Amos 9

Amos 9

Certain Justice

I.                    To live fully today, we must trust fully in God’s certain justice, because He’ll hold those disobedient to His Word unavoidably accountable for their choices (Vv. 1-8a, 9-10)

a.       After delivering God’s messages of warning to Israel, Amos concluded his communication by sharing five visions which describe God’s faithful and just nature, further warn Israel, and ultimately describe God’s judgment of the nation. In the last of these visions, Amos sees a vision of God standing beside the alter and delivering a final message to Israel. God’s presence at His alter is usually associated with His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, but here He delivers a message of His judgment. Instead of His mercy, grace, and forgiveness showering down on His people, God proclaims that His judgment would come down and tear down everything they built for themselves. All who had rejected God, rejected His righteousness and justice, pursued self-righteousness and self-justification, and worshiped idols would come under the hand of His judgment. God alone is the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Judge of all His creation, and none would escape His certain justice no matter how they tried. Israel would be held accountable for their choice to continually rebel against God in complete disobedience, just like other nations. The same reality of God’s just nature still applies today. He alone is truly just, impartial, and equitable in His judgment. His judgment will not fail, miss the mark, or miss any who choose to reject Him. He’s loving, patient, gracious, and compassionate, which He proves by revealing Himself, loving humanity unconditionally, giving His perfect law, and writing it on humanity’s heart, and most of all by giving His Son as a sacrifice in our place to pay the penalty of our sin justly due us, but He can’t be just and equitable if His justice is never fully carried out. All who suffer His judgment ultimately judge themselves by having rejected His longsuffering love, mercy, and grace in Christ, and choosing their sin over His salvation, no matter how they attempt to self-justify. God alone is truly just, able to judge, and bound by His nature to do so faithfully. (Vv. 1-8a, 9-10; Exod. 34:6-7; Deut. 6:1-25; 7:7-10; Ps. 97:1-9; 139:7-12; Jer. 17:9; Mic. 1:2-7; Matt. 12:33-37; John 3:18-21, 36; Rom. 2:11-16; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Tim. 2:3-6; Heb. 10:26-31; Rev. 20:11-15)

II.                 To live fully today, we must trust fully in God’s certain justice, because He’ll faithfully and eternally save and bless those who are obedient to His Word through Christ (Vv. 8b, 11-15)

a.   God’s just judgment also means the certainty of His promises of salvation and blessing for those who belong to Him in humility, repentant faith, and obedience. In the midst of Amos’ proclamation of God’s judgment there is also a proclamation of the hope which is also a product of God’s just nature. God promised that even as He sifted His disobedient people among the nations carrying them off into captivity and destruction, He would be faithful and just to preserve the remnant of those who love Him, submit to Him, and live obediently to Him. Further, not only would He faithfully sustain His people, but He called them to look forward to a future of certain plenty. Just as God’s just nature requires Him to faithfully act to hold the disobedient accountable and bring down judgment on them, His just nature and promises moves Him to raise up and build up His faithful people. He declares that He will restore the “fallen booth of David”, which is to say that He’ll faithfully keep His promises to sustain David’s throne forever through His Messiah, who we know to be Christ. These promises culminate in a new future reality which overflows with continual and certain blessing and abundance. This vision speaks of a future abundance for God’s people which is greater than anything done before, and which compels them to look forward and not back for what God is doing. Further, He declares that these blessed promises to the obedient through His Messiah will include all the nations! Israel was ultimately disobedient to God’s command to be a light to the nations through their reflection of His nature and character as they walked in relationship with Him. As we wait for the return of our Lord and Savior and the completion of His work to make all things new, we must reflect His light into the world as He command us. And if we desire to live fully and justly today in an unjust world, we must be continually renewed in the certain justice and grace of the One who alone is both just and justifier, and His certain promise to make all things new! (Vv. 8b, 11-15; Deut. 7:11-13; 30:1-3; Ps. 18:1-27; 97:10-12; 2 Sam. 7:5-16; Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-16; 16:5; 42:1-7; 49:6; Jer. 23:5; 29:11-13; 30:7-9; 33:15-17; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:21-25; Hos. 3:5; 14:4-7; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 9:9-10; 12:8-13:1; Matt. 24:14; 28:18-20; John 3:16-17; Acts 15:7-18; Rom. 3:9-26; 5:12-21; 8:18-39; 11:33-12:2; Gal. 6:7-10, 16; Eph. 3:14-21; Phil. 2:5-8; 3:20-21; Heb. 9:22-28; 10:32-39; Rev. 21:1-8)