Prepare to Meet Your God: A Summons to Judgement! (Part 2)

Amos is preaching a sermon of judgment. He is summoning the sinful people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to judgement. And in this sermon he pulls no punches. He explains in crystal clear detail exactly why the Israelite's deserve judgement. And he starts by addressing the wealthy women of the ruling class. And in true prophet form he begins with a verbal slap to the face to these women.

Amos 4:1 (ESV)

“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’

Bashan was a fertile grazing region in the northeast of Israel. The cows in such a region lacked nothing in terms of food. What happens to cows who are allowed to eat all the food they want? They get fat. Amos’s audience knew that the prophet was essentially calling the wives of the rich rulers of Israel “fat cows!”

Amos 4:2–3 ESV

The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon,” declares the Lord.

Those who oppress the poor and crush the needy in order to support an extravagant lifestyle can expect God’s harsh judgement

Proverbs 14:31 ESV

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Application: My friend, has the Spirit convicted your heart in some area this morning? Has God used the truth to convict you in the areas of sin, righteousness, or judgement? If so I implore you to respond with broken repentance! Humble yourself before almighty God and He will lift you up.

Why else might God summon some people to face His judgement?

II. A Priestly Parody (vv. 4-5)

Amos now moves on from the pampered women of the city of Samaria, to those participating in perverted worship.

Amos 4:4 ESV

“Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;

The form of these two verses (4 & 5) is that of a priest calling people to worship.

Let me show you a typical call to worship:

Isaiah 2:3 ESV

and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Now contrast that with Amos’ call to “worship.”

Amos 4:4 (ESV)

“Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;

What do you think the response of the people sitting there listening to Amos’ sermon might have been? They must have been shocked! Amos, you are inviting us to come to the place of worship to sin?

Then they would have heard the sarcasm in Amos’ voice and realized that rather than a genuine invitation to sin, instead this was an accusation for not worshiping the Lord in the manner He requires.

Notice the places of worship Amos uses:

Amos 4:4 (ESV)

“Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;

What is significant about these places?

Jeroboam I:

1 Kings 12:26–30 ESV

And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.

Jereboam II: By this time the popular worship shrines were centered in Bethel and Gilgal. But, the same reproachful worship continued.

Amos 4:4 (ESV)

“Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;

Amos is calling the people to continue their sinful worship practices. In doing so all they would accomplish is to transgress (lit. rebel) and multiply that transgression. He invites them to bring their sacrifices every morning. And, especially dramatic, to bring their tithes (tenths) every THREE DAYS.

Among the tithes required in the OT law most were offered annually and one was offered every three years, not days. The tithe for the Levite and for the poor was every three years (ironic isn’t it?). But now Amos is offering these wealthy elites who loved excessive showy religion, “why don’t you bring the tithe every three days instead of every three years?” Surely, that will earn you favor with God!

Amos 4:5 (ESV)

offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” declares the Lord God.

Proclaim & publish them- this is the key wording here. Proclaim about your religious works, go on brag about them! Publish them, make them known, boast about them. Their motive in their excessive religious activity, offering so many freewill offerings, sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tithes, was to be seen by others. They wanted to magnify themselves, and not the Lord!

Refutation:

Matthew 6:1 ESV

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

We have to be careful when we think about this verse. Many people only read the first part- “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people.” If this was all the verse said it would prohibit much of the public things we do as believers. Jesus goes on to give several examples of what he is talking about. The first is giving. If we could not give before other people, then we should never take up offerings during a church service. Another example Jesus gives is prayer. If we cannot pray before other people, then we should never have times of corporate prayer. I can think of other examples- like sharing testimonies at church. We like to have times of testimony here at our church. In a sense we will be practicing our righteousness before other people. Yet, I believe with all my heart that sharing testimonies about the gospel and about disciple-making in a public worship service is a right and biblical practice! After all the Apostle Paul didn’t have a problem doing it (c.f. Acts 14:27)!

If we are to understand Jesus’ command correctly, we must ponder every word. Jesus was not condemning practicing your righteousness before other people (otherwise Matthew 5:16 would be contradictory). Jesus was focusing our attention on the motives of our heart. Don’t practice your righteousness before other people, why? IN ORDER TO BE SEEN BY THEM! If the motive of your heart is to be seen by other people, and to be praised by other people, then you are committing a sin. Jesus draws this point out in each of His following examples. V. 5- don’t pray standing on street corners “to be SEEN by people.” V. 6- when you pray don’t babble like the Gentiles, imagining that “they’ll be HEARD for their many words.” V. 16- when you fast don’t make a show of it so that your fasting “is OBVIOUS to people.” In each example the intent of our heart is what matters. If you practice your righteousness in order to be seen by other people, then you already have your reward. But if you practice your righteousness before other people so that God might get the glory this is not only appropriate but should become a normal habit and pattern of our lives. Matthew 5:16 (ESV) In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and GIVE GLORY TO YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.

