Israel's Coming Exile
Comments for Study 3
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I. Woe Against Perverted Religion (5:18-27)
>1. What is the Day of the Lord?
* "The day of the Lord" -In Hebrew this is "yom YHWH".
* "the day of the Lord" -"In the last days" and "in that day" and "the day of the Lord" all referred to the future from the Old Testament prophets' point of view. They all referred to events concerning Jesus first and second coming. The day of the Lord is the time when God reveals His sovereignty over human powers and human existence.
* Besides Amos six other Old Testament prophets (Isa. 13:6,9; Eze. 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31, 3:14; Oba. 1:15; Zep. 1:7,14; Mal. 4:5; perhaps Zec. 14:1 too) uses the term "the day of the Lord". Sometimes they abbreviated it to "that day". It was familiar to their audience, a term by which the audience expected light and salvation, but the prophets painted it as a day of darkness and judgment (Isa. 2:10-22; 13:6,9; Joel 1:15; 2:1-11,31; 3:14-15; Amos 5:20; Zeph. 1:7-8,14-18; Mal. 4:5). The Old Testament language of the day of the Lord is aimed at warning sinners among God's people of the danger of trusting in traditional religion without commitment to God and to His way of life. It is language that could be aimed at judging Israel or that could be used to promise deliverance from evil enemies (Isa. 13:6,9; Ezek. 30:3; Obad. 15). The day of the Lord is thus a point in time in which God displays His sovereign initiative to reveal His control of history, of time, of His people, and of all people.
* Eschatology is the teaching concerning the last things in world history. The Greek word "eschatos" means "last" or "final". Accordingly, eschatology is the study of the things expected to occur at the end of history. This does not include what will happen after the Lord Jesus creates the new heaven and the new earth as described at the end of Revelation.
* 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
* 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 "When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord."
* 2 Corinthians 1:13-14 "For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus."
* 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 "Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
* 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
* 2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
* 2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."
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>What misconception did Israel have about it?
* Amos 5:18 "Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light."
* Amos 5:20 "Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-- pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?"
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>What is it compared to? (19)
* Amos 5:19 "It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him."
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>2. What did the Lord have to say about their religious gatherings? (21-23)
* Amos 5:21-23 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps."
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>Why did he reject them? (24)
* Amos 5:24 "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
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>What can be learned about worship that is acceptable to the Lord?
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>3. What could they learn from the history of their ancestors? (25)
* Amos 5:25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?"
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>What did they replace for true religion?
* Amos 5:26 "You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god-- which you made for yourselves."
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>What would be the result of exchanging a life of faith for superficial religious practices? (27)
* Amos 5:27 "Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty."
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II. Woe Against Complacent Pride (6:1-7)
>4. Why had God's people become complacent? (1)
* Amos 6:1 "Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!"
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>What were the notable men to consider? (2)
* Amos 6:2 "Go to Calneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?"
* "Calneh" -The Bible mentions two cities called Calneh. One was one of the four cities founded by Nimrod. (Genesis 10:10) The other was in Syria under Israel's control in the days of Amos and Isaiah. (Isaiah 10:9) It may be modern Kullan Koy in northern Syria, on the Euphrates River and Arpad near Aleppo, about six miles (10km) south-east of Arpad. This Calnah suffered conquest by Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria in 738 B.C.
* "Hamath" -City-state located in the valley of the Orontes River, roughly 120 miles north of Damascus. Excavation indicates this mound was occupied as early as Neolithic times. Hieroglyphic inscriptions first discovered by J. L. Burckhardt in 1810 attest early Hittite influence in Hamath. Throughout much of its existence, Hamath functioned as the capital of an independent kingdom. The southern boundary of Hamath served as the northern boundary of Israel during the reigns of Solomon (1 Kings 8:65; and 2 Chron. 8:4) and Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25,28). The entrance of Hamath” was treated as the northern border of Israel (Num. 34:8; Josh. 13:5; Ezek. 47:15-17,20; 48:1) and served as an accepted geographical expression (Num. 13:21; Judg. 3:3). In 738 B.C. Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria exacted tribute from Hamath together with other states including Israel. Following the fall of Samaria in 722-721 B.C., Hamath was devastated in 720 B.C. by Sargon II of Assyria (Amos 6:2). Refugees from Samaria may have been exiled to Hamath by the Assyrians, while refugees from Hamath were brought to Samaria along with their god, Ashima (2 Kings 17:24,30; Isa. 11:11). From this time, Hamath'’s history seems to merge with that of Damascus (Jer. 49:23). (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* "Gath" -Gath was the fifth main Philistia city had been subdued by Uzziah. (2 Chronicles 26:6) When the word of destruction came to the other four cities in chapter 1, Gath was not mentioned.
* "your two kingdoms" -Judah, the southern kingdom and Israel, the northern kingdom (house of Joseph in 5:6).
* The point here is that Judah and Israel were to consider if they were any better than these cities.
>5. What do they put off and what will that bring? (3)
* Amos 6:3 "You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror."
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>According to verses 4-6a how do they put it off?
* Amos 6:4-6a You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions"
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>According to 6b what is the day of terror they bring near?
* Amos 6:b "but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph."
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>6. What will be the result of this complacent attitude? (7)
* Amos 6:7 "Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end."
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>What did Jesus warn the church? (Rev. 3:1-3)
* Revelation 3:1-3 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."
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III. The Lord Declares Judgment (6:8-14)
>7. What does the Lord abhor?
* Amos 6:8 "The Sovereign LORD has sworn by himself--the LORD God Almighty declares: "I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it."
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>What is spiritual pride?
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>8. When the destruction comes how complete will it be? (9-10)
* Amos 6:9-10 "If ten men are left in one house, they too will die. And if a relative who is to burn the bodies comes to carry them out of the house and asks anyone still hiding there, "Is anyone with you?" and he says, "No," then he will say, "Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD."
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>Why might they not want to mention the Lord's name?
* "Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD."
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>What does this show about their misunderstanding of the Lord?
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>9. What is the answer to the questions in verses 12-13?
* Amos 6:12-13 "Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness--
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, "Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?"
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>How does this apply to Israel and Judah?
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>10. What command was given? (11, 14)
* Amos 6:11 "For the LORD has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits."
* Amos 6:14 "For the LORD God Almighty declares, "I will stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah."
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