Solomon has died and now the country is torn apart. Who was responsible for that? Solomon, God? It was the consequences of Solomon’s sin. Solomon this wise & great man didn’t sustain his guard nor keep himself from harms way but put himself in a compromising position and allowed his allegiance to God to wane and began to follow other gods believing it to be nothing of any consequence. Having every expectation no matter what, no matter how sinful that all was well. Checkout 1Kings 11: 11-13. Solomon, this wise man did a very unwise thing.
So we have the division and Jeroboam rules Israel and Rehoboam rules Judah. This is the kind of thing that is going on in Israel 1 Kings 12:28-33.
And in Judah it's not much better, 3 years it’s kind of good then 1 Kings 14:22-24. The country was going to rack and ruin & when it broke up it still was!
These 2 countries were ungodly, and on top of that they where losing land, fighting with their neighbours, fighting each other and foreign countries influencing there's, as well as being defiant.
While all this is going on God sends a prophet to tell them things would get better (in the physical) and it would be by his hand. Any Idea who that was? It’s the same-ish time frame as what John spoke about last week so... It’s Jonah the man in the belly of the fish. When he wasn’t in the fish or hoping mad just out side Niniveh he was in Israel telling the Jews, things are going to get better. See 2 Kings 14:25.
Even although they sinned greatly & God sent them warnings he still blessed them and still caused them to prosper. And they began to win back all their land and have full control of their own affairs until they had it all. Jeroboam II went on to complete that.
This was a wealthy time and secure time, for some, a time were they influenced things around them. To us it would be like having William Wallace defeat the Auld enemy win the world cup, all the gold at the Olympics and be a wealthy nation bursting with confidence and security and have the foolish notion that no one can touch us now. Both sides, Judah and Israel were doing well, they were pumped on a high, living the life and just waiting to build their own Super casinos. Life was good for some. But it was a life that included Idolatry, immorality and corruption.
And here is where Amos joins us in the time line. Amos a man from the country, a herdsman but not an ignorant man nor a country bumpkin he is sent by God to Bethel, Bethel being one of the places the golden calves were set up. Amos preaches the word of God and when he starts, hey it all looks good for a while. Lets look a little more at what he says.
Amos starts his book with … a wonderful piece of imagery "The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem"
Isn’t that is an awesome image to catch the attention of the peoples, wonderful but more than that it's the words used by the prophet Joel who was on or around this time, and prophesying to Judah. The language is similar and it is presumed Amos is making a connection with his hearers this is the same God…. So Amos says the LORD roars and this is what He is roaring about and starts of on a list of judgments against Israel neighbours. You know the ones they fight with the pagans, the land grabbers the people who give them so much trouble. And if you listen closely you can perhaps hear them cheer as one by one Amos goes through the enemies of God and them.
Those in Damascus, God says,I will break their gate and kill the wicked people…
and all the Jews, you can imagine would say YESSS, Then the Syrians will be dragged as prisoners to Kir. I, the LORD, have spoken!
I will punish Philistines for countless crimes. They dragged off my people from town after town to sell them as slaves to the Edomites. That's why I will burn down the walls and fortresses of the city of Gaza. And all the Jews went Yesss.
The LORD said: I will punish Edom for countless crimes, And the people said Yesss. The LORD said: I will punish Ammon for countless crimes, And all the people went Yesss. The LORD said: I will punish Moab for countless crimes, Yesss.
And then the LORD said: I will punish Judah for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind. They have rejected my teachings and refused to obey me. They were led astray by the same false gods their ancestors worshiped. Amo 2:5 "Now I will send fire on Judah and destroy the fortresses of Jerusalem. Then the LORD said: I will punish Israel for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind." WHAT!
