To go from bad to worse is demoralizing. To expect things to get better only to witness things get increasingly dire crushes the human spirit. It is simple to expect good days to become better days (that is what people always expect). We never think good days cannot be improved so that the future is filled with even better days.

Discuss the fact that many adults have only experienced the “good” getting “better” and have never experienced the “bad.”

However, we always expect bad days to come to an end. There is always a bottom to the bad but “the sky is the limit” with the good. If it is bad, it can only get so bad—there is always a limit to how bad it can get. “Badness” is limited by human expectation. But “good,” “good” is a different story. There is no ceiling on “good.” “Good” is unlimited.

Talk about this view: “The ‘bad’ can get only so bad, but the ‘good’ will always improve and become better.” Talk about those who never ever experience the ”good.”

Have you noticed that if we have experienced the “good” we can never go back to the bad? Take the “good ole days” as an example. We long for the simplicity of those days, but not with the expense of enduring the bad. Anyone for outhouses? Or no in-house running water? Or no water heaters? Or no electronics? Or limited medications? Or no air conditioning? Or lower life expectancy? “Oh, we could never ‘go back to THAT.’ Those days are long gone and could never come again.” Really! Do you realize that is current existence for many people alive right now?

Talk about: “Why do people generally think we cannot return to really tough times?”

Amos addressed those who trampled the needy and regarded the humble as an unwanted handicap to their society. This time Amos addressed a problem that should make our blood run cold. Amos factors religious attitude into the motivation that resulted in trampling the poor and rejecting the humble.

Note that we rarely connect honoring God with honoring the poor. Discuss this: Do we think the poor are less in God’s image than the middle class or the rich? You may wish to look at passages like Deuteronomy 15:1-18 and James 2:1-9.

When religion is reduced to “a necessary evil,” religious people are in trouble! These people had to be religious; they did not dare make God angry by not worshipping and honoring “correct” religious expectations.

Compare to Nehemiah 13:15-22, Ezra 9:5-15, and Matthew 6:1-18. Consider that it is a combination of the acts and the motives.

However, these people could not wait for religious occasions to be over. They did what they were supposed to do by being at the correct place. However, they did not think about God. That was a waste of time! They thought about how they could take advantage of people—how they could cheat people in the wheat market by using dishonest scales, or taking advantage of the helpless, or by selling an inferior product.

It is easy for the opportunity to make money to be more important to us than thinking about and serving God. Ask, “Why?”

After all, it was just business! And business was business! Everyone did it! That was just the way the game was played! If you were going to do business, you had to play the game, and play it better than others. If someone was hurt as people played the game, it was too bad—that was simply the reality of the situation.

It seems to be simple to justify a behavior without considering the impact of the behavior. If the act is not wrong, many think no consideration needs to be given to the result of the act.

If you could make “God time” profitable time (instead of wasted time) by thinking of ways to take advantage of the helpless and needy, good. Turning wasted time in a money-making direction was good, not bad.

In this mindset, time spent thinking about God was wasteful IF that time could have been used making (or planning on how to make) money.

Amos said they needed to consider the impact of their thoughts on God (whom they were seeking to pacify and manipulate). God said He knew what they were doing and would never forget it. (What human wants his ungodly acts to live always in God’s memory?)

As we consider the impact of our acts and thoughts, it is important (essential) to think of the ways our acts or thoughts impact God’s purposes. That means we need to understand God’s purposes as well as His directions. Directions can be misunderstood when purposes are unknown.

The consequences defied human understanding. Their land would quake, the people would mourn, and things would happen as mysteriously as the Nile’s rise and fall. The predictable would become unpredictable—it would be dark at noon, their festivals would sound like funerals instead of celebrations, and there would be no occasions of happiness, only occasions of sorrow and bitterness.

Commonly, the unthinkable happens when we ignore God.

“I, God, tried to talk to you, and you would not listen. I will try no more. It will be so obvious I am not among you that you will travel everywhere in your attempt to find Me. There will be a famine, but it will be a famine of My words. Your choice people will die, and all will know it is because I am not with you.”

Enormous suffering resulted from not hearing God. Remember that they had no print. Enormous suffering still results when we are ignorant of God’s ways and values.

The other gods you worshipped will be powerless to help you. Their powerlessness will be obvious. You will have nothing but your wicked selves to turn to: I am gone and your false gods cannot help. What a pitiful situation! All you will have is your wickedness!

It is a pitiful tragedy when people depend on powerless things to benefit them.

The lessons: (a) “God time” is for honoring God. (b) To be at the correct event and fail to think about God offends God. (c) Honoring God includes respecting the helpless. (d) For our evil deeds to live in God’s memory is a horrible thing. (e) For God to withdraw His presence from people is destructive to the people. (f) It is possible to trust in something that has no power to help us with our greatest needs.

These lessons are as relevant to us as they were then.

For Thought and Discussion

1. What is demoralizing? What crushes the human spirit?

It is demoralizing to witness things go from bad to worse. It crushes the human spirit when situations become increasingly dire.

2. What do we expect to end? There is always a bottom to what?

We expect the “bad” to end. There is always a bottom to a “bad” situation.

3. When we have experienced the “good,” what cannot happen (we think)?

We can not go back to the “bad”—that cannot happen.

4. What did Amos address in this lesson?

He addressed those who trampled the needy and regarded the humble as unwanted in their society.

5. When religion is reduced to a “necessary evil,” what is the result?

Religious people are in trouble.

6. These people could not wait for what? Why?

They could not wait for religious days and occasions to be over. They wanted to get back to making money, and using dishonest means to acquire money.

7. In this way of thinking, when a person turns “God time” into money making time, it is good and not bad.

That seems to be the common way of thinking.

8. What did Amos say they needed to consider?

He said they needed to consider the impact of their thoughts on God.

9. Describe the consequences of their desires.

The land quaked, people mourned, mysterious things happened, and the predictable became unpredictable.

10. Since God tried to talk to them and they would not listen, what would happen?

God would make no effort to communicate with them any more.

11. What lessons should we consider?

1. “God time” is for God; to honor God.
   
2. To be at a correct event (religiously) and fail to think about God offends God.
   
3. Honoring God includes respecting the helpless.
   
4. For our evil deeds to live in God’s memory is a horrible thing.
   
5. For God to withdraw His presence from a people is destructive to the people.
   
6. it is possible for us to trust in that which has no power to help us with our greatest needs.

Link to Student Guide Lesson 11

Copyright © 2008, 2009
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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