Lesson 2: Sins of the Neighbors (Amos 1&2)

Introduction: Assume you got into a dispute with one of your co-workers. How do you feel when the boss takes your side and yells at
that person – someone who deserves it? What if the boss does a really
good job of yelling? Do you sit there with a smirk on your face
thinking, “Glad that’s not me,” “They had that coming to them!” This
week we find God threatening “the other guy.” Let’s jump in.

1. A Roaring God

1. 1. Read Amos 1:2-3. Last week we spoke briefly about God
    roaring. What kind of an animal makes a roar? (Lion.)

1. 1. 1. If you had a roaring, thundering animal, would you be
      afraid?

1. 1. 1. Is that our picture of God?

1. 1. 1. 1. Read 1 Peter 5:8. Who is compared to a roaring
        lion here? (Satan)

1. 1. 1. 1. Read Revelation 5:5. Who is the lion here?
        (Jesus.)

1. 1. 2. Why would Satan and Jesus both be pictured as lions?
      Why does Amos compare God to a lion? (Amos is
      bringing to our attention the “judgment” side of God.
      We need to pay close attention if God is roaring at
      us.)

1. 1. 1. At whom is God roaring in Amos 1:3 (Damascus)

2. The Neighbor’s Sins

1. 1. The first “sinner” mentioned is Damascus. How many sins
    does it have? (Four at most.)

1. 1. 1. Considering your life, does that sound like a lot of
      sins? (Adam Clarke’s Commentary reveals that this
      does not mean a literal number. It is an expression
      of that time which is like “very, very exceedingly.”
      For example Ulysses in the Odyssey refers to “Thrice
      happy Greeks!” It meant they were very, very happy.)
    2. Who is this sinner, Damascus? (Damascus is the
      capital city of Syria, an Aramaen kingdom, and
      Israel’s neighbor to the north.

1. 1. 1. 1. What was the problem with Damascus? (They had
        “threshed Gilead with sledges having iron
        teeth.”)

1. 1. 1. 1. Gilead was an area in Israel. According to the
        historian Jerome, there actually was an iron-wheeled invention, with teeth, that was used to
        thresh grain at that time. What do you
        understand this phrase about threshing Gilead to
        mean? (It means that the Arameans were beating
        up the Israelites who live in Gilead! 2 Kings
        8:12 reveals a prophecy of Elisha, to King
        Hazael of the Arameans, saying that he will
        viciously attack the Israelites, burn their
        fortresses, kill their children and “rip open”
        pregnant women.)

1. 1. 1. 1. What has God got in mind for Damascus? (The gate
        of the capital city is going to be broken into,
        the King’s palace set on fire and the people
        taken into captivity.)

1. 2. Let’s make this relevant for today. Amos’ message in
    verse 3 is being given to Israelites. How do you think
    they felt when they heard this? (They would break into
    wild cheering.)

1. 1. 1. What would be the equivalent today? (Amos would come
      to New York City and prophesy that those running the
      terrorist operations would have their headquarters
      broken into and burned, their leader killed and their
      people exiled.)

1. 1. 1. 1. Would that be good news or what?

1. 2. I don’t often comment on our lesson quarterly, but I
    believe the commentary for Tuesday completely misses the
    point and sends us off on the wrong path. The lesson
    suggests that the “neighbors” being condemned by Amos were
    being punished “exclusively” because of their “abuse of
    the most basic human rights.” Thus, we have Amos talking
    about judgments that have absolutely no connection with
    his audience. In fact, this is not true. When the lesson
    (Tuesday still) says that Damascus was guilty of
    “excessive violence against one of its neighbors.” The
    “neighbor” was Israel! The people of Israel were no doubt
    mighty glad to hear Damascus was going to get its “just
    rewards.” The prophecy concerning Gaza ( Amos 1:6-8) is a
    reference (see Barnes Notes) to one of the “five Lordships
    of the Philistines.” Amos may very well have in mind the
    attack on Judah recounted in 2 Chronicles 21:16-17. So,
    once again, this is “payback” to an enemy of God’s people.
    Tyre, the next “bad guy” ( Amos 1:9-10) attacks the
    Edomites who were relatives of Israel. A third generation
    Edomite was, according to Deuteronmy 23:7, entitled to
    become an Israelite. This time its “payback” to the
    relatives of God’s people.)

2. The Amos Approach

1. 1. Why does Amos start his series of prophecies with
    predictions of doom for those who have hurt Israel, Judah
    or their friends? Why start with things the people might
    very well consider “payback?”

1. 1. Read 2 Samuel 12:1-5. Why did Nathan tell David thisstory? (Read 2 Samuel 12:7-10. We have a very difficult
    time seeing our own sins. We have no problem, however,
    seeing the sins of those around us.)

