Visions of Judgement (Amos 7 and 8)

Amos records five visions that the Lord gave to him about the situation in the northern kingdom. We will consider four of them in this sermon and then suggest some applications for ourselves from them. To begin with, we can ask what a vision was like. In Amos’ experience, they were like a moving picture of something that was not actually happening, but which could happen, as in the first vision of the locusts. The visions included imagery of events that were outside normal experience, like the large fire in the second vision. The visions could be small, like the basket of fruit in the fourth vision, but although it was small it pointed to something very big. In some visions, God could appear in human form, as in the third vision when he is seen holding a plumbline. So visions could be varied in their style, but they were accurate in content.

 

Two visions and prayer

The first vision was that of a swarm of locusts that destroyed a harvest. God himself had formed the swarm and the devastation was over all the country. We should also note the timing that is indicated. The locusts would come when the growth was weak and vulnerable, and it would also come after the king had taken his share (probably food for his horses). Obviously, famine would be the outcome. The reaction of Amos was to ask the Lord to forgive the people because they were not able to withstand such a judgement because in contrast to the swarm the number of people was small. In response to the petition of Amos, the Lord relented from the threatened judgement.

 

The second vision was that of a great fire that swallowed the Mediterranean Sea and started to destroy the land. Amos could see what the outcome would be, so again he prayed to God that he would cease the judgement. Again, the Lord listened to the petition of Amos and relented from sending the judgement.

 

Third vision and confrontation

The third vision was that of a plumb line. Normally, a plumb line was used in measuring the erection of a building. Here, however, it is going to be used in an opposite manner, that of destroying buildings. The buildings in view are twofold: (1) the sacred places where Israel committed idolatry and (2) the royal house which had introduced and promoted the false worship. During the coming judgement, those buildings would be knocked down and no longer would be inhabited.

 

Unlike the previous two visions, this third vision of looming judgement is not followed by a petition for mercy by Amos. Instead, the reception of the vision is followed by a confrontation between Amos and the pagan priest Amaziah. We can sense that the absence of a petition of mercy is an indication of the seriousness of this aspect of the promised judgement illustrated in the vision. The confrontation between the two men is illustrative of a bigger confrontation – that between God and his people who had abandoned him.

 

Amaziah had informed the king of the words of Amos and that his messages were disturbing the people. This indicates that Amos was preaching at Bethel itself when the worshippers gathered to engage in their pagan practices. Amaziah mentioned two details of the messages: the king would die a violent death and the people would go into exile (v. 10). It is not clear if Amaziah had received an answer from the palace, but it looks as if he did because he orders Amos to return to Judah and preach there. He was banished from the premises that belonged to Jeroboam.

 

How would Amos respond? We have already seen that he did not ask God to cease from judging the locations of false worship or the royal household. His response was to inform the false priest that he was speaking to one who had been called by God, and his calling had been to deliver God’s message to the Israelites. Amos was not going to disobey God and obey a man. He therefore informed Amaziah what the vision of the plumb line meant. The reason why he could do so is because he was not a professional prophet. Instead, he had access to the mind of the Lord. Amos proceeded to tell Amaziah what would happen to his wife and children, to his property, and to him (he would participate in the exile after losing everything).

 

Fourth vision and judgement

The fourth vision was one in which God showed Amos a basket of summer fruit. It looks as if the point of this vision is that even as the arrival of fruit indicates the need of a harvest, so the northern kingdom was facing a harvest. The question that arises from this vision is what do the fruits in the basket represent. Amos is told by the Lord what they meant and why there was going to be such a fierce judgement. The judgement itself is described as a time when worship would cease at the pagan temples and that so many would be slain that the only response could be a stunned silence.

 

So what were the fruits or the sins that brought about the judgement? In verse 4, God mentions how the poor were treated. In verse 5, he mentions how his worship and his day were regarded as hindrances to trade, and how they used false balances and prices to entrench poverty.

 

In verses 8 and 9, God speaks as the controller of creation and mentions examples of his power. Verse 8 could describe an earthquake and verse 9 a solar eclipse. It is one thing to experience such events, it is another thing to be told about them beforehand. It is not clear if they actually happened or whether God was using them to illustrate what things would be like when the invasion by the Assyrians took place. God often uses the language of cosmic disturbance to describe large changes in his providential dealings with people.

 

When the judgement does happen, it will be like one massive funeral (v. 10). Those who survive can only engage in mourning. Their life has changed forever. For the survivors all that awaits them is exile.

 

Yet there is one thing more that God is going to do, which is the worst aspect of the judgement he would send. They would never again hear a word from the Lord (v. 11). No longer would they hear words from prophets like Amos calling upon them to return to God. No longer would they be able to attend the feasts in Jerusalem where God’s Word was read. Even if they searched diligently for it, they would not find it (v. 12). They would discover the folly of listening to the false messengers (vv. 13-14).

