When somebody important or official speaks, it is always wise to listen to what they have to say. When the meteorologist gives an important weather warning, we really ought to listen and take heed. If the Highway Patrol gives us a warning about road conditions ahead, it is wise to listen to that, too. And we know that we need to pay attention to any doctor or medical warnings. What about messages and warnings from God? How often do we pay attention to them? Or do we think that because we are already saved, we don’t need to be too concerned with them? The prophet Amos has an answer to that in our Scripture today, one that teaches us how seriously God takes sin, especially among those who bear His Name.
The Book of Amos was written between 760 - 750 BC, during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel. He had been a farmer and sheep herder in the southern Kingdom of Judah before the Lord called him to bring His message to the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel. This was a time of great material prosperity in Israel, but also of great spiritual corruption, as their hearts were far from God.
As our Scripture begins, the Lord spoke His message to the people, reminding them of how He had brought them out of Egypt and made a covenant with them (vs. 1-2). They were a redeemed people, but because of that, they were accountable to Him. God had chosen them and set them apart from others. However, having that unique relationship with Him meant greater responsibility, not immunity to do as they chose. How many times do people today think the same thing? They feel that they are saved, and that God loves them no matter what, so they can live as they choose. God’s holiness demands that His people walk in obedience to His Word. Privilege without obedience invites His discipline, as both Israel and Judah would come to see.
Next, Amos asked the readers seven rhetorical questions in order to show that effects have causes (vs. 3-6). There is nothing that happens just randomly. The first question he asked is whether two people can walk together unless they are agreed (vs. 3). If one is going to have a good and harmonious relationship with another, there must be shared belief and purpose. They must be in agreement with each other. Israel, and today with Christians, they cannot claim fellowship with God while they are walking in rebellion to Him.
Amos next spoke of lions, as they will roar when prey is near, and the young lion cubs will growl with satisfaction when they have their food (vs. 4). The prophet is letting us know that God’s warnings (His roar) indicate that real judgment is coming.
A trap doesn’t spring without a reason (vs. 5). It will snap when an animal or bird sets it off. Israel’s calamities are not accidents. They are God’s response to sin. In ancient times a trumpet was blown on the city walls to warn of impending danger (vs 6). Today we use loud sirens in our cities. When we hear them we know it is some type of warning, sometimes weather related, or in some countries a warning of enemy attack. Amos warned the people that if disaster comes to a city, it is because the Lord has allowed it.
God does not act in judgment without first giving us clear warning (vs. 7). The prophets were God’s messengers. They didn’t just make up what they said for fun. God always sent His prophets before judgment, so Israel could not claim ignorance. God’s Word, the Bible, is complete, it is sufficient, and it is inerrant. It warns us plainly, and we are responsible to listen to and heed it.
Have you ever heard a lion roar? I haven’t in real life, but I’ve seen videos of lions roaring. God’s voice is like a lion’s roar (vs. 8). It is terrifying, authoritative, and unavoidable. When God speaks, His prophets must speak. Amos did not preach because he wanted to. He was compelled by the Spirit of God. When God warns, His people need to respond.
God graciously warns before He judges. His Word is both merciful and authoritative. The lion’s roar means judgment is not hypothetical, it is imminent. Believers today must not take God’s grace lightly. We cannot walk with Him while clinging to sin, to compromise, or worldliness. God still warns us through His Word. Every warning passage in Scripture is an act of His mercy.
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