THE KING’S BUSINESS
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time (cf. Gen. 39:2, 3, 23; Phil. 4:8, 9). That is reward enough: to have the God of hosts with us is well worth while, though all human society should be against us. v. 15. “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gra cious unto the remnants of Joseph.” True goodness may be summed up in the seven words with which this verse opens: “Hate the evil and love the good” (cf. Ps. 97:10; Rom. 12:9). This is what our Lord, Him self, did and that'is why God anointed Him with the oil of gladness above his fellows (Heb. 1:9), and if'we love “righteousness and hate iniquity God will anoint us with the oil of gladness. Perhaps we think we do hate the evil and love the good, but do you really hate the evil? Do you really hate sin? You may dread the consequences of sin and therefore keep from it, but do you hate sin as sin? Do you hate everything that displeases God? If you indulge in thoughts of evil that you would not do, but that you like to think about, then you do not hate sin. Do you really love righteous ness, love the good ? Do you so love it that you are willing to make any sacrifice to se cure it? This is the path of true blessed ness (Heb. 1:9). If Israel as a nation had obeyed God’s word as spoken here through Amos, the Lord God of hosts would have been gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. Some day they will obey, and God will be gracious again to Israel (Rom. 11:25-29). What was God’s ideal for Israel ? Deut. 33:29. What was Israel’s condition now? 2 Sam. 1 :19. Was there always to be a remnant? Rom. 9:27. Has God a little flock now ? Luke 12:32. (2) Life for Those Who Seek, vs. 4-6. God’s message is “Seek Me and life,” v. 4. Seek not in the haunts of idols, v. 5.
rapidly growing iniquity in our own land and day. (3) “Turn aside the needy in the gate.” The gate was the place ,where court was held (Deut. 16:18; Ruth 4:1). How difficult it is for a poor man to get justice in courts of law today. The rich man usu ally gets off, even when he is guilty, though it may cost him money to do it. The poor man often does not escape even when he is innocent. This is an enormity in our na tional life, and which He will sternly punish in His own good time. v. 13. “Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.” All that a prudent man can do in such a time as Amos describes, and such a time as exists today, is to “hold his peace,” “keep silence” and wait upon God, except as God calls him to lift up his voice as a trumpet and show the people their sins (Isaiah 58:1). Amos here describes his own day as an “evil time.” All times are evil and all times will be evil until the Kina- whom God has appointed shall come (Eph. 5 :15, 16; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 5:19). v. 14. “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken." While the times are evil (v. 13), the indi vidual may be good. The thing for us to do in this evil time is to “Seek good and not evil.” The result of thus seeking good and not evil will be that Jehovah, God of hosts, “will be with us” even in this evil (1) Jehovah’s Lamentation Over Israel, vs. 1-3. The Lord commands Israel to hear, v. 1. Israel is fallen, forsaken and without a helper, v. 2. Cities shall be depopulated which have had a thousand soldiers, v. 3. Questions: What relation had Israel to Jehovah? Deut. 7 :6; Ex. 19:6. Did they doubt God’s Word ? Deut. 1 :32.
LESSON OUTLINE
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