New Life Bible Fellowship Church
4-28-24
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      • Psalm 24:1–5NKJV

  • My Savior's Love
  • Kingdom Prayer

      • Psalm 83NKJV

  • Introduction:

    We continue this morning in this profound OT book of Amos, and have come to a place where the specific details of God’s judgment will be disclosed on the 10 northern tribes of Israel under King Jereboam II. When we left last week, God had revealed to us the number of charges against his people, the perversion of justice, the oppression of the poor and meek, religious immorality (combing the worship of Yahweh with the worship if Baal), and their unthankfulness toward all the blessings of God in their heritage. We will begin this morning to add meat to the bones as God through the prophet Amos develops the Prophecies against Israel, specifically the ten northern tribes, and we learn that God doesn’t just threaten, but his Divine Judgment Is Imminent, and will take place soon, according to his divine time table. So, let’s turn to Amos 3.

    Text: Amos 3

    Amos 3 ESV
    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: 2 “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. 3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? 4 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? 5 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? 6 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? 7 “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. 8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” 9 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.” 10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” 11 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered.” 12 Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. 13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts, 14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord.

    Main Idea: Since God is righteously immutable, His judgment on sin will happen.

    I. Israel’s Judgment is Specific (1-2)

    A. People Specific (1-2a)

    (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:
    Yahweh is speaking again, and this prophecy is spoken against the “children of Israel,” “the whole family——brought up from the land of Egypt” (the whole twelve tribes is referenced here), but it is specifically spoken against the people of the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom.
    (2a) “You only have I known of all the families of the earth;
    The pathetic reality is the God has chosen to know completely and intimately his people Israel, unlike any other people on earth.
    Amos implies that such knowledge on God’s part will cause him to severely punish Israel for she has sinned against great privileges and great light.

    B. Action Specific (2b)

    (2b) therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
    Note in these verses the close connection of privilege (You only have I known of all the families of the earth), responsibility (responsibility not to commit iniquity), and accountability (therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities). The greater the privileges, the greater the responsibility; the greater the responsibility, the greater the accountability, Luke 12:47, 48; Rom. 1:18.
    Romans 1:18 ESV
    18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

    II. Israel’s Judgment is Reasonable (3-10)

    A. Reasonable Rhetoric (3-6)

    Amos, by means of six rhetorical questions (each is answered with “Of Course Not”), shows that every effect has its cause, then he, by means of a seventh question, reveals the fact that the soon-coming judgment upon Israel has a cause, the evil in the city of Samaria.
    #1: (3) “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
    #2: (4a) Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? - If a lion (4, 8) roars, then it has taken, or is about to take, its prey.
    #3: (4b) Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?
    #4: (5a) Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?
    #5: (5b) Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?
    #6: (6a) Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid?
    #7: (6b) Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? -
    This seventh question should be translated “Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord not do something”
    What he, the prophet, is doing is simply telling Israel that the Lord GOD (v. 7) has announced judgment and that unless Israel takes immediate corrective action, the outcome is certain.

    B. Reasonable Warning (7-8)

    (7) “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
    God always through his prophets and His preachers warns sinners of His impending judgments so that those threatened may have opportunity to repent.
    God through Noah warned of the flood; God through two angels warned of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; God through Joseph warned of the seven years of famine; God through Jeremiah warned of the seventy years’ captivity.
    (8) The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” - Just as a person cannot but fear when a lion roars, even so a prophet cannot but prophesy when the Lord speaks to him. God’s Word burns within him until the prophet transmits it to the intended recipients. The inner compulsion overcomes all fear of outward consequences, Jer. 20:9; 1 Cor. 9:16
    Jeremiah 20:9 ESV
    9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
    1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV
    16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

