The prophet Amos had a difficult message to present to his audience. Amos, whom God chose to be his mouthpiece, was told to leave Judah and travel to Israel to rebuke the king and the people. The problem with the Israelites was that they had gotten too comfortable and greedy. Their complacency and luxury resulted in lifting themselves up at the expense of others. When Amos comes to town, he relays God’s feelings to the Israelites and explains how God is fed up with them (Amos 5:21–24). Why was God upset?
- They were prospering from other people’s misfortunes (2:6–8).
- They did not learn to appreciate what they had (4:6–10).
- They would not turn from evil and pursue good (5:10–15).
- They boasted in their luxury (6:4–7).
- They failed to realize they would be measured by their own standard (8:3–14).
How had the Israelites gotten so complacent, prideful, and greedy that they drew God’s attention and wrath? First, they did not listen to God’s word (2:11–12; 3:7; 7:7– 16); and second, they put what they had above who they needed (5:4–9).
Their troubles are not unique; the same pitfalls can trap us too. When we fail to seek guidance from God’s word and trade his wisdom for the world’s advice, we begin to look like the Israelites. Our world says, “Find meaning in yourself! Do what makes you happy! If you want something; get it!” This is bad advice that contrasts with heavenly wisdom (Jms. 3:13–4:10). God does not expect Christians to walk around poor and ragged, but he does tell us not to love the world or the things in it (Matt. 6:19–24; 1 Tim. 6:10, 17–19; 1 Jn. 2:15–17).
How can we test ourselves to see if we are like the Israelites or not? One test is to examine how we give our money to God (it’s not really our money — Ps. 24:1–2). Here are some questions to consider:
- When you give to God, do you give off the top or from the leftovers (2 Cor. 8:1–5)?
- Do you give to God sporadically or regularly (2 Cor. 8:9–15)?
- Do you give to God joyfully (2 Cor. 9:1–15)?
This assessment is the same one God used on the Israelites in the book of Amos. They kept the best part for themselves, they gave when they abused others, and they found no joy in serving God.
Let’s hear God’s word through Amos and heed the warning through the example of the Israelites.
Billy Camp
Billy grew up at the Decatur Highway congregation in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduating from high school, he moved to Montgomery to attend Faulkner University. In 2012, he graduated from Faulkner with an undergraduate degree in Biblical text. He then went on to complete his Master’s degree in New Testament Studies at Faulkner and his Ph.D. from Liberty University in Christian Apologetics. In addition to serving with our family ministry and preaching, Billy also teaches in the Bible department at Faulkner University.
Billy is married to the former Shelby Vega and they have three children: Kinley, Roman, and Lewis. He works with the Family Ministry at Dalraida and also preaches and teaches classes regularly.