Bulletins - New Life Bible Fellowship Church

- - Bible Trivia
    Loading...
- - Psalm 24:1–5NKJV
My Savior's Love
Kingdom Prayer
- - Psalm 83NKJV
Introduction:
As we continue in the timeless Old Testament book of Amos, we learned last week that God was going to pour out his judgment on six nations that were enemies of his covenant people Israel. The three heathen nations, Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre, and the three kindred nations, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, had filled their cup of sin to overflowing and were about to experience God’s powerful hand of judgment. To Israel, this was good news, since they had suffered much from these enemies, and as God’s covenant people, they should expect God to protect them.
However, what they failed to understand, as we wrapped up last week’s message, that ever person is created in the image of God, and as a result, will be judged by God’s same standard, a standard that makes him culpable, because he knows right from wrong. It doesn’t matter whether they are part of God’s covenant community or not, God’s judgment will fall. This reality is about to become abundantly clear, as the net of God’s judgment that has encircle Israel’s enemies, is about to close in on Israel herself. The time has run out, and Israel, who has presumptuously claimed immunity because of their covenant relationship with Yahweh, is about to experience God’s Judgments Pronounced on the Nations: Judah and Israel, from Amos 2:4-16.

Text: Amos 2:4-16
Amos 2:4–16 ESV
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. 5 So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.” 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— 7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; 8 they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. 9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. 10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 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. 12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ 13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. 14 Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; 15 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; 16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,” declares the Lord.
Main Idea: Because God is Holy, we who claim to be his people must be characterized by this same standard of holiness.
Background:
As a reminder, both the ten northern tribes under king Jeroboam II, and the two southern tribes under king Uzziah were experiencing a great economic upswing and as has tended to be true throughout history, the Israelites took this wealth and prosperity to be unmistakable signs of the blessing of God. Thus, they were reinforced in their belief that “the day of the Lord” would soon dawn in which God would subdue their enemies under their feet and make them the rulers of the world, and so they saw themselves as a group of untouchables.
Judah tended to be more isolated from the world at large and possessed less land suitable for growing crops than did Israel. Thus, when opportunities for amassing wealth and the trappings of prosperity presented themselves, Israel was in a better position to capitalize on those opportunities.
Again, as in last week, the repeated use of the phrase, “FOR THREE TRANSGRESSIONS AND FOR FOUR” mark off the beginning of each of the two judgments against Judah and Israel. As a reminder, this is the Old Testament’s way of expressing an indefinite but full number. As with the nations addressed last week, Israel and Judah, have filled their cups with lawlessness and were ripe, and even overripe, for judgment. God’s forbearance was about to run out, as their sins truly were, “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Let’s begin by looking at God’s…
I. Judgment on Judah (2:4-5)
A. The Charge (4)
(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.
The Charge: Despising and breaking God’s laws and walking after “lies”, more then likely, this is a reference to idols.
Note that the heathen nations and the kindred nations (1:3-2:3) were charged with sinning against the laws of natural revelation, or the revelation of creation (Rom 1), and the internal revelation (Rom 2) written in their hearts as a result of being created in the image of God, and therefore incurred God’s judgment as we saw last week. However, God’s Old Covenant people, Judah and Israel, are charged with breaking the higher laws of special revelation, the laws of Moses. Nations and individuals are judged in accordance with the light given to them. Here is Rom. 2:12, again, as a reminder from last week…
Romans 2:12 ESV
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Jesus told a parable about a master returning and finding his servants unfaithful in Luke 12…
Luke 12:47–48 ESV
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
B. The Announced Judgment (5)
(5) So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
The Announced Judgment: Fire (warfare and destruction) upon Judah and her capital city, Jerusalem, shows God’s impartiality of judgment upon all nations is revealed in His use of the same symbol, “fire,” for his judgment upon Judah as were His judgments upon the six previously mentioned nations. The greater the revelation, the greater the judgment when rejected.
Matthew 11:23–24 ESV
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Hebrews 10:26–31 ESV
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This announced judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar devastated Judah and Jerusalem in 588–586 b.c. Also, we see the manifold charges and resulting judgments on Israel…
II. Judgment on Israel (2:6-16)
The ten northern tribes of Israel, though given the same special revelation of God through Moses and the prophets, had no godly kings, which would explain the depth of depravity that we will see here in their charges (whereas Judah did have a number of godly kings), and frequently would fight and battle with their two southern brothers. So to hear that God’s judgment would be poured out upon Judah, would have seemed to them to be good news.
