August 25, 2025 • 12 mins
Amos 5 reveals God's incredible grace even while pronouncing judgment on Israel, as He urges them to "come back to me and live" despite their religious hypocrisy and exploitation of the poor.
• God simultaneously sings a funeral song for Israel while offering them a way back home
• Israel was economically prosperous but spiritually bankrupt, making religious offerings while oppressing the vulnerable
• God rejects empty religious rituals, wanting "a flood of justice and an endless river of righteous living" instead
• The practical path back to God: "Do what is good and run from evil"
• God promises to be our helper when we take steps toward Him
• Making a list of good things to pursue and evil things to avoid is a practical first step
• The "day of the Lord" would bring darkness, not light, to those persisting in rebellion
• God has already taken the first steps toward us through Jesus; now we must respond
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello everybody , welcome back to the Bible
Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, amos,
chapter 5, and today's title isCome On Back, come On Back.
And I love this one because atone point, amos is to the point
where he is actually planningtheir funeral, but at the same
time, he is just challengingthem, urging them, begging them
(00:24):
to come on back to God.
And that's one of the things Ilove about God is his door is
always open.
So we're going to jump intothat in just a moment.
So, if you have your Bibles,open up with me to Amos, chapter
five While you're doing that,if you're new around here, take
just a moment, like, share andsubscribe to the YouTube channel
and the podcast.
Make sure you leave us afive-star review on the podcast
it really does help and makesure you're going to the Bible
(00:45):
Breakdown discussion on Facebook.
There's an amazing group ofpeople doing a wonderful job.
The more we dig, the more wefind, and you can find access
and links to all of that stuffat thebiblebreakdowncom.
Well, if you've been with usover the past several days, what
we've been talking about isthis idea of Amos as just really
telling the nation of Israelthat justice is coming and so
(01:08):
he's just saying let justiceroll.
I mean, it is on its way andthere's really not much you can
do to stop it unless you repent.
And what is really interestingwe've been covering this idea is
that Amos is not even fromIsrael.
He is from Judah and he iswriting to these people and I
(01:28):
know these are, you know, theseare relatives.
These are like cousins for oneanother.
But for a long time Judah andIsrael have really not liked
each other.
I mean, they have.
They have fought a lot, and sofor Amos to write this to them
is very interesting.
But he is telling them badthings are on the way, but
Israel is not wanting to listenbecause they are very
economically prosperous rightnow.
(01:50):
They're doing a great job.
I mean, they are absolutelywinning because they are doing
all of these backhanded dealswith other nations and all the
stuff they shouldn't be doing.
And he is just telling them hey, listen, because I'm from the
outside looking in.
I can tell this is not going toend well.
The Assyrians are gaining powerevery day and they're going to
take over.
(02:10):
God's going to let them.
You got to fix it, you got toget better.
So come on back to God.
Come on back to God.
And we're going to see thattoday, how, at one end, he is
writing their funeral song, butat the same time, there is still
this overwhelming message ofcome on back to God.
So if you're ready, let's diveinto this.
(02:31):
We're going to look at Amos.
Chapter 5, verse 1 says thisListen, you, people of Israel,
listen to this funeral song.
I am singing.
The virgin Israel has fallen,never to rise again.
She lies abandoned on theground with no one to help her.
The Sovereign Lord says but now, this is what the Sovereign
(03:01):
Lord says to the family ofIsrael.
Here it is Come back to me andlive.
Don't worship at the paganaltars at Bethel and don't go to
the shrines at Gilgal orBeersheba, for the people of
Gilgal will be dragged off intoexile and the people of Bethel
will be reduced to nothing.
Come back to the Lord and live,otherwise he will roar through
(03:24):
Israel like a fire, devouringyou completely.
Your gods in Bethel won't beable to quench the flames.
You twist justice, making it abitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous likedirt.
And it is the Lord who createdthe stars and the Pleiades and
the Orion.
Those are constellations.
He turned darkness into morningand day into night.
(03:47):
He draws up water from theoceans and pours it down as rain
on the land.
The Lord is his name.
In other words, yahweh is hisname.
Yahweh is the one we're talkingabout.
With blinding speed and power,he destroys the strong, crushing
all their defenses.
How you hate honest judges, howyou despise people who tell the
(04:09):
truth.
