On 6-14-15, Amos 5:14-15, 18-27 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as God is Not Fooled

God is Not Fooled

Amos 5:14-15, 18-27

June 14, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

“Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”  Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers!”

This scripture from Matthew 7 came to my mind instantly when i read today’s scripture and it said, “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord.” And, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.  Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs!  I will not listen to the music of your harps.”

Either the scripture from Matthew or Amos are just as pertinent for us today and should cause most of us including me to pause and look within.

Have you ever lived in a situation or in a place for so long that you became accustomed to it even when it wasn’t good?  We can go through the motions of serving God and being Christians.  In fact we can become unaware of this fact and it will become who we are.  

We can see the people of Israel in the time of Amos “turned justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.”  They despised the truth, they trampled on the poor and oppressed the righteous.

I bet none of us or at least very few of us studying today are that bad but complacency can turn to the smugness I mentioned last week when things go well or one becomes accustomed to how things are.

Pointing these things out and being reminded is one of the great reasons for people to do things like you are doing today in preparing for Sunday school.  Just like stopping to make sure you aren’t taking a spouse for granted or maybe walking around your old house to see what maintenance  needs to be done so should we examine ourselves.

Oh, you might not be able to fix everything yourself just like you might not at home.  But like the scripture says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Therefore scripture covers the needed repair or improvement, church members have experience, books have been written.

The key thing even if one is aware like Amos’s people were you have to want to do something about it.  Not enough of them did.

For Discussion:

Discuss the first thing that came to your mind when you read today’s scripture.

Discuss applying this scripture and the one from Mathew to ourselves today.

Discuss verses 18-20.

Discuss verses 21—23.

Discuss verses 14-15 in light of what is going on today.

Upcoming Lessons

June 21     Rebuked for Selfishness or God Abhors Selfishness    Amos 6:4-8, 11-14

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 6-7-15, Amos 2:4-8 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Greatest Gift is Love

The Greatest Gift is Love

Amos 2:4-8

June 7, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Just when I thought we were leaving our former theme behind, meaning how we have been concentrating on loving one another, I see we are not.  God “directed” the committee who choose our 6 year plan of scriptures to take us to Amos.  In today’s scripture we see what results from doing the opposite of what we have been looking at in taking care of and loving one another.

We spend a few weeks here in Amos and since we start in the second chapter you know you really gotta read from chapter 1 verse 1 to today’s 2:4.  In the not included and the included you see the historical perspective of the prophet Amos and that we can pinpoint his work to the mention of who the kings were at the time.

NIV scholars say this time was when Israel was “politically secure and spiritually smug.”  I find this very key and what we should keep in the forefront of our mind as we look at the scripture in Amos and see this prophesy of her coming downfall.

Amos says, “the Lord roars” “and thunders”.  This is how the prophesy begins so we see right from the get go He isn’t pleased.  His wrath will not be turned back and it isn’t just against Israel but against her neighbors as well.  This makes me sad because she is lumped right in their with the unchosen.  No different and not acting any different.

They had His law but they rejected it we read in verse 4.  We also see they rejected His decrees and followed after false gods.  They favored riches over justice for the righteous, the poor and the oppressed.

Clearly the example of the previous weeks about how to behave towards one another continues with this week as we see how God reacts when we are smug and feeling secure and fail to do just that.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss how you think God feels when His people act like the world.

2. Discuss how to overcome the “trap” that so many fall into when things are going well.

3. Discuss what you think is meant by, “For three sins…even for four I will not turn back my wrath.”

4. Show other scriptures where how God wants the poor, the righteous and the oppressed to be treated.

5. Discuss the hypocrisy shown in verse 8.

6. Discuss the ease we often have in looking at Israel clinically rather than applying these messages to ourselves.

Upcoming Lessons

June 14     God is not Fooled     Amos 5:14-15, 18-27

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved