Amos 7: the advocate

Amos 7:1-17

Christian did a fantastic job last week on chapter 6, a difficult passage, and clearly brought out the message of the text: Israel, the people of God, have sinned terribly, judgement is deserved and is looming, and they must repent. Chapter 7 carries on from chapter 6, showing the Heavenly courtroom, with the judge seated on the throne considering his judgement. Is all lost for Israel? Is there any hope? Well, tonight we see the answer is yes, there is hope for Israel, and there is hope for us. We have an advocate, a representative in the courts of Heaven: Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
3 points tonight:

1. The right judgement
2. The merciful advocate
3. Accept the advocate, or die

1. The right judgement

Picture the courtroom. Here we have the accused, Israel. The evidence has been presented of their failure to obey God – time and again we’ve seen over the past couple of months in Amos 2-6 how they have disobeyed him, rejected him, tried to make him in their own image (make a new God, a god more like us) – and then worship that God, the God of their imagination.
And the consequences have been devastating. Injustice, sexual immorality, slave trading, dishonest judges taking bribes, the rich exploiting the poor, entertaining themselves on their ivory beds, crying “bring us a drink!” while their land lies in moral ruins- and they don’t care.

We’ve seen that time and again God has warned them to repent. Time and again he has spoken, the Lion has roared from Zion. In chapter 4 we saw how He has used natural disasters to get their attention. But they were as hard-hearted as Egypt during the Exodus. He has allowed sin to run its course, allowed them to taste the fruit of their sin and see that it is bitter, poisonous. They have rejected God, and the fruit of that rejection is bitter. The fruit of their beliefs is the immorality of Israel. The tree is rotten, and so the fruit is poisonous.

How much does this ring true of us, of our own nation? How rich we are, in our “ivory beds” shouting “bring us another drink”, “entertain me!” And we care nothing of the ruin of our nation.

Think about our attitude to church. How important do we think it is, really? How desperate are we to hear the word of God? How do we think about time and money and relationships – as OUR time, OUR money, OUR relationships. I get angry when God challenges me to give more time to the church, more time to people, more time to prayer, more time to studying the Living Word. I get angry, my grubby little hands trying to hold on to MY TIME.

What a fool I am! I am not my own. I belong to God – twice. Once because I am made by Him, I am his creation – and then bought back by His blood on the Cross. What a fool I am when I say this is mine, this money is mine, these relationships are mine. I am like Israel in 760BC, showing the poisonous fruit of sin and selfishness.

If we are happy to disobey God what kind of God are we worshiping? Certainly not the God of the Bible!! Like in Israel, when “Christians” are happy to lower their moral standards, and ignore the Bible’s teaching on sexual immorality – all around us we have Christians moving in together, sleeping together. In the church! How can we introduce people to the Living Holy God if we are living filthy unholy lives. And that’s just our public sins! What about all that we do in private thinking that the Almighty does not see, does not know.

Like Israel, we have decided to worship God our way. We are under judgement because we are wicked adulterous rebels against the Almighty. We have decided to put ourselves on the throne and declare what is right and acceptable, and ignore his words.

What we deserve is utter destruction. 1 The Sovereign LORD showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. 2 In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight.

And again in verse 4 Then the Sovereign LORD showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land.

That is what we deserve. Utter, complete, judgement. That is justice. That is the sentence of a just God over an unjust people like Israel, like us.
Remember back in chapter 1 when we saw the sins of the surrounding nations? How they treated people like garbage, mowed them down with machines of war, sold them like cattle, like products to be disposed of, and pregnant women ripped open simply to gain a few more acres of ground. God warned them that justice was coming for them – and come it did. In 732BC, Damascus was wiped out. In 734BC Gaza was destroyed, followed by Ashdod in 711BC and Ekron in 701 BC. Tyre and Edom were swallowed up by Assyria; Moab and the Ammonites simply disappear from history. All the nations surrounding Israel – gone.