 

Applications

The first application is a theological one. Can God relent or change his mind? I would say that the answer to this question is that God does not change his mind with regard to his secret will, his purpose. What he has planned in eternity will happen in time. Every detail of it is certain, whether it seems likely to people or not. Yet with regard to his revealed will God often offers the prospect that if people do something, he will then do something. So he says to them, ‘I will punish you for your sin. But if you repent, I will not punish you for your sin.’ An example of this is the message that Jonah took to the city of Nineveh. We have to work with God’s revealed will. His secret will has nothing to do with us.

 

The second application is connected to the above point because it concerns the place of prayer in the purpose of God. We saw that with regard to two of the visions, the response of Amos was to pray that God would not do what he had threatened to do. And when he prayed for God not to fulfil his threatened action, God listened to the prayers of Amos and did not bring the locusts and the fire.

 

Here we have an example of intercessory prayer. We can consider his prayer in two ways. First, the actions threatened by God would be acts of his providence if he enacted them. Amos knew that they would be the actions of God, yet he also knew that the Lord was sending the providences for more than one reason. And it is possible to see that God uses his providences to test the prayer resolves of his people. In this case, Amos used the covenant name of God and not a general name for him. He called on the God who had made promises to have mercy, while recognising that God was just in sending judgements. Prayer commitment in time of providential activity says a great deal.

 

Second, the people that Amos prayed for were under the condemnation of God. Amos recognised that they were; indeed, he was the messenger that brought the message of condemnation. Yet he sought deliverance for them through earnest prayer. There was no reason in them that would avoid the receiving of their deserved punishment. But Amos recognised that there was something in the heart of God that he could appeal to. The fact is that God delights to answer prayer for unconverted people. But he also wants to be asked by petitioners who feel for the people they are praying for, who are marked by compassion for those who are going to perish in the divine judgement. Prayer is more than accurate words; it is more than accurate theology. They can be clinical and go no further than the sound of the words. True prayer often comes from a sad, burdened heart that feels for those on the broad road.

 

A third application is that we should remind ourselves that God is the creator and that what happens in it often says something about him and his intentions. Several times in his messages, Amos has called attention to the fact that the Lord is the Creator. Here he mentions an earthquake and an eclipse. They may have actually happened, or he may have used them as illustrations of the effects of God’s judgement. But creation illustrates may things. Day can speak of living in the sunshine of his presence; night can speak of the darkness of his judgement. Food reminds us that he is the Provider of what we need; sleep at the right time is a reminder that he provides protection for us, or sleep at the wrong time can illustrate our indifference to him. Creation is not a perfect revelation of God, but it is a revelation, and we can learn numerous things every day about God.

 

A fourth application is to ask what is the plumb line that God uses to measure things. The plumb line is the Word of God. We can take two examples. The first is that it is the divine plumb line that shows how a person is converted. In the Bible, we find the contents of the gospel and the responses required from us. Things that God has not required are of no benefit and are usually a hindrance to conversion. The divine plumb line tells us to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus.

 

For the second example, we can think of the foundation of the Christian life and what we are to build on it. In the Bible, we are told that Jesus is the rock on which we build our lives. And the Bible also tells us what to build on him. We have no other guidebook for that process. It tells us that we should build by using the means of grace – worship in public and private, meditation on the Bible, prayer, fellowship with other Christians and acts of kindness to the needy are some of the clear instructions that he has given. We are not free to choose just some of them. No Christian will receive a 100% approval, but their actions will be in line with the plumb line. They will have worshipped in spirit and in truth, they will have fed their souls on the Bible, they will have engaged in frequent prayer, they will have enjoyed fellowship with other Christians and they will have helped the needy. God will measure them. Things that were not required by him will be of no value when he uses his plumb line to assess our lives.

 

The fifth application is to ask what is the worst judgement that God can bring on a society. This set of visions from Amos indicates that the worst judgement is to withdraw his Word. The exile was a terrible judgement on the people of the northern kingdom. Yet it would have made a huge difference if his Word had gone with them to the place of exile. We can see the difference in the later exile that happened to the southern kingdom of Judah because when they went to Babylon God’s Word went with them and they could comfort themselves with the knowledge that God had promised to bring them back to the promised land. But it was very different for the northern kingdom. They despised the word of the Lord, even in the messages of Amos, and the outcome was that they did not have it and would not find it even if they looked for it.

 

Imagine what life would be life in our society if God was to withdraw his Word. There would be no church because it can only exist if the Bible is there to guide it. There would be no evangelism because what message would be taken to people, and who would take it? There would be no comfort for life beyond this world. People would live in the dark and exit into the dark. How sad that would be! Yet it has happened in other places where the gospel once flourished. The fact that we still have the Bible is a sign that God still has plans of mercy for us.