They sell honest people for money, and the needy are sold for the price of sandals. Amo 2:7 They smear the poor in the dirt and push aside those who are helpless. My holy name is dishonoured, because fathers and sons sleep with the same young women. Amo 2:8 They lie down beside altars on clothes taken as security for loans. And they drink wine in my temple, wine bought with the money they received from fines. And there was quiet! Probably followed by protesting.
Amos goes on to say more. Amo 3:1 People of Israel, I rescued you from Egypt. Now listen to my judgment against you. Amo 3:2 Of all nations on earth, you are the only one I have chosen. That's why I will punish you because of your sins. Then what follows is a series of cause and effects. Like their own situation it follows that they reap the wages of sin. Cause and the effect.
Amo 3:3 Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet? Amo 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest unless it has caught a victim? Does it growl in its den unless it is eating? Amo 3:5 How can anyone catch a bird without using a net? Does a trap spring shut unless something is caught? Amo 3:6 Isn't the whole city frightened when the trumpet signals an attack? Isn't it the LORD who brings disaster on a city? Amo 3:7 Whatever the LORD God plans to do, he tells his servants, the prophets. Amo 3:8 Everyone is terrified when a lion roars-- and ordinary people become prophets when the LORD God speaks.
The lion roars from Zion the victim is caught Judah and Israel will be torn to pieces. Like Solomon, the great man, Israel and Judah had it all, but lost their commonsense and thought the were safe to act in a hypocritical manner, they were smug. Which begs the question if we are to think of it in a modern context. Could we fall victim to paying lip service to God and his commands and the way He has called us to live ? Of course. We recently read a proverb in H/G and to paraphrase a little it said "don’t make me too poor Lord because in my poverty I may sin, but don’t make me to rich Lord because in my wealth I may sin, give me my daily bread and make me contented." Israel, Judah was not contented and we, we could easily be the same never contented, doing what we want falling into the trap we’re saved I’ll be fine until one day we find ourselves so far away from God gulping down the "pleasures" and asking ourselves what did I do wrong.
But it's worse than that, we are talking about a whole nation going astray not just one of us! Could that have implications for us? Solomon went astray didn’t even see it coming and he’s wise! We can easily point the figure at churches in Christendom great big congregations and laugh and say fool’s! But could we miss the rot in our own life, own church? So what do we need to do to be secure? We need God. We need ears that hear the word of God, things like look after the poor, look after the family of God. And we need to learn to be contented, and when we are blessed to share it.We need Christ, we need to be in the word and we need to adhere to the word and we need most of all! Love! For each other but mostly for God! And not just the word Love we need action and deed! Because all of the things I just mention were missing from Israel and Judah. They took it all to lightly! He is what we need, He can work with dry bones and he loves even pagans how much more will He love you if you love Him?
Lets draw this to a close and get back to Amos’s picture of the Lion. In the movie The lion the witch .. We see Aslan who is the illustration for the Christ, this lovely big beautiful beast full of warmth and compassion and love and people are drawn to him, we are reminded how fearsome He the lion is when he roars, there is in that just the beginning of understanding His power. You see you must remember, as it says in the book, he is not a tame lion. God is not tame.
For all Gods amazing patience and amazing forgiveness and His amazing love and slowness to anger He is not tame. His gentleness must never be taken for weakness. God offers Love and Hope and disciple.
Is there anything more heartbreaking than loving someone and for that love to be treated with contempt? There is nothing more heartbreaking. Nothing that cuts deeper or hurts as long. He has declared his love for us. Consider your relationship with God. Have you ever been held in such high esteem? Has anyone so lowly as you and me been sought or loved by someone so above us? And yet knowing all our faults He has loved so tenderly and honestly and so true?
Don’t we know a good thing when we see it?
Is it time to get real again? Time to stop being complacent, a time for honesty ? Let’s not be complacent but let us be committed, to follow him all the days of our life and allow for the fruits of that union and commitment to be seen, to be evident and to be real. And to remember He is not a tame lion. Let the only sound you will hear from Him be the sound of God calling you home.
Thanks.