Questions, Questions (Amos 3:1-8)
In this chapter we have either Amos’ application of his sermon recorded in the previous two chapters or another address that he gave to his listeners. Whichever it is does not really affect how we should understand what he says, because he is still addressing the same topic. In the verses we will focus on, there are three matters that we can consider. First, Amos mentions the consequence for the Israelites of having divine privileges (3:1-2); second, Amos uses a set of questions in order to get his listeners to think (3:3-6); and third, Amos describes his own ministry (3:7-8). Then we will consider some applications.
The consequence of privilege (3:1-2)
Amos reminds the people that the only reason for their current existence was that the Lord had redeemed their forefathers from slavery in Egypt. We are familiar with how he did so, sending ten plagues that eventually subdued Pharaoh and his hosts. Then he had parted the Red Sea in order for them to escape from the pursuing Egyptian army. The Lord had performed miracle after miracle on their behalf. Then he had led them to Mount Sinai, where a form of marriage ceremony took place and he and the people were bound together in a covenant arrangement. This was a unique privilege that was given to them at the commencement of their national existence.
Yet we can see that there were consequences for the Israelites because they had not kept true to the commitments they had made to the Lord. The outcome was going to be divine punishment, which God had warned the people about right from the beginning. He had already indicated in the previous chapter what the threatened punishment was going to be – captivity of some kind would happen if they persisted in their disobedience to the Lord.
One obvious comment that we can make about this reference by Amos to the Exodus is that he was referring to a period that had taken place a long time in the past. Yet, although it was a distant event, it was also a defining one for Israel because it provided them with their identity. They were the Lord’s people, having all the blessings connected to that identity, but they also had the responsibilities that came with it. Sadly, they had frequently failed to fulfil those requirements, and indeed at the time of Amos they were unaware of their current failures.
A set of questions
Amos then asked several questions in order to get his listeners to think about his message. At first glance, we may wonder what the purpose of the questions are. In order to discover the purpose we need to find out to what they are referring, because they are connected to different issues. As far as I can see, the first question stands by itself and it is concerned with the relationship between God and Israel. The next two questions, which refer to a lion, describe the actions of God – he was described as acting like a lion in the previous chapter. Then the next two questions, which describe a bird caught in a trap, refer to the judgement that is going to fall on Israel, a judgement that will be impossible to avoid. The last two questions describe what will happen when their capital city of Samaria will be besieged.
The first question describes a couple going for a walk. It is an everyday illustration. What is essential for a walk is that it has to start somewhere and that those involved in the walk agree on the route they will take. As I mentioned earlier, the walk is between God and his people, he laid down the route for their walk, and they started to walk along it together. We know that the Bible often describes the life of a believer as a walk. In the Book of Genesis, Enoch is said to have walked with God; so too is Noah. Paul exhorts the Ephesians that they should walk as the children of light, and that they walk in love.
What kind of walk is it? It is a long walk, a liberating walk and a loving walk. How long is the walk with God? In this life, it should last from conversion until we die. Many things might occur before the walk commences, but usually what a believer first realises is that he now knows he is a sinner and must do something about that, which is to ask God for mercy for the sake of Christ.
It is a liberating walk because God is the provider of freedom from the power of sin. And it is a loving walk because God and his people have sweet communion with one another. The sense of his presence delights them, and the fragrance of their graces delights the Lord. Of course, the walk continues after death, even as Jesus said about the overcomers that they would walk with him in white in the world of glory.
Then the next two questions focus on what God is going to do now that walk together is no longer happening. He is like a lion, but he is described in two ways. First, he is like a roaring lion; and second, he is like a contented lion. A roaring lion is one that is about to pounce on its prey and a contented lion is one that has dragged its prey back to his den. All we need to say about this is that while it is very good for Israel to have the Lord as a companion on a walk, it is very bad for Israel to meet him as lion because there is no hope.
The next two questions describe where Israel is now that they have stopped walking with the Lord. They have been caught in a trap. Who had set the trap? The implication is that it is the Lord who has done it because of their persistent disobedience. They had reaped the outcome of their actions. They had reaped what they had sown. The trap had been sprung.
