We’ve begun a look at the message the Lord sent through His prophet Amos. He has spoken a series of judgments against Israel’s neighbors: Damascus (Amos 1:3-5); Gaza (Amos 1:6-8); and Tyre (Amos 1:9-10). Then He moves to Edom, the descendants of Esau: twin brother of Jacob; son of Isaac and Rebekah. Remember, Esau dishonored his parents by marrying two Canaanite women (see Genesis 26:34) and later, Mahalath (see Genesis 28:8-9), the daughter of Ishmael (Abram’s son by Hagar – see Genesis 16:15).
And remember who Jacob was? Twin brother of Esau; son of Isaac; grandson of Abraham; who, after a divine struggle (see Genesis 32:28), was given a new name, Israel (“wrestler with God”), and became the father of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.
Remember, too, that at the time of Amos, Israel was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Amos was a resident of Judah sent by God to the people of Israel.
Chapter 2 continues the Lord’s warning, beginning with a condemnation of Moab, the descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. This people stemmed from an incestuous relationship between Lot and his eldest daughter. Warned by the Lord of the cities’ impending doom, Lot, his wife and two daughters fled from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see the entire account, including the very interesting demise of his wife in Genesis 19:14-29) and became isolated cave-dwellers. Fearing that their family line would end with them, Lot’s daughters intentionally loaded their father with wine and then slept with him, the eldest giving birth to Moab (“from father”), the father of the Moabites; and the younger giving birth to Ben-Ammi (“son of my people”), the father of the Ammonites – see Genesis 19:30-38.
And then the Lord addresses Judah: “…I will not turn back My wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah…” (Amos 2:4b-5a).
Why is the Lord angry with His people? (1) “They have rejected the law of the Lord.” (2) They “have not kept His decrees.” (3) “They have been led astray by false gods.” (4) He’s been patient; this has been going on a long time – “the gods their ancestors followed.”
Do you see the United States in this accusation? You certainly should. If you aren’t in the U.S., do you see your country in this accusation? Any “Christian nation” is made up of Christian people. And Christians produce Christians by not only “talking the talk” but “walking the walk.” How about you?
In an e-mail to CBN national correspondent David Brody, President Obama wrote: “Whatever we once were, we're no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”
Don’t get mad at our President for speaking the truth. We should get mad at ourselves for not doing a better job of representing our Lord and leading others into His kingdom.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is from the New International Version (NIV).
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