Bible Studies

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The Scriptures
Amos 8:1-12 – Rotten to the Core
Key Verses: (CEV)

• 1-2: “The LORD God showed me a basket of ripe fruit ²and asked, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I replied. Then He said, ‘This is the end for my people Israel. I won’t forgive them again.’” – Summer fruit, though still beautiful in appearance, is not long for this world. Rottenness is about to be revealed.
  
  
• 4: “The LORD said: ‘You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor.” – God is upset with the disparity of wealth issues that has dominated the lives of the Israelites. A small number of wealthy were taking advantage of the poor.
  
  
• 5: “You say to yourselves, ‘How much longer before the end of the New Moon Festival? When will the Sabbath be over? Our wheat is ready, and we want to sell it now. We can’t wait to cheat and charge high prices for the grain we sell.” – Festivals and religious traditions celebrating God’s bounty have become a lower priority in their lives. Profit is now their God.
  
  
• 7-8: “I, the LORD, won’t forget any of this, though you take great pride in your ancestor Jacob. ⁸Your country will tremble, and you will mourn. It will be like the Nile River that rises and overflows, then sinks back down.” – The flooding Nile is as reliable as a heartbeat, but it is nothing compared to the reliability of God’s punishment being foretold.
  
  
• 11: “I, the LORD, also promise you a terrible shortage, but not of food and water. You will hunger and thirst to hear my message.” – The Word of God missing from their lives would create a terrible and painful void.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• As you read today’s verses, is there a portion of your life that God is holding up before you? When you look what do you see? God was providing Amos with a series of visions that illustrated His displeasure with the Israelites. The bounty of the harvest had been great and they were feeling especially blessed by God and yet, there was a rotten aspect to their lives that would soon be revealed. Does your life appear to be fresh and beautiful as a basket of summer fruit? Do you feel greatly blessed by God? Is everything going your way? Is there some hidden darkness in your life that God is asking you to address? Will you listen before your basket of fruit becomes rotten from the inside out?
  
  
• Are you concerned with the needs of the poor? God had richly blessed the Israelites but instead turning these blessings outward towards others, they plotted to make more for themselves. The wealthy Israelites were taking advantage of the poor for their own benefit. In what ways can you take the blessings that God has given you and become a blessing to others? As a great and wealthy nation, should we, as Christian Americans be pushing our government to take greater strides towards relieving world hunger and suffering?
  
  
• Do you celebrate in the Sabbath? Or do you anxiously look forward to returning to selfish endeavors? The Israelites were simply going through the motions in their rituals of thanksgiving. Their hearts were not in their worship, but instead, it was in their profits. Is your heart into your worship of God or is it filled with desire for something else? Do you sing praises in church with your head filled with the greatness of God or with plans for the rest of your day? Are you giving God your very best?
  
  
• Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Probably not. In the new covenant through Jesus Christ, God promises to be always present. However, can you think of a greater punishment then having God withdraw His Word from you? Consider the people in our world who do not know the Word. Can you think of a greater darkness? God has instilled within us a great desire to know Him. Without Him centered in our lives we feel a great emptiness. What steps can you take to help fill that emptiness for a lost soul today?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

These verses in Amos are not filled with the messages that we necessarily want to hear. God was displeased with the manner in which the Israelites were living their lives. He had had enough and punishment would soon be dealt. When we attempt to personalize these verses we come to realize that there could be some aspects of our lives God wants revealed. What darkness are we hiding from that is undoing the blessings He has provided? Are we focused on the needs of others? Do we celebrate and worship God with all our heart, mind, and soul? These are serious, life-threatening offenses. As a result of these sins, God threatened punishment by removing His Word from His people. As we consider the impact of this action, we are reminded that all God’s glory is revealed in His Word and how blessed we are to have access to it. We should not take it for granted, but instead, delve deep into it contents in order that we can grow to know God more fully and to follow His path to righteousness.

FUMC Devotionals

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