Harvest will Rise
Amos 9:11-15
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text for this morning comes from the Old Testament lesson and we may need to give a little background to Amos and this close to his prophecy. Amos is considered a contemporary to Isaiah.
But Amos is preaching to a Northern Kingdom that has not yet been sent into exile and likewise Judah was sent into exile 135 years after Israel. One of my favorite parts of Amos's prophecy is that he tells the people not to look forward to the day of the Lord, "Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?" He similarly tells the people how they are going to go into Exile.
In Amos 5:11, "Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine." The Lord is going to take their vineyard, fields, and houses from them, because of their wickedness.
These warnings are to prepare the people of Israel to be handed over into the hands of their enemies. The Nation of Assyria will come down upon them and lead them away. As you read through Amos you do not find much hope or joy until you get to our text.
Even though God is going to have the people torn apart and killed, God will talk of a remnant. Even as God will further talk of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, God will rebuild the fallen booth of David.
Some believe this prophecy was fulfilled in 538 BC when Cyrus of Persia made his decree to rebuild Jerusalem and return the people of Judah. Others believe this prophecy was fulfilled 1948 when the Nation of Israel was reborn. To tell the truth these may only be fulfillment in part.
The first reason why is the remnant of Edom, indicates Gentiles being brought into the Kingdom of Israel as cited in Acts 15. This also indicates the lost brethren of Israel, Moses said to the King of Edom, "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met." Remember the promise made to Abraham was that all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
The real reason why this text was not fulfilled in 1948 or 538 BC, is verse 13. For some of you planting season may flow straight into harvest without giving you any break. But I am sure by looking outside that it is difficult for the plowman to overtake the reaper or harvester.
Winter stands in separation of Spring and Fall. Amos is talking about a day when restoration, new life, and Spring comes on the heals of Fall. This is a time when the joys of the harvest meal can be had, knowing the new crop is already coming up. Amos 9:13 tells us in the new creation there is No winter.
Winter may be liked by some. I like it because it means basketball season has started. But for most of us we see the trees go dormant. We recognize many animals that hibernate during winter. But we still of chores that need to get done. We still have work to take care of, but the cold, snow, and ice may make some things just a little harder.
Just like with age comes many other things that make work just a little harder. The minor pains seem to become so much worse in the cold weather. We recognize the difficulties in life are simply the groans or birth pains of creation, all because of sin.
Winter also means Advent, Epiphany, and Lent come to remind us that we need to be prepared because the day of the Lord is a day of think darkness and is at hand. It is a day of distress. We know the judgment the world faces, as well as each of us on account of our sins. We have not always put the needs of others over our own. We have not always valued others time more than our own. We forget to put the best construction on what other people say and do. Likewise, we also forget to tell others we can't do it on our own.
This is true, we can not do it on our own. We can not face the day of the Lord on our own. We need an advocate. We need a savior. Thanks be to Jesus who died for our sins even before we asked. God set forth Christ to die for the forgiveness of sins, even while all people where enemies to God, like Edom to Israel.
God proclaims judgment and condemnation to his own people so they would call upon him for help. He provides them with help many times even in the face of their rejection. But finally comes the day when the people need to be sent into Exile for their own discipline.
But he does not send them there without hope. This same message of hope is hope for Israel, Edom, and you. The message that the temple that was destroyed will be rebuilt. The fallen or razed (with a z) booth will be raised. The harvest will be reaped and yet still more will rise again. Yes, our theme: the Harvest is Raised.
Just as Christ is risen, we also will rise. We are going to live in the new creation with Jesus. There we will celebrate the harvest feast that doesn't end. It is the feast of victory over death and even called a great wedding feast. But Amos points us to a feast, "they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit."
The Day of Judgement is a day of darkness, distress and despair. Similar to that fateful Good Friday afternoon. But the Day of the Lord is also a Day of celebration, feasting, and joy. Similar to the First Day of the Week, when the saw the Temple rebuilt, Christ risen from the dead. So maybe you need to take some time to reap what you have sown, but also enjoy what God has sown for you. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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