Amos Chapter 8 Summary
God showed Amos a basket of summer fruit and asked Amos what he saw. He told God that he saw a basket of summer fruit. The fruit was ripe and would not keep. The Hebrew plays with the words summer and end, which is difficult to show in English. The visual that is being given is more potent in Hebrew. Judgment is being pronounced on them. Like the rotten fruit, Israel would be tossed out. God says, "I will not pass by them anymore" ( Amos 8: 2b). There would be no joyful songs but wailing for the dead.
Amos once again picks up the theme of justice. They had treated the poor and those who were vulnerable unjustly for profit. Israel kept the New Moon and the Sabbath, but it was not done with a spirit of worship. It was done for appearance, and they wanted it completed so they could continue to sell and make a profit. 2 Timothy 3:5-7 speaks of "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof," Their minds and hearts are corrupted. "They neither feared God nor regarded man," as Luke 18:2 says of the unjust judge. They were dishonest in their business dealings. They were falsifying the scales. They made slaves of the poor. Indentured service was to be for a limited time and a humane way of doing things within Israel's communities, but the rich oppressed the poor for wealth. God cares for the poor, the widowed, and the orphan and will punish those who oppress them. God takes our actions towards our fellow man personally as though the action is done against him.
God swears an oath by the excellency of Jacob. One never wants to be in a position where God swears an oath against you. It will be carried out. God is patient and longsuffering, so to go far enough to anger God is a bad idea. They abused His presence with them and the favor He had shown them. He will not forget their transgressions against Him and against their fellow man. It says, "The land will tremble," which may be referring to earthquakes but probably to the physical and emotional trembling and mourning that comes with national disasters. The people tremble and mourn over judgment. It will be like a flood overtaking them. They will run with no place to hide. "All of it shall swell like a river, heave and subside like the River in Egypt" (Amos 8:8). Time does not erase sin; only God's redemption will do that.
The Lord speaks through Amos. When the Lord speaks, the earth and its inhabitants quake. He describes the depth of the grief. They will no longer see the sun because darkness will cover their spirit. They will mourn as one who has lost their firstborn. Lamentations will fall from their lips. The bitterness will saturate them. Amos attempts to give a visual of the depth of their grief.
We are very fortunate. We live in a country where the word of God is abundantly available. We take this for granted, but at the rate this country is going, we may know the lack of the word. A lack of bread or water to quench our physical desires is horrible. The lack of the word to quench our spiritual needs is even worse. It is an eternal issue. If you turn a deaf ear to God's word, there may come a day when the spirit no longer woes you to bring you to the Father. The heart becomes so hardened it no longer hears the call of the Spirit of God. We should hunger and thirst after God's word. Let it fill our spirits. When we are open to receive, the word flows through us, and He is there for us. If we refuse to listen, then we will eventually not hear God's word speaking to us. They swear by the sin of Samaria, which was idolatry. An idol made by the hand of man does not even have the power of man. They give praise and honor that belongs to The Almighty God to an idol. This is their sin. They and their gods will fall and never rise again.
Questions:
1. What did God show Amos in verses1-2? What did God say to Amos in verse 2?
2. What does the image of the basket of summer fruit symbolize?
3. What corrupt and unjust things had Israel done to lead to this judgement?
4. In verses 3-6, what description is given by God of their treatment of the poor and the needy?
5. What is their response to the Sabbath?
6. How is the harshness of the coming judgment portrayed? (vs 3) What does this tell us about the result of sin?
7. Will God forget any of their works?
8. How is the judgment described in verse 10?
9. What famine is described in verse 11?
10. How does this chapter mirror our country's spiritual and moral condition today?
11. How does the thought of a famine of hearing the Word of God affect you?
