The Summer Fruit I. Base Text: Amos 8:1-9:15 II. Context A. Amos of Tekoa (Amos 1:1) 1. Amos of Tekoa, prophesying in the days of Jeroboam II king of Israel (796-739 BCE; likely 760-750 BCE) 2. Time of political stability, economic prosperity B. YHWH roars from Zion, pastures mourn, Carmel withers (Amos 1:2) C. Amos begins presentation with nation oracles: Aram, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah (Amos 1:3-2:5) D. From Amos 2:6 onward, critique of Israel 1. Condemnation for oppression of poor (Amos 2:6-11, 4:1-3, 5:4-17, 6:1-7) 2. Distortion, perversion of pure religion (Amos 2:12-16, 4:4-5, 5:24-27) 3. Israel repeatedly warned but did not repent (Amos 4:6-13) 4. The Day of YHWH is coming: judgment in plague, pestilence, war, death, exile (Amos 3:1-15, 5:1-3, 5:18-27, 6:8-14 5. Amos received visions regarding God's patience and declaration of judgment (Acts 7:1-9) 6. Amos told to leave Israel by Amaziah the priest, condemns the priest and his family (Acts 7:10-17) F. The prophecies of Amos conclude with Amos 8:1-9:15, featuring another vision, more condemnation for oppression and irreligiosity, but also with a promise for the future III. Meaning A. The Summer Fruit (Amos 8:1-3) 1. Amos sees another vision, akin to Amos 7:1-9; perhaps Amos 7:10-17 as an interruption of the theme 2. Amos is shown the summer fruit, likely ripe figs and pomegranates (Amos 8:1-2a) 3. Meaning: As summer fruit (Hebrew qayits) indicates the end of the season, so the time of Israel's prosperity and state is fading, and their end (Hebrew qets) is near; YHWH will not pass by them anymore, only through them in judgment (Amos 8:2b; cf. Jeremiah 8:20, Amos 5:17) 4. As a result, where there used to be songs of happiness and praise in the temple, there will be mourning and wailing because of death (Amos 8:3; cf. Ezekiel 9:7, Amos 5:16-17, 6:9-10) B. YHWH's Word to the Merchants (Amos 8:4-10) 1. Amos now denounces businessmen and merchants, those who "swallow the needy" and "cause the poor of the land to fail" (Amos 8:4; cf. Amos 2:6-16, 3:13-4:3, 5:24, 6:1-7, 11-14) 2. Amos 8:5-6 unlikely something anyone would come out and say, but it is the speech form of their despicable behaviors: sevenfold forms of oppression, indicating completion a. New moon, Sabbath observances as hindrance to selling (Amos 8:5; cf. Ezekiel 46:1, Hosea 2:11) b. Making ephah (3/5 bushel; 22 liters) small but shekel (2/5 ounce; 11 grams) great, or using false balances dishonesty in weights and measures to the detriment of the buyer (Amos 8:5; cf. Hosea 12:7, Micah 6:9-11; condemned in Leviticus 19:35-37, Deuteronomy 25:13-16, Proverbs 11:1, 16:11, 20:10, 23) c. Buying poor for silver, needy for pair of sandals part of original indictment of Amos 2:6, indicating lack of care for welfare of their people, only in what they can obtain (Amos 8:6) d. Selling chaff of wheat not wholesome but the leftovers and refuse of grain harvest; substandard fare that does not provide adequate nutrition (Amos 8:6) 3. God again swears (as in Amos 4:2, 6:8), but on the Pride of Jacob (Amos 8:7; cf. 1 Samuel 15:29) 4. He will not forget: the land will tremble and experience the same type of upheaval as the Nile in flood and its return (Amos 8:7-8; cf. Isaiah 8:7-8) 5. Lord YHWH then describes the day of YHWH coming upon them: darkness in the day, feasts and songs to mourning, sackcloth and baldness, both indications of mourning, a bitter day (Amos 8:9-10; cf. Exodus 10:21-29, Joel 2:28-32, 3:15, Revelation 6:12, 8:12) 6. A visceral, sobering portrayal of the ravaging Assyrians about to come upon Israel! C. A Famine of the Word of YHWH (Amos 8:11-14) 1. Lord YHWH then predicts a famine, not of food or drink, but of the hearing of the words of YHWH (Amos 8:11) 2. At the time, Word of YHWH as delivered by prophets; a lack of prophetic voice would mean a lack of wisdom, insight, and direction, meaning YHWH was forsaking His people for their sin (cf. 1 Samuel 3:1, 28:1-19) 3. Thus Israel will search near and far but will not hear from YHWH (Amos 8:12) 4. This is the day of judgment: young (ostensibly healthy) people fainting for thirst (Amos 8:13) 5. The end comes for the idolatrous: those who swear by the Guilt (Hebrew ashmah, sounding similar to the Asherah, the Canaanite goddess/presumed consort of YHWH by some Israelites) of Samaria, and those who swear by the God of Dan (cf. Judges 17:1-18:31) will fall, never to rise again (Amos 8:14; cf. Psalm 9:17) 6. Since Israel forsakes YHWH by serving others as gods, YHWH will no longer provide His life-giving Word, and they will fall D. Striking the Temple (Amos 9:1-10) 1. The final vision of Amos involves the Lord standing beside