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Liturgy: Reading : Amos 1 : 1 - 2 : 16 Text : Amos 2 : 6-16 Ps. 97 : 1, 5 Ps. 78 : 3 Ps. 98 : 1,2,4 Ps. 97 : 6 Ps. 99 : 1,2,3 Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Some weeks ago in a first sermon on the prophecies of Amos we heard that the LORD called Amos from Tekoa in Judah to go to the North, to the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, to make known to them that God’s judgment was imminent. This happened according to Ch. 1,2 "two years before the earthquake." Why is this mentioned? What has the latter to do with the former? Yes, what is the connection between this imminent judgment of God and what was about to happen in the realm of nature? Two years beforehand one cannot see anything of a thunderstorm coming up, let alone that one is able to forecast two years beforehand the threat of an earthquake. Moreover despite the predictions of meteorologists and geologists, things can also turn out totally different. In one moment the weather can change, no matter how nicely the sun may shine. Yet when it comes to history, more important is that the Lord Himself has said not only that this world will be hit by various catastrophes (earthquakes, famine, and pestilence, as we read it in Luke 21,11, for example), but also that the time will come that God’s judgments will be poured out on this earth. Well, the prophet Amos lived in such a time. A time of prosperity and affluence. So to speak ‘the sun was shining’ and people expected that it would stay like this for a long time. Yet the LORD could no longer leave the sins, committed by His people, unpunished. In Amos 1 & 2 we read that the thunder of God’s judgment was coming on, even though no one as yet suspected it. Things people had always been sure off were shaking, as it happens with an earthquake. See there, beloved, the message which Amos had to pass on behalf of his heavenly Sender. God’s judgment was imminent. The iniquity of the people had become complete. "Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away (the) punishment.’" A sermon about God’s judgment. One may wonder is this really the gospel which a minister should preach. In this day and age there are many Christians who no longer want to hear about God’s imminent judgment. The word ‘hell’ has been scrapped from many a Christian dictionary. After all, God is love and that’s the message which a minister should preach. Yet, beloved, when we open our Bible, it also speaks about God’s judgments and that’s why the church makes reference to these judgments of God also it in its Confessions. True, God is love, but because God is love at the same time He also is a consuming fire. For God does not tolerate when His love is despised or offended. Thus He will judge the people with righteousness and equity, as we have sung with the words of Psalm 98. In Art. 37 BC the church confesses, "the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to the wicked and evildoers but it is a great joy and comfort to the righteous and the elect." A day to be dreaded and at the same time a day to look forward to. That’s the message which I may proclaim to you this morning. I will do this under the following theme, GOD’S IMMINENT JUDGMENT UPON ISRAEL AS PRONOUNCED BY THE PROPHET AMOS Imminent because of
I When speaking about God’s judgments, beloved, often our thoughts straight away go in the direction of the world. One day God will judge this godless world. And this is true. Yet God’s wrath upon this world also functions as a warning for the church. This becomes quite evident from the portion of Scripture on which we will focus this morning. The LORD roars from Zion, He utters His voice from Jerusalem. With this introduction to Amos’ prophecies Israel is straight away confronted with its sin of a self-willed serving of the Lord, as they did in Bethel and Dan. For they refused to come to place the Lord had chosen to serve Him, the temple in Jerusalem. By turning away from Jerusalem, in fact God’s people living in the North had turned its back upon the LORD. However God from His side had not yet turned His back upon them. In powerful language He addresses them by the mouth of His prophet Amos. On behalf of His heavenly Sender Amos rings the alarm. For the chapters 1 & 2 of his prophecies, in which we hear about God’s judgment upon the nations surrounding Israel and Judah, contain a warning for the church. It is as if Amos wants to say: God is not a God to trifle with neither in the church nor in the world. For "thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away (the) punishment.’" This refrain repeated with each prophecy sounds like the thunder rolling on. Something is heard, its becomes stronger and stronger, it rises to a roar, and then - all of a sudden the big blow comes: terror upon a certain nation. God’s judgment. Yet it does not come just like that. For what has kindled this wrath of God? The refrain is "for three transgressions . . . and for four . . ." We know this expression from other places