One thing to note is that as part of their economic upswing, their military had become very strong, to the extent that during Jeroboam II’s reign there was peace between Judah and Israel, and that he had restored the boundaries of Israel. So the news of impending judgment would not have been well recieved or understood. So let’s first look at…
A. The Charges (6-12)
1. Perversion of justice (2:6)
(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—
The greedy judges of Israel commonly accepted bribes, resulting in perverted justice. The righteous refused to offer a bribe and the poor could not offer one, so these two classes received no justice.
Even a very small bribe, such as a pair of shoes could influence a judge to render an unjust verdict in Amos’ day.
2. Oppression of the poor and the meek (2:7a)
(7a) those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; - The rulers of Israel and the rich merchants of Israel could not rest until they had brought the poor down to the dust of the earth through oppression and had defrauded the meek because of their lack of forwardness. See Isa. 10:1, 2.
3. Religious immorality (2:7b, 8)
Amos charges the Israelites with immoral worship…which obviously was not the worship of Yaweh. He makes a three-fold indictment:
(7b) a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; - Father and son visited the same temple prostitute - The Israelites mixed Baal worship with Jehovah worship (syncretism) and so worshipped God through immoral acts. At the religious shrines, fathers and sons went in to the same religious prostitutes.
(8a) they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, - Clothing held in pledge was used as a bed for immoral acts - in Amos’ day, poor men’s pledges, were clothing, and were kept and used as beds for committing adultery.
(8b) and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. - Wine exacted in payment of unjust fines was drunk in the temple revelries
4. Unthankfulness (2:9–12)
The Blessings of God (2:9-11)
(9) “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.
God destroyed the Amorites and had given their land to the Israelites - Here the word “Amorites” has reference to all seven of the nations of Canaan defeated by the Israelites.
(10) Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
God delivered Israel from Egypt
God preserved the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness
(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.
God had provided the Israelites with prophets and Nazarites
The Lord sovereignly raises up prophets (Deut. 18:15–22), judges (Judg. 2:18), priests (1 Sam. 2:35), and kings (2 Sam. 7:12). The prophets serve as covenant lawsuit messengers, sent to recall the people to obedience.
Nazirites. (Num. 6:1–21) - The three basic vows of the Nazirite are to abstain from consuming alcoholic drinks, touching dead bodies, and cutting one’s hair, they were a living example of holiness as the were set aside for a period of time in unimpeded worship of Yahweh. Only three individuals were considered Nazarites for life, Samson (Judges 13:4-5), Samuel (1Sam 1:11), and John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17).
So God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, preserved them in the wilderness, given them the land of Canaan, provided them with prophets to tell them how to live (walk) and with Nazarites to show them how to live (walk). What more could God have done?
The response of Israel (2:12)
(12) “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
The Israelites had commanded their prophets to cease prophesying and had tempted their Nazarites to break their vows. Persons who have sin in their lives seek to silence or corrupt holy men.
Unthankfulness is always followed by unholiness, Paul reminds his young protege, Timothy that this will be a apart of the last days, 2 Tim. 3:1-2
2 Timothy 3:1–2 ESV
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
B. The Threatened Judgment (2:13-16)
Great privileges and blessings are associated with great responsibility and great accountability. Israel’s blessings had been great, so her wrong response demanded great punishment.
(13) “Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down. - Just as a cart bogs down from the pressure of its contents and so becomes immovable, so Israel will be unable to flee
(14) Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life; - A vivid picture of helplessness: the fleet of foot will not escape, and the strong will not stand their ground.
(15) 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; - All units of the army will fail before God’s anger.
(16) he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked - Even the bravest warriors cast away not only armor and weapons but also every impediment, including clothing, in the panic of their useless flight. Such naked flight is an utter humiliation.
in that day,” declares the Lord. - This phrase often indicates the Lord’s day of judgment (Zeph. 1:7 note). Here it refers to the approaching day of Assyrian conquest. In stead of God’s judgment on their enemies, it is Israel itself that will experience God’s judgment.
Note: Verses 2:14–16 speak of warfare. The remainder of the book of Amos unfolds and elaborates the judgment mentioned here.
So What?
Do we understand that sin is an abomination to God regardless whether the sinner is heathen or God’s covenant people?
Do we understand that God’s judgment will fall on all sinners, and that its severity will be in proportion with his revelation to them?
- - Amos 2:4–16ESV
- - Romans 2:12ESV
- - Luke 12:47–48ESV
- - Matthew 11:23–24ESV
- - Hebrews 10:26–31ESV
- - 2 Timothy 3:1–2ESV
I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord

Psalm 24:1–5NKJV

Psalm 83NKJV

Introduction:

Text: Amos 2:4-16

Main Idea: Because God is Holy, we who claim to be his people must be characterized by this same standard of holiness.

Background:

I. Judgment on Judah (2:4-5)

A. The Charge (4)

B. The Announced Judgment (5)

II. Judgment on Israel (2:6-16)

A. The Charges (6-12)

1. Perversion of justice (2:6)

2. Oppression of the poor and the meek (2:7a)

3. Religious immorality (2:7b, 8)

4. Unthankfulness (2:9–12)

B. The Threatened Judgment (2:13-16)

So What?

Amos 2:4–16ESV

Romans 2:12ESV

Luke 12:47–48ESV

Matthew 11:23–24ESV

Hebrews 10:26–31ESV

2 Timothy 3:1–2ESV