November 24, 2021
Author: Pastor Mark Bauer
November 24, 2021
"This is what the Lord GOD showed me; behold, he was forming locusts
when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was
the latter growth after the king’s mowings. When they had finished
eating the grass of the land, I said, 'O Lord GOD, please forgive! How
can Jacob stand? He is so small!' The LORD relented concerning this: 'It
shall not be,' said the LORD. This is what the Lord GOD showed me:
behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured
the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said, 'O Lord GOD,
please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!' the Lord relented
concerning this: 'This also shall not be,' said the Lord GOD."
Amos 7:1-6
We have an example of intercessory prayer.
As we read those verses I am sure you noticed that there was a repeat
of a pattern. A pattern in which Amos is given a vision from God; a
vision warning of God’s judgment that was coming. After he receives this
vision it is followed by Amos’s response. He speaks to God, he prays to
God and he pleads to God for forgiveness and that God would cease this
judgment. Then we see that after his prayer then God responds to his
prayer, God answers Amos’s prayer.
As we look back at these verses in Amos 7:1-6 we see here the
warnings of judgment are pictured in two different ways. First we see
there is a judgment of locusts. It says he was forming locusts, God was
forming locusts; locusts that would swarm across the land; locusts that
would destroy all the vegetation and crops in their path. You can
imagine for an agricultural society, the coming of locusts that would
devour the grass is a severe judgement. It is a judgment that would
result in famine and devastation in the country.
While some commentators see this as a warning that God was going to
be sending actual locusts, others said this may be a picture of God’s
judgment of an invading army that would be coming that would be raised
up by God, a nation that would come and an army that would devastate the
land. In either case though, Amos is being warned by God of a coming
judgment. A judgment upon the nation, a judgment that will be so severe
and widespread that it will cause destruction throughout the land.
In a similar way we see a second picture. In verse 4 we read, “The
Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire. God will be sending a fire,
a fire that will burn up everything in its path; a fire that is so
intense that here it is described as even devouring the great deep.
Perhaps this is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea; a fire that is so
intense, so unstoppable that it will even consume water. Much like the
fire from heaven in Elisha’s time which will lift up the water in
trenches. This will be no isolated fire. It won’t be contained in just a
small area. No, it will be a fire that will spread throughout the land
and it will devour, eating up the land.
So Amos is warned of these judgments and we might ask ourselves, “Why
is God sending these judgments?” But Amos knows. We are told by God
that these judgments are being sent because of sin. In Amos 2:4, 5 we
read of the prophecy of the judgment that is to come upon Judah, “Thus
says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will
not revoke the punishment, because they rejected the law of the LORD,
and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked. So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.’”
I think we see in these verses that the reason for God’s judgment is
sin; the sin of the nation, the sin of rejecting God’s law, the sin of
disobeying God’s command, sin that is resulting in the idolatry of the
nation, sin that is leading to oppression of the poor and needy. The
people of the nation were doing evil in the sight of God. They were not
doing good. They preferred to listen to lies rather than heeding the
pleas of God, God’s messengers, His prophets who had come to them
warning of this judgment, pleading with the people to repent, to return
to God.
We see that the root cause of this judgment of God is the sin of the
nation; the people have forsaken God. Having this vision then, how does
Amos respond? What does he do? We read again, we see that Amos speaks to
God, he prays to God to forgive. He says, “Oh Lord, please forgive.” He
prays for God to cease, “Oh Lord, please cease!” And do we not
throughout Scripture see examples of intercessory prayer such as this
intercessory prayer by Amos. Many of God’s people have been warned of
judgment to come upon the nation and God’s people cry out, they pray.
They pray for God to forgive the nation of their sin; they pray to God
for him to cease the judgment that is going to be sent.
I think back to those that have heard of the coming judgment of God
when they respond and they see this. I think one of the motivating
factors for them is that they respond and pray to God because they know
that God is a god of mercy. They know God’s character. So often in
Scripture he is described as the Lord God, a god merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Can we not be thankful to
God that he is a god of mercy? Though we are so small and undeserving,
yet God is merciful, God answers our prayers, God forgives. When we
repent often times God will cease to take that action. He does not carry
out the judgment that he has warned will be coming.
We see in verses 3 and 6 of Amos chapter 6 God’s answer to Amos’s
prayer. It is described as “The Lord relented concerning this.” The
judgment and punishment that God showed to Amos in these two visions,
the Lord says, “It shall not be.” What a blessing it is that God hears
and answers intercessory prayer. Is this not a mystery for us? How do
our prayers work together with God’s sovereign will? I like the way one
commentator put it, “The Lord has ordained all of history and works all
things according to the counsel of His will.” So God knew that Amos
would pray and that he would relent when he gave the visions of the
locusts and the fire. He even ordained Amos’s prayers and his relenting
in eternity past. But Amos did not know what the Lord had ordained, nor
was he expected to. The same is true of us. We are to pray for God to
move and believe that he can, all the while remembering his sovereignty
over all. I see these verses as an encouragement to pray. Pray knowing
that God hears our prayers and he answers our prayers.
C.H. Spurgeon put it this way, “This ought to encourage you, who are
the king’s remembrances, to make use of the position in which his grace
has placed you. And to cry earnestly to him, to turn away his wrathful
hand and to have pity upon sinners. God grant that many of us may have
such an intercessory spirit as that of Amos, the herdsman prophet.”
I hope that as we consider these verses that they would be an encouragement for us to pray to God.
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