King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, July 10, 2026
Chapters: Amos 5-9
Lesson: Amos: Seek God And Live
Hello My Friend,
God is a jealous God and it angers Him to see Israel and any other nation that He calls His worshiping false gods then expecting Him to work miracles for them. As we come to the end of the reading of Amos, God, has something to say to the entire house of Israel, not the nation of Israel, which are God’s people, but the children of Jacob, the ones He had set aside from the rest of the world and gave the land of Israel.
[Amos 5:1-6 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. 2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. 3 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: 5 But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. 6 Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.]
There are many people searching for God in worship centers, religious systems, or even through family heritage. Yet they miss the truth that God is only found through Christ. Those who already have Christ dwelling in them become the living examples that guide others who are seeking Him. This is why it is essential for every saved, born‑again believer to live a life shaped by Christ rather than shaped by the world, [Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.]
God, is addressing the house of Joseph because Jeroboam, the king who led Israel into idolatry and turned the nation away from God, came from the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph. God does not desire for anyone to perish in hell, which is why He continually works in the hearts of those who show even a small measure of faith, yet have not fully understood that they must come to Him through Christ. In Amos, God tells the house of Joseph that He will show them mercy if they return to Him.
[Amos 5:11-15 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. 14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.]
There are millions of people in worship services singing praises to God, giving tithes and offerings, helping the poor and needy, and doing all these things to feel good about their conscience. They are even anticipating Christ’s return and yet all of them are headed straight for hell. Why? One word: Repent. If Christ is in them as they say, then they will repent not only repent of their dead works, they will repent of their sins as well, [II Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.]
Since we are all sinners, each of us carries our own cross. What matters most is that we recognize our sin and understand that only Jesus can save us, no matter what that sin may be. Believe it or not, God does not desire to see the world come to an end, and for those who long for that day, He has something to say, along with a loving but firm rebuke.
[Amos 5:18-19,21,23-24,26-27 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. 26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.]
What good does it do to praise and worship God if there is no desire to live the way He calls us to live? God, is not pleased with singing, praise, or any other outward works done in His name unless they flow from genuine repentance. Do I always understand God’s plan? No. But I must trust Him, because sometimes trusting Him is the only path forward, [Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.]
We see two kinds of Christians in the world: Those who cannot wait for Christ to return because they long to witness the destruction of the world. And those who are so relaxed and indifferent that they act as though His return will never happen in their lifetime. The judgments God placed on Israel were meant to show us that He is not playing games. What He allowed to happen then, He will allow to happen to any nation that refuses to heed His warnings. Through Amos, God continues to warn Israel of the judgment approaching them, and He makes it clear that His anger is especially stirred by those who feel no concern at all about the judgment that is coming.
[Amos 6:1,3,6-8 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. 8 The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.]
People turning to drugs or alcohol to fix their problems. Those using drugs and cosmetic surgery to alter their gender, getting married to someone of the same sex. These are all sins of the flesh that people are so at ease about, yet they not only destroy the body, but the earth itself because we all suffer while they remain in their sin.
[Amos 6:11-14 For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts. 12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock: 13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.]
The more time I spend out in the world, the more I see how relaxed people have become about sin. They are content to live their lives as though there is no consequence, trusting in their helps from the government and those who want to feel good in their conscience without any thought to the judgments that are here already and yet to come. They do not understand that the more they depend on man the more oppressed they become. God, goes on to point this out.
[Amos 7:1-4 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small. 3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD. 4 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.]
God, takes pride in a nation that prospers under Him because He built it from the ground up, but He is a jealous God, and He will destroy that nation that rejects Him just as fast as He built it. Remember, these were not people who had no knowledge of God, they down right rejected Him. Most of Israel prided themselves on what they had made out of the kingdom, including their false gods.
[Amos 7:7-10 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. 8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: 9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.]
A plumb line is a symbol of judgment according to ones righteousness. God, was about to measure the ten tribes, pass by them one last time, and with the line drawn there will be no crossing over. In other words, the time will come, when His mercy will be no more for those who have been spared often. All that Amos was saying to them was not new news, they had this warning several times, but they did not want to hear it.
[Amos 7:14-17 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. 17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.]
The world, and quite frankly, many churches try to ignore the fact that God will judge any nation that turns His back on Him. The wicked do not want to hear they are sinners and will die and end up in hell. The saved do not want to hear that God is going to judge them for their living in sin, well before Jesus gets here. There will come a time when it will be too late, and no one will hear the Gospel at all.
[Amos 8:1-2,4,7-8 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. 2 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 of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. 4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, 7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. 8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.]
Amos saw a basket of summer fruit, gathered, ripe, and ready to be eaten. This vision signified that the people were ripe for destruction, that the season of God’s patience was nearing its end. Summer fruit cannot be preserved until winter; it must be used immediately. In the same way, Israel’s judgment could no longer be delayed. There will come a time when people are going to be so desperate that they will seek His Word, but it will not be found. Through Amos, God speaks of a famine like not other, a time when people will wander the world in search of His Word, but not be able to find it.
[Amos 8:11-14 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: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. 14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.]
This actually did happen once already, Malachi, was the last prophet to speak the words of God until John the Baptist, which was about four hundred years later. How sad it must have been during that time, a time where they had no communication with God whatsoever. However, there were faithful men and women who like us today lived by their faith in what they had learned from the Scriptures, [Romans 16:25-26 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:]
There will also come a day when people will be in so much pain and oppression that they will seek death and not even receive that. And this is not something that they never knew about before Christ came here in the flesh. Through Amos, God speaks of this very day.
[Amos 9:1-4 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. 2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them: 4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.]
Like believers today, they held fast to their faith, trusting in what God had already revealed, even when they could not hear His voice in their generation. Do you see the hope and why Jesus has not returned yet? There will come a day when Israel will acknowledge that Christ is not only the Messiah they had been waiting for, but will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour as well.
[Amos 9:8-11,15 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. 9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. 11 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 his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.]
One of the most astounding things about God is that He acknowledges that although we were all heathens at one point, those who are called by His name are truly His people. Jesus, did not come to save those who believe they can save themselves, who deny Him, or who refuse the truth. He died for the sinner who recognizes their need for Him, who understands that only He can save their soul, [Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You, for making a way for our soul to be saved from hell. It was Your sinless sacrifice on the cross that saved me, and I will forever proclaim that I have trusted You as my Saviour and are the one who saved me. There will come a time, and You even warned us of this, that we will not be able to preach the Gospel, and may even lose our lives for doing so. While the world remains silent on Your judging them soon, we cannot remain silent to the lost who are seeking You right now. Lord, Give us Your mercy, grace, Holy Spirit power, and the boldness to preach the Gospel, even if they try to stop us. Put Your hedge of protection around us and shield us from Satan, who is constantly seeking to hinder us and destroy our faith in You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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