Amos 5-9 Questions Friday, September 20, 2013

Amos 5-9 Questions Friday, September 20, 2013

Amos 5

vv. 1-6 How can we reconcile the fact that God decides to send judgment, and the fact that he desires for his people to “seek [him] and live?”

vv. 6-11 How was it possible for the Israelites to worship the God of mighty transformations as described in vv. 8-9 and yet to remain utterly unchanged? Bethel was a place of worship. What was the problem of the Israelites’ worship at Bethel evidenced by their sins listed in vv. 7-11? What warning is here for those whose worship of God makes absolutely no difference when it comes to their day-to-day life?

vv. 4, 14-15 Why is it necessary for people to “hate evil” in order to “love good?” In what ways is our society characterized by neither hating evil nor loving good? In which areas of life has our society particularly blurred moral distinctions? What modern-day evils must I hate in order that my sense of desire for good may increase? Or, in what areas of life has my sense of good and evil become blurred?

vv. 14-17 What is the irony of this picture in vv. 16-17 in light of the assurance that the Israelites had regarding their relationship with God (cf. 5:14)? How can people be so mistaken about God’s favor upon them when their lives were characterized by things that offended God? What is the basis of my assurance that God is with me?

vv. 18-24 “The Day of the Lord is an important eschatological concept that runs through the prophetic writings. It refers to the complex of events surrounding the coming of the Lord in judgment to conquer his foes and to establish his sovereign rule over the world. The people were looking forward to that day. Apparently they understood it as the time when Yahweh would act on their behalf to conquer their foes and establish Israel as his people forever…. But their moral vision was blurred. They failed to see the Day of the Lord as the time when God will judge all sin--even theirs. They named the name of Yahweh but did not obey his precepts. For these people, Amos said, that coming day will be one of darkness.”[1]

What was the reason why the “day of the LORD [will] be darkness” for the Israelites although they longed for it? What might have been the basis of the Israelites’ view of themselves such that they “long[ed] for the day of the Lord?” What was God’s view of the Israelite’s religiosity?What explains the difference between these two views? What fundamental view of God must the Israelites have held in order for them to have such spiritual confidence while living utterly selfish lives? How can an active religious life become justification for ignoring justice and righteousness? What can be a safeguard against this? What would it take for “justice [to] roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream?” How can this become a reality in my life?

v. 27 Given that substantive justice and righteousness was utterly lacking among the Israelites, and given that they nonetheless maintained a spiritual smugness regarding their relationship with God, why is exile (or other such harsh realities) an act of love on the part of God? What does this reveal about what God values? In what ways must the cross of Jesus shatter my smugness and propel me toward justice and righteousness?

Amos 6

vv. 1-2 What are the things that make me “complacent” or “feel secure” because I am “better off” than others?

vv. 4-7 “Verse 6 pointed to the cardinal defect of the days of luxury and lolling; failure to care for the break-up of the state and the broken lives of its people; verse 10 completes the picture: they had wantonly disassociated themselves from human need (6), so they come to the point where they know that God has disassociated Himself from their need with such a deep alienation that it is no longer permissible even to use His name as a swear-word provoked by extreme disaster.”[2] How might indulging in material abundance or comfort potentially cause me to “not grieve over the ruin” of others? How does this show that material blessings can be spiritually perilous? Where does a lifestyle of luxury, “feasting and lounging” fit in my overall structure of values?

vv. 4-6, 9-11 Contrast the description of “feasting and lounging” in vv. 4-6 and the description of judgment in vv. 9-10. How does this show the hollowness of human boasting and the folly of complacency?

vv. 8-14 “The voice of propaganda is heard in verses 2 and 13 boosting public morale by reference to the successes, pretended or real, of the kingdom. In verse 2 examples are taken from nations around – Hamath and Calneh to the north, Gath to the south – whereby visitors might be impressed with the even greater affluence (better, taken in the sense of ‘better of’) and territorial extent of Israel; in verse 13, it is simplest to see a reference to the Trans-Jordanian successes of Jeroboam, pointing possibly to the locations of recent victories at Lo-debar and (Ashtaroth-) Karnaim. But the boast of propagandists is hollow. Verse 3 exposes them as deliberately blinding themselves to coming calamity (the evil day) and as allowing the state to run into a reign of terror. At the other end of the chapter, their ‘boasting over nothing’ (verse 13) is the third of three comparisons of absurdity; to try to drive horses up a cliff face, or plough the sea with an ox-tem, and to reverse public moral values (12) – all alike have brought about the ‘evil day’ itself, the day when the Lord shatters the kingdom into smithereens (11).”[3] What was the basis for “the pride of Jacob?” What can I learn about pride from the fact that it led to “turn[ing] justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness?” Why is pride so absurd before God? What will God do with human pride? What is my pride based on?

