"They shall fall and never rise again"
Text: Amos 8:14
STEEP IDOLATRY
Israel had turned away from the Lord God since the days of King Jeroboam I. He created two centres of worship in Bethel and Dan. He devised an elaborate system of worship when he ascended the throne of Israel (1 Kings 12:25-33). Israel had clung to idolatry since then.
IN THE TIME OF SPIRITUAL FAMINE
Amos prophesied about what Israel would do when the spiritual famine occurred.
“In that day the fair virgins
And strong young men
Shall faint from thirst.
Those who swear by the sin of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan!’
And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives!’
They shall fall and never rise again.”
Amos 8:13-14
1. “Fair virgins and strong young men”
a) Many would seek for divine blessings.
b) Especially on the occasion of their weddings.
c) They would search high and low for a priest who would pray for them and give them a blessing.
d) But they would faint from thirst… for their endeavour to find a true servant of God would be in vain.
2. “Those who swear by the sin of Samaria”
a) Samaria was the capital of Israel.
b) The sin of Samaria
i) This is a reference to idolatrous practices.
ii) Idolatry was promoted by Israel’s idolatrous kings.
iii) This was the grave sin of Samaria.
3. Swearing
a) Israel did not swear by the name of the Lord God.
b) Instead they swore by the gods worshipped at two famous shrines
i) In Dan.
ii) In Beersheba.
4. A sombre prophecy
a) Israel will fall.
b) It will never rise again. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC and this prophecy was fulfilled!