The Heart of God: The Decline and Fall of Israel (5)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Amos 1, 2, 5, 8, and 9.
Amos was a prophet to the nations, but his primary message was to the people of Israel, during the final years of that kingdom. His is not a pretty picture, yet not one totally devoid of hope. God’s covenant will continue, and be renewed, even in spite of Israel’s rebellion. Remember: Israel (Abram, Gen. 15) did not pass between the pieces of slain animals and walk that covenant path. Only God did.

For reflection
1.  On a map, follow Amos’ words of judgment against the nations in chapters 1 and 2. Can you see how God was literally surrounding the nation of Israel with judgment? Even placing them in a kind of crosshairs? How can you see that ingratitude and a poor memory factored into Israel’s fall? How should that warn us today?

2.  What does Amos’ prophecy show us about the scope of God’s covenant? How far does the sovereignty of God reach? If His people will not be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12.1-3), where does that leave the nations? If we will not be witnesses to our neighbors, where does that leave our neighbors?

3.  Meditate on Romans 2.14, 15. How is it that God was able to hold the Gentile nations culpable for transgression, as we see in Amos 1 and 2?

4.  Summarize God’s message to Israel. What is repentance? How does repentance factor into our covenant relationship with God? To what can repentance lead?

5.  What does Amos mean by a “famine” of hearing the Word (ch. 8)? How can you tell when a people has come under such a famine? How do you see that God’s promised restoration (chapter 9) is linked to the promise of a new coming of David’s Kingdom? To what does this point forward?

Summary
Even as His people continued rebelling against Him, God sent faithful messengers to remind them of His grace, expose their sin and guilt, warn them of judgment to come, call them to repentance, and hold out the hope of restoration. What do you learn about the heart of God for His people when reading these prophets?

Closing Prayer
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
Answer me speedily, O LORD;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

Psalm 143.5-8

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.