    C. Reasonable Witnesses (9-10)

    Amos now calls on a number of witnesses to review his case against his people Israel, they are not scholars, or champions of God’s law but common sense, reasonable witnesses…
    (9) Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.”
    Proclaim - The command is in the plural and apparently directed at the Lord’s servants the prophets.
    Ashdod ... Egypt. Amos poetically summons the pagan nobility to look upon the injustice that reigns in Samaria. Israel (the northern kingdom) should have been more righteous, not less, than her pagan neighbors. It is ironic that these pagans should be called as witnesses to Israel’s misbehavior.
    If the heathen Philistines and Egyptians were called in to observe the conduct of the Israelites, they would be compelled to condemn the Israelites and to pronounce them worthy of judgment. If the heathen would condemn Israel and pronounce her worthy of judgment, how much more is God justified in doing so.
    mountains of Samaria. Samaria is surrounded by mountains, from which the spectators are asked to view her.
    tumults. Or, “disturbances,” as the word is translated in 2 Chr. 15:5. Such conditions result from sin and are the opposite of “peace” (Hb. shalom).
    (10) “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”
    They do not know how to do right - for Israel to come to this place, they had to push down or suppress God’s natural revelation of creation, the internal revelation that comes from being created in God’s image, and the special revelation of God’d law that he gave to Moses.
    Romans 1:24–25 ESV
    24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
    violence and robbery. The ill-gotten gains from their violent and thieving behavior. The rich have plundered and looted the poor.
    The demand for righteousness is an integral part of God’s law. Righteousness is to be fulfilled in the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 1:17; 2 Cor. 5:21) and in his followers (Rom. 8:1–4).
    Thus, Israel had forfeited God’s protection, and without him all their natural defenses were useless, so as a further result…

    III. Israel’s Judgment is Comprehensive (11-15)

    A. Comprehensive Land Judgment (11-12)

    (11) Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered.” - Assyria, the agent of God’s judgment, 2 Kgs. 17:3–6, is not mentioned by name but is simply called “an adversary.”
    (12) Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. - Just as only a remnant of a lamb is taken from the lion’s mouth, even so only a remnant of Israel will survive the onslaught of the Assyrians.

    B. Comprehensive Worship Judgment (13-14)

    The conclusion of the message emphasizes in a general way the two factors that would account for the coming destruction: (1) false, ritualistic religion and (2) the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the poor.
    (13) “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
    Hear, and testify. The command here (in the plural) may be to the pagans who have been summoned as witnesses, or to the Lord’s messengers, who were commanded to summon the pagan witnesses
    God of hosts. This title for God became increasingly popular among the prophets (cf. chart). “Hosts” in this context refers to troops of soldiers. Thus the image expresses the unlimited power of God. He is a general with an infinite number of troops at his command. The term sometimes refers to hosts of heavenly beings (1 Kings 22:19; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 148:2; see also Matt. 26:53).
    (14) “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. -
    on the day … for his transgressions. The phrasing here recalls the original covenant documents (Ex. 32:34).
    altars of Bethel. Jeroboam I had made a golden calf for Israel to worship at Bethel in the 10 northern tribes, as an alternative to worship at Jerusalem in the south, and had installed an altar there (1 Kin. 12:25–33). Both altar and sanctuary were later destroyed by Josiah (2 Kin. 23:15).
    the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. Under Israel’s laws, an Israelite was safe from an enemy or persecutor when he entered the sanctuary and lay hold upon the horns of the altar. Amos says that in the day of judgment, the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. Amos in effect says that there will be no place of refuge from the attack of the Assyrians.

    C. Comprehensive Wealthy Judgment (15)

    (15) I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares the Lord.
    winter house … summer house. The possession of both a summer and a winter house was a great luxury, affordable only by kings and the very wealthy. The Lord would destroy these multiple houses and decorated mansions. Assyria, God’s instrument of judgment (Is. 10:5, 6), was expert at such destruction and plunder, as the vast wealth of Nineveh amply testified (Nah. 2:9).
    Summary of God’s comprehensive judgment:
    The palaces of the oppressors and robbers will be spoiled (3:10, 11)
    The majority of the luxury-living Israelites will be killed or taken captive (3:12)
    The religious shrines at Bethel will be destroyed (3:14)
    The mansions of the rich will be destroyed (3:15)

    So What?

    Do we understand that as God’s children, he expects us to live in holiness, taking every opportunity to put to death our besetting sins?
    Do we understand that when we sin, not only does it grieve our heaven father, but the world looks on as a witness against us?
    Do we understand that there will be a day when all that we hold dear of this world’s goods will be destroyed as a part of judgment on sin?
    God has promised that there will be a day when his judgment will fall…we are not to take this lightly our disregard it as a treat, but that it very seriously.
    2 Peter 3:3–13 ESV
    3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
    ​

      • Amos 3ESV

      • Romans 1:18ESV

      • Jeremiah 20:9ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 9:16ESV

      • 2 Peter 3:3–13ESV

  • I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord
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