creator.
God will not send an angel.
God will not send the death angel.
God will come Himself, and if He comes in His glory, no one will be able to stand before Him.
There is only one way out to safety, and it is by repentance and returning to the God who made us.
Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
We can meet God in the clouds, or we will meet God in “judgment,” and we do not have much time left to decide!
Amen