Amos 8:12-14

God will not allow idols in our life He loves us too much. Anything that we value above Him and the gift of salvation in Jesus and the guidance of Holy Spirit is detrimental to our walk with Him.

Judges 18:27 (ESV) "But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.”

Earlier this week, we met Micah, whose mother created an idol after he confessed he stole her silver. Along with enshrining this idol, Micah hired his own "priest," falling into idolatry. (Judges 17:2-5;  Judges 17:9-10) We also met the Danites, who, like Micah, sinned against God. Today's passage tells the story of their continued disobedience and its long-lasting ripple effect.

Along the journey to seize the city of Laish, the Danites stopped at Micah's house and stole his ephod, household gods, and carved and metal images. (Judges 18:17) Not only did they steal Micah's idols, but they also hired his "priest" for themselves. (Judges 18:19-20) The Danites moved further and further away from the Lord's plans through repeated disobedience.

The ripple effect continued as the Danites killed the citizens of Laish and destroyed the city. After rebuilding, they named the city Dan, worshiped Micah's carved images and were served by the "priest" and his descendants until the fall and capture of Shiloh, (Judges 18:30-31) which occurred in the final years of judges in Israel. (1 Samuel 4) God's people "moved him to jealousy with their idols … He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh" (Psalm 78:58-61). The idolatry in Dan was a snare to God's people for years.

While theoretically Micah and the tribe of Dan lived under the law of the Lord, (Exodus 20:1-17) in reality, their actions proved their loyalty and obedience did not belong to the Lord. The ripple effects of Micah's initial sin of stealing led to individual idolatry that grew into idolatry for an entire tribe. 

Whether good or bad, every choice we make has a ripple effect on others. Our actions will negatively impact others when we choose to live outside the Lord's will. We can all think of sinful choices someone close to us has made, and sinful choices we have made, that caused pain to us and those we love.

However, our effect can instead be positive if we keep the law of God in our hearts and choose to trust in the Lord Jesus, whose sacrifice had the greatest ripple effect of all: "For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many" (Romans 5:15). When we delight ourselves in Him and commit our ways to Him, our legacy will point others to Jesus.First5 

Amos 8:12-14

12 They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it. 13 “In that day the fair virgins And strong young men shall faint from thirst. 14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, Who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan!’ And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives!’ They shall fall and never rise again.” The New King James Version

Another likely wordplay alluding to the idolatry of Israel. The Hebrew word here—usually translated as “sin” or “guilt”—sounds similar to the name of the Canaanite goddess, Asherah. King Ahab had erected an Asherah image in Samaria. Some English translations convey this idea directly by referring to the “idol” or “goddess” of Samaria. Faithlife Study Bible

Those in Israel searching for the word of God would have to circle all of Israel’s territory, but in vain. The fair virgins and strong young men are those who are most vigorous and apt to survive. Dan in the far north and Beersheba in the far south were the limits of significant Israelite settlement. In Amos’s day, Beersheba was in the kingdom of Judah. Israel could swear oaths by the Lord, claiming they loyally worshiped Him from the extreme north to the extreme south of His land, but that would not relieve the famine of God’s word. The NKJV Study Bible

Here was a token of God’s highest displeasure. At any time, and most in a time of trouble, a famine of the word of God is the heaviest judgment. To many this is no affliction, yet some will feel it very much, and will travel far to hear a good sermon; they feel the loss of the mercies others foolishly sin away. But when God visits a backsliding church, their own plans and endeavours to find out a way of salvation, will stand them in no stead. And the most amiable and zealous would perish, for want of the water of life, which Christ only can bestow. Let us value our advantages, seek to profit by them, and fear sinning them away. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:21 Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain.

1 Kings 12:28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

1 Kings 12:29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.