This Wednesday, June 27, we will be discussing Matthew 5:21-26 for our Bible Study. Here are some thoughts/comments/questions/observations to think about in preparation for the bible study.
1. Take the time to read carefully Matthew 5:17-48 many times through in one sitting. Remember Matthew 5:17-20 introduces the main body of Jesus "sermon on the mount." Matthew 5:21-48 is the "fleshing out" of what was introduced in 5:17-20. Matthew 5:21-48 can be divided into six antithetical statements by Jesus (some say five, I am undecided though I lean closer to five). They begin with "you have heard" and end with "but I say to you." For further thought, what is the connection between Jesus "but I say to you" and his statements in Matthew 5:17-20?
2. Anger is the main emphasis of this passage of scripture. Take the time now to cross-reference Genesis 4:5,6; 37:4, 8; 1 Sam. 20:30-33. What is the connection made here between anger and murder?
3. Is Jesus here forbidding all manner of anger? In other words, is all anger the first fruits to murder?
4. How are we to understand "brother?" Does he mean your physical "brother," or is he speaking figuratively?
5. Verse 23 begins with "therefore." What logical connection are we to draw from vv. 21-22 and 23-25? What kind of responses are we to have should we have malice in any personal relationship?
Andrew
Monday, June 25, 2007
Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 24, 2007
Time to Return
Amos 4:6-11
Amos 4:6-11
[6] And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and want of bread in all your places:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[7] And also I have withholden the rain from you,
when there were yet three months to the harvest:
and I caused it to rain upon one city,
and caused it not to rain upon another city:
one piece was rained upon,
one piece was rained upon,
and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
[8] So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water;
[8] So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water;
but they were not satisfied:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[9] I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards
and your fig trees and your olive trees increased,
[9] I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards
and your fig trees and your olive trees increased,
the palmerworm devoured them:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[10] I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt:
your young men have I slain with the sword,
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[10] I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt:
your young men have I slain with the sword,
and have taken away your horses;
and I have made the stink of your camps
and I have made the stink of your camps
to come up unto your nostrils:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[11] I have overthrown some of you,
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[11] I have overthrown some of you,
as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
Introduction:
You’ve got to ask yourself, "Why now? Why slap them in the face with that sarcasm now? Isn’t it too late? By His oath hasn’t he shut the door on any hope of avoiding this judgment? What is this about? Who is this for?"
God doesn’t take sin lightly.
God doesn’t take judgment lightly, either.
When bad things happen to good people - Jobs
When bad things happen to God’s people - Jonahs
When bad things happen to bad people - Judas’s
It is "time to return"!
"Reprobate" and "contumacy" defined:
Reprobate = 1. Not enduring proof or trial; not of standard purity or fineness; disallowed; rejected. Jer. vi. 2. Abandoned in sin; lost to virtue or grace. Tit. 1. 3. Abandoned to error, or in apostasy. 2 Tim. iii. [footnote 1]
Contumacy = stubbornness; unyielding obstinacy; inflexibility. 2. In law, a wilful contempt and disobedience to any lawful summons or order of court;... [footnote 2]
Outline:
I. The Reprobate Maintain Their Contumacy Despite Repeated Warnings - Yet
II. The Reprobate Exhibit Their Contumacy By Their Failure To Repent - Have Ye Not Returned
III. The Reprobate Finalize Their Contumacy In Their Enmity Against God - Unto Me, Saith The Lord
I. The Reprobate Maintain Their Contumacy Despite Repeated Warnings - Yet
Yet = "Nevertheless; notwithstanding; however." [footnote 3]
Leviticus 26:18-19 - [18] And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. [19] And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
2 Chron. 28:22 - And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.
Jeremiah 3:10 - And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.
1. They did not respond after Famine - 4:6
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and want of bread in all your places
Deut. 28:47-48 - [47] Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; [48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Lament. 2:12 - They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.
2. They did not respond after Drought/Selective Drought - 4:7-8
[7] And also I have withholden the rain from you,
when there were yet three months to the harvest:
and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city:
one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
[8] So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water;
but they were not satisfied
Deut. 28:23-24 - [23] And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. [24] The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Deut. 11:17 - And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.
Jeremiah 3:1-3 - [1] They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. [2] Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. [3] Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 5:23-25 - [23] But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. [24] Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. [25] Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
Haggai 1:6 - Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Another kind of drought coming!
Amos 8:12 - And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
3. They did not respond after Blasting/Mildew/Palmerworm
(crop failure) - 4:9
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards
and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them
Deut. 28:22 - The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
Deut. 28:38-42 - [38] Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. [39] Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. [40] Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. [41] Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. [42] All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Psalm 105:34-35 - [34] He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, [35] And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
Joel 1:4 - That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
Joel 1:7 - He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
Joel 1:12 - The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.
Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.
4. They did not respond after Pestilence/Defeat in war (disease/slaughter) - 4:10
I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt:
your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses;
and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils
Leviticus 26:25 - And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Deut. 28:21 - The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
Deut. 28:27 - The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Deut. 28:60-61 - Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. [61] Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Cp. Exodus 7-12
5. They did not respond after Burning - 4:11
I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning
Genesis 19:24-25 - [24] Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; [25] And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Jeremiah 23:14 - I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Jeremiah 49:18 - As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
Lament. 4:6 - For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.
Jeremiah 50:40 - As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
Cp. esp. Deut. 29:19-29
"The writer passed through the California earthquake of April 18, 1906, and was an eye-witness of its horrors. Not the least solemn thing noticed was the persistent efforts of the preachers of all denominations to quiet the fears of the populace by assuring them that God had no part in the calamitous events that had taken place. Natural causes explained everything! This the Christless were only too ready to believe; and thus were their partially awakened consciences lulled to rest and their ears closed against the voice of Him who through Amos said, "I have overthrown some of you!"
From vers. 11 and 12 of this chapter, it was my solemn opportunity to press the truth upon many at that time, and not altogether, I trust, without fruit; but "the day" will declare it." [footnote 4]
Jude 1:23 - And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
How do we know that God was behind these disasters, these tragic events?
Matthew 10:29-30 - [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. [30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Luke 21:18 - But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Dan. 4:34-35 - And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Eph. 1:11 - In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Rom. 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
What is God's purpose in chastening His people? Consider especially Hebrews 12:4-11.
What is the proper response to these disasters, natural and otherwise?
II. The Reprobate Exhibit Their Contumacy By Their Failure To Repent - Have Ye Not Returned
What is it that they should have done, and failed to do?
We will come back to this question again, but their overall failure ends up being a failure to repent of their sin.
Their indictment is identical to that found in Romans 2:
Rom. 2:3-5 - [3] And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [4] Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? [5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God
The Definition of Repentance
What should a good definition of repentance include?
1. After-knowledge
2. Change of mind consequent on after-knowledge
3. Regret for the course pursued
4. Displeasure with oneself
5. Change of conduct for the future [footnote 5]
In Scriptural usage it came to mean "...a change of mind, taking a wiser view of the past..., a regret fo the ill done in that past, and out of all this a change of life for the better..." [footnote 6]
"...that mighty change in mind, heart, and life wrought by the Spirit of God (‘such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice,’ Kettlewell),..." [footnote 7]
Notice that repentance is not merely a bare "change of mind" as some imagine who fail grossly to consider context and usage in their study of this word group!
Consider especially the great repentance passage in 2 Cor. 7:8-11 -
[8] For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. [9] Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. [10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. [11] For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
It is important to notice from this passage:
1. There are two kinds of sorrow, godly and worldly, one that brings salvation and an end to sorrow, while the second brings death and eternal sorrow. (vv. 9-10)
2. True, evangelical repentance is produced only by godly sorrow. (vs. 10)
3. True, evangelical repentance involves the following seven ingredients (vs. 11):
1) carefulness
2) clearing of yourselves
3) indignation
4) fear
5) vehement desire
6) zeal
7) revenge
4. True, evangelical repentance results in a righting of wrongs that is here referred to as "approving yourselves to be clear in this matter". (vs. 11)
The Opposition to the Preaching of Repentance
There is a great deal of opposition to the preaching of repentance, along with a serious lack of teaching concerning repentance, in our day involving a theological position that has been characterized as "anti-Lordship". This is a very serious error that divorces faith from life, and belief from behavior. Such a severing of faith from repentance would have been unthinkable in the first century A.D. The basis of the contemporary opposition to this doctrine comes from what I can only characterize as simplistic etymological nonsense that flies directly in the face of the fine teaching from Scripture of others like Trench above. An unrepentant easy-believism has no warrant in God’s Word!
Consider the teaching of the New Testament on this subject:
Luke 15:7 - I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Mark 2:17 - When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Notice that the only ones who may claim "exemption" from God’s command to repent, are those who don’t see themselves as sinners! There is joy in heaven when there is repentance!
Acts 17:30 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Notice that in reality no one is exempt from God’s command to repent! He commands all men everywhere to repent! Any preachers who do not preach repentance as part of the Gospel, are failing to preach the Gospel according to the Word of God! This is no light matter! All men! Everywhere! No exceptions! Preach it!
The Christian Life as a Life of Repentance - Returning, Turning and Conversion
1 Th. 1:1-10 - [1] Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. [2] We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; [3] Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; [4] Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. [5] For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. [6] And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: [7] So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. [8] For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. [9] For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; [10] And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
We need to think of the Christian life as one that begins with a conversion, a turning, involving repentance, and as one that does not stop there, but may be characterized as a life of repentance, a continual turning and converting each and every time we sin!
The Opposite of Repentance
Now let us return to the original question, "What is it that they should have done, and failed to do?"
Consider the following five verses recording God’s accusations of contumacy, a stiff-necked, hard-hearted refusal to repent:
Jeremiah 3:10 - And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 5:3 - O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Jeremiah 15:7 - And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.
Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.
2 Chron. 28:22 - And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.
We need to be heeding the teachings of the following New Testament passages!
2 Tim. 2:23-26 - [23] But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. [24] And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, [25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; [26] And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Hebrews 6:4-8 - [4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, [5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, [6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. [7] For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: [8] But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Hebrews 12:17 - For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
III. The Reprobate Finalize Their Contumacy In Their Enmity Against God - Unto Me, Saith The Lord
Isaiah 9:13 - For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.
Jeremiah 3:7 - And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
It is unto the Lord that we need to return.
It is His goodness which should lead us to repentance.
His providential blessings should humble us, and draw us to love and serve Him.
Consider the teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism on the providence of God. How would you answer these catechism questions?
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10
Q27: What do you understand by the providence of God?
A27: The almighty, everywhere-present power of God,[1] whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures,[2] and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,[3] health and sickness,[4] riches and poverty,[5] indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.
1. Acts 17:25-26
2. Heb. 1:3
3. Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:17
4. John 9:3
5. Prov. 22:2; Psa. 103:19; Rom. 5:3-5a
Q28: What does it profit us to know that God created and by His providence upholds all things?
A28: That we may be patient in adversity,[1] thankful in prosperity,[2] and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love,[3] since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.[4]
1. Rom. 5:3; James 1:3; Job 1:21
2. Deut. 8:10; I Thess. 5:18
3. Rom. 8:35, 38-39
4. Job 1:12; Acts 17:25-28; Prov. 21:1; Psa. 71:7; II Cor. 1:10
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1
Q.1: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A.1: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death,[1] am not my own,[2] but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ,[3] who with His precious blood [4] has fully satisfied for all my sins,[5] and redeemed me from all the power of the devil;[6] and so preserves me [7] that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;[8] indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.[9] Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,[10] and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.[11]
1. Rom. 14:7-8
2. I Cor. 6:19
3. I Cor. 3:23
4. I Peter 1:18-19
5. I John 1:7; 2:2
6. I John 3:8
7. John 6:39
8. Matt. 10:29-30; Luke 21:18
9. Rom. 8:28
10. II Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:16
11. Rom. 8:1
Conclusion:
What is your only comfort in life and in death? Is this your confession?
Has the goodness of God led you to repent of your sins, and to live a life of repentance?
Will you right now, before you leave this place today, hear His call to repent, heed His command to repent, and turn from your sin to Him?
Footnotes:
1. Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, 2 vols. (New Haven: S. Converse, 1828), reprinted in 1 vol. as Noah Webster’s First Edition Of An American Dictionary Of The English Language, 4th ed. (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1967), s.v. "reprobate".
2. Ibid., s.v. "contumacy".
3. Ibid., s.v. "yet".
4. H. A. Ironside, Notes on the Minor Prophets (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., Bible Truth Depot, n.d., 1983 printing of 1909 1st ed.), pg. 159, footnote.
5. Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, 9th ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1976 reproduction of 1880 London ed.), pp. 257-258.
6. Ibid, pg. 259.
7. Ibid., pg. 260. John Kettlewell was an English author who died in 1695.
Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 17, 2007
The Holy Sarcasm
of an Offended God
Amos 4:1-5
[1] Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria,Amos 4:1-5
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
[2] The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,
that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
[3] And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
[4] Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
[5] And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:
for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
Introduction:
The Covenant Lawsuit continues, dripping with sarcasm, the holy sarcasm of an offended God!
Irony as a figure of speech employed in Scripture:
"The Expression of Thought in a form that naturally conveys its opposite."
"The figure is so called when the speaker intends to convey a sense contrary to the strict signification of the words employed: not with the intention of concealing his real meaning, but for the purpose of adding greater force to it." [footnote 1]
Sarcasm - What is it? A form of irony -
"a. A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
b. A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule." [footnote 2]
"a. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
b. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark..." [footnote 3]
The place of sarcasm in the prophets - Observe the sarcasm in the following passages running the gamut from Moses to Paul:
Deut. 32:37 - And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they
trusted,
1 Kings 18:27 - And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
Ezekiel 20:39 - As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye,
serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
1 Cor. 4:8 - Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us:
and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
1 Cor. 6:4 - If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
2 Cor. 10:12 - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
2 Cor. 11:19 - For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
2 Cor. 12:13 - For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
2 Cor. 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
The Lord is here adding insult to injury!
If anyone else spoke to us this way we might be tempted to respond: "You can’t talk to me like that!" But, this is God talking!
The time will come when the Son of God will be slapped in the face by sinners -
Matthew 26:67-68 - [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, [68] Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
Mark 14:65 - And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Luke 22:64 - And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
John 18:22 - And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?
But, for now, it is God slapping Israel in the face with His sarcasm uttered through His prophet Amos.
Let us see how God slaps reprobate Israel in the face!
I. The Objects of God’s Holy Sarcasm Addressed (4:1)
Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria,
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
1. The Insulting Characterization of the Objects (4:1a-c)
Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria
Bashan - area east of Jordan and the Sea of Galilee between Gilead and the river Yarmuk on the south, Mt. Hermon on the north, and Salecah on the east. It includes the cities of Ashtaroth, Golan and Edrei. This area is today called en-Nuqra. At the time of the conquest by the Israelites it was ruled by Og. It became the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Psalm 22:12 - Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
Ezekiel 39:18 - Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
Amos 6:1 - Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
2. The Carnal Behavior of the Objects (4:1d-g)
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
Amos 2:6 - Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
1) Oppress the poor - Greedy
2) Crush the needy - Selfish
3) Say to their master, "Bring, and let us drink!" - Self-centered
By the way, who is in control here? This explains the address of the Lord's comments!