1. 1. Was Amos using the same approach as Nathan? (Yes. He
    started with a series of nations that the Israelites would
    no doubt say, “Yes, get them God, they deserve it!”)

1. 1. If the recent terrorist attack on the U.S. is a warning to
    us about our sins, would we readily admit it?

1. 1. 1. Should that cause us to be especially cautious about
      rejecting the idea out of hand that perhaps our sins
      are causing God to withdraw His blessings?(I was
      watching television coverage this week of what was
      essentially an anti-American demonstration in
      Washington, D.C. I heard speakers from labor
      unions(AFSCME locals), a welfare-rights organization,
      a Columbia rights organization (headquartered in
      Minnesota!) and a Palestinian-rights organization.
      Many of them started out saying that people suggested
      that the timing of this anti-American demonstration
      was poor. (They got that right!) I angrily dismissed
      these people from my mind as the “usual lunatics.”
      (To be more precise, I understood the thinking of the
      Palestinian rights group, but not the rest.))

1. 1. 1. 1. Does this say something about my willingness to
        hear criticisms of my country?

1. 1. 2. How about you? Are you willing to hear criticisms of
      your country? Your church? Your family? You?

1. 1. 1. Should we ask ourselves if the sins that we see in
      those around us are the very sins in our own life?

1. 1. 1. Every time we get ready to reprove a specific sin in
      someone else, should we first ask our self if that
      sin is in our own life?

1. 2. Let’s review. Amos tells the people of Israel about God’s
    intent to punish their enemies for what the enemies have
    done to Israel, Judah and their relatives. Since Amos is
    speaking to the people of Israel, they are probably
    standing around cheering Amos on.

2. The Sins of Judah

1. 1. Read Amos 2:4. Do you think the people of Israel cared
    about warnings to Judah? (J.A. Motyer, in his book “The
    Message of Amos,” says “probably not.” The relationship
    between the two countries was little more that “peaceful
    coexistence.”)

1. 1. 1. What was the sin of Judah? (Rejecting God’s law and
      having false gods.)

1. 1. 1. 1. Now, do you think the people of Israel, had
        reason to pause? (Yes, now I think the people
        stop their cheering and start being concerned.)

1. 2. Read Amos 2:5. What punishment is facing Judah?
    (Destruction of the capital by fire!)

2. The Sins of Israel

1. 1. Read Amos 2:6. To whom has Amos’ condemnation now turned?
    (Israel.)

1. 1. 1. What is the first sin that is mentioned?
      (Covetousness. They love money more than they care
      for others.)

1. 2. Read Amos 2:7. What is the first sin mentioned in this
    verse? (Injustice. The people run roughshod over the
    poor.)

1. 1. 1. What does a father and a son “using the same girl”
      have to do with God’s name? (The Motyer book
      mentioned earlier suggests that the Israelites were
      involved in a type of temple prostitution with “holy”
      women. The Baal temple prostitution was being
      imported for the “worship” of Yahweh.)

1. 2. Read Amos 2:8. What is wrong with going to worship with
    garments taken in pledge? (They would come to God to
    worship, but they would disobey him by showing no mercy to
    their fellow man. In Exodus 22:26, God told the people
    that if they took a person’s coat as security for a loan,
    they must return it by sunset so the person could sleep in
    it.)

1. 1. 1. Do you know people who come to worship, but show no
      mercy to others?

1. 1. 1. 1. How about you? Are you merciful to those aroundyou?

1. 1. 2. Is the sin of verse 8 drinking wine in church? (That
      is probably not the major problem. Note that “the
      house of their god” is a lowercase “g” god. This is
      not referring to actual worship of Yahweh. The sin is
      that the wine is purchased by “fines” — no doubt
      taken as part of the oppression of the poor.)

1. 1. 1. Is there a “big picture” you can see here in these
      sins with women, with coats taken in pledge and with
      fines? (You can put this all togther. First, they use
      women as temple prostitutes, they lay down to do this
      on the coats of the poor (which they were not
      supposed to keep) while they are drinking wine they
      wrongfully took from the poor! All this is being
      done in a “religious” context. Great people! Can you
      see why God is warning them?)

1. 1. 1. 1. Is this true today? Do we use religion as a
        cover for serious sins of selfishness?

1. 1. 1. 1. Would God take particular offense at that? (Yes,
        verse 7. This is particularly offensive to God
        because it profanes His holy name.)

1. 2. Friend, are you open to God’s correction? Sometimes we
    have a hard time seeing our own sins. God has to use
    messengers, like Amos, to sneak up on us and show us our
    error. The great comfort in all of this is that we have a
    God who wants us back. He warns us so that we will return
    to Him.

Next week: “Hear This Word.”