Introduction: This week we come to the end of our study of the book
of Amos. How would you guess a book like Amos should end? After all
of the warnings, after all of the predictions of gloom and doom, how
would you write the last chapter? Let’s jump in and see how things turn
out!

  1. Repair


    1. Read Amos 9:11. Verse 11 starts out, “in that day.” What
      day are we talking about? (Let’s go back and revisit Amos
      9:10. “That day” is the day of judgment and destruction of
      sinners.)


    2. Let’s go back and finish up the entire sentence by reading
      Amos 9:11-12. Out of this destruction, what is God’s
      promise for the future? (That He will make things as they
      used to be. He will repair what He has destroyed.)


      1. Who is “Edom” and why would they (the righteous) want
        to possess it? (J.A. Motyer’s commentary on Amos
        explains that Edom represented all that was hostile
        to the kingdom of God. After defeating the evil of
        Edom, what is left (the remnant) will not only be
        possessed by God’s people, but it will (v.12) “bear
        [God’s] name.” Note that King David was the only one
        to conquer and hold the literal kingdom of Edom. (2
        Samuel 8:14))


    3. Read Acts 15:15-18. What is James quoting? (He is quoting
      the text we just read in Amos!)


      1. Let’s find out what this is about. Read Acts 15:1-2.
        What is the controversy? (Whether and how the
        Gentiles can be saved.)


      2. Read Acts 15:7-11. How would you summarize Peter’s
        argument?


      3. Read Acts 15:13-20. How does James use and understand
        his quotation from Amos 9? (He uses it as God’s
        prediction that gentiles will become part of God’s
        people and that His people should not “stand on
        ceremony” to prevent them from joining.)


    4. Is it proper for James to quote a text that, as we know
      from our study of Amos, is a prediction of doom for Israel
      that actually took place a long time before? (This is an
      important principle of prophecy. Some prophecies have
      multiple applications. James was completely correct in
      applying the prophecy of Amos to his time.)



    1. How do you explain that Amos 9:12 refers to “possess[ing]
      the remnant of Edom?” (This is the great gospel
      commission! By converting “gentiles” we “may possess the
      remnant of Edom” just as King David “possessed” Edom. The
      difference is that we possess it by persuasion and
      conversion – not conquest.)


    2. As you consider Amos 9:11-12 do you see any “conversion”
      possibility here? Is there anything here that would cause
      you to convert if you were an unbeliever? (What else is
      Amos all about, other than conversion? Why would God send
      a messenger to threaten people with destruction if he did
      not have a redemptive goal? The goal of Amos is to have
      the people repent and return to God. That is apparently
      what happened to a “remnant.” That is part of God’s
      “repair.”)


    3. Is this message from God as relevant today as it was in
      the days of Amos and James?


  1. Future Farmers


    1. Read Amos 9:13. I must say that since I don’t have a
      background in farming, this is a little difficult for me
      to understand. Let’s work it through. What are the
      “reaper” and the “one treading grapes” doing? (They are
      gathering in the food and processing it.)


      1. What are the plowman and the planter doing? (They are
        preparing the soil and putting in the seed.)


      2. So, what is going on if the two preparing the soil
        and putting in the seed are “overtaking” the two who
        are gathering the food and processing it? (It seems
        the people are not done gathering and processing the
        food from the last growing season when the people
        putting in the new crop come on the scene.)


        1. Is that good? (Yes! It seems to say they have a
          harvest that is so huge they cannot get it all
          in and processed before the next growing
          season.)


      3. Why would new wine “drip” from the mountains and
        “flow” from the hills? (This is another picture of an
        abundant harvest. The land is “sweating” grape
        juice!)


  2. Enjoy


    1. Have you ever heard of a situation where a person works
      for 30 or 40 years and then retires, only to die a few
      months later? Why is that so troubling? (They did not get
      to enjoy the retirement they deserved.)


    2. Read Amos 5:11. Do you remember this as part of the
      judgment that Amos promised? Now read Amos 9:14. What is
      the difference here? (God promises that those who are
      faithful to Him will be allowed to live in their own
      cities, drink the wine of their vineyards and eat the
      fruit of their gardens. No one will take the “reward” of
      their work away from them.)


    3. Are you looking forward to a retirement of sitting back
      and watching television? Is that the picture we have from
      God about the future? (No. God has work in mind for us.
      What makes the difference is that you get to keep what you
      have made.)


      1. What does that suggest about how we should live life
        now?


      2. Amos is filled with warnings about the rich
        mistreating the poor. What lesson might we find in
        verse 14 about how we should treat the poor? (The
        common complaint in Amos is that the rich are
        cheating the poor. They are taking advantage of
        them. Nowhere does it suggest that the rich have an
        obligation to help individuals who are unwilling to
        help themselves. Indeed, the goal seems to be a
        productive life where you get to keep what you have
        earned. Amos approach to the rich is to be fair and
        kind to the poor. His approach to both the rich and
        the poor is to work. This accords with Paul’s
        statement in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 if you don’t work
        you should not eat. God’s goal for our life is to
        enjoy productive work.)


    4. Read Amos 9:15. Why does God say He will “plant” Israel?
      (He looks forward to His people growing.)


      1. Earlier, we discussed the multiple fulfillment of
        prophecy. This seems to be a prophecy that could
        apply to our future in heaven. If this is a view of
        heaven, how is a plant a good analogy? (There are a
        couple of ideas here. First, God looks forward to us
        “growing” in heaven. Our wisdom and spiritual
        insight will continue to develop. Second, the plant
        has a special relationship with the land. The word
        picture here is that God will give us a place to live
        that will help us to grow. It will be a pleasant
        place.)


    5. Friend, how about you? Do you look forward to a time and
      place when you never have to worry about someone “taking
      away” your family members? Never have to worry someone
      “taking away” your life or your stuff? Do you look forward
      to a pleasant place? This is what God offers to those who
      are faithful. Will you decide today to be part of the
      “remnant of Edom?”


  3. Next week: We start a new quarter on the “Cosmic Conflict
    Between Christ and Satan.” The title of our lesson next week is
    “War in Heaven.”