What "word" is it that God wants these "fat cows" to hear?
Here it comes in the verses that follow!
II. The Result of God’s Holy Sarcasm Prophesied (4:2-3)
[2] The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,
that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
[3] And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
1. The Solemn Nature of the Result (4:2a-b)
The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,
"The same phrase occurs once elsewhere, in Ps. 89:35. No oath can be greater or more final (Heb. 6:13, 14)." [footnote 4]
Psalm 89:35 - Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
2. The Horrible Reality of the Result (4:2c-3)
that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
The cruelty of the Assyrians - humans treated as cattle
"The Assyrians frequently led prisoners by ropes attached to rings or hooks in their noses and lips." [footnote 5]
Isaiah 37:29 - Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. [cp. 2 Kings 19:28]
Ezekiel 38:4 - And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
God does not take sin lightly - He is holy!
Those who deny eternal punishment need to have their faces rubbed in the awfulness of the temporal punishments God inflicted on His people!
All that being said, what would God have His people Israel do in the meantime?
The answer to that question is contained in the next verses!
III. The Invitation of God’s Holy Sarcasm Proclaimed (4:4-5)
[4] Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
[5] And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:
for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
1. The Specific Details of the Invitation (4:4-5b)
Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:
Worship as sin, Religion as multiplied sin
Hosea 9:15 - All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
Hosea 12:11 - Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
Leviticus 7:13 - Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
Numbers 28:3-4 - And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. [4] The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;
Amos 5:21-22 - [21] I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. [22] Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
Matthew 23:32 - Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
We may not define worship as we please!
God only accepts worship that is pleasing to Him.
You cannot worship God with a divided heart.
First, foremost, and always, God wants our devotion -
a clean heart and a right spirit.
Consider, on this issue, an episode in the life of Dwight Lyman Moody:
"Sometimes an easy conversation between friends can have ramifications far beyond what either person expects. Such was the case in the summer of 1872 near Dublin , Ireland , when two prominent evangelists were discussing ministry. The two men were the British evangelist Henry Varley and the renowned American evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Their conversation contains one of the best-remembered quotes attributed to the life and times of Moody. The remark affected him for the rest of his life.
The morning after an all-night prayer meeting, as the two men strolled around the grounds of the mansion where the meeting had been held, Varley uttered a brief but thought-provoking statement to Moody. This is how Moody recorded it in one of his diaries:
"The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him." . . . A man! Varley meant any man. Varley didn’t say he had to be educated, or brilliant, or anything else. Just a man. Well, by the Holy Spirit in me I’ll be that man [quoted in John Pollock, Moody: The Biography (Chicago: Moody, 1963, 1983), pg. 115, author’s italics]." [footnote 6]
I believe that there has been one great exception to this claim, the Person of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. That being said, Varley's challenge remains.
2. The Reasonable Explanation for the Invitation (4:5c-e)
for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
We do what we love - God knows our heart
Hosea 9:1 - Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
Hosea 9:10 - I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
Jeremiah 7:9-10 - Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; [10] And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Psalm 81:11-12 - But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. [12] So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Conclusion:
Have you learned the lessons of the "fat cows of Bashan"?
What will be your response?
Consider Psalm 51:1-10 on the holiness of God, and the heart of man:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. [1] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. [2] Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. [3] For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. [5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. [7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. [9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Footnotes:
1. Bullinger, Ethelbert William. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode; New York: E. & J. B. Young & Co., 1898), pg. 807. See esp. pp. 807-814.
2. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed. (n.p.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm (accessed: July 16, 2007), s.v. "sarcasm".
3. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Unabridged (v 1.1). (n.p.: Random House, Inc., n.d.).
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm (accessed: July 16, 2007), s.v. "sarcasm".
4. New Geneva Study Bible, eds. Luder Whitlock, R. C. Sproul, Bruce Waltke, Moises Silva, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pg. 1399, s.v. note on 4:2.
5. Ibid.
6. Grace to You, "What Does It Mean to Be Filled with the Spirit", by John MacArthur (2003), http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=positions&aid=196; Adapted from The Silent Shepherd, by John MacArthur (n.p.: Victor Books, 1996).
Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 10, 2007
God’s Covenant Lawsuit
Against Israel
Amos 3:9-15
Amos 3:9-15
[9] Publish in the palaces at Ashdod,
and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say,
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof,
and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
[10] For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
[12] Thus saith the Lord;
As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
or a piece of an ear;
so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria
in the corner of a bed,
and in Damascus in a couch.
[13] Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob,
saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,
[14] That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
[15] And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say,
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof,
and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
[10] For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
[12] Thus saith the Lord;
As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
or a piece of an ear;
so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria
in the corner of a bed,
and in Damascus in a couch.
