Series: Dog Daze
Amos 4:6 ESV
Amos 4:7-8 ESV
Genesis 12:2-3 ESV
Amos 4:9 ESV
Amos 4:10 ESV
Amos 4:11 ESV
Amos 4:12-13 ESV
Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV
It’s been my experience that there really are special times when God issues a warning. It’s not always a warning brought about because of something we failed to do or because we didn’t listen to God.
Sometimes it’s a warning of what is to come.
It can be a blessing or a difficult time.
In the case of the warning issued to Israel through Amos the warning was specifically issued because God had urged them over and over again to return to God and they were not listening.
Not only is that not a good choice for Israel as a group, it was a danger warning for every person in the group.
We re told in Amos 4:6, (Scripture section title: Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord), “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.”
The first warning God gave referred to as “cleanness of teeth” in their cities. So what could cause clean teeth? Research shows it was because of famine or lack of food. If they didn’t eat their teeth will be clean (https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/amos-4/).
The second part of the sentence reiterates that when God also pointed out He had given them the gift of “lack of bread”.
It may not seem so to us, but God loved Israel so much He wanted to spare them from what was ahead.
They HAD been warned yet they did not listen, did not listen, did NOT listen. Which one of us who have children would not do what was necessary to prevent them from suffering great harm? That’s exactly what God was doing.
God wanted to spare Israel from the path they were on.
God wanted Israel to return to Him.
Then in Amos 4:7-8 we are told, “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; 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.”
God loved Israel. Since the days of Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 God took Israel under His protection, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
By the time Amos was Prophet Israel turned their back on God.
They were NOT listening.
In Amos 4:9 the Prophet Amos told Israel, “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.”
In another attempt to get Israel to listen, God had sent disease and mildew in their gardens and vineyards. Then the locusts destroyed their fig and olive trees.
That would have been a crushing blow to their economy and to their food supply, yet Israel did not turn to God.
I don’t know about you, but I would have been saying to God, “help me!”
They did not turn to God.
In Amos 4:10 the Prophet wrote, “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.”
At this point we might wonder how God could be so patient with Israel? Their young men were killed, they lost their horses (their means of transportation), their camp was filled with a horrid foul smell that everywhere they went their nostrils burned from the stink, yet…
They did not return to God. They didn’t even turn to yell at God, “what is going on?”
In Amos 4:11 Amos wrote, “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.”
Israel had even been defeated by their enemies (akin to Sodom and Gomorrah). We remember that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed and they burned. Amos was reminding Israel they had not been burned and destroyed and God was still waiting for them to return.
Yet they did not return to God.
So in Amos 4:12-13 Israel was told by the prophet,
“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
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!”
God gave Israel chance after chance after chance and they still did not turn to God.
In the same way the New Testament warns us in Hebrews 2:1-4 of a warning before destruction. The Section Title says it is a ‘Warning Against Neglecting Salvation’, and scripture tells us, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
From personal experience I know interpreting dreams and visions must be done carefully. I had my first dream from God when I was twelve years old and I had visions and other dreams after that to this day. I had the benefit of living with my dad for many years and he helped me understand the dreams. His number one gift was teaching and he taught me how to listen. One thing I learned is that silence is essential and silence in today’s culture is difficult to obtain.
I used to ask me da how long I had to sit in silence.
He taught me two things.
First, you have to sit long enough to clear the noise in your brain.
Second, just before God reveals what is coming if I’m really still I will recognize (feel) the Spirit come.
Amos did not live in a noisy world. He had the benefit of silence in the mountains.
Spiritual Practice: Listen
Sit in silence and listen for as long as it takes to clear the noise in your head so you can hear God.
In God, Deborah
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