Utter, complete destruction. Like an evil stain being erased from the world.

Now you might be thinking at this moment: But we’re not like them. Norway is kind and considerate and we help people. We’re not like Israel: I am not unjust. I don’t cheat the poor. I give to charity. I am righteous in my own eyes.
And that’s exactly the problem. We don’t want to hear God’s thoughts on the matter, but our own. Aw, it’s not so bad, I’m not so bad. How often do you find yourself explaining away your own bad behaviour, your own lies, your own failures, and painting over them?

We must ask ourselves why Amos has 6 or 7 chapters out of 9 on judgement. Why Isaiah is about 40 chapters out of 60 of God saying “they have sinned. they are wicked. They will be judged. (if they don’t repent). Why has God written the Bible this way?

Why? Because we don’t think that we are wicked and in need of salvation. And we don’t think we are wicked because we don’t think God is Holy and Perfect, but just a little bit better than us.

Reading the prophets, reading the Old Testament is to hear the great bass notes of the Gospel. It’s the deep truths, the driving rhythm for the glorious news of a Holy God who loves his people. You see, if we don’t understand that we are wicked, we will not understand God’s judgement. And so we will change the great and frightening truths of the Bible, until we have a melody with no power, a church of weak knees and feeble arms, so thin and weak it cannot stand.

We must understand it, must feel it. Do you feel eternity?! Do you sit with the burden of our friends, our neighbours who in the words of 6:3 push away every thought of coming disaster, but [their] actions only bring the day of judgment closer.

That Day will not be a big party, but will be terrifying. Remember 5:18–21 That day will bring darkness, not light. 19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the LORD will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.

A terrible Day is coming. Are you ready? Are you weeping on your knees for your loved ones, your neighbours, your friends, yourself? Are we before God pleading for Notodden? Please God, move in mercy, not in judgement. We are so small. Please don’t wipe us out.

What we deserve is utter destruction. But we have a merciful advocate.

2. The merciful advocate

The key to understanding this chapter is in verse 1. The Sovereign LORD showed me a vision. This time he did not say “and he said” “thus says the Lord” or “hear this word” There is no roaring from the Lion. This is not a message for Amos to speak, but a message for Amos to respond to, to plead on behalf of his people.

Amos takes the role of Israel’s advocate, standing in the gap. Like Abraham, like Moses, so Amos pleads for his people. This is not uncommon. Time and time again we are shown this pattern in the Old Testament: God has his chosen agent, the representative for the people.
Why? So when the Bible shows Jesus speaking to the Father in our defence we understand what that means. He is the mercy of God interceding for us against the judgement of God. 1 John 2:1-2 puts it like this My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

Now, finally, we can understand how God can relent, can change his mind and not send right judgement – which our wickedness and Israel’s wickedness deserves - but instead he can forgive, relent. It is powered by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

So remember that. Remember that when you sin, when you feel guilty and dirty and altogether unrighteous, that you have an Advocate in Heaven saying “covered, by the blood of Jesus. Paid for in full.” Isn’t that amazingly good news!!! Our sins are covered!

So when you feel condemned, when you have sinned, when guilt overtakes you, remember Amos 7, and verses 2 and 5
2 Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” 3 So the LORD relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.
5 Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” 6 Then the LORD relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign LORD.

Daniel has sinned, said the Sovereign Lord, and he deserves judgement. His wickedness is a stench in my nostrils. Behold the vision of his punishment!
Father, please forgive him, says our Advocate Jesus. My body has been broken for him, for his punishment. My blood has covered his sin. And the voice from the throne says “Justified! Not guilty! I will not punish him. His cost is paid in full.”

And Daniel says Thank you God!

This also works when we are about to sin. Remember the cost to save you, remember the glorious grace given to you, remember that you are a beloved child of God, and don’t do it! Call sin sin and turn away from it, for it is evil and destructive!

