Judgment and Repentance

Minor Prophets, Major Profits

Amos

Background—

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash ^[a] was king of Israel.  ²He said: "The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers."        Amos 1:1-2 (NIV)

v  An _________ and _____________ foreign prophet

v  Peak of ______________ & ________________

v  Rise of “_________________,” Exploitation of ____

v  Religious “_______________”

v  Spiritual “______________________________”

Contemporary “profit” from Amos’ message:

"You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins."                                                                                                   Amos 3:2 (NIV)

1.    We are most _________ to our _________________.

Ø  Resonate with ______________ on others (ch. 1-2)

Ø  Clueless about __________________ on us (4:4,5)

2.     _______________ times are ______________ times.

This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.  ⁷They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust

of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.  Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.  ⁸They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.

Ø  ________________ increase

Ø  _____________ decrease

Ø  _________ multiplies

Ø  ___________ is sold out

Ø  ________ can be ________

Ø  God is _________________

3.     God’s justice ________________________.

Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD!  Why do you long for the day of the LORD?  That day will be darkness, not light. ¹⁹It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.

                                                            Amos 5:18-19 (NIV)

Images—_____________, ________, __________ line & _______________

4.    God’s ___________ to _________ endures. (9:14-15)

Questions for further discussion/study:

1.    How would you compare the prosperous time of Israel described by Amos to our time?

2.    How can we serve God’s restorative purposes in challenging times?