“And he said, ‘The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The pastors of the shepherds mourn and the top of Carmel withers.'”
– Amos 1:2
What a picture of God as the judge of all the earth, like a lion roaring in judgment. And the picture here in Amos Chapter One is specifically God’s judgment upon all the nations, upon the people who have worked against his people, Israel, in the Old Testament. But the reality is we see this all over the Bible, that all people, including every single person, stands before God as judge. Think Romans Chapter Three, verses 19 and 20, talk about how every mouth is silenced before God. The whole world it says is accountable to God. That’s you. That’s me. That’s everyone around us. This is very similar to the imagery we saw in Joel Chapter Three, but the picture here of God roaring in judgment.
Amos 1:2 Shows God’s The Terrifying Justice Of God
And in one sense, this is terrifying for sinful people in light of the justice of God, the roaring judgment that we deserve. Oh, we need Jesus, God’s son, God’s gift that makes possible salvation from judgment. Praise God that the one who is holy and just has made a way for us to receive his mercy and grace, not by anything we do, but by trust in him and his love for us. Yes, praise God for the gospel. Yet don’t let the terror of this verse be lost as we think about people all around us and multitudes of people around the world who don’t know this grace and this mercy. Many have never even heard of him. Others have rejected him. God, help us to be faithful, to proclaim this Gospel in light of the roaring judgment of God to come. And then, at the same time, I would just add, there is encouragement here in a world of sin and evil and injustice to be reminded that the roaring judgment and justice of God is coming.
Amos 1:2 Portrays a Judgement from which God spared Us
So let’s do justice, work for justice now, confident in ultimate justice to come. God, we pray all of this. In light of Amos 1:2, we praise you for your grace and your mercy, for your justice, and your holiness in Jesus for how you took the just judgment we deserve upon yourself that we might know the grace and mercy of God, that we might enjoy grace and mercy even right now, that we might not be afraid of the day of judgment and the roaring justice of the Lord. And so we pray that you’d help us to faithfully, boldly, compassionately share the Gospel today with others that they might be saved from the just judgment they deserve, that they might receive your grace and your emergency. God, help us to spread this Gospel right around us and wherever you lead us, as we pray for unreached people groups on this podcast.
Praying for God’s Manifestation of His Justice Upon the World
We pray, God, that you would use our prayers and our giving and our going right where we live and wherever you may lead us to make the Gospel known in the world. And we pray all of this with a longing for your justice ultimately to come. We long for an end to sin and evil and suffering and injustice. So help us in light of your roaring justice, to do justice in our lives, in the world around us in a way that reflects your good justice, and as we long for the day when your justice will fully and finally reign on the earth. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly, we pray. Come roaring, we pray. In Jesus’ name according to Amos 1:2. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
