Like a Roaring Lion-Part 6 Amos 5:1-17 Morning Worship – September 6, 2020 First Baptist Church – Kearney, Missouri Dr. Kenneth J. Parker, Senior Pastor Like a Roaring Lion Amos 5:1-17 (read 5:1-3 here) o There are twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. o There are five major prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Detour – God is meticulous about how His Word is constructed. Chiasm Lamentation as announcement (vv. 1-3) Admonition (vv. 4-6) Accusation (v. 7) Hymn (v. 8a-e) Yahweh his name (v.8f) Hymn (v. 9) Accusation (vv. 10-13) Admonition (vv. 14-15) Lamentation as announcement (vv. 16-17). 1) The people of God should lament over disobedience (5:1-3). • Lament is not a word we hear or use often. While there may certainly be some variation in terms of shades of meaning or nuances of definition, essentially lament means to mourn, grieve, or express sorrow. o 5:6a – “Seek the LORD and live . . .” o 5:15 – “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 of Joseph.” • “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel . . .” Fallen in the Old Testament usually is a reference to someone who has died tragically, not someone who dies more naturally from old age or even diseases that come with old age. Paul Washer – “People tell me judge not lest ye be judged. I always tell them, ‘Twist not Scripture lest ye be like Satan.’” The people of God should lament over disobedience. 2) The people of God should hold out hope (5:4-7). • They “turn justice to wormwood.” That’s a picture of how perverted their so-called justice had become. • Notice if you will that the people are called upon, not to seek some activity connected with a spiritual site (like Bethel or Gilgal), but rather to seek Yahweh; to seek the Lord. “Seek the Lord and live . . .” • “My help comes,” writes the psalmist in Psalm 121:2, “from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” • I Don’t seek God in a person, place, or movement; seek God, period. • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - “No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” The people of God should lament over disobedience. The people of God should hold out hope. 3) The people of God should recognize the sovereignty of God (5:8-9). • If God is King, if he is sovereign over the stars and the seasons and the light and darkness and the rain and drought, is it possible he is sovereign over your life, as well? The people of God should lament over disobedience. The people of God should hold out hope. The people of God should recognize the sovereignty of God. 4) The people of God should prepare for God’s judgment (5:10-17).