[13] Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob,
saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,
[14] That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
[15] And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
Introduction:
In chapters 1-2 Amos has brought the prophesied judgments of God home to Israel.
In chapter 3:1-8 Amos has made it clear that he can do nothing but prophesy, and that there are valid reasons for the coming judgments which are now to be prophesied.
Now in 3:9-15 we enter into a series of oracles against Israel.
An oracle is a solemn divine pronouncement,
a revelation from God uttered by His spokesman.
Outline:
I. The Presentation of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:9-11)
II. The Destructon of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:12)
III. The Focus of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:13-15)
Let us begin our consideration of this passage with the first oracle found in verses 9-11, where the covenant lawsuit is presented.
I. The Presentation of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:9-11
[9] Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say,
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
[10] For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
1. The Summons to the Witnesses (3:9)
Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof,
and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
Text and translation issue -
Ashdod (ESV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, NLTmg, YLT) vs. Assyria (RSV, etc.)
Job 1:8 - And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
We have the opposite here!
Cp. this to God inviting Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, Howard Stern, the Pope, Don Corleone, Sadaam Hussein, and Osama Bin Laden to witness the chastening of the Church! Not possible? Consider the following verse!
1 Cor. 5:1 - It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
2. The Reading of the Indictment (3:10)
For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
Amos 5:7 - Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
Amos 5:11 - Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
Amos 6:12 - Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
Amos 6:3 - Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
Amos 8:6 - That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (4-6)
Psalm 14:4 - Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
Isaiah 3:14-15 - The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. [15] What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 4:22 - For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Habakkuk 2:8-11 - [8] Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. [9] Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! [10] Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. [11] For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Micah 6:10-12 - Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? [11] Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? [12] For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
Zeph. 1:9 - In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
Zech. 5:3-4 - Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. [4] I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
How do we know right from wrong?
How can we get to the point where we don’t, where we are no longer able to?
3. The Pronouncement of the Judgment (3:11)
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
God acts contrary to the wisest stratagems of men in attacking their strongest points rather than their weaknesses - cp. Sun Tzu, The Art of War -
"To achieve an advance that cannot be hampered, rush to his weak points...To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend." [footnote 1]
2 Kings 17:5-6 and 18:9-12
Deut. 28:31, 43, 47-57
Contrast Deut. 1:26-28
Amos will now illustrate the completeness of Israel’s coming destruction with a graphic figure of speech. Consider verse 12 with me -
II. The Destruction of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:12
Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs,or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
1. The Figure of the Shepherd (3:12a)
Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear;
"According to ancient laws, shepherds were to demonstrate their diligence by rescuing a portion of a sheep taken by wild beasts..." [footnote 2]
Genesis 31:39 - That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. [Jacob to Laban]
Exodus 22:9-13 - [9] For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. [10] If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: [11] Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. [12] And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. [13] If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
"If the animal be killed in the stable by God ( an accident), or if a lion kill it, the herdsman shall declare his innocence before God, and the owner bears the accident in the stable." [footnote 3]
1 Samuel 17:34-35 - And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: [35] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
Can it be that God is depicted in this figure as both the lion and the shepherd?
2. The Reality of Israel (3:12b)
so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
Text and translation issue -
Damascus (NIV, NLT, YLT), cover (NASB),
part (ESV, RSV), cushion (HCSB)
Issue: whether the city or the cloth produced there is intended, and whether that cloth was referred to as such during Amos’ times.
"Damask" is "A rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk, or wool." [footnote 4]
Note: This term may not have been used before 1200-1250 A. D. for the type of cloth produced in Damascus. [footnote 5]
Is this prophesied to extend hope for a remnant or to teach the complete destruction of the Northern Kingdom? When a lion devours a sheep does the sheep continue to exist? What does the shepherd bring back but the proof of the destruction of the sheep? Get the figure right, and you will not read into it what it will not bear. This is not a picture designed to extend hope to the nation, but fear and trembling before the utter destruction of the Almighty.
God’s focus in the destruction is the next subject He will address through His spokesman Amos.
III. The Focus of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:13-15
[13] Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,
[14] That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
[15] And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
1. The Divine Warrior Addresses the Prophet (3:13)
Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts
These titles of God occur together only here in Amos.
"In times past God had been a warrior on their behalf. But now He would lead another army against them to punish them for their sins..." [footnote 6]
From God’s mouth into Amos’ ears.
From Amos’ mouth into Israel’s ears.
2. The Divine Warrior Against the Idolators (3:14)
That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
"A fugitive could gain asylum by grasping the horns of the altar (1 Kin. 1:49-51), though this privilege was not always observed (1 Kin. 2:28-35). Even this last resort for sinful Israel will be cut off." [footnote 7]
Cp. Lev. 4, 8:15; 16:18-19; 26:31; Ps. 118:27
However, this has nothing to do with the false altar at Bethel! (1 Kings 12) It never was, nor could it be a true place of sanctuary.
Amos 4:4 - Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
Amos 5:5-6 - But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. [6] Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
Amos 7:10 - Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
Amos 7:13 - But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
Alternative places of worship & couch potatoes (vs. 12) - cp. Heb. 10:19-25
The issue of idolatry and unrighteousness in the Church:
1 Cor. 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Cor. 10:14 - Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Tim. 6:11 - But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
2 Tim. 2:22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 John 5:21 - Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
3. The Divine Warrior Against the Rich (3:15)
And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
Make no mistake about this! God is not on the side of any human "ism"! The human systems known as communism, socialism and capitalism are all likewise condemned by God! Beware of defending any of these in the name of Christianity! Even in the streets of Scranton blood flowed in the past as oppressed coal miners rose up against the greedy capitalists who owned the mines! [footnote 8] All of these systems and those who profit from them are likewise condemned as unrighteous by the King of kings whose kingdom is not of this world!
Christianity and the politics of this world make strange bedfellows! What Christians should do in the political sphere is to point to God the judge of all who condemns them for their pride and greed and oppression as William Wilberforce did. What must be done is to speak with the voice of the prophets into the darkness of the sins in high places that God will bring down to the dust!
The high and mighty, the rich and powerful of this world will not be well-represented in heaven. God has not called many of them! [footnote 9] Where do we fit into this scheme of things? Did you ever compare your standard of living with those in other countries around the world?
As you read, consider and study these ancient prophecies, take them to heart! Take them personally!
Conclusion:
Make no mistake about the end of those who oppress the poor! A fearful judgment awaits those who enrich themselves at the expense of others, who luxuriate in the fine things of this world to satisfy their flesh.
There should be a marked difference between the children of God and the children of this world! Be ye holy!
Footnotes:
1. Ch. 6, "Weakness and Strength", http://www.sonshi.com/learn.html.
2. New Geneva Study Bible, eds. Luder Whitlock, Jr., R. C. Sproul, Bruce Waltke, Moises Silva, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pg. 1399.
3. The Code of Hammurabi, Para. 266, Trans. Leonard William King (1910, public domain) at Wikisource: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Codex_Hammurabi. Also at Washington State University (ed. Richard Hooker, copyright 1996): http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM.
4. damask. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/damask (accessed: July 10, 2007).
5. Ibid. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.; Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/damask. So A. R. Fausset, A Commentary Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), II:2:538.
This contradicts C. von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (Minneapolis: Klock & Klock Christian Publishers, n.d.; 1977 reprint from T. & T. Clark, 1897 original), pg. 120; C. F. Keil, Minor Prophets, Vol. X, Commentary on the Old Testament, by C. F. Keil, and F. Delitzsch, trans. James Martin (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), I:264; H. R. Reynolds and Prof. Whitehouse, "Amos", in Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, A Verse by Verse Explanation, ed. Charles John Ellicott (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d.), III:V:455.
These last are apparently influenced by the works of Gesenius and Ewald.
6. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (n.p.: Victor Books, 1985), pp. 1434-1435.
7. New Geneva Study Bible, op. cit.
8. "Hyde Park History", excerpts from History of Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties, Pa., (New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 1880), and Jubilee History of Lackawanna County Pennsylvania, by Thomas Murphy (Topeka-Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co., 1928), http://www.thomasgenweb.com/hyde_park_history.html. See also: "The Coal Riot. Horrible Treatment of the Laborers by the Miners. - Condition of the Wounded - A War of Races - Welsh vs. Irish and Germans", New York Times, May11, 1871; and The Great Riots, by Edward Winslow Martin, pseudonym for James Dabney McCabe (Philadelphia: National Publishing Co., 1877), pp. 189-222, http://books.google.com/books?id=87Pm8CLO82MC&pg=PA189&vq=Scranton&dq=scranton+riot+coal+miners#PPA189,M1.
9. 1 Cor. 1:26 - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; cp. also Mt. 19:23-24; Mk. 10:17-25; Lk. 1:51-53; 6:24-26; 12:13-21; 14:12-24; 16:1-3; 18:18-25; 1 Tim. 6:3-21; Jas. 1:9-11; 2:1-7; 4:13-5:6; Rev. 3:17-18; and 6:15-16.
Pastor's Sermon Notes - May 27, 2007
Who Can But Prophesy?
Amos 3:1-8
Amos 3:1-8
[1] Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you,
O children of Israel,
against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,
against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,
saying,
[2] You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
[3] Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
[4] Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey?
will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
[5] Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him?
shall one take up a snare from the earth,
[2] You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
[3] Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
[4] Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey?
will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
[5] Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him?
shall one take up a snare from the earth,
and have taken nothing at all?
[6] Shall a trumpet be blown in the city,
[6] Shall a trumpet be blown in the city,
and the people not be afraid?
shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
[7] Surely the Lord God will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
[8] The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
[7] Surely the Lord God will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
[8] The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
Introduction:
Outline of the Book
"The most extensive use of repeated vocabulary to demarcate sections is probably in the Book of Amos." [footnote 1]
Main divisions of the book of Amos: chapters 1-2, 3-6, 7-9
Interruptions noted at 5:18-6:4 (5:18, 21; 6:1, 4), 7:10-17, and 8:4-14.
Five visions of 7-9 noted at 7:1, 4, 7; 8:1 and 9:1.
Outline of chapters 3-6
Significance of 3:1-8
"Hear this Word!"
Are your ears open or shut?
Are you listening?
Are you really listening?
Do you hear Him?
He has some questions for you - will you hear them?
Do you want to know why?
Are you sure that you really want to know why?
He has spoken - what will be your response?
I. The Relationship of God with Israel is the Basis for their Judgment (3:1-2)
[1] Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you,
O children of Israel,
against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,
saying,
[2] You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
1. The Call of the Lord to Hear His Word of Judgment (3:1)
Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you,
O children of Israel,
against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,
saying,
Covenantal documents:
Deut. 4:1 - Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.
Deut. 5:1 - And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
Deut. 6:3 - Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Covenant lawsuit material:
Amos 4:1 - Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
Amos 5:1 - Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 2:4 - Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
Hosea 4:1 - Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Here and in verse 8 are the only two places in Amos where the Lord is the express subject of the verb "to speak". [footnote 2]
2. The Relationship to the Lord as the Basis for His Judgment (3:2)
You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
"For nation or man to be allowed to go on in sin without rebuke is the greatest curse that can befall it or him." [footnote 3]
"Know" = sovereign choice, election, favor = intimate relationship -
Genesis 18:19 - For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Deut. 7:7-8 - The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: [8] But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
John 10:14 - I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
2 Tim. 2:19 - Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
This also applies to God's "foreknowledge" which may never be reduced to a bare "prescience" or "foresight":
Romans 8:29 - For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 11:2 - God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Acts 2:23 - Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
"Election to privilege is consequently only another name for election to duty!" [footnote 4]
"Responsibility flows from relationship." [footnote 5]
II. The Reasons of God for Judgment Upon Israel are Assumed (3:3-6)
[3] Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
[4] Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey?
will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
[5] Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him?
shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
[6] Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?
shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
1. A Question Concerning Walking Together (3:3)
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Do two walk together,unless they have agreed to meet? (ESV)
Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment? (RSV)
Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? (NASB)
Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? (NLT)
Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (NIV)
Psalm 119:63 - I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.
2 Cor. 6:14-7:1 - [14] Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? [16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. [7:1] Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephes. 5:11 - And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
James 4:4 - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Who is walking together here, or not?
Is this focused on Amos' relationship with God, or Israel's?
Who agrees with who?
Have you agreed with God?
Or, do you expect Him to agree with you?
The movement in the next six questions is from a rural and natural setting transitioning into the urban and human realm. Once again we see the inevitable and implacable onslaught of God stripping away the defenses of man where he feels the most safety.
2. Two Questions Concerning the Lion and His Prey (3:4)
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey?
will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
Rural/natural setting
Amos 1:2 - And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
Hosea 5:14 - For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
Hosea 11:10 - They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
3. Two Questions Concerning the Snare and the Bird (3:5)
Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him?shall one take up a snare from the earth,
and have taken nothing at all?
Suburban/human interaction with nature setting
4. Two Questions Concerning the Evil and the City (3:6)
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
Urban/human setting
"Evil which is sin the Lord hath not done, evil which is punishment for evil the Lord bringeth." [footnote 6]
Isaiah 45:7 - I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Lament. 3:38 - Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Micah 1:12 - For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.
Today this would be a siren, or more likely, a radio/TV warning system.
III. The Revelation of God Concerning Judgment must be Announced to Israel (3:7-8)
[7] Surely the Lord God will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
[8] The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
1. The Revelation of God Through His Prophets Precedes His Judgment (3:7)
Surely the Lord God will do nothing,
but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
No "sucker punches", no "sneak attacks"
2. The Revelation of God Through His Prophets Cannot Be Restrained - Two Climactic Questions (3:8)
The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
"The Gospel of the Lion’s Roar!" [footnote 7]
1 Cor. 9:16 - For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
Conclusion:
"Hear this Word!"
Are your ears open or shut?
Are you listening?
Are you really listening?
Do you hear Him?
He has some questions for you - will you hear them?
Do you want to know why?
Are you sure that you really want to know why?
He has spoken - what will be your response?
Footnotes:
1. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Toward an Exegetical Theology, Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1981), pg. 74. Concerning the questions in this section Kaiser writes that they are a "...series of nine rhetorical questions that lead irrevocably and unmistakably to the cause-and-effect conclusion towards which Amos' argument is aimed: "The Lord has spoken, who can but prophesy?" (3:8)." Op. cit., pg. 75.
2. A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1963), pp. 58, pp. 83-84 - note 7, 84.
3. H. R. Reynolds, and Prof. Whitehouse in Ellicott's Commentary on the Whole Bible, A Verse by Verse Explanation, ed. Charles John Ellicott (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d.), III:454.
4. George I. Robinson, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1926), pg. 57.
5. H. A. Ironside, Notes on the Minor Prophets (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., Bible Truth Depot, n.d., 1st ed. 1909), pg. 151.
6. Augustine, cited by Reynolds and Whitehouse, op. cit., III:455.
7. Robinson, ibid.
Pastor's Sermon Notes - May 13, 2007
Flee From the Wrath to Come!
Amos 1:3 - 2:16
Amos 1:3 - 2:16
Introduction:
Review Amos 1:1-2
“...the longest catena of oracles against foreign nations among the Minor Prophets.” [footnote 1]
The form = compound oracle
The primary category = oracles against foreign nations
The incidental category = messenger speech [footnote 2]
There are usually five basic elements in "oracles against foreign nations" [footnote 3]
Amos may have preached this message repeatedly, at various locations over a period of time. [footnote 4]
I. The Inevitability of God’s Judgment
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of....and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof...
The pattern = N+1 = patterns of sin, not isolated incidents
Matthew 3:7 - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luke 3:7 - Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
II. The Justice of God’s Judgment
because they...
Hebrews 10:26-31 - [26] For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. [28] He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
III. The Awfulness of God’s Judgment
But I will send a fire...which shall devour the palaces...
Deut. 32:22 - For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Hebrews 12:25-29 - [25] See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: [26] Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. [27] And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. [28] Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: [29] For our God is a consuming fire.
“Amos is obviously moving from one compass point to another...” [footnote 5]
Review Amos 1:1-2
“...the longest catena of oracles against foreign nations among the Minor Prophets.” [footnote 1]
The form = compound oracle
The primary category = oracles against foreign nations
The incidental category = messenger speech [footnote 2]
There are usually five basic elements in "oracles against foreign nations" [footnote 3]
Amos may have preached this message repeatedly, at various locations over a period of time. [footnote 4]
I. The Inevitability of God’s Judgment
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of....and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof...
The pattern = N+1 = patterns of sin, not isolated incidents
Matthew 3:7 - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luke 3:7 - Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
II. The Justice of God’s Judgment
because they...
Hebrews 10:26-31 - [26] For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. [28] He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
III. The Awfulness of God’s Judgment
But I will send a fire...which shall devour the palaces...
Deut. 32:22 - For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
Hebrews 12:25-29 - [25] See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: [26] Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. [27] And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. [28] Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: [29] For our God is a consuming fire.
“Amos is obviously moving from one compass point to another...” [footnote 5]
Their attention is directed first to Damascus in the north, then to Gaza in the southwest, after this to Tyrus in the northwest, then to Edom in the far southeast, then on to Ammon in the east, and Moab in the southeast...
It was as if they could hear the impacts of God's judgments, off in the distance, one after another, at all these points of the compass, as Amos directed their attention there. It was, in modern terms, as if there were contrails from aircraft criss-crossing the sky overhead as God brings devastation against these foreign nations. [footnote 6]
But, God was not done, as the seventh oracle of judgment, which they may have hoped would be the final one, is pronounced against their fellow tribes in Judah to the immediate south. And, even then, God was not finished. He has surrounded them with judgment, and now He singles them out for special attention, as the real focus of His wrath. They were the last, but they were far from the least of those God announces judgment against through His prophet Amos.
IV. The Impartiality of God’s Judgment
Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
“Israel, being the most guilty of the group, has become in effect a foreign nation to Yahweh.” [footnote 7]
1 Peter 4:17-18 - [17] For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? [18] And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1 John 4:17 - Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Conclusion:
We love to sing the sweet Gospel hymns such as "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound", and "Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life".
And, our love for such songs is understandable.
However, not everything we find in the Word of God drips with such sweetness. There is nothing of that here in this section of the prophecy of Amos.
The greatest men of God throughout history have trembled before Him, and at His Word. They have seen themselves as worms before Him.
Where is your place of refuge and safety?
Do you imagine it to be here at this church?
Or, in the ministry that you are involved in as you serve the Lord?
Do you think your place of refuge is in your devotions, and your acts of worship?
Is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the salvation He gives by grace alone your only place of refuge and safety?
Is there something that you love more than the Lord, that you will cling to as the rich young ruler did with his riches?
Something that prevents you from wholehearted obedience to the Lord?
(Luke 18:18-30)
Or, is your prayer that of the publican in Scripture, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
(Luke 18:13)
Is this your prayer, your cry of desperation to God:
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
(Romans 7:24)
Is your answer the answer of the Apostle Paul:
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 7:25)
Jude 1:1-25
[1] Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: [2] Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
[3] Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. [4] For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. [5] I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. [6] And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. [7] Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. [8] Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. [9] Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. [10] But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. [11] Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. [12] These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; [13] Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. [14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, [15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. [16] These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
[17] But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; [18] How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. [19] These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. [20] But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, [21] Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. [22] And of some have compassion, making a difference: [23] And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
[24] Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, [25] To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Footnotes:
1. Douglas K. Stuart, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 31, Hosea-Jonah (Dallas: Word, 1987), pg. 308.
2. Ibid.
3. Op. cit., pp. 308-309.
4. Op. cit., pg. 309.
5. Op. cit., pg. 312.
6. I am indebted to Pastor Maurice Bergeron for this last vivid image, as we stood outdoors at a Bible conference recently, and he pointed up to a sky criss-crossed with jet contrails, and reminded me of what I had mentioned to him from this passage.
7. Douglas K. Stuart, op. cit., pg. 309.
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