You trample the poor, stealingtheir grain through taxes and
unfair rent.
Therefore, though you buildbeautiful stone houses, you will
never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from
them, for I know the vastnumber of.
So, those who are smart, keeptheir mouths shut, for it is an
(04:39):
evil time.
Do what is good and run fromevil so that you may live.
Then the Lord, god of heaven'sarmies, will be your helper,
just as you have claimed, hateevil, love what is good.
Turn your courts into truehalls of justice, perhaps even
yet, the Lord, god of heaven'sarmies, will have mercy on the
(05:01):
remnant of his people.
Therefore, this is what theLord the Lord, god of heaven's
armies, will have mercy on theremnant of his people.
Therefore, this is what theLord, the Lord, god of heaven's
army, says, they will be cryingin all the public squares and
mourning in every street.
Call for the farmers to weepwith you and summon professional
mourners to wail.
They will be wailing in thevineyard, for I will destroy
them all, says the Lord.
(05:22):
What sorrow awaits you who sayif only the day of the Lord were
here.
You have no idea what you arewishing for.
The day will bring darkness,not light.
In that day you will be like aman who runs from a lion, only
to meet a bear.
Escaping from the bear, heleans his head, his hand,
against the wall in the houseand is bitten by a snake.
(05:43):
Yes, the day of the Lord willbe dark and hopeless, without a
ray of hope or joy.
I hate all your show andpretense, the hypocrisy of your
religious festivals and solemnassemblies.
I will not accept your burntofferings and grain offerings.
I won't even notice all of yourchoice peace offerings.
Away with your noisy hymns ofpraise.
(06:04):
I will not listen to the musicof your harps.
Instead, I want to see a floodof justice and an endless river
of righteous living.
Was it to me that you werebringing sacrifices and
offerings during 40 years in thewilderness of Israel?
No, you serve the pagan godsofferings during 40 years in the
wilderness of Israel.
(06:24):
No, you serve the pagan gods,succoth, your king god, and
Kauan, your star god, and theimages you made for yourselves.
So I will send you into exileto the land of Damascus, says
the Lord, whose name is the Godof heaven's armies.
Wow, notice how.
What God is saying over andover again is he's saying so,
come back to me.
(06:45):
But he's saying come back to meand live, but you're going to
have to do it the right way.
I love how, in verse 14, hesays do what is good and run
from evil so that you may live.
Do what is good, run from evilhere's the big idea of today's
chapter from evil.
Here's the big idea of today'schapter.
(07:06):
What he is saying in Amos,chapter five, is he is saying I
am singing a funeral song, butpart of the funeral song is the
funeral doesn't have to happen.
But here's what you got to do.
You got to come back to me andlive.
But you got to come back to meand you have got to do it my way
.
You've got to come back to meand you have got to do it my way
.
You've got to come back to meand you've got to live for me.
(07:26):
You've got to put away all ofthe idols, put away all the
things that you have put beforeme, in front of me, above me,
and you've got to put me asnumber one in your life.
And so maybe you know,yesterday we talked about how
maybe that was your wake-up call, and so maybe you know,
yesterday we talked about howmaybe that was your wake-up call
Today, maybe for all of us,it's God.
Say this is your way back to me.
(07:47):
Can I tell you I've talked topeople over the years and
they've said a version of this,and that is, they have said I
know I'm not where I need to bewith God.
Or they've even said I know I'mnot where I want to be with God.
I'm not close to God the way Iused to.
I want to get closer to him,but I do not know how to get
started.
Can I tell you, maybe for allof us, or, if you're there today
(08:11):
, this is God's calling for youand that is come on back to me
and the first step is to do whatis good and to run from what is
evil.
If you want to live, do what isgood and run from what is evil,
and the Bible literally says inverse 14, then the Lord, god of
heaven's armies, will be yourhelper.
(08:31):
You know what God wants to dois.
The Bible says in the book ofJames if you will draw close to
him, he will draw close to you,god.
God is not, he is.
I know that a lot of people love, you know, the God Chasers by
Tommy Tenney a long time ago,and I think it was good.
I think it was meant well.
The problem is is it almostseems as though God is playing a
game where he is trying to, youknow, move away from you so
(08:57):
that you have to constantly bechasing him.
And there's an element of thatwhere God wants you to draw
after him.
