Amos 2:4-16 Evil Religion

Amos 2:4-16

There’s something very satisfying about justice. When the baddies get what they deserve! Whether it’s in a movie like Die Hard where thieves and hostage-takers get stopped by our hero, our everyman – John McClane. Or when a politician is arrested and sentenced to prison for breaking the law. Or the Nuremburg trials where the Nazi leaders had to take responsibility for their atrocious and evil actions.

We like justice! Justice is good. Particularly on our enemies, those who have wronged us in the past. But what if we are the ones who have been unjust? Suddenly we’re not crying out for justice when we are the ones who have to say sorry, or admit that we were wrong, or make restitution (give back the stuff we took or broke).

We like the Bible, we like Christianity, when it condemns theft and murder and child abuse - but we don’t like it when the message suddenly turns from the evildoers (pimps, prostitutes, warlords, abusers) to US. ME??? Me? What have I ever done? How dare you! I’m good.
Well, you may well be. Maybe you truly have never hurt anyone in words or action. Maybe you’ve never thought a horrible thought in your life or said one little lie. But I doubt it. You see, maybe compared to the rest of us you might come out well. But if we compare to what we should be? Compared to Jesus who is the Perfect Human, the Second Adam (as we learn in Romans 6)? How do you compare then? How do I compare.

God is a Holy God, a Great King. He is perfect in his majesty, awesome in his power – like a blazing sun he will consume the darkness. That is what we are called to be! Blazing suns of holiness. But we - we are not even the flicker of a candle, we are shadows and dust, a faint echo of what we were created to be. And like shadows are destroyed by the light when dawn breaks - so will we when we face the holy God. I will send down fire… and all the fortresses…will be destroyed. Our God is a Holy God, an all-consuming fire.

We’re going to look at this chapter under three headings:

1. The shocking twist in Amos’ message

2. The evil religious people

3. The True Exodus! (I’ll explain this when we get there!)

1. The shocking twist in Amos’ message

Imagine yourself now an Israelite in 770BC, listening to the words of Amos. As we saw last week, Amos began with the words of God judging the nations around Israel. God roared out his anger at their abuse of people. How dare they treat people as if they were worthless! Slave trading, crushing people like harvesting crops, murdering unborn babies and their mothers, and even trying to kill people for all eternity by burning their bones. All this was known to the Israelites, experienced by them. Maybe some had lost loved ones in these attacks, or even escaped from slavery or a brutal attack.
There was no friendship between Israel and its neighbouring countries. There was war and distrust and hatred and continual small battles all along the border. So, exactly like the Middle East today, then…. 3000 years and we’ve learned nothing.

So, you’ve gathered to hear the words of the prophet Amos, declaring “this is what the Lord says”. And he starts by condemning the hated nations. Yes! At last! Justice! As Amos condemns Damascus, then Gaza, Tyre, hated Edom, Ammon and finally Moab – how do you think people would have been feeling?
Good! Maybe even shouting their approval. Yes! And then Amos says: 4 This is what the LORD says: “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished!
Oh, hang on, that’s getting a bit close isn’t it? I mean, we are two separate nations and all but we’re still the people of God, aren’t we?

More than a few people may have started to get a bit uncomfortable when Amos announces that the Lord will judge Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the people of Israel, in the same way he judged the surrounding nations: 5 So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”

And then the hammer-blow falls, and their shouts of triumph die in their throats. Amos says again: 6 This is what the Lord says. Oh no! Is it us next, oh dear it is isn’t it. Oh I can barely bear to listen.... 6 This is what the Lord says: “The people of Israel have sinned again and again”

Imagine the shock on people’s faces as Amos tells them that God knows exactly what they have been doing – and that their veneer (thin covering) of spirituality, of religion, doesn’t work. God sees what they are doing, just as he sees what the other nations are doing – and he will judge them all. Empty religion is no protection from an angry God.

With the benefit of nearly 3000 years separating us, we can laugh at their stupidity. But what if Amos then turns to us and says “The people of Norway have sinned again and again”? Or let’s bring it even closer to home “The people in Rock International Church have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished”.

How often do we think the same as the Israelite in 770BC? Think we can fob God off with a bit of religious duty, while live the rest of our lives the way WE want to, in rebellion against him.

