Amos 8:1-14

God shows Amos a basket of summer fruit that is about to spoil.  This is an illustration of what is about to happen to the nation of Israel.  They had been prosperous and God had provided for them in an abundant way; but those days were just about to pass.  Just as the fruit would soon rot in the basket so the bodies of the nation of Israel would rot in the streets.  It is a blessed thing to experience prosperity but it is also a very dangerous thing as it will often lead to pride, sinfulness and the judgment of God.

THE RESOLVE OF GOD’S JUDGMENT: God has made a decision and will not turn back from that decision.  The sins of the nation have become so great that God has resolved in His heart to bring about judgment.  For generations He had tolerated their sinful practices and idolatry.  He passed by them in hopes that they would repent and turn to Him.  Those days are over.  He will no longer tolerate this nation and has firmly resolved to bring the nation to judgment.  We live in very similar days.  The sinfulness of this generation has grown more and more overt.  God is going to bring this entire world to its knees before Him.  We would all do well to prepare and help others to prepare for that day.

THE REASON FOR GOD’S JUDGMENT: The reason for this judgment, in short, is sin.  Specifically, God is condemning the nation for oppressing the poor, being greedy for gain and failing to worship.  They went to the market place to try to use unjust weights to get a greater profit.  They tried to enslave the poor taking advantage of a national crisis for personal gain at the expense of the most needy who were vulnerable.  These sins and many more provoked the Lord to wrath and He was going to judge the nation.  We must protect our hearts from greed and recognize it is our job to protect and provide for those who are less fortunate than we are and not seek to exploit them to achieve greater gain.


THE RESULT OF GOD’S JUDGMENT: This judgment of God is unmistakable.  The people are under God’s condemnation and God has promised not to forget their sins.  The land would tremble at the advance of invading nations.  There will be and earthquake that will raise the land up and the throw it down in pieces.  The sun will lose its light and the joy of the nation will become weeping and wailing.  The people will dress in rags and shave their heads as their hearts will be full of bitterness.  There will be famine on the land but not only of food.  Even worse, there will be a famine of God’s Word.  He will hide His face from the nations and they will wander through the nations without God’s protection or direction.  Families, both young and old will faint away.  We must never doubt God’s ability to judge and know that if He judged the nation of Israel in this way; every nation and every person is subject to God’s judgment.  The only way to escape from this judgment is for God not to remember our sins because they have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. 

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