This was not the heart attitude of the Israelites in Amos’ day.

There’s was a repulsive worship:

They were worshiping the Lord according to their own design. We don’t get to choose how we worship the Lord. He tells us.

They were excessive in their religious practices. They loved their religion, not necessarily their God.

They were motivated by their own self-centered hearts. They boasted in their worship to be seen by others. They loved to be praised by other people for their excessive religious acts. And for this reason, God was summoning them to judgement. We might summarize it this way:

Those who assume excessive religious activity will placate God concerning their sin can expect His harsh judgement

Application:

We must practice a constant vigil in searching the motives of our hearts for worshiping God.

We must practice humility in our worship. We cannot worship God anyway that makes us feel good. We must worship God the way He demands. This requires a great deal of humility.

We must make sure that we are not living in know sin Monday - Saturday, and then putting on the show on Sunday thinking that this will please God.

John 4:15 ESV

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

John 4:16–18 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Then she tries to distract Jesus by changing the topic, but he brings it right back to the heart of the issue.

John 4:23–24 ESV

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Why else might God summon some people to face His judgement?

III. Digging in Your Heels (vv. 6-11)

Here Amos highlights the stubbornness of Israel. The phrase “yet you did not return to me” is used five times always followed by rehearsal of the name of Yahweh.

As we will see there is a great deal of parallel between these verses and the text of Deut. 28-29. Amos is a preacher of the covenant. His message is not new. He is reminding the people of their covenant relationship with God.

The way God speaks in these verses is in terms of His grace. By exactly what God calls “grace” in this section is shocking.

Amos 4:6 (ESV)

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Such an interesting term. God said “I gave you...” Not “I punished you...” Not “I disciplined you..” but “I gave you.” This was God’s gift to His people. And what did God give them? Cleanness of teeth in all your cities. In other words, God gifted his people famine! How would you like to receive that gift?

In what world can this be called a gift?

Well, why did God give His people famine? What was its purpose? So that they might do what? “Return to me!” God gave them a less severe consequence in the hopes of softening their hearts, causing them to repent of their sin, and return to the Lord. And if they would have done so they could have avoided the much harsher destruction that was headed their way in the conquest and exile by the Assyrians in 40 years. What is better? Experience a little famine, but also produce repentance. Or, leave the people to their sin without any attempt to intervene, so that they inevitably face destruction?

The problem was that it didn’t work.

Amos 4:6 (ESV)

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

God says “yet you did not return to me.”

Shuv- שׁוּב- repent, turn; return, go back; go back and forth; revert; turn back, change one’s mind; withdraw

This verb is used over 1,000 x’s in the OT. Shuv functions with the meanings of a physical turning and can also signify metaphorically turning away from God (apostasy) or turning to God (repentance).

New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis OT

The word שׁוּב is a central word for the concept of repent. The imagery is one of a person doing a turnabout. Critical in this turnabout, if it is to be repentance, is the direction toward which one turns, namely, to Yahweh.

MTP Soteriology Notes:

Repentance is the voluntary change in orientation from sin to God; one who repents will change his focus from the world to God. “Repentance is a change of mind away from sin and toward God. It is not merely a change of opinion. It is a change of view, feeling, and purpose respecting God, sin, and ourselves.” (McCune)

Repentance is not feeling bad for one’s sins; deciding to do better the next time, or penance (works to make up for sins).

Repentance is used in two ways in the New Testament:

In relation salvation-

Acts 3:19 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 17:30–31 ESV

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

In relation to a sinning believer-

2 Corinthians 7:8–9 ESV

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

Components of Repentance

1). Intellectual Component- a change of mind based on Scripture

2 Timothy 2:25 ESV

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

2). Emotional Component- change in heart which may include regret and sorrow. At a minimum in requires a hatred of sin and a love of the truth.

2 Corinthians 7:9 ESV

As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

3). Volitional Component- a change of action

Acts 26:20 ESV

but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

1 Thessalonians 1:9 ESV

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

Amos 4:6 ESV

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

I graciously gave you a form of godly discipline (famine), so that you might return to me declares the Lord! But, the people of Israel did not turn.

