June 3, 2001

Amos 1 & 2

Today we have a history lesson. It has been said that

“Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it”

For what it is worth department - God’s words are to

be desired more than fine gold” - Ps. 19:10

Amos prophesied around 787 B. C. picking up where

Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha and the likes left off.

Jereboam/Red Flag but not the one of scripture

called proverbially “Jereboam, the son of Nebat, who

made Israel to sin”

I Kings 22:52 II Kings 3:3, 10:29, 13:11, 14:24,

15:9,18,24,28, 17:21, 23:15

If it was, I would be emphasizing “who is making

America to sin today” - of course the answer would

be it’s leadership in the Supreme Court and liberal

or radical leaders in Congress and the general

populace who love to have it so. Jer. 5:31

I guess the central focus today is Amos 2:4

When did he prophesy? When Israel’s prosperity

was at its height and idolatry & corruption at its worst!

II Kings 17:7-23 Acted like they knew not the Lord - Alien

to all this: Judges 2:10, 1-3, 6-9, 11 B. C. 721

Ignorance like the days of the people of Gibeah

in Judges 20:34 & days of Eli’s sons in I Samuel 3:12

Conditions came to II Chron. 36:14-16 593 B. C.

I wouldn’t count on the time frame as a parallel since

Jesus said “this generation shall not pass until all be

fulfilled” - Matthew 24:34 in reference to v. 3, same ch.

You are welcome to take your chances, be ye so foolish!

“the way of the transgressors is hard” - Prov. 13:15

“sin when it is finished brings death” - James 1:15b

“be sure your sins will find you out” - Numbers 32:23

“we wrestle .... against spiritual wickedness in high places”

Ephesians 6:12 End game - Chess - Illegal Move

“Then Manasseh knew that the Lord, He was God”

II Chron. 33:13

“they that handle the Law knew me not” - Jer. 2:8

“serve other gods whom they knew not” - Jer. 44:3

Ignorant as to what they are getting into - IT IS

IMPOSSIBLE TO SERVE ANYONE OTHER THAN

JEHOVAH - He made it that way.

Is it fair for God to create man that way, those that will

can have life, those that refuse will have eternal death.

Or, are you of the mindset that it is it only fair for

Hollywood producers to have freedom

of expression and rights to all their works?

And leave me alone, I will do things my way?

Matt. 24:39 describes the people in Noah’s day

as not knowing until the Flood came and took

them away to meet their Maker if not Master.

As a footnote, it says “so shall the coming of

the Son of Man be”

First, we have here in Amos 1 & 2, the judgment

pronounced by God on the heathen nations round

about God’s people.

v. 2 - Some count silence as evidence of there being

no God or else weakness.

Beware lest that come upon you that depicted in

Eccl. 8:11 - “Because sentence against an evil work

is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the

sons of men is fully set in them to do evil”

“God is not slack concerning His promise, as some

men count slackness but is longsuffering to usward,

not willing that any should perish but that ALL should

come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9

A lion does not roar when he is set on his prey but

when seizing it - v. 2 says that “the Lord will roar

from Jerusalem” - here is God’s dwelling place, not

from Dan or Bethel but from the place will come

either Salvation or Destruction - which is it for you ?

Speech followed by action - what did we learn in

I Sam. 3:12 - “when I begin, I will also make an end”

We have here a summons, a warrant, a subpoena,

a court order to the heathen nations.

In these two chapters are a lot of repetition.

Three, four, many sins could be enumerated in each case.

v. 3 - “I will not turn away the punishment thereof” -

vs. 6,9,11,13,2:1

Literally, I will not reverse it! I will no longer disregard

its sins. Romans 1:28-32

v. 4 - “I will send a fire” - vs. 6, 10, 12, 14, 2:2

Which shall devour! vs. 7, 10, 12, 14, 2:2

“I will break, I will cut off - him that holdeth the sceptre.

