October 1927
T h e K i n g ' s - B u s i n e s s
647
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International Lesson Commentary
Heart of the Lesson—K.L.B. Devotional—David L. Cooper Little Folk—Mabel L. Merrill
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' ded the more specific injunction: “Hate the evil and love the. good.” It is mere empty talk that speaks of God being with a man when he himself is not controlled in heart and life by hatred of evil and love of good. Until men hate evil and love good there can be no equity in the administration of justice and no reign of truth and right eousness in society. This is not a prin ciple that rules in the natural heart of man, and our New Testament teaches us that it is not until the Lord Jesus Christ comes to dwell in men’s hearts by faith that evil does really become hateful to them and. good becomes their supreme desire. Who can fail to see how perfectly the message of Amos fits the day in which we live? Are there not still limits to God’s forbearance Our land has like wise been greatly prospered. God has given us many great and devout men to press upon our people His warnings and entreaties.. Steadily influential leaders have been seducing the people away from the old Book and the old faith. Fearful apostasy stalks abroad. Rejection of Christ, defiance of the commands of the Bible and ridicule of His worship are in the very atmosphere today.. It is hard to fight against God. All of our twentieth-century wisdom and all of our scientific devices put together can never withstand Him when His pa- tiencfr; comes to an end. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near.” —o— P i t h a n d P o in t Many a man is willing to hear the Word—if it has to do with the other fel low’s sins (cf. “against you,” v. 1). There can be no real attachment to the Lord until there is detachment from the world (v. 5). God endures no rivals. He is not sought truly unless He is- sought only. He who seeks out perishing gods must expect to perish with them (v. 6). The God Who is able to turn the shadow of death into morning and to make the day dark, is able to turn sor row to joy and the prosperity of sin ners to outer darkness (v. 8). That which is not honestly gotten, will not long be enjoyed (v. 11). All sin is against God and its guilt is heightened when it is done against light (v. 12). —o— _ S u g g e s t iv e Q u e s t io n s Who is the Virgin of the New Testa ment? (2 Cor. 11:2.) What is the proof that a man has really sought the Lord? (V. 6. Cf. v. 14.) See if you can discover a seven-fold re sult of truly seeking the Lord? (Vs. 6, 9, 14, 15.) . Is the God of all power in the universe ready to use His power for individuals, and on what terms? (V. 8. Cf. 1 Pet mm What is the folly of living by op pressing others? (V. 11. Cf. Psa. 49:10, 13-15.).
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Amos Pleads For Justice LessOn Text—Amos 5:1-15
'T ' HE chapter before us is called in the first verse a ‘-‘lamentation,” or dirgef A study of the whole book will show ‘that it is a record of denunciations. In
“Bethel shall come to nought" (v. 5) This is among the last references to this place. Josephus tells how poor little Bethel, once justly called “the house of ■God” and now “the gate of heaven,” was by the Roman arms crushed into oblivion. ■Twelve miles north of Jeru salem, there is today a wretched, filthy, little Mohammedan town called “Beitin,” which marks the site of ancient Bethel. Vers-es 7-9 emphasize the majesty and might of the God Who had thus spoken to His people. The leaders who perverted judgment to -wormwood (v. 7) (bitter wrong) and who struck down righteous ness to the earth, were bidden to remem ber Him who ruled in the heavens, Who ordained the courses of the stars, Who sent light and darkness, Who ordered the succession of the seasons, Who poured floods of waters upon the earth when He chose to do so— “the Lord is His name” (v. 8). What suicide to oppose such a God! ■This magnificent description of. God’s power concludes with an expression which must have made a deep impression upon those who relied upon the military strength of their capital. Dr. Henry Cowles renders v. 9— “Who ‘makes de struction flash out upon the mighty and desolation to come upon the strong city." The verb rendered “flash out”: takes its figure from the breaking forth of the dawn upon the darkness of the night— a figure which has most, force in coun tries near the equator, where twilight is short. Vs. 10-13 further expose the impious character of the leaders of Israel. They had no use for a just magistrate-l^'/uin that rebuketh in the gate” (v. 10). At the .city gates justice was administered. The popular judge in our day is the one who is ready to give the verdict to the man who will slip him the graft. They “tread upon the poor” (v. 11) and exacted unjust wheat taxes that the. grafter-officials' might build themselves costly homes' and have plenty of booze to drink. One would almost think Amos was sizing up the day in which we iive. “Therefore the prudent shall keep silent in that time " (the judgment foretold) for it is an evil time" (v. 13). Crooked ness often masquerades as prudence, but the day will come when God will do the talking, and to Him “all their transgres sions and mighty sins” are known (v. 12). However much they may have built their costly mansions and planted their exten sive vineyards, God would frustrate their hope of enjoying them. Once more Amos urges repentance and reformation. “Seek good and not evil, that ye may live” (v. 14) ; and then is ad-
view of the low state o f morals existing among t h e nations, Amos denounced not only .Israel and Ju dah, but all the sur rounding n a t i o n s , foretelling the judg ments that were cer
tain to fall upon them. Today’s chapter predicts the approach ing period of Israel’s decline and fall, exhorts the people to seek the Lord and portrays the glory and power of Jehovah as reasons why He should be both feared and sought. Remember that Amos was not a theo logical seminary graduate (7 :14-15) but God is never straitened for instruments when He desires to warn a people of approaching judgment It is not uncom mon for Him to make use of some hum ble herdsman to stand before the people in the power of the Holy Spirit, saying: “Hear ye this word which I take up against you.” “The Virgin of Israel is fallen” said Amos; she shall no more rise." Like other Old Testament prophets, he em ploys the figure pf a virgin to denote the outwardly prosperous life of Israel— its luxury and special position upon which it prided itself. Now, at the height of its prosperity, Amos announces that it is soon to cease. The city that was able to send out a,thousand warriors should be able to muster out a 'hundred; in other words, nine-tenths of the people would perish or be removed from their land. , Even in this pronouncement, God’s con ditional promise of mercy was pressed upon Israel. “Thus saith the Lord . . . . Seek ye' Me and ye shall live” (v. 4). How remarkable was the long-suffering and patient forbearance of God in dealing with this people, who, from the first, were so disobedient and defiant! Nor is He different toward His wayward people today. In spite of all their worldliness and apostasy, He seems never to weary in endeavoring to win back their trust and loving allegiance. “Seek ye Me and ye shall live” is His persuasive injunction to an apostate church today. “Seek not Bethel and Gil- gal" (v. 5), the iniquitous centers of idol worship. Today man is setting up him self as the only God there is. The wor ship of humanity is no less obnoxious to God, nor will He fail to “break out like fire and devour” the nation that to any extent gives itself over to such apostasy.
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