Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 2 (7)
Pray Psalm 102.12-14.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
Sing Psalm 102.12-14.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
But You, O LORD, abide forever in Your place.
Arise and stand on Zion’s side and lavish us with grace!
Revive Your Church, O LORD! Let all her dust and stones
be strengthened by Your mighty Word, and compact be as one.
Read Amos 9.1-15; meditate on verses 11-15.
Preparation
1. What will be destroyed?
2. What will follow the rebuilding of the tabernacle?
Meditation
God promised to bring judgment against Israel by His sovereign might, but not to destroy them utterly (vv. 1-10). The destruction of the temple and the overrunning of the nation begin a time of “sifting” for Israel (v. 9), to turn the hearts of the people back to the LORD.
A day of restoration is coming, Amos declared, in which the “tabernacle of David”—his rule—will be restored (v. 11). Then, even the Gentiles will be incorporated into the Kingdom of David (vv. 11, 12). The early Church recognized that this promise was being fulfilled in their day (Acts 15.15-17). Underlying their application of this text to themselves was their belief that Jesus is the restored King of the throne of David and the Kingdom of God is His domain.
Amos prophesied that this would be a time of unprecedented fruitfulness, blessing, and security in the favor of the Lord (vv. 13-15). While Amos preached of blessings to come in material terms, we can see how this promise has been fulfilled in multitudes coming to faith in Jesus and realizing the greater and more permanent blessings of knowing Him and dwelling in His Kingdom.
Jesus has extended His Kingdom throughout the earth, and wherever the Gospel is preached and believed, the promised blessings of the Lord abound. These concluding verses should fill us with hope, lead us to great undertakings, and encourage us to trust the Lord for every need.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD,
‘When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
and the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
the mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
I will plant them in their land,
and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land
I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9.13-15).
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (Jms. 1.17).
“Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.
And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast’.
And they took it…When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine…
[he said] ‘You have kept the good wine until now!’” (Jn. 2.7-10).
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (Jn. 2.11).
“I AM the bread of life…I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6.48, 51).
“I AM the true vine…I AM the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15.1, 5).
“If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is Who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’
you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water…
whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him
a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4.10, 13, 14).
“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one,
I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written…
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His Name” (Jn. 21.25; 20.31).
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God…” (2 Cor. 1.20).
Reflection
1. How many ways does the prophecy of Amos 9.13-15 point forward to Jesus?
2. How would you describe the cultural impact of the Gospel, as Amos foresaw it?
3. Whom will you encourage today with the redeeming and restoring Gospel of our Lord?
God marvelously preserves his elect amidst the most fearful confusions and miseries. When all seems desperate, he wonderfully revives his church, and blesses her with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. And great shall be the glory of that period, in which not one good thing promised shall remain unfulfilled. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Amos 9.11-15
Pray Psalm 102.15-28.
Pray that God will revive churches all around the world, that He will renew them in their mission to make disciples, and that He will bring a great awakening to faith among the lost people of the world.
Sing Psalm 102.15-28.
(Leominster: Not What My Hands Have Done)
Then let the nations fear the glory of the LORD!
For He shall in His Church appear to heed our sighing words.
Then let our children learn to praise the LORD above.
He hears their groans and knows they yearn to dwell within His love.
Yet let us tell God’s Name and praise His glorious grace;
let all as one His love proclaim together in this place.
Though now our strength is low; though shortened grow our days,
our God will not forsake us so, but keep us in His ways!
Of old You made the earth and heavens by Your hand.
Though they shall perish You endure; forever shall You stand.
They change, yet You remain the same, without an end.
Our children shall Your favor gain, and theirs shall be Your friend.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
