Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa a city about 10 miles south of Jerusalem, 6 miles southeast of Bethlehem. The valleys between covered with olive trees and pastures. Yet, it was from there that Amos was called to go as a prophet to the Northern Tribes of Israel, despite being from the regions habited by the Southern tribes of Judah. The “Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem. The pastures of the shepherds mourn. And the top of Mount Carmel withers.” Watch this closely. Shepherds, lowliest of the people mourn, while the elites party on. Mount Carmel shone forth God’s glory through Elijah. Baal prophets proven heretics there; but now this mount will wither away. Truth and Glory cast aside by the people. Their pretense of worship in vain. They did not love or serve God. Therefore, justice and righteousness must pour down like a mighty river.
What else can God do with such a people as these? Despite all the miracles, all the prophets sent, and patience provided by God through mercy after mercy given; the people rejected Him by every action they did. Oh, some spoke the words. But they did not love God, worship God, nor care about His commandments. They made up rules of their own. The elites lived lavish lives, professing God blessed them because they were His chosen. Meanwhile, they were cruel task masters over the poor and needy. There was no chance they would tell any others about God’s saving grace. Their pride consumed them. Worship is something they did on their own terms without any concern as to “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Sounds familiar does it not? After all look at Martha’s Vineyard this week? Or churches who care more about numbers than truth. No compromise too great!
The Lord Roars- Then and Now
So, let us look in Amos 2 and note many of the similarities and just how disgusting this was toward God.
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
How quickly have our politicians, our leaders, and even those in our churches cast aside righteousness. So, easily we allowed them to take God out of our schools, our entertainment, our government, our theme parks, and even our stores. Were we not sold out for silver? And the poor entrapped into their poverty, so some could march to power.
7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted. (ESV)
Anyone who looks at the humanitarian crisis at our Southern border see this happening. The poor people, believing themselves to have a chance for a better life come to the border. Promised a dream they are being exploited, raped, sold into slavery to the cartels, and children trafficked as sex slaves. This is not a humane effort in any way shape or form.
A man and his father go to the same girl;
in this way they show disrespect for my moral purity.(NET)
Sexual perversion runs rampant throughout our country as well.
8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral.
(and) do so right beside every altar!
They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied.
(Furthermore) they do so right in the temple of their God! (NET).
Sin ran rampant within the walls of God’s temple. They had no shame whatsoever pretending to be “righteous” with no conscience as to what they are doing.
After All He Did—The Lord Roars
9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites.[ai]
They were as tall as cedars[aj]
and as strong as oaks,
but I destroyed the fruit on their branches[ak]
and their roots in the ground.[al]
10 I brought you up from the land of Egypt;
I led you through the wilderness for forty years
so you could take the Amorites’ land as your own. (NET)
Have we not been blessed as a nation? What an amazing constitution we were given by our founding fathers! That took the providential hand of God to have done that. They were not perfect men, but they prayed, and God answered. Think of all the years we have been blessed as a nation through some very rough times and yet through many revivals bringing us back to God.
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for Nazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ (NET)
How corrupted have become our churches? Many do not even allow the cross on their steeple nor their pulpits.
And for All This: The Lord Roars
13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not retain his strength,
nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord. (NET)
Judgement will come and it will come swiftly. This is certain.
The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fishhooks. Amos 4:2 (ESV)
“I overthrew some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were as a brand[b] plucked out of the burning;
yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
13 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!
Have you Forgotten ?
Who formed the world and holds it together in the palm of His Hand! He is who you choose to spit in His face. Oh, awaken and remember the Great I AM. He is calling you into His presence. Will you go?
He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress. (Amos 5:8-9)
What about your phony, self-righteous worship? The Lord Roars:
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24)
On September 12,
a new executive order was signed by President Joe Biden. This is paragraph 3 of that executive order.
“For biotechnology and biomanufacturing to help us achieve our societal goals, the United States needs to invest in foundational scientific capabilities. We need to develop genetic engineering technologies and techniques to be able to write circuitry for cells and predictably program biology in the same way in which we write software and program computers; unlock the power of biological data, including through computing tools and artificial intelligence; and advance the science of scale‑up production while reducing the obstacles for commercialization so that innovative technologies and products can reach markets faster.”[1]
When humans rise up to be gods, we know the Lord Roars! Therefore, whatever may come, Let Righteousness Pour Down Like a Mighty River.
Instead, let us Seek the Lord
Even now, with all that is going on. Let each of us seek good, seek God that the remnant will be saved.
Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant
Afterall, near Amos’s home 762 years later, Jesus was born inside the Migdal Eger (the tower of the flock) as prophesized by Micah.
And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Micah 4:8
It was the shepherds first told of His birth. Afterall, they knew exactly where to look—the manger where the sacrificial lambs were born and wrapped in swaddling clothing. The shepherds knew and believed what the priests refused to accept—Jesus Christ came to be the sacrificial lamb for all of us.
The lion of Judah roars, while the lamb dies to pay the penalty for our sins.
What a wondrous King we have.
5 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [a]and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and [b]to loose its seven seals.”
6 And I looked, [c]and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Worthy Is the Lamb
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made [d]us kings[e] and priests to our God;
And [f]we shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and [g]ever!” Revelation 5 (NKJV)
Concluding Thoughts:
God weeps as He looks down on humanity. He so desires they would choose Him to be wrapped with Joy and Love. But the Lord Roars for justice. He knows without justice and righteousness, there is no peace. Also, without choice there is no love. He will not force anyone to come to Him. Patiently, He reveals Himself in the heavens and even in the gifts of love we feel in our hearts. As C.S.Lewis once pointed out, there are the fleeting moments of such exquisite joy that we know there must be something else more beautiful than we can imagine.
There most definitely is something more. I, too have felt it, long for its fullness, and would walk through fire for just one touch of His magnificent Grace. How I wish I could tell you fully of His loving kindness. Or tell you of how He has held me in the night while singing a soft gently lullaby over my trembling soul. He is real. I often said this following song by Kim Walker Smith represents the life song of my heart.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/12/executive-order-on-advancing-biotechnology-and-biomanufacturing-innovation-for-a-sustainable-safe-and-secure-american-bioeconomy/