Scott Freeman

Live Blogging the ACU Lectures

September 17th, 2007 | by Scott |

We will see how this goes:

Amos: Experiencing God’s Lament

Reassuring thought: God’s primary characteristic is NOT anger.

As a matter of fact, God’s anger in scripture is out of character.

Question: How does a preacher communicate God’s anger without being dismissed.

Amos 1-2: God’s Oracles Against the Nations (Aram, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah)

Aram–Ethnic Cleansin

Philistia–International Slave Trade

Phoenicia–Slave Trade

Edom–Trying to eliminate Israel

Ammon–Ethnic Cleansing

Moab–Post-death atrocities

Judah–Disobedience? He doesn’t say.

This moves into the oracle against Israel.

Leaving my Bible in the hotel room leaves me at a disadvantage.

Israel’s sins were doubly tragic (2:6-16). They knew better.

Israel repeats the cycle of abusive nations. They had come from an abusive nation and now they are doing it themselves.

The difference is it is against their own people.

God is not mono-ethnic despite what Israel believed.

God works on an international basis and an individual basis.

He cares about the nations and the house-servant girl.

How do you apply Amos’ thoughts as a military chaplain?

Focus: Because God expects all people to treat others with respect, he is especially angered when Christians dishonor each other.

Function: To enable the congregation to sense God’s anger and to feel the burden of standing under his judgment.

Amos 4:1-3 and 8:4-6: Parallel Oracles (Indictments against wealthy women and wealthy businessmen)

Man, I love a good prophet. Cows of Bashan! Living the good life. They are living their best life now.

It’s a lifestyle that oppresses the poor. Beef–food of the wealthy. Fish–food of the poor.

Let’s get the Sabbath over so we can fleece the poor.

8th century B.C. is more like 21st Century America than any other time in Scripture–Due to wealth–the gap between the haves and have nots.

How do we oppress and pad our pockets at the expense of others:

Price-gouging
Deceptive tricks of the trade–thumb on the scale type tricks.
Non-reporting of income
Padding mileage
Insurance fraud
Golfing on a work day?

Amos 6:1–7: When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough

17% of the world’s population controls 80% of the world’s wealth and most of these 17% claim some kind of Christian affiliation (Note: these figures are 40 years old.)