Saturday, June 13, 2015
Amos 5:7-13 KJV
7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, 8 [Seek him] that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name: 9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. 10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. 11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading [is] upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. 12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate [from their right]. 13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an evil time.
OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) "Wormwood" is a metaphor for "sorrow" or "bitterness." What else does the Lord say to those who have turned from Him? (v.7-8a)
2) What does the Lord say about Himself? (v.8b-9)
3) What does the Lord say about those who have turned from Him? (v.10-12)
4) What does the Lord tell the "prudent" to do during such times? Why? (v.13)
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you ever encountered a professing believer who rebels against the ways and will of the Lord?
6) If so, what did you do in response?
LIFE LESSONS
7) When the hearts of God's people are set on rebellion, it is best to say nothing.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Amos 4:1-6 KJV
1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that [are] in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. 2 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. 3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every [cow at that which is] before her; and ye shall cast [them] into the palace, saith the LORD. 4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim [and] publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. 6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.
OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Who is to hear the word of the Lord in this passage and what are the hearers to bring? (v.1)
2) What has the Lord God sworn? (v.2-3)
3) What does the Lord God encourage His rebellious children to continue to doing? (v.4-5)
4) What had the Lord allowed His people to go through and how did they respond to Him? (v.6)
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
5) Have you and/or the members of your church family oppressed the poor and needy or otherwise been disobedient to the Lord?
6) Has this nation oppressed the poor and needy or otherwise been disobedient to the Lord?
LIFE LESSONS
7) The Lord God will judge us as individuals, as a church family, and/or as a nation when we do not place Him first in our lives.