But it's not as though God ispurposely trying to almost play
a game with you.
What God is doing is he issaying this is where I am and I
want to come close to you, butI've already taken the first
step.
When Jesus came and died on thecross and rose again, that was
(09:20):
him taking the first ten stepstoward us.
And so at some point he saysbut you've got to take a step
toward me.
Well, pastor, how do I take astep?
There's many steps you can take, but if nothing else, verse 14
says come to me and live.
And how do I do this?
By doing what is good andrunning from what is evil.
And if you will do this, thenthe Lord will be your helper.
(09:43):
In other words, if maybe todayyou would say I want to come on
back home to God.
I know God Jesus is my Savior,but I don't really feel like
he's my Lord right now and Iwant to come back to him.
I don't even know what to do.
Well, then do this.
Why don't you make a list todaywhat are the good things that
you could and should do?
Second list what are the evilthings, that's in your life that
(10:05):
you know you should not do?
And then take a step.
And all the good things.
I'm going to take a step towardwhat is good and I'm going to
take a step away from what isevil.
And if you will put forth theeffort, you know what God
promises.
He promises that he will beyour helper.
He will give you the strengthto do what you cannot do
(10:26):
yourself.
But he's already taken so manysteps toward us.
We have to take a step towardhim.
So make a list.
What are the good things Ishould do?
I should be spending time inGod's word.
I should be praying every day.
I need to be around the peopleof God.
I need to love, serve, give ofmy finances, give of these
things, like not putting myselfabove all.
(10:46):
These are all good things to do.
What are evil things?
Sin, addictions, things thattake me away from the things of
God and start taking steps, andthe Lord promises to be our
helper.
Let's pray together right now.
God, thank you so much for yourword.
Thank you that your wordchallenges us to be more than
what we are right now.
(11:06):
We are not what other peoplesay we are.
You say we have the ability todo what is good, to run from
what is evil.
We can't help what has happenedto us.
We can't help what we do withit.
And today we decide to run toyou, to run from evil, and we
(11:27):
grab onto the promise of chapter5, verse 14, that says you will
be our helper.
I thank you today, god, for thecourage to take the first step
and to know that you're not justwith us in the next step,
you're with us in the first step.
That, as we put our lives inyour hands, you lead us every
(11:47):
step of the way.
Thank you, jesus.
In Jesus' name we pray amen.
You know what God's word saysin Amos 5, verse 24,.
He says instead I want to see amighty flood of justice, an
endless river of righteousliving.
That's my prayer for us today.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
(12:07):
For Isaiah, chapter six.
Well, hello everybody , welcome back to the Bible
Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, amos,
chapter 5, and today's title isCome On Back, come On Back.
And I love this one because atone point, amos is to the point
where he is actually planningtheir funeral, but at the same
time, he is just challengingthem, urging them, begging them
(00:24):
to come on back to God.
And that's one of the things Ilove about God is his door is
always open.
So we're going to jump intothat in just a moment.
So, if you have your Bibles,open up with me to Amos, chapter
five While you're doing that,if you're new around here, take
just a moment, like, share andsubscribe to the YouTube channel
and the podcast.
Make sure you leave us afive-star review on the podcast
it really does help and makesure you're going to the Bible
(00:45):
Breakdown discussion on Facebook.
There's an amazing group ofpeople doing a wonderful job.
The more we dig, the more wefind, and you can find access
and links to all of that stuffat thebiblebreakdowncom.
Well, if you've been with usover the past several days, what
we've been talking about isthis idea of Amos as just really
telling the nation of Israelthat justice is coming and so
(01:08):
he's just saying let justiceroll.
I mean, it is on its way andthere's really not much you can
do to stop it unless you repent.
And what is really interestingwe've been covering this idea is
that Amos is not even fromIsrael.
He is from Judah and he iswriting to these people and I
(01:28):
know these are, you know, theseare relatives.
These are like cousins for oneanother.
But for a long time Judah andIsrael have really not liked
each other.
I mean, they have.
They have fought a lot, and sofor Amos to write this to them
is very interesting.
But he is telling them badthings are on the way, but
Israel is not wanting to listenbecause they are very
economically prosperous rightnow.
(01:50):
They're doing a great job.
I mean, they are absolutelywinning because they are doing
all of these backhanded dealswith other nations and all the
stuff they shouldn't be doing.