in Scripture: three and four, or third and fourth. I may refer to The Second Commandment, where it says that God will visit the iniquity of the fathers "upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me." In modern days English we would say ‘throughout the generations’. The same expression ‘three and four’ we also find in the Book of Proverbs, it points to a string, a succession of events; the one comes after the other. You start counting, but you have to count further. There is repetition. It does not stop with one time, nor with two or three times. It continues: three, four, and perhaps even more. Well, that’s what Amos now says with respect to the sins which God is going to punish, whereby the next sin is worse than the one before. In other words: it is not just because of one specific sin that God comes with His judgments, but it is because of a living in sin, because of a refusal to repent. So to speak God punishes recidivists, ie habitual sinners who time and again relapse into sin. That’s why God pours out His judgment upon the godless nations. Yet -as I said before- in this the church receives a warning. Look at Amos 1 & 2. The LORD does not straight away pronounce His judgment upon Israel. His Word first turns to the other nations. But from this God’s people could learn what was coming. Damascus - it may lay somewhat further away to the North East, yet Gaza and Tyre are already closer in North West and the South West. And as far as kinship is concerned: by origin Edom was related to Israel; and so were Ammon and Moab, being descendants from Lot. Summarising: through Amos the Lord says to His people: you may try to postpone repentance, but the storm of My judgment is coming. This storm is already threatening you from all sides. Don’t you see it coming closer and closer? A word full of warning also for us, Br. & Sr. No, then things will not always happen as systematic as described in Amos 1 & 2. Yet - we look at the weather, especially during summer time. But, beloved, do we also take note that not the good times we experience at present is what counts, but what the Lord says in His Word and in particular what He, in His Son Jesus Christ, has revealed to us about the last days. Sometimes life ripples on undisturbed in all the normal things of every day life, in eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. That’s how it was also in the day of Amos. Yet the day of God’s judgment would come irrevocably. Even though we can’t figure out when exactly, nevertheless we too should count with it and look at the signs, so that we will not be blamed for what once the Pharisees and Sadducees were blamed for when the Lord Jesus said to them, Mt. 16, 2 & 3, "….." Beloved, let us around an open Bible discern what God is doing in this world. For the signs of the times function as a warning for the church, not to make us scared but that we may flee to the Lord, to shelter with Him. Amos had to pronounce God ‘s imminent judgment upon Israel. Yet in Israel they could say, "What do you want to tell us, look at your own country. Are things so much better there? It is for this reason that in this series of prophecies Judah is not kept out of harm’s way either. Judah which once together with Israel formed God’s chosen nation. Judah the tribe from which the Messiah was to be born. Yet the lustre of God’s covenant had grown dark also in Judah. In Ch. 2, 4b we read that they too had despised the law of God and did not keep God’s commandments. Therefore the LORD will not spare Judah either. But -so Amos says- this does give you, O Israel, no excuse, rather take it as a warning. For when there is no repentance God’s judgment will come irrevocably. "Thus says the Lord, ‘For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away (the) punishment.’" The Lord can no longer tolerate the sins found among you, O Israel. And then Amos also mentions the sins by name, vss. 6 & 7. You sell the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals. You pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble. In His law the LORD had given special attention to the rights of the poor, which were to be protected. No Israelite in poor conditions was allowed to be sold as a slave. Yet in Amos day judges were willing to convict the innocent upon payment of a bribe, whilst at times a poor brother was sold into slavery for the most insignificant debt, here symbolised by a pair of sandals. Moreover, whereas God had made His people a holy nation, in Amos day many people lived in uncontrolled sexual passion, vs. 7b, "….." Thus they lived life to the full, trampling God’s commandments under feet and ruining the communion of saints. They do this despite the fact that God had shown them so much love. Amos points to this love of God in the verses 9 and following, where the LORD sums up what He had done for Israel. Yes by their sins the Israelites had severely offended God’s love. Yes, in this judgment prophecy the LORD indeed speaks as One whose love had been offended, which brings me to my second point.
