THESE two verses which conclude chapter 4 of Amos commence with the word “Therefore”. From this we are forced to understand that because Israel was so resolutely determined not to heed all God's call to repentance recorded in the previous verses, then they must face the result of such defiance of God. God speaks of being driven to an action against Israel; and we are forced to assume that this will be far worse than any action which God has done against them previously. The trouble is that the next sentence “and because I will do this to you”, leaves us wondering what this action of God would be. We are not told, but we are left with the conviction that this action would be exceedingly terrible.

However, when we look at the next chapter in the book of Amos, we find there is a change in God's dealings with Israel. What we have seen in chapter 4 is action by God which has a gracious purpose. God is seen to be acting in a way which has the purpose of causing Israel to stop and think, and so repent and turn back in faith and obedience to the Lord. The works of God we have seen are in the form of chastening in order to bring Israel back from their sinful living and return to the blessing which comes from living humbly before the Lord. When we look at the beginning of chapter 5 there is a change. The actions of God against Israel are more severe and in the form of judgement upon sin and rebellion. Verse one of chapter 5 speaks of a lament. Verse 2 speaks of Virgin Israel fallen never to rise again. In other words the action of God becomes much more severe and has the form of judgement and punishment.

For this reason when God speaks of his action in verse 12 before us, God tells the people to prepare to meet their God. God had pleaded with Israel, and had winsomely sought to call them back to himself. God had not revealed himself in the power of his holiness and his justice, but dealt gently with Israel. Now, because Israel had spurned his gracious calling to repentence, God's action will change. They will become more severe. They will be in the form of judgement and punishment, and the execution of his justice against sin.

MEETING GOD.

Up to this point the action of God was gracious. He hid his glory and his holiness. He held back his just action against sin. He had shown mercy in being gentle with Israel's sin. Now there would be a change. Israel would begin to see God, and see the one they were despising and taking for granted and refusing to obey. They would see God in his actions which were going to be much more terrible than Israel had seen before. God calls them to prepare to meet him.

In case Israel should think little of meeting God, and believe that it would not be of any great moment, God gives them a description of himself. God describes himself as the creator, as the one who forms the mountains and creates the wind. In other words God describes his omnipotence, whereby all the forces of nature are under his control, and if he wills it he change the form of his creation by catastrophic action where the whole landscape may be changed; mountains disappearing in one place and being raised in another, devastating the structure of society by annihilating buildings, disrupting crops, and so on.

God then goes on to speak of himself as revealing his thoughts to man. By this we should understand that Israel was being warned that the words they were hearing from Amos were not thoughts Amos had thought up, but were actually the thoughts of God. By this God was warning Israel that to ignore what Amos was telling them was so very dangerous, because they were shutting their ears to God. How this warns us today, and the world in general, how dangerous it is to refuse to hear and believe and receive the word of God in the Scriptures, because to do so is to refuse to listen to God who holds the whole world in his hands, and has the destiny of nations under his authority.

God finishes this revelation of himself by saying he can change even the fabric of time, and alter even the laws governing day and night, months and days and years. He graphically makes this statement by saying he can turn dawn into darkness. Then God finishes with making plain his invulnerableness from any power of man. He dwells on the high places, where no power of man can reach him or effect him.

God draws together all this revelation of himself by saying “the Lord God Almighty is his name”. God presses home the truth that the Israelites were messing with the almighty, the one who holds them in the hollow of his hand. Such is the terrible and awe inspiring vision of God which Amos is caused by God to declare to Israel.

INEVITABLE FUTURE.

Here we come to the application of these words of God which God presses upon Israel, and to us also in our generation.

In the end the one which we all have to do is the Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, the high and lofty one who inhabiteth eternity and whose name is holy. Human beings, individuals and nations, may make up their mind that God does not matter. They may claim that God does not exist. They may think it a little matter to live in opposition to his will. They may think God looks lightly upon sin and godlessness, and that his love will never fail, and believe he will forgive whatever we do, and so despise his gracious mercy and love in Jesus Christ. But the truth is always in the background, that whatever we do or think, God is there. He requires us to answer for our deeds, and whatever we think or do, in the end we will have to meet God. If we do not come face to face with God in this world and in this life, the inevitable future will be that we will meet him one day on the day of judgement when he will call us to account for the way we have lived, and he will pronounce judgement upon us, and execute his final and inevitable eternal sentence of separation from him for ever in hell.

There is no escape from God in the end. People may live for this life, and deny God, or live in opposition to God, and feel that all is well and that God is of no account, but in the end they will be made to come face to face with God, and answer before him on his judgement day, and then how awful will be the end which they will experience. Jesus expressed the solomn awfulness of that time when he said, "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul." And again in the parable of the man who built barns to hold all his wealth, and said in his heart, "Soul, you have much goods laid up, therefore enjoy life and your riches". To which God's reply was “Thou fool, today your soul is required of you.” The truth is that all that we may gain in this world is but for a moment in relation to eternity, and when we leave this life by the inevitableness of death, none of these things gained in the world can be taken with us. If we have not laid up treasure in heaven, then we will have nothing in the life to come, except the inevitable looking for judgement.

WHAT NOW?

The church in these days cries against such teaching as described above. They say that God is not like that, and they deny the truth which is clearly stated in the Bible. But that is the most unkind thing to do to people, for it encourages them to believe that all is well for them in eternity when it is not. To hide from the truth is disaster. If there was no escape from the awful judgement of God, then it would be better for people to have the truth hidden from them, so at least until they meet God, they may be happy in part; but the truth is that God has provided a way of escape, and this is why he continually calls people as he called Israel here, to heed his word. It is better to prepare to meet God face to face spiritually now in this life, than wait until it is too late after death.

All Scripture has a purpose of grace, for if we heed such revelation of God as we have been considering here, then there is a way of escape in the mercy of God.

The way forward is to seek God to reveal himself in all his holiness. Israel continued to turn away from God, because although they heard about God, they did not see him as he is. When we are privileged to see God as he is in all his holiness, it is a devastating and terrible experience, but its fruits are great blessing to the soul.

Isaiah was concerned about the state of Israel in his day. As a young man he sought to be obedient to the Lord, and he mourned over the despising of God he saw in Israel. He went into the temple to commune with God (Isaiah 6), and God gave him a vision of himself in all his holiness. Everything around Isaiah was taken over by this terrible vision. He saw the Lord high and lifted up. He heard the Cherubim crying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is filled with his glory. In the face of this vision of holiness, Isaiah saw himself as he really was, and as he had never seen himself before, and he saw himself deserving of being consumed by the holiness of God and consigned to everlasting damnation. It was a exceedingly terrible experience, but it was a blessing to him, for he cried “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and live among people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah was broken down, he saw his vileness and sinfulness in the sight of God, he saw himself lost, he was caused to confess his sin, and be ashamed of his sin. In a word he was brought to honest repentance before God. What happened then? An angel took a live coal from off the altar of sacrifice and atonement, touched Isaiah's lips and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Blessed, blessed salvation. Blessed, blessed free and complete forgiveness. Blessing bestowed by the holy, but now gracious God. Blessing found in the sacrifice on the altar, the death of a substitute in the place of the sinner. The sacrifice was of a lamb without blemish, but this pointed to the Lamb of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed for us. What love is this that there should be provided such a remedy and salvation from the consequences of our sin and sinfulness, the sacrifice in death of the spotless Lamb of God, even Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who gave his life a ransom for many.