Amos 4:7 ESV

“I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither;

Amos 4:8 ESV

so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

What does God’s gracious gift look like in these verses? Drought! Yet you did not return to me.

Amos 4:9 ESV

“I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Grace = blight, mildew, and locusts

Yet you did not return to me.

Amos 4:10 ESV

“I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Grace = Plague and war

Yet you did not return to me.

Amos 4:11 ESV

“I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Grace = Partial overthrow

Yet you did not return to me.

What Amos is doing is reminding the people of the curses of the covenant. Look at how astonishing closely Amos 4 parallels Deut. 28 & 29.

Amos 4:6 (ESV)

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places

Deuteronomy 28:48 (ESV)

therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything.

Amos 4:7 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 28:23–24 ESV

And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Amos 4:9 (ESV)

“I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Deuteronomy 28:38 (ESV)

You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.

Amos 4:10 (ESV)

“I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;

Deuteronomy 28:60 (ESV)

And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you.

Amos 4:11 (ESV)

“I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.

Deuteronomy 29:23 (ESV)

the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah,

God is faithful! Israel was rebelling in sin, so what did God do? Exactly what He said He would do in the terms of the Mosaic Covenant. Yet, even these “calamities” were meant by God as an act of grace. They were given gracious by God so that the people might repent!

Application: These verse should causes us to pause and think before we complain about trials and hardships in our lives. God might allow a particularly difficult trial in our lives, and our immediate response might be, “God how could you do this to me!” When in reality it is God dealing with you in grace and kindness. He is allowing this trial in order to prevent you from heading down the road to greater disaster. We need to be careful. Most of all we need to respond with repentance!

The Lord is summoning the people of Israel to judgment. Why?

Those who stubbornly remain in their sin despite God’s repeated acts of grace can expect His harsh judgment

Do not harden your hearts. Do not stubbornly dig in your heels. See the circumstances of your life for what they are. God is calling you to return! Return to God and live.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Isaiah 55:7 ESV

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Seek the Lord and live!

Why else might God summon some people to face His judgement?

IV. The Awesome God (vv. 12-13)

The final summons to judgement calls the people of Israel to prepare to meet their God. And who is this awesome God that they will come face to face with?

Amos 4:12 (ESV)

“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

Therefore thus I will do to you? What will God do to them? Overthrow them, like Sodom and Gomorrah. But when his judgement came this time God would not overthrow only some of them, but all of them. And because God promises to come and do this to Israel, Amos commands the people to prepare. Prepare to meet your God, O Israel! This will not be a nice meeting. This is not one of those Isaiah or Moses meetings where they stand in awe of God’s holiness and glory. This will be Israel meeting the awesome and terrible God when He comes in judgement.

Amos, Obadiah, Jonah The Awesome God (4:13)

The calamities God had brought upon them in the past (4:6–11) would appear as mere warm-up drills when compared to the catastrophic encounter with God they faced now. The prophet’s exhortation, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel,” was neither a call to repentance nor an invitation to covenant renewal; rather, it was a summons to judgment.

And what will God be like on that day of judgement?

Amos 4:13 ESV

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

This One can form the majestic greatness of the mountains and control the fierceness of the storms. He is the One who makes morning darkness. By His power he revolves the earth so that morning light fades to dark blackness. He is the One whose steps leave footprints on the peaks of the highest places of the earth. He is the Lord, the God of armies, this is His name!

This description of an awesome, almighty God ought to have shaken Israel to their senses. This is the one summoning you!

Micah 1:3–4 ESV

For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.

Why is the Awesome Lord summoning Israel to judgement?

Those who remain willfully rebellious while ignoring the true character of God can expect His harsh judgement

Do we see God this way? Do we stand in awe of Him? How can we continue in sin knowing our God this way?

PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD!

Exodus 34:2–9 ESV

Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

Hebrews 12:21 ESV

Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”

Hebrews 12:28–29 ESV

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

My friend how has God worked in your heart this morning?

Do you feel God summoning you to judgement?

Are you prepared to meet your God?

Those who oppress the poor and crush the needy in order to support an extravagant lifestyle can expect God’s harsh judgement.

Those who assume excessive religious activity will placate God concerning their sin can expect His harsh judgement.

Those who stubbornly remain in their sin despite God’s repeated acts of grace can expect His harsh judgment.

Those who remain willfully rebellious while ignoring the true character of God can expect His harsh judgement.

What if you are not ready? What should you do?

Amos 5:4 ESV

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

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