II In the verses 9 and following Amos reminds the Israelites of what the LORD had done for them. Vs. 9, "….." Faithful to His covenant promises the LORD had driven out the Canaanites, in our text called ‘Amorites’, from the Promised Land. The fact that the destruction of the Amorites is mentioned before the Exodus from Egypt, vs. 10, spotlights the gift of the land which the Israelites were so vilely profaning at present. The Canaanites of whom the Israelites had been so afraid, to the extent that 10 of the 12 spies did not dare to enter the land. Vs. 9 points to this strength of Canaan’s inhabitants. Yet the LORD destroyed them completely. Have you already forgotten this, O Israel. Moreover, vs. 10, "….." In this verse the LORD reaches back a step further in history, reminding the Israelites of His covenant faithfulness. The land the LORD had sworn to give them, He had given them indeed by redeeming from their slavery in Egypt and by leading them through the desert into a land flowing with milk and honey. Thus by reminding Israel of His faithfulness the LORD presses His case against their unfaithfulness. Finally the LORD reminds them of the fact that He raised up from among them prophets and Nazarites. Prophets in order that God’s Word would be made known. And Nazarites, ie people who gave themselves totally to the service of the LORD. Yet the Israelites had compromised and rejected the spiritual leaders whom God had raised up to demonstrate discipline and to provide fresh revelation. The redemption from Egypt. The destruction of the godless Canaanites, the gift of prophets and Nazarites - it all spoke of God’s sovereign love for Israel, His care, His redemption, the salvation granted to them. And, Br. & Sr, if now for a moment we draw the line through to the NT, then we can say that all this was a foreshadowing of the salvation which God gave in Christ, who at Calvary redeemed God’s people from sin once for all, and who also obtained for us the Spirit of life through whom we may dedicate our life to the Lord as a sacrifice of thankfulness. In all this God has shown His sovereign love also towards us. Yes, how wondrous are the deeds of the LORD! The LORD who also has preserved His church in this redemption throughout the ages. True, then church history points also to deformation, to times of unfaithfulness among God’s people, times that God’s commandments were trampled under feet. times that there was but little eye for the communion of saints. Nothing different in comparison with the day of Amos. Yet the LORD gave reformation, the one after the other, in the 16th century, the 17th, 19th and 20th century. See there also the importance of church history, lest we forget. God’s blessings, yes let us open eyes for it, also today for what the Lord has given us as Free Reformed Churches here in Australia. The church could grow, we may provide our children with an education in line with the teaching of the Church. Undeserved blessings, indeed. But what if we start to take all these things for granted? What if we no longer see God’s sovereign love in all these things? What if in name we still do the right thing, but meanwhile our heart goes out to the pleasures of this world? Br. & Sr., let it never come that far that it can be said also of us that we have offended God’s love, so richly shown also to us. Instead let us take the warning of this morning’s text to heart and work with it. God is long-suffering, which means He has a lot of patience with us sinful children of His, but this morning text also shows that God’s long-suffering is not endless. "Thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions . . . and for four, I will not turn away (the) punishment.’" When the measure of the iniquity has become full, God will come with His righteous judgment. Well, as regards Israel this measure had become full indeed. In the first point of the sermon we spoke about the fact how the Israelites lived life to the full, trampling God’s commandment under feet and ruining the communion of saints. In addition we read in vs. 12, "….." They gave the Nazarites wine to drink - in actual words this means they prevented the Nazarites from being Nazarites. For Nazarites were not allowed to drink wine as a sign that their whole life belonged to the LORD. No artificial inspiration was to stir them up to action, but another Spirit had to come and to fill them completely, ie the Spirit of God who made these Nazarites dedicate themselves to the LORD. This office of Nazarite - in the OT an exception and temporary- was what today in the NT era our life in the service of the Lord is all about, viz., what it says