God uses the plumb line today to show men’s degradation. He uses it in the form of certain judgments He allows to fall. He uses it also in the form of His Word which reveals God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness. He uses it also in the form of His perfect Son compared with whom all men appear undone. What does the plumb line show with respect to your life? . The Charge of Amaziah Amos 7:10-15 Amaziah, the royal chaplain of King Jeroboam, intimates that Amos had no business speaking as he had against Jeroboam and the Northern Kingdom. He ought to go back to Judah and there prophecy and earn his bread. But Amos stoutly affirms that he came not to min ister in Israel at his own charges, but that God had called him to this unpleas ant task (w . 14, 15). Therefore, he was God’s ambassador and could but speak the things that were demanded of him' by his superior. Every believer is very much like this. We are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). It is incumbent upon us to give forth the message that Christ gives us; not to consult with men to see what they would like to have us speak. The Message of the Fruit Basket Amos 8:1-3 This is the fourth of the five visions appearing to Amos. He saw a basket of perishable fruit. This symbolized the end of Israel’s present history. If we could read the account in the Hebrew language the significance would be clearer. The Hebrew word for “ summer” is similar in sound to the Hebrew word for “ end” (v. 2). The implication is this: as the summer is the end of the year and the time for ripe fruit, so Israel is ripe for the ending of her national existence. Amos saw a basket of “ fall” fruit, and immediately he thought of the approach ing “fall” of Israel. Are there any signs of “ fall” in your life? Helps for the Children Amos, the Shepherd Preacher Amos 7:14, 15; 4:13; 5:4; 7:10-13 Memory Verse: “ Seek the Lord, and ye shall live” (Amos 5:6). Amos, the shepherd, heard God’s voice as he was following his flock, saying, “ Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.” Amos had been thinking of the wrong doing of God’s people in the city of Bethel. They needed someone to preach to them and to plead with them to return to their God. God’s people were to be greatly punished if they did not obey His voice, but God said through Amos, “ Seek the Lord, and ye shall live.” Great though their sins were, God still loved them dearly and yearned for them to love Him as they had in the past. The high priest who should have rejoiced at the message Amos brought asked Amos to leave Bethel and not to prophesy there any more. The high priest told the king that Amos had conspired against him. This was not true. Amos had brought
God’s warning that the king would be killed and Israel led away as captives because they had forsaken the Lord their God. God’s courage enabled Amos to boldly speak His message that God’s children might repent of their sins and return unto Him. Whatever the occupation or work of a child of God, he should be ready at a moment’s notice to serve as God’s mes senger. The heart of his message should be the same as that of God’s message through Amos, “ Seek the Lord, and ye shall live.” April 23, 1950 The word Temperance includes far more than many put into it. It really means Self-control in any sphere of liv ing. It does not relate simply to the mat ter of drinking, though, of course, that is included. Amos was a very practical man. He was firmly convinced that a person’s living should be in conformity with his profession. He found this not to be so in the kingdom of Israel to which he was sent to speak for God. Does God find it not so in our lives? The Consequence of Drinking Amos 4:1, 2 Certain ones in Samaria are likened to the fat kine of Bashan, a land east of the Jordan famous for its pastures and cattle (Deut. 32:14; Psa. 22:12). The word kine is in the feminine, sug gesting the effeminacy of the nobles in the land or that the social matrons of the land are meant. In the latter case the term masters (v. 1) would refer to the husbands of the Jadies who are sought to provide more drink to satisfy their thirst. Whichever view is taken, the result is clear (v. 2). The guilty ones are soon to experience the most humiliating kind of captivity. They were to be led away with ropes fastened to rings in their lips, as pictured on archaeological remains. It is always so. Drunkenness leads to captivity. It leads to humiliation. It breaks homes and brings poverty. The Consequence of Reckless Living Amos 6:1-6 A woe is pronounced upon those who are guilty of careless living in Zion and in Samaria. There is a principle here that operates in any land and among any people. Men cannot treat lightly the things of God and expect immunity from sorrow and judgment. Boastful pride was prevalent both in Zion and Samaria. They considered themselves “ chief of the nations” (v. 1). They were bidden to consider other places that were strong in their day but succumbed to enemies (v. 2). Shall it be different with Jeru salem and Samaria? Unbelief also char acterized these people (v. 3). They did T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S CONSEQUENCES OF INTEMPERANCE AND INJUSTICE Amos 4:1,2; 6:1-6; 8:4-7 Pointers on the Lesson
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