The final two questions refer to a city under siege, with the inevitable reaction of fear by the inhabitants as they look over the wall to the surrounding army that is about to capture the city. The authorities might blow a trumpet calling people to be ready, but the outcome is going to be disaster because it is the Lord who has arranged it, and not those in command of the invading army.
We can see that the questions would make the people stop and think if they gave any credence to the mission of Amos. In order to help them have a correct response, Amos goes on to mention his authority for speaking.
The ministry of Amos (3:7-8)
We need to bear in mind that Amos would not have access to very much of the Old Testament. The names of the kings at the beginning of chapter 1 tells us the time when he served God. As far as the books of the prophets in the Old Testament are concerned, his is probably the oldest. He did not have Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the Minor Prophets because they all served God after he did. The point of this is to say that he needed ongoing divine revelation in a way that we today will not receive it because we have the complete Bible.
What does Amos highlight about his ministry? First, there is his assurance. He knew that anything God wanted him to do would be revealed to him. That is how he was able to make all the statements he gave in the previous two chapters about the eight nations that he addressed. Amos would not have to watch something God did and say that it was a surprise. In a sense, he had greater assurance about specific events that preachers today have. Anything the Lord told him about would happen.
Second, there is his announcement or message, which he summarises at the beginning of verse 8. His message was twofold: first, it was about what God as the lion had done; second, he stated the required response, which was that his listeners should begin to fear God.
Third, there is his sense of compulsion that he must say what the Lord had told him. The fact that he knew what the Lord was going to do compelled him to speak. It was impossible for him to remain silent under such a burden. He possessed fervency and ardour because he saw the judgement that was coming, and he had to share it with the Israelites.
Applications
The first application we can make is to ask ourselves what we are doing with the privileges we have been given. After all, the proof that we are converted is that we are valuing our privileges and acting accordingly. What are some of the privileges we have been given?
We can read the Bible as a means of obtaining food for our soul – the Bible is our conversation partner, but the partner plays many roles. It is a light for our walk, it is a sword that probes into the depths of our hearts, it is a feast composed of many courses, and it does all those roles day after day throughout the lives of God’s people. The Israelites had part of the Bible, and they did not use it correctly. We have the entire Bible, this is our privilege, and therefore we must use it wisely.
We can speak to God in prayer. As we do so, we have many divine promises to encourage us in our praying. Prayer, as we know, has different aspects such as adoration and gratitude. We have been introduced to God and therefore we know that he is the God of grace and mercy. We also know that he is powerful and faithful and wise. This means that we should be using this great privilege. Israel had this blessing of prayer, but were they using it? Not at the time of Amos.
We can confess our sins to God. It is the case that we sin frequently, far more often than we imagine. There is a possibility that we get used to our failures and don’t deal with them as we should. The proper response to sin is always repentance. Yet the Israelites of Amos’ day did not show much interest, if any, in engaging in this spiritual activity. And if we are like them, not using this amazing privilege, we are failing to appreciate this blessing that the Lord has given to us.
A second application is to ask ourselves if we have answered the questions that God asks in the Bible. One well-known question is found at the start of Hebrews 2 where the readers are asked how they will escape if they neglect such a great salvation. That is a question worth thinking about. Another question that Jesus asked was, ‘What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?’ Then there is the question that Jesus asked Bartimaeus, and which he asks of anyone who uses his name, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Or the question, he asked the disciples in the Upper Room after he had washed their feet: ‘Do you understand what I have done to you?’ There are numerous questions in the Bible that we can take as being directed to ourselves as well as to the original listeners.
A third application is to ask ourselves, ‘How is God speaking to us today, to me today?’ In the time of Amos, God was confronting them as if he was like a roaring lion. That was obviously a very serious state for the Israelites! But that was long ago. Our concern must me, ‘In what ways is God speaking today?’ He spoke very clearly when he roared like a lion to the Israelites. I suspect he is speaking very clearly to the church and to the world today. But even that recognition is not enough. Instead we should weigh providence and ask ourselves, ‘What is God saying to us today in the unusual circumstances we are in?’ Is he saying, ‘Spend more time doing what will be to your benefit in eternity?’
Preached on Sunday, 24th May, 2020