Month: April 2020

9.w. “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins”

Amos 5:1   Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” For thus says the Lord God: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name; who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time

This is from Matthew Henry’s commentary:  The scope of this chapter is to prosecute the exhortation given to Israel in the close of the foregoing chapter to prepare to meet their God; the prophet here tells them, I. What preparation they must make; they must “seek the Lord,’’ and not seek any more to idols; they must seek good, and love it. II. Why they must make this preparation to meet their God, 1. Because of the present deplorable condition they were in. Because it was by sin that they were brought into such a condition. Because it would be their happiness to seek God, and he was ready to be found of them. Because he would proceed, in his wrath, to their utter ruin, if they did not seek him. Because all their confidences would fail them if they did not seek unto God, and make him their friend. (1.) Their profane contempt of God’s judgments, and setting them at defiance, would not secure them . (2.) Their external services in religion, and the shows of devotion, would not avail to turn away the wrath of God . (3.) Their having been long in possession of church-privileges, and in a course of holy duties, would not be their protection, while all along they had kept up their idolatrous customs. They have therefore no way left them to save themselves, but by repentance and reformation.

9.v. “Because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God,”

Amos 4:4  “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” declares the Lord God. “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

This is very breathtaking news that Amos was prophesying.  God spoke to His people through Amos and proclaimed their sin and His actions that were intended to bring them back to Him.  What does it say they did? “yet you did not return to Me”.  Five times He reminded them that He was the one that was the author of the trial they were going through.  Five separate times He caused trials to bring them back to Himself but they chose to remain oblivious to these trials coming from His hand.  How many years did all of this transpire over and how many people allowed themselves to be led astray by the words of others who stood fast in their belief that God was not behind the calamities that they were experiencing?  What need is there to come to God if He is not seen as the author of their trials?  What need is there to acknowledge their sinful ways, repent and turn back to God?  Belief, or the lack thereof, has a way of defining the way we see what is happening and how we live each day.  Let it not be said of us “yet you did not return to me”

9.u. “For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?”

Amos 3:1  Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Genesis 50:20    As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Isaiah 14:24-27     The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stan  that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.”

 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.  For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Isaiah 45:7   I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.

2 Kings 22:13     “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

God is saying; “Will there be any evil, or calamity inflicted on a wicked city, which does not proceed from me, as the effect of my wrath?” These the examples were intended to convince the people that they had cause for alarm, as their monstrous iniquities called down the vengeance of God to punish them with these calamities. Time after time prophets were sent to warn the Israelites of pending action from God.  This warning came with a call to repent and turn away from their sinful ways.  I am sure there were those who did take this seriously even while most others did not.  Such is the way of mankind when the Word of God is void and humble service, honor, praise, worship, trust, obedience, and reliance no longer are even a thought in their mind.  The process of blindly following after that which is not pleasing to God will always start with losing desire, hunger, and thirst for God’s Word.   When this happens that void is filled with what the world has to offer.  That first day of thinking you are to busy to spend time in God’s Word is a slippery slope of more days to follow.  At first, there may be some void that is felt somewhere in your soul but after repeated days this void is no longer felt.  It has been replaced by things of this world that we so easily claim bring satisfaction into our life.  I heard on the radio that some governors are proclaiming that abortion is not an elective procedure and federal judges are agreeing.  I have a friend who needs a triple by-pass and that is deemed elective, some prostate and cancer surgeries, for the most part, are called elective, as well, some knee, hip, and other orthopedic surgeries.  Think about this: taking the life of an unborn and healthy child is deemed medically necessary while treating other life-enhancing surgeries not.  When has a nation that tolerates pornography (adult entertainment) ever survived judgment coming from God over it?  When as a nation that promotes, supports, and tolerates homosexual activity survived coming judgment from God?  There has not been any since the creation of the world.  Denying God and that He exists does not mean it is true.  It does not protect a nation or person from His judgment.  “For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our father have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us”

9.t. “But their lies have led them astray”

Amos 2:4   Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.

Amos 2:6   Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals— those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted;

Amos 2:11   And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord. “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, You shall not prophesy.’ “Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life; and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” declares the Lord.

How can someone reject what God expects inline with obedience?  I fear it is easier than we think.  Step back and take account of how much time was spent in His Word over the last week or two.  Was there thirst and hunger for your soul?  Was there anticipation for the Holy Spirit to speak into your heart and mind?  When there is no desire and seeking how to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ it is no wonder God can say “you have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept His statutes.”  Not only this but because there is no hunger and thirst to serve and honor Him something else creeps into our lives – lies.  These lies are born out of the lack of God’s Word and because of this, we are influenced by what the world, culture, and society deem appropriate.  The worst part is that we buy into these lies.  We buy into the lie that we are good enough and have done enough to merit God’s favor.  We buy into the lie that if the world approves or condones something it is alright.  A friend of mine told me this once, (I’m sure he heard it somewhere else) “right is right even though only one person is doing it, and wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”  It is more than a lack of God’s Word in our daily lives that leads us to rejection of its application in our lives.  It is the lack of desire, hunger, and thirst for God’s Word that allows lies to replace the absolute truth found it in.  If ever there is a time to repent from this lack of desire and hunger it is now. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”