And he is just telling them hey, listen, because I'm from the
outside looking in.
I can tell this is not going toend well.
The Assyrians are gaining powerevery day and they're going to
take over.
(02:10):
God's going to let them.
You got to fix it, you got toget better.
So come on back to God.
Come on back to God.
And we're going to see thattoday, how, at one end, he is
writing their funeral song, butat the same time, there is still
this overwhelming message ofcome on back to God.
So if you're ready, let's diveinto this.
(02:31):
We're going to look at Amos.
Chapter 5, verse 1 says thisListen, you, people of Israel,
listen to this funeral song.
I am singing.
The virgin Israel has fallen,never to rise again.
She lies abandoned on theground with no one to help her.
The Sovereign Lord says but now, this is what the Sovereign
(03:01):
Lord says to the family ofIsrael.
Here it is Come back to me andlive.
Don't worship at the paganaltars at Bethel and don't go to
the shrines at Gilgal orBeersheba, for the people of
Gilgal will be dragged off intoexile and the people of Bethel
will be reduced to nothing.
Come back to the Lord and live,otherwise he will roar through
(03:24):
Israel like a fire, devouringyou completely.
Your gods in Bethel won't beable to quench the flames.
You twist justice, making it abitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous likedirt.
And it is the Lord who createdthe stars and the Pleiades and
the Orion.
Those are constellations.
He turned darkness into morningand day into night.
(03:47):
He draws up water from theoceans and pours it down as rain
on the land.
The Lord is his name.
In other words, yahweh is hisname.
Yahweh is the one we're talkingabout.
With blinding speed and power,he destroys the strong, crushing
all their defenses.
How you hate honest judges, howyou despise people who tell the
(04:09):
truth.
You trample the poor, stealingtheir grain through taxes and
unfair rent.
Therefore, though you buildbeautiful stone houses, you will
never live in them.
Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from
them, for I know the vastnumber of.
So, those who are smart, keeptheir mouths shut, for it is an
(04:39):
evil time.
Do what is good and run fromevil so that you may live.
Then the Lord, god of heaven'sarmies, will be your helper,
just as you have claimed, hateevil, love what is good.
Turn your courts into truehalls of justice, perhaps even
yet, the Lord, god of heaven'sarmies, will have mercy on the
(05:01):
remnant of his people.
Therefore, this is what theLord the Lord, god of heaven's
armies, will have mercy on theremnant of his people.
Therefore, this is what theLord, the Lord, god of heaven's
army, says, they will be cryingin all the public squares and
mourning in every street.
Call for the farmers to weepwith you and summon professional
mourners to wail.
They will be wailing in thevineyard, for I will destroy
them all, says the Lord.
(05:22):
What sorrow awaits you who sayif only the day of the Lord were
here.
You have no idea what you arewishing for.
The day will bring darkness,not light.
In that day you will be like aman who runs from a lion, only
to meet a bear.
Escaping from the bear, heleans his head, his hand,
against the wall in the houseand is bitten by a snake.
(05:43):
Yes, the day of the Lord willbe dark and hopeless, without a
ray of hope or joy.
I hate all your show andpretense, the hypocrisy of your
religious festivals and solemnassemblies.
I will not accept your burntofferings and grain offerings.
I won't even notice all of yourchoice peace offerings.
Away with your noisy hymns ofpraise.
(06:04):
I will not listen to the musicof your harps.
Instead, I want to see a floodof justice and an endless river
of righteous living.
Was it to me that you werebringing sacrifices and
offerings during 40 years in thewilderness of Israel?
No, you serve the pagan godsofferings during 40 years in the
wilderness of Israel.
(06:24):
No, you serve the pagan gods,succoth, your king god, and
Kauan, your star god, and theimages you made for yourselves.
So I will send you into exileto the land of Damascus, says
the Lord, whose name is the Godof heaven's armies.
Wow, notice how.
What God is saying over andover again is he's saying so,
come back to me.
(06:45):
But he's saying come back to meand live, but you're going to
have to do it the right way.
I love how, in verse 14, hesays do what is good and run
from evil so that you may live.
Do what is good, run from evilhere's the big idea of today's
chapter from evil.
Here's the big idea of today'schapter.