“saith the Lord” - vs. 3, 8, 13, 2:3 - Do you know who

you are dealing with?

v. 8 - “I will turn mine hand against” - “remnant shall

perish” - John 3:16

v. 9 - “captivity” - vs. 5, 6, 15

The connection between sin & suffering - came

together, dwell together, die together.

The obverse of ungodliness is inhumanity.

Time will tell the inhumanity of the ungodliness of

liberalism and liberals in the America.

Excellent article in New Era 6/2/2001 by

Scott Johnson, Community Relations Director

of Jenny Stuart Medical Center on liberalism’s

effort to remove religious influence from the

public forum. I commend Scott, just as I did, and continue to

do Father Baker’s courageous, accurate, and

public stand against abortion.

v. 3 - “they have threshed Gilead with

threshing instruments of iron”

v. 13 - “they have ripped up the women with

child of Gilead”

Using instrument for which they were not

designed. agricultural implement, scapels,

forceps, saline solutions!

Who is doing the threshing and ripping today?

Heard this week of Planned Parenthood’s

recruitment on colleges campuses for abortionist

doctors.

God is against thee and you will know when He

roars as in days of old!

Balaam’s testimony in Numbers 23:19 - “God is

not man, that He should lie; neither the son of man,

that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He

not do it? or hath He spoken and shall He not

make it good?

v. 14 - “day of the whirlwind” - Hosea 8:7a - “For

they have sown the wind, and they shall

reap the whirlwind:”

“Moab” - begotten in drunkenness, conceived in

lewdness, their chance of inheriting a

healthy physical, mental or moral

organization was very small.

It was from their number that a large portion

of Solomon’s harem was recruited and his

women was what did him in.

“Whoredom and wine take away the heart”

Hosea 4:11

Our besetting sins are likely to be those of our

forefathers, should be all the more rooted out lest we

transmit to posterity the heritage of sin & shame.

Ruth broke away, it can be done!

In these two chapters capitol cities are prominent.

Capitols are centers of opinion and are largely

responsible for molding national sentiment,

i.e. - Congressmen, senators, Presidents, Justices

on the Supreme Court, Cabinet members &

bureaucracy.

This should be Red Flags in Washington - this

being written 150 yrs. ago - we ought to be up

with the times in our reconnaissance, CIA, public &

private Senate and House hearings, Supreme

Court deliberations, but nope, Hollywood and

Washington sways the day but also are national

centers of sin and corruption.

Ch. 2

v. 1 - “burned into lime” - an impotent attempt

grasping at eternal vengeance.

v. 2 - “Moab shall die”

v. 3 - “I will cut off the judge... & slay all the

princes”

The nations judged because of the way they

dealt with Israel, Israel and Judah denounced

for sins against God.

vs. 3-4 - summons of Judah v. 6 - summons of

Israel.

v. 4 - “despised” - drift disliked, authority spurned.

What a man outwardly disobeys he has begun by

inwardly despising. What he begins by despising, he

naturally goes on to disobey. It is in the heart that the

eggs are hatched, which in later stages, are the birds

of evil doing.

It is at the door of the heart that the wise man will

mount guard. Proverbs 4:23 - “Keep thy heart with

all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

Abrogation of God’s authority, denial of His very

existence.

“caused them to error” - wrong beliefs leads to

wrong action - it is impossible to steer a

right course with the wrong navigational

system.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing!

All sin is really at the bottom of self-worship. We

prefer ourselves to God; our will, our pleasure, our

way, to His. We push Him off the throne, and place

ourselves on it, and then do as we wish.

Only grace can lead us to say, “not my will, but

thine be done.”

v. 6 - who knows the background of judicial system in US

v. 9 - Total destruction - God protests Israel’s ingratitude

II Peter 3:8-15a Jeremiah 5:25-31 Ps. 130:3-8, 1,2

vs. 11-12 - Two spiritual forces - holy speakers, holy doers

holy teaching, holy lives.

Is. 28:15-18, Luke 20:17-18

vs. 14-16 - Climax of absurdity thinking one can escape.

Refrain - “deliver himself” - days of self-help & looking

deep within - “it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end

thereof are the ways of death” Proverbs 14:12