the altar, whether in Samaria or Jerusalem (Amos 9:1) 2. Condemnation is declared: the capitals, or tops of the columns of the temple will be struck until the thresholds, their bases, shake, and it will be destroyed; the people will be killed; none will escape (Amos 9:1) 3. The fate of Israel is not pleasant: wherever they would try to go, down into Sheol, or the underworld, up to heaven, on top of Carmel, down to the bottom of the sea, no matter: God will bring judgment upon them, and they will be executed or exiled (Amos 9:2-4; cf. Deuteronomy 28:64-68, Amos 1:2) 4. Amos provides the third doxology in Amos 9:5-6 (cf. Amos 4:12-13, 5:8-9), declaring God's power over the heavens and the earth (cf. Psalms 104:32, 144:5, Amos 8:8) 5. God then compares Israel to the Cushites (the Nubians); He brought Israel from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor (Crete), and Syrians (Arameans) from Kir (probably to the northeast of Syria; cf. Amos 1:5); likely demonstrating not only His power but also His care for all nations (Amos 9:7; cf. Jeremiah 30:11, 46:28) 6. Judgment is again foretold: Lord YHWH's eyes are on the sinful kingdom to destroy it; the house of Israel will be shaken like a sieve, and none shall escape; the sinners, those who deny any future disaster, will die and experience that disaster (Amos 9:8-10; cf. Isaiah 27:12-13, Amos 9:1) E. Hope of Restoration (Amos 9:11-15) 1. Amos' message has been quite sharp and condemnatory, but his prophecies end with hope for the future in Amos 9:11-15 2. "In that day" in the future God will raise up David's fallen booth (or tent), to rebuild it (Amos 8:11; cf. 2 Samuel 7:15-16, Psalm 72:17) 3. According to MT reading, they will then possess what is left of Edom and all nations called by the name of YHWH (Amos 8:12) 4. Textual issue: in the Septuagint, and as used by James in Acts 15:16-17, the text says "that the remnant of mankind and all the nations who are called by my name may seek the Lord" a. Mankind is Hebrew adam; Edom is edom; distinguished in vowel pointing b. LXX reading is theologically crucial for Christianity; it is the basis upon which James establishes the ingathering of the Gentiles! 5. This has the near fulfillment of the return of Judah from exile, rebuilding Jerusalem, conquering Edom (Ezra 1:1-6:22, Obadiah 1:1-21; Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 13.9.1) 6. Yet its ultimate fulfillment, as seen by James the Lord's brother, is the raising up of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David, through whom the nations could find salvation (Isaiah 2:1-4, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:1-48, 10:1-48, 15:16-17) 7. God plans a great restoration of Israel: crops are so abundant that the reaper is still working when it is time to plow, and grapes are still being crushed for wine when the sower goes out to sow; mountains as dripping sweet wine; God will restore the fortune of Israel, rebuilding cities, enjoying the produce of the land, planted on the land, never to be uprooted (Amos 9:13-15; cf. Genesis 3:17-19, Joel 3:18-21) 8. Full peace and true prosperity can be found in Christ (Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:18, 2:7, 3:8, Philippians 4:7, 19) E. Thus Amos' prophecies come to an end: Israel has been warned to repent or else experience pestilence, famine, plague, war, death, and exile very soon for their oppression and idolatry; Judah will suffer as well; but God will restore Israel's fortunes, first restoring Israel to the Jews, and then fully through the life, death, resurrection, and Kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ! IV. Application A. The Summer Fruit 1. The vision of the summer fruit in Amos 8:1-3 provides an important perspective 2. We do well to remember the context: in 750 BCE, things are well in Israel and Judah 3. With the benefit of hindsight we can understand the importance of Amos' message, since we know that within a generation Israel would be destroyed and Judah humbled 4. Yet, at the time, it would be easy to believe that things would continue to go well, or that after a bit of a bad period things would recover, just like they had before 5. We must keep in mind that even though things could continue like they have in the past, we may be in our own period of summer fruit, and judgment is coming (Matthew 25:1-46, Romans 2:5-11, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)! B. Religious Pretense 1. Amos 8:4-6 does well at exposing the religious pretense of the merchants of Israel 2. They observe the new moon and Sabbath, as commanded... 