(07:06):
What he is saying in Amos,chapter five, is he is saying I
am singing a funeral song, butpart of the funeral song is the
funeral doesn't have to happen.
But here's what you got to do.
You got to come back to me andlive.
But you got to come back to meand you have got to do it my way
.
You've got to come back to meand you have got to do it my way
.
You've got to come back to meand you've got to live for me.
(07:26):
You've got to put away all ofthe idols, put away all the
things that you have put beforeme, in front of me, above me,
and you've got to put me asnumber one in your life.
And so maybe you know,yesterday we talked about how
maybe that was your wake-up call, and so maybe you know,
yesterday we talked about howmaybe that was your wake-up call
Today, maybe for all of us,it's God.
Say this is your way back to me.
(07:47):
Can I tell you I've talked topeople over the years and
they've said a version of this,and that is, they have said I
know I'm not where I need to bewith God.
Or they've even said I know I'mnot where I want to be with God.
I'm not close to God the way Iused to.
I want to get closer to him,but I do not know how to get
started.
Can I tell you, maybe for allof us, or, if you're there today
(08:11):
, this is God's calling for youand that is come on back to me
and the first step is to do whatis good and to run from what is
evil.
If you want to live, do what isgood and run from what is evil,
and the Bible literally says inverse 14, then the Lord, god of
heaven's armies, will be yourhelper.
(08:31):
You know what God wants to dois.
The Bible says in the book ofJames if you will draw close to
him, he will draw close to you,god.
God is not, he is.
I know that a lot of people love, you know, the God Chasers by
Tommy Tenney a long time ago,and I think it was good.
I think it was meant well.
The problem is is it almostseems as though God is playing a
game where he is trying to, youknow, move away from you so
(08:57):
that you have to constantly bechasing him.
And there's an element of thatwhere God wants you to draw
after him.
But it's not as though God ispurposely trying to almost play
a game with you.
What God is doing is he issaying this is where I am and I
want to come close to you, butI've already taken the first
step.
When Jesus came and died on thecross and rose again, that was
(09:20):
him taking the first ten stepstoward us.
And so at some point he saysbut you've got to take a step
toward me.
Well, pastor, how do I take astep?
There's many steps you can take, but if nothing else, verse 14
says come to me and live.
And how do I do this?
By doing what is good andrunning from what is evil.
And if you will do this, thenthe Lord will be your helper.
(09:43):
In other words, if maybe todayyou would say I want to come on
back home to God.
I know God Jesus is my Savior,but I don't really feel like
he's my Lord right now and Iwant to come back to him.
I don't even know what to do.
Well, then do this.
Why don't you make a list todaywhat are the good things that
you could and should do?
Second list what are the evilthings, that's in your life that
(10:05):
you know you should not do?
And then take a step.
And all the good things.
I'm going to take a step towardwhat is good and I'm going to
take a step away from what isevil.
And if you will put forth theeffort, you know what God
promises.
He promises that he will beyour helper.
He will give you the strengthto do what you cannot do
(10:26):
yourself.
But he's already taken so manysteps toward us.
We have to take a step towardhim.
So make a list.
What are the good things Ishould do?
I should be spending time inGod's word.
I should be praying every day.
I need to be around the peopleof God.
I need to love, serve, give ofmy finances, give of these
things, like not putting myselfabove all.
(10:46):
These are all good things to do.
What are evil things?
Sin, addictions, things thattake me away from the things of
God and start taking steps, andthe Lord promises to be our
helper.
Let's pray together right now.
God, thank you so much for yourword.
Thank you that your wordchallenges us to be more than
what we are right now.
(11:06):
We are not what other peoplesay we are.
You say we have the ability todo what is good, to run from
what is evil.
We can't help what has happenedto us.
We can't help what we do withit.
And today we decide to run toyou, to run from evil, and we
(11:27):
grab onto the promise of chapter5, verse 14, that says you will
be our helper.
I thank you today, god, for thecourage to take the first step
and to know that you're not justwith us in the next step,
you're with us in the first step.
That, as we put our lives inyour hands, you lead us every
(11:47):
step of the way.
Thank you, jesus.
In Jesus' name we pray amen.
You know what God's word saysin Amos 5, verse 24,.
He says instead I want to see amighty flood of justice, an
endless river of righteousliving.
That's my prayer for us today.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
(12:07):
For Isaiah, chapter six.
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