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Majoring on the Minor Prophets, Lesson 16 – “Seek God!” – Amos 5:1-17, pt. 4, NASB1995
“Seek Me that You May Live”
“1 Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will not rise again—The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is none to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord God, “The city which goes forth a thousand strong, Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong, Will have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live.
5 But do not resort to Bethel, And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity, And Bethel will come to trouble.
6 Seek the Lord that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness down to the earth.”
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.
9 It is He who flashes forth with destruction upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor, And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes, And turn aside the poor in the gate.
13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!
15 Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts, May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They also call the farmer to mourning, And professional mourners to lamentation.
17 And in all the vineyards there is wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.” Amos 5:1-17 NASB1995
A study through the 12-books at the end of the Old Testament known as “the Minor Prophets”. You will be pleased by how much easier these often-overlooked books of the Bible are to understand with a little context. Plus you will be learn & be convicted by how relevant and timely their messages still are to believers today.
The Minor Prophets is a collection of twelve (12) Old Testament books, known simply as “the Twelve” or “the Book of the Twelve” in the Hebrew Bible. The title “minor” refers to length, not significance. Roughly in chronological order, each of these short books gives a glimpse into the spiritual landscape and history of Israel, challenging the status quo through prophets called to speak on God’s behalf.
The Book of AMOS … Amos is a prophet of divine judgment, and the sovereignty of the Lord in nature and history dominates his thought. But he was no innovator; his conservatism was in keeping with the whole prophetic tradition calling the people back to the high moral and religious demands of the Lord’s revelation.