In our study of Amos chapter two, we look at the fact that God judges the actions of his people. We see this in the promised judgment of Israel and Judah as well as the judgment of believers that is to come.
** Note ** In this study, we will be using the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation which was translated directly from Hebrew into English. You can get your own hardback or paperback copy on Amazon where we will earn a small commission.
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Here is what ADONAI says: "For Mo'av's three crimes, no, four - I will not reverse it because he burned the bones of the king of Edom, turning them into lime;
The pattern of judgment that we saw in chapter 1 is coming closer to the home of God's people. Here, we see that the Moabites had committed a large number of sins but the charge presented here is very specific. The charge against them was that they sought revenge and were filled with a spirit of unforgiveness. If we, as Christians, have this same spirit or if we know that someone has not forgiven us, then we are called to go to them and ask for forgiveness. This is what Jesus told us to do in Matthew 5:23.
I will send fire on Mo'av, and it will consume the palaces of K'riot. Mo'av will die with turmoil and shouting, along with the sound of the shofar. I will cut off the judge from among them and kill all his princes with him," says ADONAI.
This prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Moabites. It is easy for us to cheer the destruction but we also know that God can use anyone. He used a Moabite woman (Ruth) as she is a part of the family tree of Jesus as we see in Matthew 1.
Here is what ADONAI says: "For Y'hudah's three crimes, no, four - I will not reverse it because they rejected ADONAI's Torah and haven't observed his laws, and their lies caused them to fall into error and live the way their ancestors did;
The judgment comes home and, as it was with the other nations, God could have presented a long list of charges but instead just gives one. They had turned their back on God and His word to follow false gods. This is a lot like what is happening in our world today as men have turned their back on the Word of God and began to worship and follow their own ideas of what is right and wrong.
I will send fire on Y'hudah, and it will consume the palaces of Yerushalayim.
Once again, this prophecy was fulfilled through King Nebuchadnezzar.
Here is what ADONAI says: "For Isra'el's three crimes, no, four - I will not reverse it because they sell the upright for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes,
Now, God's focus for judgment turns to the northern kingdom. God begins a list of their sins and it begins with their treatment of the poor. This verse speaks of the fact that the rich would put the poor in bondage to them even for their basic needs. It seems like this sin is even more widespread in our world today as the gap between rich and poor is wider than ever. This is happening even among people who say they are followers of Jesus Christ.
grinding the heads of the poor in the dust and pushing the lowly out of the way;
The rich of God's people had become so hardened that they did not even see the poor anymore. This is much like our situation in the world today as people simply ignore those around them who are in desperate need. This is even happening among groups of believers (churches) where many in the church have great financial wealth but allow their brothers or sisters in Christ to go hungry. God is telling His people here that they will be judged for this and we should note that God does not change.
father and son sleep with the same girl, profaning my holy name; lying down beside any altar on clothes taken in pledge; drinking wine in the house of their God bought with fines they imposed.
The common man was unimportant and even unseen to a certain degree. The law required that, if a man gave his coat in a pledge, it had to be returned before night but, here, we see that the rich kept the coat and had no regard for the man. It is the same even among the church today as brother will loan to brother and charge interest. The banker is impoverishing the church by lending then money and causing them to be slaves to the almighty dollar. The rich lived it up as pleasure became their god which is much like what we see in the world today.
"I destroyed the Emori before them; though tall as cedars and strong as oaks, I destroyed their fruit above and their root below. More than that, I brought you up from Egypt, led you forty years in the desert, so that you could have the Emori's land.
God reminds His people of what He had done for them. When they came out of Egypt, God had destroyed the Amorites and gave their land to Israel. They could have went straight in but had to wander in the wilderness for forty years because of their lack of faith. The lack of faith among Christians today is causing many to walk around in their own wilderness instead of the land of God's provision.
I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, other young men of yours to be n'zirim. People of Isra'el! Isn't that true?" asks ADONAI. But you gave the n'zirim wine to drink and ordered the prophets, 'Don't prophesy!'
God reminds them that He also gave them prophets to speak to them on His behalf as well as Nazirites to be a living example of service to Him. Instead of listening or following the example, the people corrupted the Nazirites and told the prophets to be quiet. The same type of thing is happening today as God is raising up people to tell the world of Jesus' return and to be an example of service to Him. Sadly, many of the leaders in "churches" will not share the Truth of the Word of God because they are indebted and need the money put in their offering plate to pay for their fancy building.
"Enough! I will make all this crush you, just as a cart overloaded with grain crushes what's under it.
The people left God no choice but to bring on judgment. The purpose of this judgment is to cause the people to repent and turn back to the ways of God. Just as a cart can only hold so much grain before its axle breaks, God is going to overload them to get them to the point of looking to Him for help. The same is true for the churches of today that are being corrupted by money.
Even the swift won't be able to flee; the strong won't be able to use their strength, the warriors won't save themselves. Archers won't be able to stand, the fastest runners won't save themselves, those on horses won't save themselves. On that day even the bravest warriors will throw off their weapons and flee," says ADONAI.
Not even the strongest or the richest or those with the most power would be able to escape this coming judgement.
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