He is a Holy God, a Great King. He is the God who sees, nothing escapes his gaze. Do not mistake his patience for approval for your evil acts. His patience is given to allow us time to repent and turn to him.

Be shocked. God is not just concerned with those “out there”, but with you. With your life. How you have lived. How I have lived. This is the “twist” in Amos. This is his real target. Israel. The people of God. You and me. The people of God.

And the people have been evil.

2. The evil religious people of God.

The first thing to notice is that the basis of judgement (the reason WHY God judges) is different from the other nations in chapter 1. Have a look at verse 4 They have rejected the instruction of the LORD, refusing to obey his decrees.

The nations were judged because they treated other people badly – they placed no value on human life, something which we should just know is wrong. I am a human, I am valuable – stands to reason that others are valuable! But now, with his own people, the reason they are judged is because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD. They knew better. They had been TOLD by God how they were to behave as his holy people.

And it made no difference whatsoever.

You see, being told what we’re doing is wrong does not make us automatically stop and repent. Because the problem isn’t a lack of knowledge but the problem is sin. And until you understand that you will always struggle! Your kids aren’t naughty because they don’t understand that hitting is wrong. No, they hit because they want to hit. That violence comes from within, from the desire to be God, to rule, to make other people do what you want them to do!

The Law, God’s Law, was given to show the people how sinful they were – and to reveal to them their need for a saviour: God himself. The Bible itself reminds us that it was not given as 10 steps to perfection, as another way to be right with God. Only God can make us right with God.

The opening words of the 10 Commandments: Ex 20:2–3 (NLT) I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 You must not have any other god but me.

And in Amos chapter 2 what do we find the Israelites doing? Breaking the first commandment. They corrupt his name. Worship him like Baal. They ignore his laws: Do not steal, do not covet (that’s the heart of greed and jealousy: wanting strongly something that belongs to somebody else. Covet – it’s a good word, and something that we’re all guilty of!).

They are 5 led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. What kind of lies? That happiness is found in owning things, amassing wealth and power. That greed is good. That sex outside of marriage is good. That religion can be made up, and that it’s good. And if you make sex part of your religion that’s even better! That’s what the Israelites were doing: both in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

6 They sell honourable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals 7 They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way.

Look out for number 1. Hey, it’s just business. Well, you should have read the small print in the contract before you signed it.
The word translated “honourable” in verse 6 meant “innocent before the law”. What was happening is that the justice system was corrupt. Judges were open to bribery (silver), verdicts were sold for as little as a pair of sandals or cases were brought over as small a matter as shoes—such was the covetousness (greed) of the time. The helpless were simply trampled by those with money and power, the rich getting richer and the poorer getting poorer. Isn’t it good to know that we have progressed so far in 3000 years. With all our vast knowledge and technological expertise we’ve managed to stop greed and abuse and exploitation.
Lack of knowledge is not the problem. It’s here, within us. You see, the Israelites knew what they were doing is wrong:

Ex 20:15 “You must not steal.

16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbour.

17 “You must not covet your neighbour’s house. You must not covet your neighbour’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour.”

But they did not care. And neither do we.

7 Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name.

Wanton sexual immorality. Mocking God’s good order, his good provision of lifelong sexual union in marriage. Sex in marriage is good! Very good. Sex outside of marriage will hurt you very badly indeed. It’s not designed for that. It’s like petrol: put it in the tank, it’s good! Spray it around all over the petrol station – it’s very very bad!

Ex. 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.

But it’s worse than that – they are “corrupting his holy name”. What were they doing? Well, there was a Canaanite god called Baal. The Canaanites were the ones who used to live in Israel before God judged them for their evil. Cleverly the Israelites are now doing exactly the same things, even worshipping the same gods! See, Baal was cool: he was the god of fertility, and he needed regular reminders to keep the land and animals and people fertile. And the way you reminded him was… yes, you guessed it, by having sex with the temple prostitute. Even worse, they were pretending to be worshiping God: the holy Lord was being worshipped as a Canaanite Baal. The judgement in v7 is of the whole community, ‘father and son alike’, being involved in orgiastic Baalism with “the girl” at the temple. They have become like the Amorites who lived in Canaan before them. They are Canaan! So God warns them 9 But as my people watched, I destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. I destroyed the fruit on their branches and dug out their roots.