We must not sin, but when we do sin, we have a merciful advocate, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

3. Accept the advocate – or die!

Did you notice as we read through chapter 7 that Amos does not intercede (speak on behalf of) for everyone? He only intercedes for the elect, for the people of faith, for the remnant. Because judgement no. 3 – the plumb-line, which will divide the people of Israel according to their “straightness” (faith in God), is not interceded against. In fact, Amos proclaims this judgement to come! 8 I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins. 9 The pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.

This judgement is discriminating. It divides the country into the faithful and the wicked, those who are for God, and those against. And Amos does not intercede this time. This coming judgement is unavoidable for those who stubbornly remain opposed to God. For them there is no advocate, and they will meet God in fury at their wickedness and not in mercy.

And what a blessing and a relief that judgement will be for those who love God and weep at the ruin of the land, and risk their life to speak up against injustice, and mourn the corruption of the true religion of God. Did you see in verse 9: The evil will be purged from the land, the shrines destroyed, the temples gone, the rule of the evil king Jeroboam is over. Judgment using a plumb-line is discriminating, dividing or revealing the true people within a professing people, the remnant (true Israel) within Israel, the Church within the church. And their beliefs will be reflected in their actions.

Cue Amaziah, in verses 10-17.
Amaziah, the priest, the centre of Israel’s religious life. And we see again that being religious is no guarantee of salvation – if your religion rests on anything other than the free grace of Jesus Christ then you are in serious trouble. We read in the Bible study on wed night in Romans 10:2-4. And we see again the same message here in Amos 7. Religion will not save you. Only Christ can save you.

So Amaziah the religious man is offended when he hears God’s word condemning his idolatry and condemning the wickedness of Jeroboams reign. “How dare you…” he says – instead of falling to his knees in repentance. No, he raises his own feeble voice against the roar of God! 12 Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: “Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! 13 Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”

But Amos rightly responds by saying these aren’t MY prophecies, but the Lord’s: 15 But the LORD called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’

So just like Korah in the time of Moses, like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus, and like many churches and pastors and preachers today, even here in Norway, Amaziah finds that he is raising his voice not against the voice of a man, but the voice of God.
Friends, never be afraid to proclaim the truth of God. You may be rejected, you may lose friends, you may be ridiculed or thought odd – but God is with you. Look up to Heaven like Stephen the first martyr and SEE Jesus by the throne of the Father, proclaiming the truth of your forgiveness. Don’t be afraid.

But if you, like Amaziah, are choosing the easy path, the popular path, the path of earthly power and prestige: well, listen to the devastating words of God.
There is massive irony here – humorous if it weren’t so terrible. v16 “You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel. Stop preaching against my people.’ 17 But this is what the LORD says: Your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed. Your land will be divided up, and you yourself will die in a foreign land. And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile, far from their homeland .

Oh, how dangerous it is to set our feeble voices up against the roar of the lion. The church lies in ruins, our country lies in ruins when we ignore what God says. How dare we! How dare we only preach the “easy” passages. How dare we let days go by without studying his word. How dare we go to church and Bible study only when we feel like it. We must meet together, encourage each other, listen to his word, to spend time in prayer, to be with our Christian family. We need each other. What a blessing we have to have a day set aside for meeting as God’s people. Let’s use it! Let our lives show that we love God and obey him. Let the world see our fruit. Let us repent of our sin, and throw ourselves on the mercy of our advocate, Christ Jesus. Revival starts with us.

Let us not be fooled: the Word of God is inescapable, unchanging. Amaziah is religion without repentance before the word of God. May God grant us mercy that we do not fall into the same trap!

And let us like Amos intercede (pray) for our town, our country. Please, Lord, we are so small, please have mercy.

And let us proclaim the great and glorious news that though we are wicked and deserve God’s right judgement, we have an advocate, and he pleads for us with his nail-scarred hands and his pierced side. We deserve judgement, but through Christ we can receive mercy. Let us turn to Him and accept it. Thank you Lord. Thank you Heavenly Father for your mercy.