In this episode of ADDBIBLE we delve into the profound and awakening messages within Amos Chapter 4. Roy Hanske offers a powerful reading that sheds light on God’s repeated call to His people to return to Him, highlighting the futility of empty rituals and the need for sincere devotion. We explore the harsh realities faced by the Northern tribes of Israel and how these ancient lessons apply to our lives today.
00:00:09 Introduction to ADDBIBLE and Today’s Focus
00:00:24 Reading from Amos Chapter 4 by Roy Hanske
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we are in Amos chapter 4. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Roy Hanske, read the 13 verses of this chapter. Roy has ministered on Denver Christian Radio since 1985. He is currently a co-host of the Breakfast Table show on KPOF 910 AM, The Point of Faith, where he also coordinates ministry to pastors and other Christian leaders. Let’s listen to Roy Hanske on Amos chapter 4.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amos chapter 4. Hear the word of the Lord, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and say to your husbands, bring us some drinks. The Sovereign Lord has sworn by His holiness, the time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fish hooks. You will each go straight out through the breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon, declares the Lord. Go to Bethel and sin. Go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank-offering and brag about your freewill offerings. Boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do, declares the Sovereign Lord. I gave you empty stomachs in every city, and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. I also withheld rain from you, when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain, another had none, and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water.” but did not get enough to drink. Yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees. Yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. I sent plagues among you, as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord. Therefore, this is what I will do to you, Israel. And because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals the thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness and treads on the heights of the earth, the Lord God Almighty is his name.
SPEAKER 02 :
In 1997, at 42 years old, I read Amos chapters 4 through 6 on the same day. Concerning chapter 4, I wrote, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. What an awesome statement. One day we will all meet our God, one at a time. In 2004, at 49 years old, I read Amos chapters 1 through 4 on the same day, and in previous recordings, I’ve already referred to that journal entry. And in 2011, another seven years later, at 56 years old, I read Amos chapters 4 through 6 on the same day, and referring to chapter 4, I wrote, God does things to get our attention. Starvation, no rain, no crops, sickness, death, yet we don’t return to Him. If we wonder why things aren’t going well, how’s our commitment to God? Chapter 4 begins with some pretty harsh criticism about the women of the northern tribes of Israel. Most of this has been against the men, but here it talks about the women. They also are oppressing the poor and crushing the needy, as they say to their husbands, Bring that we may drink. Next, in verses 4 through 5, Amos uses some pretty harsh criticism against the people of the northern tribes. He ridicules their religious ceremonies and sacrifices. Come to Bethel and transgress the Gilgal and multiply transgression. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings. Publish them, for so you love to do, O people of Israel, declares the Lord God. We need to stop right here. This begs the question from us about our religious ceremonies, about our religious sacrifices. Are we, like those people in Israel at that time, just going through the motions? Is our heart truly in religious ceremonies and religious worship? Or do we go to church because we should, or because we have to, or because it’s a social event? Is our worship of God truly sincere? In verses 6 through 11, God shows several ways that he tries to get our attention and He tries to get our attention so we will return to him. But five times he says, after I do all these things, you do not return to me. God makes it hard on us to try to get our attention, to bring us back to Him. And He can be very discretionary when He does so. Let’s look at verses 7 and 8. I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest. I would send rain on one city and send no rain on another city. One field would have rain and the field on which it did not rain would wither. So two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water and would not be satisfied. Yet you did not return to me. This warning is very clear to me. Like a laser, he can pick us out. He can make it hard on us, not because he wants to make it hard on us, because he’s trying to do everything he can to bring us back to him. So how’s your life today? Is it good? Are you experiencing the favor and the blessings of God? Or are you struggling? Maybe your struggles are directly from the Lord. Maybe he’s giving you some times of difficulty so you will return to him. The examples in verses 6 through 11 are very