Public Chastisement
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Intro: Have you ever gotten in trouble before and then your troubles and discipline become public? That’s not an enjoyable time in your life. You are humiliated and embarrassed. That’s what we’re going to look at tonight as God publicly disciplines Israel for their public sin.
In this section of the Book of Amos, from 3:9 to 6:14, we will see how God will accomplish His judgment upon Israel and a more detailed description the reasons for God’s anger.
Text: Amos 3:9-15
9 “Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her.
10 For they do not know to do right,’ Says the Lord, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’ ”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria— In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground.
15 I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end,” Says the Lord.
1. A Call for Witnesses; 9-10
1. A Call for Witnesses; 9-10
When God was going to pour out His judgment on Israel, He wasn’t going to do it in a dark corner where nobody would notice. He was going to do it out in the open. [Public sin requires public discipline for public repentance]
Egypt and Philistia were ungodly nations and enemies of Israel. Now they are called to witnesses the judgment of Israel’s apostasy!
6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
This was real public humiliation to Israel that two of the most ungodly nations were called to witness your doom!
Israels sins are listed; tumults, oppressed, moral injustice, violence and robbery. Israel was being accused of the same sins the pagan nations witnessing their judgment were accused of and judged by God in previous times!
The rule of law had eroded to the point that there was great tumults [disorderly conduct/protests] in the streets. People were unfairly oppressed, deprived of certain rights, and discriminated against because of social status. Worst of all, there was a warped sense of morality. Things were so bad in Israel that it looked as if they didn’t even know the difference between right and wrong. Violence was commonplace and robbery seemed to be a national pastime.
Kind of sounds like America today, doesn’t it? The rule of law has been stretched to the breaking point. We call evil, good and good, evil. Robbery and violence has become commonplace. Certain groups [namely christians] are being oppressed for their beliefs. A society without justice is a society God will bring to an end.
We cannot believe that God’s wrath will not come upon our nation without public, national repentance. Nineveh was spared because they publicly repented.
8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
That’s the only way that AMERICA will be spared as a nation.
2. Thus says the Lord God; 11-15
2. Thus says the Lord God; 11-15
When that statement/phrase is used, its a pretty good indicator that God is not going to change his mind about what needs to take place.
Four times in the next 5 verses a form of “Thus says the Lord God” is used. But each time it is used it has a different meaning for each specific purpose.
[11] “Thus says the Lord God”.
Lord- Adon [Master, superintendent of households and the affairs of men]
God- Yahweh [Creator, One God, trustworthy]
God will use Israel’s enemy to exact His discipline upon His people.
In 722 BC, Assyria set seige upon Israel for 3 years and decimated their military and plundered their wealth from the strongholds in the palaces. The Superintendent over the affairs of men, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, used one part of His creation [vessel of dishonor/Assyria] to chastise another [vessel of honor/Israel].
There are times that we give Satan too much credit for work that God has done? Church leaders don’t always fall by the work of Satan but by their own lusts and God brings judgment by the hand of the pagan! [Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Marvin Gorman and Jim Baker all fell by the hand of prostitutes]
[12] “Thus says the Lord”
Lord- Yahweh God of Israel
Israel will not survive the attack of the enemy, even those who dwell in the finest quarters of the capital city of Samaria.
10 If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it,
11 then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good.
12 But if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it.
13 If it is torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
“Two leg bones or a piece of an ear” might get a hired shepherd off the hook, but only bits and pieces of an animal ravaged by a lion meant the lion’s attack was successful. The Assyrians killed some Israelites, took others captive, and then brought into the land captives from other nations, thus producing a people with diverse racial and religious backgrounds, Samaritans. God rejected their priesthood and religion [John 4].
[13] “The Lord God, the God of hosts”
Lord- Adon [Master]
God- Yahweh [God a Warrior]
God- Elo-him [Deity, Majesty, The Almighty]
Hosts- Sabaot [Commander of the Armies of Heaven]
God is bringing war upon His on people for their sins.
Notice that He calls those two nations [Ashdod/Egypt] to bear witness against the house of Jacob instead of the house of Israel.
Jacob- supplanter, deceiver. It was given to him because, when Jacob was born as the second of a set of twins, “his hand [was] grasping [his twin’s] heel” (Genesis 25:26). True to his name, Jacob grew up as a conniver, deceiver, and cheat, and he eventually supplanted his brother’s position as heir to the birthright.
Israel- “for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed”. (Gen. 32:27-28). Jacob was a changed man, a new man, who would honor God.
Jacob represents his old nature and Israel his new. He is called “Jacob” when functioning in his carnal old nature, but he is called “Israel” when he is acting out of his new nature.
There are times that the christian life parallels that of Jacob/Israel
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
[14] Sin of false worship and worthless religion.
For 200 years the northern kingdom had worshiped false gods [golden calf] in Dan and Bethel. These altars were set up by Jeroboam I, so that none of the tribes of the north would travel back to Jerusalem and worship God in His temple, with the fear that they would not return.
To “grab hold of the horns of the altar” was meant to have a place of safety when one was guilty. It gave them opportunity to plead their case. But God says you are guilty and there is no need to hear your case. Religion is no security from the consequences of sin!
A lot of false worship [entertainment and tickling of ears] is taking place today in churches because pastors are afraid to preach the truth and lose members!
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
[15] Sin of trusting in riches instead of God
The wealthy trusted in their riches to supply their needs and thought they could outlast any siege or that money could buy their freedom. But God said their money will perish with them.
[Warren Wiersbe] Like Israel, nations today measure themselves by their wealth; and the gross national product becomes the indicator of security and success. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer as people worship the golden calf of money and greedily exploit one another. But it doesn’t take long for God to wipe out the idols that people worship and the unnecessary luxuries that control their lives. All will be brought to an end.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, But righteousness delivers from death.
[15c] Says the Lord - Yahweh [God of the Hebrew faith/ Christian faith]
Close;
America is in trouble morally and financially because it has turned away from God. The “church” in America has become weak and tolerant of easy believeism and ungodliness. Wealth and materialism has become its god. Violence, division, disorderly protests and discrimination, especially of those who believe in God are commonplace on a daily basis.
To believe that God is not going to publicly chastise this nation for its public sins against Him, is like the fool who said in his heart “there is no God!”
God’s chastisement and judgment of sin is not because He hates America, but because He loves us!
24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.