Judgment on Israel’s Neighbours

Order of Service

Welcome

Prayer

Hymn - GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS (258) - THE BOOK OF PSALMS FOR SINGING 1975; REVISED HELEN OTTE 1985

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm Wed

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Hymn - GIVE TO OUR GOD IMMORTAL PRAISE (136) - ISAAC WATTS 1674-1748

Reading

Amos 1:1–2:3 ESV

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.” Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. I will break the gate-bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord. Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds. I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord God. Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds.” Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever. So I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.” Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour her strongholds, with shouting on the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind; and their king shall go into exile, he and his princes together,” says the Lord. Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its princes with him,” says the Lord.

Sermon

Amos 1:1 ESV

The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

“Words of Amos”

What follows makes it clear that his message was divinely revealed

“Word of the Lord”

“Thus says the Lord”

everything is the Word of the Lord - says, vision-reports, doxologies and even the account of conflict between the prophet and the priest (Amos 7:10-17)

Amos had the credentials of a true prophet - he had the “word of the Lord” for Israel

Proper credentials for God’s spokespersons have always been more than formal training, ordination and an official title

These things do not qualify one to speak for God

The titles services notice to all readers of the Amos materials that they were venturing into the word of the Lord

Amos addresses Israel as the covenant people

become a breakaway kingdom, from Judah, 200 years prior (1 Kings 12:16-17)

Their rebellion had not canceled their covenant with God

Amos 1:2 ESV

And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.”

every message based on the Bible has its origin with the covenant God and its inteded audience is the people of God

Only people in covenant with God are attuned to hear the message of God

Sheep know their Shepherd’s voice

“The Lord roars from Zion”

As a Lion

NIV thunders as an approaching storm (Job 37:4)

Unlike a storm, God’s roar causes plants to wither

God is creator and sovereign over all the earth

The nations are subject to God’s standards of conduct

Judgement Upon Damascus

Amos 1:3–5 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. I will break the gate-bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord.

Damascus was the captial of Aram

They had been Israel’s most frequent and most powerful enemy

Messengers who speak for God

their authority is in God

they must live in such intimate relationship with God as to know his mind and heart

they must be faithful to deliver God’s message clearly

they must be concerned to be true to God, rather than be popular with the people

“transgressions” - Sin, Rebllion, crimes [evil doing]

Three sins - complete & 4th overflowing

Four cities (capital followed by three principle cities)

Damascus, Ben-Hadad, Aven, Beth-Eden

Aram’s extreme cruelty and inhuman treatment of the Gileadites had been shamlessly brutal

“They have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron”

The Assyrians actually carried out the threatened punishment of Aram

Fire was an expression of divine wrath and was an occational tool of warfare in Old Testament times

Judgement Upon Philistia

Amos 1:6–8 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds. I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord God.

The sin of Gaza was to capture, sale & deportation of whole communities of people

including women and children

including people who were at peace with Gaza

The people were faithless (breach of covenant)

Four cities - Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron

The remnanty of Philistines will perish

Ultimately remnant taken to Babylon and their existence ends in history

Judgement Upon Phoenicia

Amos 1:9–10 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds.”

Tyre

wealth and prosperity - hub of a vast trading empire

They too sold those they had a covenant with into slavery

Assyrians inflicted a 7 month siege against Tyre

sold 30,000 into slavery

The Saracens finally destroyed it in AD 1291

Judgement Upon Edom

Amos 1:11–12 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever. So I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”

Edom, Teman, Bozrah

Bought the slaves

Attacked those they had treaties with - annihilating them (ethnic cleansing)

Judgement Upon Ammon

Amos 1:13–15 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour her strongholds, with shouting on the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind; and their king shall go into exile, he and his princes together,” says the Lord.

Ammonites

ripped open pregnant women

Purely motivated by materialistic gain

Judgement Upon Moab

Amos 2:1–3 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its princes with him,” says the Lord.

Moab was the brother nation to Ammon

Desecration of the Edomite kings’ remains

probably burned to death

Summary

God is a Holy God

God’s Wrath against Sin of unbelieving nations who disregard His laws is absolute

Hymn - HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY (159) - REGINALD HEBER 1783-1826

Q&A

Hymn - THEREFORE THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD (MP 685) - Ruth Lake

Closing Prayer

Doxology