Amos

Amos 8: God withholds His words in judgment

Begin in prayer

Before we read of God sending a famine of hearing His words, please ask Him to help us listen now. Bring your children to the Lord and ask Him to show us Jesus as we read.

“Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

Jeremiah 23:29

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us the famine of hearing Your words, the sins we hide and the Saviour we need. Give us hearts that hear You and care for the poor. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

God shows Amos a basket of summer fruit and declares that Israel’s end has come. The traders ask when holy days will end so they can cheat the poor and sell bad grain. God swears that He will never forget their works. He will shake the land, darken the day and turn their feasts into bitter mourning. A famine of hearing His words will leave people searching without finding them, and idol worshippers will fall forever.

As you read Amos 8, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God will punish Israel’s sins and send a famine of hearing His words.

Summer fruit was picked at the close of summer, fully ripe and unable to keep, so the basket shows Israel’s end has come. The traders keep the new moon and Sabbath while wishing those days would end. They want to give less grain and demand more silver through false measures and weights. Even the refuse of the wheat becomes something to sell to hungry people. God remembers these sins, though the traders treat poor people as goods to buy. Their festivals will end in grief as bitter as mourning for an only son. A famine usually leaves people searching for food, but this famine leaves them without God’s words. They will search far and wide without finding the word they need. Having refused God’s warnings, they cannot command Him to speak when judgment comes.

How does Amos 8 show us that God will punish Israel’s sins and send a famine of hearing His words?

God remembers those who cheat the poor.

The traders want worship days to finish so they can return to dishonest business. An ephah measures grain, and a shekel weighs silver. By making one small and the other large, they give less and charge more. God swears that He will never forget their evil works.

God will turn feasting into bitter mourning.

The songs of the temple will become wailing, and many bodies will lie in silence. God will shake the land and darken the earth in the clear day. Sackcloth and shaved heads will express the grief that replaces their celebrations. The loss will be as bitter as mourning for an only son.

God will withhold the word people need.

God’s judgment reaches beyond the food and drink on which life depends. He will send a famine of hearing His words. People will wander in search of His word and will not find it. Those who swear by false worship will fall and never rise again. God has now spoken His clearest word in His Son, so this is the time to listen to Jesus.

Memorise

I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing Yahweh’s words.

Amos 8:11

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what sin am I hiding instead of listening to Jesus and coming to Him?

Amos sees “a basket of summer fruit”. God tells Amos that the end has arrived for His people Israel. They plan to cheat the poor, and He says, “Surely I will never forget any of their works”. He will send a famine of hearing His words. Their feasts will turn to mourning, as for an only son.

We cannot hide selfishness behind outward worship. Each of us needs the Saviour. Jesus bore the sin of His people on the cross and suffered God’s judgment in their place. His death secured His people’s forgiveness once and for all. He rose from the dead.

Hear His call today and come to Him. Turn from your sin and put your trust in the Lord Jesus. Jesus does not hide His word from sinners who come to Him, and He forgives them. Ask Him to uncover the wrong you have tried to hide. Christ has spoken, and His promise to believers will stand.

Parent's note

Tell your children that refusing to hear God is sin, and losing His word is a fearful judgment. If the many dead in verse 3 trouble a child, speak of it gently and keep the warning clear. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for letting us hear His Word, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so please allow each one a short prayer if they wish.

That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life

1 John 1:1

Lord God, thank You that we can hear Your Word today. Please give each of us ears to hear and hearts that turn from sin to trust Jesus. Keep us from dishonest dealings and careless worship. Help us listen to You and care for people in need. Amen.