in Romans 12, that we must "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God." Or to say it with the words of the Form for Public Profession of faith, "that we firmly resolve to commit our whole life to the Lord’s service as a living member of His church." Take my life, and let it be, O Lord, consecrated to Thee. Yet in Amos’ day this consecration, this life devotion to the Lord was taken away. They prevented the Nazarites from being Nazarites, in other words they obstructed the reformation and renewal of life. They quenched the work of the Spirit. The enjoyment of the wealth and the pleasures of this world made them hostile towards the enjoyment from above provided by God. This also came out in that second point mentioned in vs. 12, viz., that they commanded the prophets, "Do not prophesy." This means they no longer wanted to hear God’s Word. Again a quenching of the work of the Spirit. Why? Well, no doubt these prophets pointed them to their sins and asked them to repent. But such a message causes unease in life, it upsets life too much and therefore it is better to ask them to shut their mouth. Beloved, isn’t that what often happens when children of God go astray. When the office bearers come to admonish them they will not listen or even sent them away. Because it upsets their life. Well, that’s what also happened in the day of Amos. The prophets were prevented from speaking the Word of God. What the people around Israel missed out on: divine revelation was by Israel wilfully rejected. Well, if that is the case, then God’s judgment is indeed imminent, can no longer be deferred. Therefore, "thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment." What now is this punishment. As regards the prophecies with respect to the other nations the refrain was that the LORD would sent fire to devour its palaces. A short announcement of the punishment to come. Fire - you could call it a general description of God’s judgment. Yet as regards Israel the way God will punish them is described more precisely. They have rejected God’s Word: prophets were no longer allowed to prophesy; they also hated life dedication to the LORD: Nazarites were prevented from being Nazarites. Well, the Lord gives them a punishment that befits these sins, vss. 13 and following. Vs. 13 is not all that easy to understand. If you look up the various translations then you will also see the difference. The reason is that the Hebrew original is not exactly clear. Vs. 13 compares God’s action in judgment with what a cart full of sheaves does. But what this cart exactly does is not precisely clear. The best choice is either to assume that the freighted cart has a crushing effect on anything under it, or to hold that the verb pictures the wheels splitting the earth open under its wobbly, pressing load. Whatever, the riches the Israelites had trusted in will be taken away from them in one way or an other. God’s long suffering has come to an end. He has marked Israel as His enemy and neither strength, vs. 14, speed, weaponry, vs. 15, nor courage, vs. 16 will make a difference. There will be no escape says the LORD. Our text thus ends with a graphic picture of God’s judgment. When you read it, it makes you shudder. And yet, beloved, all this is not written down to make us scared. But even in our text God’s speaks to us in love. This love was offended by Israel. We heard about this and also what it resulted in. Well, beloved, shouldn’t this cause us to indeed love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. No, not out of fear for God’s judgment, for then it would become very depressing in the church. In I John 4, 18 it reads, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." Not God’s judgment is what we should fear, but what we should fear is this: to fall short in love towards God. God who in His love has given us so much. Let us then also show love in return. Beloved, never quench the work of the Spirit within you. Do not despise prophecies, but absorb God’s Word with eagerness, every Sunday again when it is preached to you here in the church. And be not only hearers of God’s Word, but also doers, ie take the message home and work with it. Daily live from the riches you have received in Christ. And how great these riches are. To quote our text, "Is it not so, O you children of Israel?" Is it not so, members of the congregation here in Albany, that the Lord indeed has richly blessed you? Render then also your life to the Lord in everything, showing Him your thankfulness, not only in words but also in deeds. Amen. |
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Last modified: December 01, 2002 |