3. ...but seem to spend the whole time looking forward to the next day and the profits they would make through dishonesty and oppression 4. The point of the observances of the Law are lost on such persons: they are not mere marks of religious identity, divorced from life, but are to be part of a greater whole incorporation into the Law and its full message, influencing and informing Sunday or Monday as well as the Sabbath! 5. In Christianity, how many cannot wait for the Bible class or assembly to be over in order to "get back to normal" in life? 6. Christianity is not just about what is done on Sunday morning; it is to inform how one lives at all times (Romans 12:1-21, Colossians 3:1-10, etc.)! C. A Famine of the Word of YHWH 1. Amos speaks of a time when people will search for the word of YHWH but will not find it (Amos 8:11-12) 2. We must not make an improper application of this: it is not as if the Law or any of the written messages would be gone, but instead God would no longer speak through the prophets, and Israel would be bereft of that insight and direction 3. It did not have to be this way; it only was this way because Israel forsook YHWH and served other gods, trying to find nourishment and sustenance elsewhere 4. The Word of YHWH is true food and life (Deuteronomy 8:3, John 6:22-59): we will find spiritual sustenance there 5. To go or look elsewhere is to depart from the source of sustenance, and we will find nothing but famine and malnourishment there! 6. We must not forsake the Word of God lest we perish from spiritual famine! D. Raising the Booth of David 1. Amos' prophecy of the future restoration of David is of the greatest importance (Amos 9:11-12) 2. The imagery is compelling: the tent of David is raised up, repaired, and rebuilt; God raises Jesus from the dead; the people of God are able to be healed, raised to walk in newness of life, rebuilt in transformation toward God's purposes (Romans 6:1-23, 12:1-2) 3. This understanding of the people of God goes well beyond national Israel; this passage becomes the basis of accepting the Gentiles as Christians while Gentiles, not subject to the Law of Moses, in Acts 15:16-17: the people of God as the remnant of mankind seeking the Lord, the Gentiles called by His name! 4. Let us ever be thankful and praise God for His ingathering of the Gentiles who seek the Lord Jesus! V. Conclusion A. Amos speaks to Israel at a crucial juncture in its existence 1. All seemed well; political and economic prosperity and stability remained 2. Yet it was fueled by oppression and idolatry, and the Lord YHWH would no longer tolerate it 3. Amos' message was clear: repent and live or do nothing and die B. Israel did not listen, and within 40 years, Israel ceased to exist! C. Amos provided hope for the future: God would restore His people! 1. First in the return to Israel 2. Fully through Jesus of Nazareth and His Kingdom D. Let us learn from Amos and his prophecy, and seek to follow God, practice justice and righteousness, and listen to the voice of the Lord YHWH! E. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: "And he said, "Amos, what seest thou?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then said the LORD unto me, "The end is come upon my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more" (Amos 8:2). Israel thought their good times would continue for a long time. God showed Amos their time was short. Let us always be aware that good times do not last forever, and judgment is near (Romans 13:11)! 2: "saying, 'When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat'"? (Amos 8:5) For many in Israel, religious observances were obstacles to profit. Such people did not truly understand that following God involved their weekly behaviors as well as what they did on the Sabbath! Let us recognize that Christianity is more than just a Sunday morning phenomenon, informing how we live every day of our lives (Romans 12:1-2)! 3: "Behold, the days come," saith the Lord GOD, "that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11). Israel took for granted that a prophet would always be around to provide the word of the LORD. It was not to be! Let us value the Word of God as the source of spiritual nourishment, and ever seek after it (John 6:22-59)! 4: In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old (Amos 9:11). Amos' message brings down God's condemnation, but not all hope is lost. God will restore His people, first to their land, and then fully through Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus God will bring all people who seek Him together, and this passage is used to affirm the ingathering of the Gentiles into Christianity (Acts 15:16-17). Let us ever be thankful for the opportunity to serve YHWH in Christ!