clearly God’s attempt. to reach us and get us back in step with him. It’s not harsh, though it seems to be harsh. It’s again his demonstration of his love, his mercy, and his grace to do all he can to help us return to him. And Amos finishes the chapter in the last couple of verses with the consequences of if we don’t return to him verse twelve therefore thus i will do to you o israel because i will do this to you prepare to meet your god o israel and who is this god verse thirteen describes him Amos is desperately trying to describe the seriousness of the situation to the northern tribes in Israel, as he is doing for us as we read his chapter today. We’re not messing with some little idol. We are messing with Almighty God. So after this chapter, if you think God may be doing some things in your life to get your attention, then just do what He does it for. Return to Him. Rebuild your relationship with Almighty God, the God of hosts. The Lord is His name. Let’s pray. Lord, I guess we should be thankful. We should thank you that if you’re making it rough on us, it’s because you’re giving us a warning to return to you. That’s your love. That’s your grace. That’s your mercy. Therefore, we should be thankful instead of complaining or criticizing. Thank you that you do that kind of thing to us so that we have the chance to return to you before we have to meet you as our maker. Father, thank you also for the warning about our religiosity. Forgive us if we’re a religious people, but our hearts are far from you. Remind us to worship you in spirit and in truth. You deserve all the praise and all the glory. Receive our worship even now. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You know, sometimes we need a plumb line, a true north, a solid basis of truth to live life. We’re not going to find it in the media or in social media or Google or your friends, but it is available right at your fingertips. Pilate asked Jesus in John 18, 38, what is truth? The chapter before, Jesus had answered the question in his prayer to God for his disciples. In the 17th verse, Jesus pleads with the Father, Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. So what would it be like if everyone, everywhere, read the Bible every day? Wow, it might be heaven on earth. What would it be like if every Christian read the Bible every day? Would we be better ambassadors for Christ? What would it be like if everyone in your community read the Bible every day? Would we have greater impact in our communities? And what would it be like if you personally read the Bible every day? Could you use a closer walk with Jesus? Could you use a light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet to walk through this life? Could you use a spiritual power surge in your life? Matthew 22, 29, Jesus speaking to the Sadducees said, You are mistaken not understanding the Scriptures or the power of God. Yes, the Scriptures can give us power to live this life. So I’m going to give you three easy action steps to make the Bible worth your time each and every day. Number one, commit to daily Bible reading. Commit to seek God and His Word daily, every day. And if you miss a day, start again the next day. Change your belief about God’s Word to behavior in God’s Word. Use any of our Ezra Project resources to help you. Visit EzraProject.net to get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal or one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. Commit today and visit EzraProject.net for easy-to-use resources for your daily time in God’s Word. Number two, be intentional. Decide what you want out of your Bible reading. I got to visit the headquarters of Back to the Bible once in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in one hallway down one side, they had scribbled all the reasons people say they don’t read the Bible. On the other side were all the reasons people do read the Bible. And I want to give you some of those to encourage you. On that wall, it said, God wants me to. Yes, God wants you to read the Bible. Do you want to meet with Him daily? Because He’ll meet with you every day through His Word. Number two, it changes me. Where could you be in one year with more Bible reading in your life? Number three, it improves my outlook on life. Yeah, turn out the bad news and saturate yourself with good news from the Word of God. Number four, it keeps me grounded. Yes, when the storms of life come, and they will, can you stand? Yes, you’ll stand better and more solid because you’re in the Word of God. Next, it keeps my heart soft. Yeah, Nehemiah 8, when people heard the Word, they wept and they worshiped. You will do the same as the Word softens your heart. Lastly, on the wall, it said, it keeps my daily focus on God. Yeah, that’s a great reason to read the Bible. You’ll gain the spiritual power to live life in our secular world. And then thirdly and lastly, feed your soul. Let God minister to your soul. Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God pierces between your soul and your spirit, between joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing else goes that deep. I don’t know where the place is between my soul and my spirit, but I want to put the Word of God there each and every day of my life. I hope you do too. God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word.