How much Baalism is in our society today! Sex is worshipped unconditionally. Women being reduced to objects – to be used and then tossed away as needed.

8 At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security.

Ex 22:25–26 (NLT) “If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. 26 If you take your neighbour’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset.

They weren’t doing that - instead they were going to church with these clothes on! How disgusting. Rebelling against God – glorying in their rebellion! Then spreading a thin layer of religion over the top and thinking that the Lord of Heaven and Earth will be fooled.

How often do we do that? How often do we come to church with our sins hanging out as obvious as wearing someone else’s clothes, and we smear a small layer of religious devotion over it and think God will be pleased. Oh, we may even call it “grace” – but grace is not given so you can live your own life then pretend to serve God on Sundays. No, grace is given so you can stop pretending to be good enough, so you can come to church with your sins and confess them, not hide them. Say to God “I have sinned against you, broken your laws, rebelled against your kingship”. We come here as adulterers, porn addicts, liars, murderers, greedy people, full of jealously and discontentment, gossips, back-stabbers, Baal-worshipers! Let us remember that God accepts us just as we are. Let us repent. Let us remember that the purpose of the Law is to drive us to Jesus! We need a saviour, and he is waiting.

Let’s not be like the Israelites, 12 command[ing] the prophets, ‘Shut up! Lalala, don’t tell me I have to repent. Pretending we’re good enough.

The religious people of God are evil, and will be judged.

3. The Exodus (rescue)

10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years, so you could possess the land of the Amorites. 11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. Can you deny this, my people of Israel?”

They were rescued from Egypt, set apart to be different, to be God’s people. But now they have become like the Amorites. Become like Egypt. Corrupt, rebellious. Evil! They need a new Exodus, a new rescue!

We, too, are called to be different, set apart – but when I look at the church in the West today I see very little difference between us and the world. We have become like the nations around us. We are Amorites, we are Egyptians.

Now I hope by now I’ve been able to destroy your confidence in yourself. I hope you are feeling despondent (hopeless) as Amos’ message comes to bear on you and blasts out its condemnation. I hope you feel like the Israelite in 770BC should have felt. I hope you hear the truth of the statement “The people of Norway have sinned again and again, and they will not go unpunished.” “The people of Rock International Church have sinned again and again, and they will not go unpunished” or put your own name here “Daniel has sinned again and again, and he will not go unpunished”

We need a rescue don’t we? We are in Egypt, an Egypt in our hearts, in slavery to sin, to the whims of our emotions, our desires. Whatever *I* want when *I* want it.

We need a new Exodus, a new rescue to save us from our Egypt of slavery to sin.

And dear friends, that’s what we have! Because God’s warning to the Israelites is a warning to turn to him and to seek forgiveness. The blazing torch of the Law lighting up our sinfulness and exposing our dark deeds is there not to condemn but to cause us to stop pretending we’re good enough and to cry out to God to help us. Like little children. And his reminder of the Exodus is a reminder that he is the God who saves.

“Daniel has sinned again and again, and he will not go unpunished” This is true! We will not go unpunished. But the question is who will bear our punishment. That is the glory of the True Exodus that Amos looked forward too, but which we know. The true Exodus took place on the Cross. That is the glory of the Cross. For there God stretches out his arms and cries out in a loud voice as he bears the punishment for sins committed by others. Jesus swaps places with us. He takes our punishment.

Israel may have been shocked by the twist in Amos’ message. They may have been afraid as his words revealed their evil hearts, the evil religious!, but they could flee to God and beg for forgiveness, beg for rescue from slavery, beg for the true Exodus, the true rescue, where God himself swaps places with us and takes the punishment we deserve.

“Daniel has sinned again and again, and he will not go unpunished”

That is right and that is good. I have sinned and I deserve punishment. I am not holy – and I don’t have to pretend to be! The glory of the Gospel is that, like a little child I can come with my broken life “I broke it, Daddy” , and Jesus bears the cost, he pays to fix it, to fix it forever.