Book of Amos: Chapter7 Summary and Questions:

 Book of  Amos: Chapter 7 Summary and Questions:

        Chapter Seven has three visions that Amos saw and responded to. The first was of locust, then fire, and a plumb line. God showed Amos what he intended. Locusts will eat up every green plant as they move through an area. The scene that Amos is shown is of the last harvest, the harvest that sustained the people's lives. The king took the first harvest as taxes paid. It would be a devastating blow economically for the people. Starvation would be the result of this devastation. Israel would have been destroyed if God had carried out this degree against Jacob. Amos intercedes for them. Intercession is very important even today. We should never underestimate the power of prayer. Israel saw themselves as strong, but they were small and weak. Amos was their intercessor as a prophet and asked God to reconsider so they were not destroyed. God listened to Amos and stayed the degree against Israel. 

        God calls for conflict by fire, which means he is putting them on trial for their sins. The source of their issue was their sin against God. To eliminate the source would mean they needed forgiveness for their sins. " The prayers of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).  Amos will once again pray for their relief. Israel was to be both tried by fire and punished by fire. It would be an all-consuming fire that would destroy Israel. Amos reminds God of Israel's frailty. The way this is written, we see that Israel would have been lost without Amos to pray. Prayer is our access to God to intervene for those around us and our nation. God relented because of Amos's prayer. 

        The next vision is of the Lord standing on a wall with a plumbline, which is used to give a true vertical line. God asks Amos what he sees, and he tells him he sees a plumbline. The plumbline represents God's holy law that Israel had failed to live by. Their lives were crooked. The plumbline was set in their midst to show their crookedness and disregard for his laws. Amos was not allowed to intercede. Judgment was determined. Isaac represented the Northern Kingdom in Amos' day and is used here instead of Jacob. Jeroboam was the first to set up the worship of pagan Gods in the Northern Kingdom, which may be why he is mentioned. They had broken their covenant with God, and he would pass that way no more. There would be desolation and waste, and a sword would come against them. 

        Amaziah was a wicked man. He was a priest of Baal. Jeroboam had set up the worship of Baal at the beginning of his reign to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship. It was a political move that succeeded in keeping the people in tow, but it led them into idolatry, which would end in judgment. This is where Amos came in as a prophet of God to warn the people. Amaziah sent to the king to inform him of Amos' conspiracy against him. He told him that "the land is not able to hold all his words."He then tells Amos to leave Bethel and return to Judah to prophesy. Amos points out that he is there at the command of God. He is not a professional prophet but a sheepherder. The Lord then speaks through Amos against Amaziah. He is told that his wife will be a harlot and his sons and daughters will die by the sword. The land will be defiled, and Israel will be taken into captivity. These were difficult words for Amos to speak, and they were difficult to hear, but Amos was obedient to God and spoke them. He was faithful to his calling even though it was hard.

Questions:

1. What is the difference between divine judgment and mercy as defined in chapter 7?

2. Amos is allowed to intercede for Israel twice. How does this describe his role as a prophet?

3. What does the plumbline symbolize?

4. What was Amaziah's response to Amos' prophesy?

5. Who was Amaziah?

6. How does Amos defend himself against Amaziah's attack? 

7. Can you apply this chapter to the affairs in our world today?

8. What do we learn from this chapter about disobedience to God? 

9. What does this chapter teach us about intercession?

10. What does Amos' courage teach us about the Christian walk?

Book of Amos: Chapter 6 Summary and Questions

        " Woe to them who are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria..." (Amos 6:1a). The people no longer trusted in God, but in Mount Samaria and the indulgence of luxury. They had carnal ease. They had an indifference to God. The lust of the flesh was their desire; in other words, they wanted to sin. The desire for godliness was not there, but the desire to yield themselves to all that corrupts the spirit was allowed to reign. Galatians 5 is an excellent chapter to read to understand the full extent of the sin of Israel at this time and also to see what joy and peace come from walking in the Spirit. It might well bring home the sin this country has been slowly slipping into, but there is hope if we turn to God. "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." ( NIV: Galatians 5: 19-21). Amos speaks to comfortable people because they have hardened their hearts to their God and have gone after idols. They put off the evil day somewhere in the future that is of no concern to them, but it was closer than they thought. They were cruel to the poor, but even among the poor were those who did not glorify God. 

       God asked them if they were better than the pagan nation. God was rebuking Israel to open her eyes to the judgment that would come if they did not return to Him. They would be the first to be taken captive. Amos prophesied during a time of prosperity, and people comfortable with their lives are not ready to hear criticism. They enjoyed their self-indulgence and cared not for the affliction of Joseph. This reminds us of the sin of the sons of Jacob as they sold their brother into slavery and cared not for his life. They would suffer his lot and be taken into captivity. 

     God could swear by no greater, so he swears by himself. God hates pride, and how frightful to have the God of all creation swear to your ruin. The siege would cause disease and death, and instead of anointing the bodies with fragrant oils and spices, they would be burned, and the fear of God would be on them so much so that they dare not speak his name lest something worse come upon them.

    Amos uses two impossible situations to get their attention. Horses running on rocks or oxen plowing rocks is highly unlikely, but they had perverted justice and turned it to gall. Israel was proud of their military strength and did not give God the glory for their successes. This would be their downfall. Their real power was in God, who fought for them, but now he would not fight for them, and their defeat was assured. Lo Debar and Karnaim were cities taken when the Assyrians had weakened Damascus. They felt they had done it in their own strength. We can learn lessons from their arrogance. We do all things through Christ. To God be the glory.

 Questions:

1. In verse one, whom does Zion refer to? 

2. Who do they put their trust in?

3. What was Israel to learn from observing these places?

4. In verses 4-6, what luxuries did they indulge in?

5. At the end of verse six, what does it say did not grieve them?

6. What is the result of this in verse 7?

7. Who did God swear by, and why is this significant?

8. What happens with those left in the house, and what is the significance of not mentioning God's name?

9. In verse 11, what happens to the houses?

10. What rhetorical questions are asked in verse 12, and what is their significance?

11. Had the people really done great things in their own strength? 

12. Because of their pride in their accomplishments, what will God do in verse 13?