Amos 7

vv. 2-3 “When Amos saw in his vision that the locusts had finished the devastation, he prayed that what he had seen would not happen, because Israel would not be able to survive it. "Jacob [Israel]," he said, "is so small." This appeal seems strange in view of Israel's extensive territory and economic prosperity. But Amos had seen an awesome display of Yahweh's might in this vision; and, in comparison to that, the nation seemed small and helpless. Amos's prayer was answered. The Lord relented and the threat was revoked (v. 3).”[4] What can I learn about God’s view towards his prophets from the fact that “the LORD relented” as a result of Amos’ crying out to God? What can I learn about the power of prayer (cf. James 5:16)?

vv. 1-6 What can I learn about the seriousness of Israel’s sin from the kind of judgment that God was calling for? What can I learn about the heart of God from the fact that he relented upon hearing Amos’ plea (cf. 2 Peter 3:9)?

vv. 7-9 “The third aspect of the vision is climactic and contains the didactic element of the vision. The Lord was seen standing by a plumb wall with a plumb line in his hand (v. 7). The word "standing" (nissab, a Niphal reflexive, i.e., "station oneself") connotes a posture of firmness and determination, thus providing a contrast to the change of heart attributed to Yahweh in the first two parts of the vision…A plumb line is a standard by which a wall's vertical trueness is tested. So the Lord was testing the people by a standard. In the first two visions, no standard was given. Therefore, the threatened judgment could be withdrawn. But after the plumb line vision, the Lord could not be accused of arbitrariness if he carried out the threats.”[5] How does the last vision of God’s plumb line challenge any notion that God will be patient forever?What are some of the plumb lines that people use to measure the “vertical trueness” of their lives? What is the “plumb line” that I find myself using to evaluate my life instead of God’s “plumb line?”

How does God set the plumb line in my life? What are the things in my life that God reveals through the test of the plumb line? What is the evidence that my life is “built true to [God’s] plumb?”

vv. 10-12 In concluding that “the land,” or the people of Israel, “cannot bear all his words,” what is Amaziah’s view of Amos’ words and the people of Israel? Why does Amaziah think that Amos’ words of rebuke are the same as trying to harm the king (“raising a conspiracy”)? What could have been his response to Amos’ prophecy? How do I respond to truth?

vv. 12-17 Contrast Amaziah's view of what it means to be a prophet with Amos' view. What is the irony of Amaziah the priest attempting to drive away Amos and his message? What personal agenda may have motivated Amaziah to drive away Amos from Israel? How have I tried to drive away God and His words in order to cling on to my own personal agenda? What was Amos’ response to Amaziah and what can I learn about Amos’ sense of identity as a prophet? What is the relationship between identity and courage against rejection?

Amos 8

vv. 4-6 What was the Israelites’ attitude towards God as revealed through the expression: “When will the New Moon be over … and the Sabbath be ended?” Where was their heart? What are the things in my life that occupy center stage so that I want to quickly “be over” with the things of God? As mentioned repeatedly in Amos, here again, callousness toward the plight of others is tied to the disregard of God. Why is one related to the other? In what ways might such dynamics be present in my life, and what can I do about it?

vv. 7-14 The destruction to come on Samaria will be the cause of bitter mourning. Amos described the event in terms of a funeral for an only son (v. 10). He continued the use of metaphorical language as he depicted a coming famine. It was no ordinary famine but one of the words of the Lord (v. 11). He pictured men searching for the word as starving people seek food or water (vv. 12-13). But they received no word from the Lord. They had rejected the word, not realizing its great value, and had lost it forever (cf. Luke 17:22; John 7:34). The church must realize the preciousness of the Word of God. We must obey and honor it, because it points to the source of life.[6] What does the judgment in the form of “a famine of hearing the words of the LORD” show about the nature of the final stage of God’s judgment? What does the character of this judgment reveal about the serious consequence of what I ultimately desire in life? What do I really want in my life? How is “a famine of hearing the words of the Lord” the ultimate judgment? What has been my attitude toward the Word of God?

Amos 9

vv. 1-4 Reflect on how fragile man is in the face of God’s power. What should be my response to God’s mercy and patience in light of his right to bring judgment on all sin?

vv. 5-7 “Israel was no different from the Philistines or Arameans, because the Lord governed the migrations of these people just as he led the Israelites from Egypt. The Exodus had led the Israelites to assume that the Lord was unalterably committed to them as a nation and that no other nation counted as far as he was concerned. But here Amos destroyed that false assumption by affirming the sovereignty of Yahweh over all the nations. The Exodus did not give them license to presume on the holiness and mercy of God.”[7] What is God’s response to the Israelite’s presumption of specialness? What presumptions are inappropriate in light of who God is? Are there ways that I harbor the notion that I have a rightful claim upon God’s mercy, and how is this a wrong view of God’s grace?

v. 10 What is the mentality of those who say “Disaster will not overtake or meet us” in the midst of the prophet’s repeated warnings of coming judgment? Why is actual judgment the only available means of communicating reality to those who say “Disaster will not overtake or meet us?”

vv. 11-15 “The hope of Amos is not an isolated one that finds expression only in his book. Nor is it a purely prophetic tradition without relation to other OT traditions. It is an expression of one of the most important themes of OT theology--viz., the promise. This promise, given to Abraham, reiterated to the patriarchs, reaffirmed to David and expressed throughout the OT, affirms that God will mediate his redemptive blessings to Jews and Gentiles in a promised offspring or "seed." In the prophets, this offspring is clearly the Davidic Messiah, who in the NT is Christ. Amos affirmed that God's promise has not ceased. In spite of the internal turmoil in the kingdom of his day, God would establish the Davidic monarchy; and through that monarchy God's blessing would come to "all peoples on earth" (Gen 12:3).”[8] How is the heart of God revealed in “I will restore” and “I will repair?” How do the promises in these verses give me hope today?

[1]Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), notes on Amos 5.

[2] J.A. Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Amos, 143-144.

[3] J.A. Motyer, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Amos, 141-143.

[4] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), notes on Amos 5.

[5] Ibid.

[6]Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), notes on Amos 8.

[7] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Amos chapter 9.

[8] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for Amos chapter 9.