Amos 1-2
May 20th, 2012 by VicMay 20, 2012
Amos 1-2
“Reading the Sunday Paper”
As I read through the book of Amos in different translations I saw a lot of similarities with situations that are reported in our daily news. But Amos does not preach just against the common public sins of violence, morality, and greed but also against the sins in our church and in our lives that are not so public. God knows what is going on and Amos says God is going to judge.
When you listen to popular preachers have you noticed how much they like to hear the people say “Amen”? Have you noticed who says “Amen” and what subject they say “Amen” to. If the preaching is about husbands loving their wives, it is the wives who say “Amen”. If the preaching is about children obeying their parents, it is the parents who say “Amen”. We say “Amen” when the truth applies to someone else. When the preacher is identifying someone else’s sin, it is easy to say “Amen”. When we know the fellow in the next pew really needs to listen up, it is easy for us to say “Amen”.
Amos was a rancher and cattle buyer in the southern nation of Judah. God called him to go to the northern kingdom of Israel and preach against their sin. The first words God gave Amos’ to preach were judgments against the sins of their neighbors (chapter 1). The people of Israel were all saying “Amen” until God’s word got more personal (chapter 2).
