Amos 4: Prepare to Meet Your God!
IN 1741 JONATHAN Edwards preached his most famous sermon: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." After using vivid imagery to make non-Christians feel the horror of their position, Edwards concluded: "Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come!" God used that sermon to bring a powerful awakening to the town of Enfield, in New England. The prophet Amos preaches a similar sermon in this chapter. After warning Israel repeatedly to return to the Lord, he now declares: "Prepare to meet your God!"
Warming Up to God
Recall a time when you wandered from God. What brought you back?
Read Amos 4. »
Discovering the Word
- The area of Bashan was noted for its fat, sleek cattle. How does the lifestyle of the women of Israel contrast with the judgment the Lord swears to bring upon them (vv. 2-3)?
- Bethel and Gilgal were centers of worship for the northern kingdom (1Ki 12:26-33; Hos 4:15). What was sinful about Israel's worship at these places (vv. 4-5)?
- What words would you use to describe each of the judgments the Lord brought on Israel (vv. 6-11)?
- Amos proclaims to Israel, "Prepare to meet your God" (v. 12). In light of this chapter, what kind of "meeting" could Israel expect this to be?
- The chapter closes with a brief hymn describing the God Israel would meet in judgment (v. 13). What do we learn about God from each aspect of Amos's description?
Applying the Word
- How can we keep our worship from becoming empty ritual?
- God's tenderness, even in the midst of judgment, is evident in the repeated words "yet you have not returned to me" (vv. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). How have you experienced God's grace in the midst of discipline?
Responding in Prayer
Take a few minutes to worship God, using this hymn as the basis for your prayers.
For Further Study
The Message of Amos by J. Alec Motyer