Reflections from Amos and Jonah

Amos was a shepherd and farmer from the Judean village of Tekoa, about five miles south of Bethlehem, who had a vision and became a prophet for the Lord. Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II in Israel and Uzziah in Judah (Amos 1:1). This would have been around 760 BC, making him a contemporary of Hosea, Joel, and Isaiah.

Amos was distinctive as a prophet for a couple reasons. First, by his own testimony he was “neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet” when the Lord called him into service (Amos 7:14).

That is, he had not been trained as a prophet, nor was he seeking the office.

The Lord simply decided to use him.

Also, most prophets proclaimed their message to their own nation.

Amos was called from the southern kingdom of Judah to proclaim God’s word in the northern kingdom of Israel. In fact, the idolatrous priest of Bethel told Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there” (Amos 7:12).

God’s words to Israel in Amos 5:4 are also God’s message to every human being: “Seek me and live.” Although angry with His own people, Israel and Judah, and ready to punish the pagan nations around them, God’s deepest desire was that they would turn from their sins and repent.

Scripture plainly says that He desires that for us, too.

(Source: Who is Amos in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org)

The prophet Amos is one of many places in the Bible we see a display of God’s anger.

God is not a cosmic Santa or heavenly slot machine where we insert our prayers and name and claim our jackpot.

God is not always happy! He can get angry and His love is holy and burns with a fire to rescue us from ourselves and snares of the enemy.

If we seek to know Him we must hold both truths of His righteous anger alongside grace.

The fact that I even have to say it and that it sounds so opposite of current North American Christian teaching is an indication how far we have strayed.

And He did not get anger management classes between the Old and New Testament.

He is the God who was and is and is to come, and He does NOT change.

He can however change His mind.

Not because He is fickle, but because His judgments seek human response.

What could possibly make an Omniscient God change His mind?

His fervent love that longs for reconciliation can cause Him to change His mind about bringing disaster if we repent.

Because the need for repentance was the reason it was necessary to bring judgment in the first place!

People, listen, the judgment of God intrinsic to His Holiness is shaped by His compassion on the

victims of the evil in the hearts of humanity. John 3:17

And His judgments can be remedial action wrapped in longing for restoration.

My daily Bible reading plan has me in Jonah today.

We can learn a lot by reading it.

Jonah is mad at God for sending him to the Assryrian town of Nineveh.

This was a country that was Israel’s enemy, and therefore, Jonah’s enemy.

Which is why, when God sent him there, Jonah went in the opposite direction.

Jonah 4: 1 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 2 Then he prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was this not what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore, in anticipation of this I fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster. 3 So now, Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 But the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

Jonah knew God was merciful and forgiving and did not want God to forgive his enemies.

When we have a hard time understanding the judgements of God knowing this motivation helps.

And in the end, who are we to question Him anyway. He is God and we are not.

What an injustice to attempt to reduce God to what our minds can consider.

On that note I want to return to what started this discussion. The anger I read in Amos.

It had quite an impact on me. In light of the inanity of current trend in church whereby so much pleasure is taken in the ‘worship experience.’

Yet our lives do not seem to be changed by our songs.

Amos 5: 18 Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion
And a bear confronts him,
Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it? 21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.
22 Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 But let justice roll out like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

I felt the weight of both the anger and compassion of God while I sat with those words.

The God who judges is the same God who relents.

From that place of contemplation I scribbled the following poem.

Party On!
Party on my people,
Go ahead,
Party on.
Though you skip and sing
self-seeking, sanctimonious songs
and make declarations of devotion,
your dance is a demand.
Your cheap and cheerful pipers
playing platitudes
will not move me.
Party on!
Party on in my honour
though I am not invited.
And if I were,
I would not come.
You may fool some,
but your brash banging
of gongs and cymbals,
your playful palaver,
produces no peace.
You are no God-whisperers!
I rage in my bones at your mockery,
not because I despise you,
but because Great Love
seeks its answering reflection
in love and care 
for your neighbours.
Instead, you exploit.
Your lying lips betray
hearts aflame
for false lovers;
gods who cannot hear,
cannot answer.
So, eat, drink, and be merry!
Party on.
The day you claim
to long for
will come.
But will I find faith on the earth?
My people 
who do not yet know
You are my people
dance
to your own destruction.
Your anthems to freedom
are nothing like the jubilation,
freedom found
on that Great Day!
The chains you seek to shake off
are cords of love
drawing you
with tenderness
to a yoke that seeks 
to guide 
not dominate you
like the god you know.
But your quest for freedom
Binds you to him.
He is a hard taskmaster.
But
I am coming,
And my reward is with me.
You will see
THEN!
The party of the ages will arrive,
a wedding banquet!
I will dine with those
who waited
with upturned faces.
Oh, 
that yours
would be among them!

I so hope you hear His heart reflected in my words.

The prophets in the bible always pull us back to the blazing center of who God really is.

He is holy, just, merciful, unchanging, and fiercely committed to our restoration.

I yearn for us all to stop our dalliances and distractions.

That we could just walk away from it all and return to the One who calls us home.

To the simple gospel, no noise or hype, just obeying Him and loving others like He did.

His Day is coming. The Bridegroom King is coming!

Oh, that we would be found ready with upturned faces.

All the love, my friends.