Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

One of the points that really stood out to me last week was the last one.

Where we spoke to you about in verse 5 about a “concept preserved” and how the text tells us that, “God remembers”.

There are approximately 73 times in the Bible where it says that God remembered.

God does not forget.

Sometimes that is a good thing.

Sometimes, it is not a good thing; for the heathen.

It is with this verse in 1 Samuel that I want to give some focus because it is there that we learn a lesson about the remembrance of God.

What exactly did Amalek do?

Well, the text does not tell us detailed here in 1 Samuel, but other passages give us insight into why God remembered them for judgment.

First, God made a promise to Moses to also tell Joshua.

Exodus 17:14

God promised Moses that He would completely destroy from the memory of men, the Amalakites.

But why did God remember them for destruction?

Because, it tells us the 1 Samuel, what they did to Israel.

What did they do?

So there orders that God gave to Samuel to give to Saul was in remembrance of what they did to Israel.

Because God remembers Judgment.

You say, “well, it was not complete because Saul disobeyed and many of the Amalekites escaped and God’s promise was to wipe them out”.

Then enters David.

Remember in when David and his men returned to Ziglak from cooperative battle with the Philistines, they found that the city had been burned and their wives, sons and Daughters had been kidnapped by an invigorated Amalakite army.

After David wept, he went into prayer to see what they Lord wanted him to do.

The Lord said to pursue them and that they would win the battle.

1 Samuel 30:16:20

But notice verse 17.

Well, David got all but 400 of them.

But the Promise of God was to totally wipe them out.

In steps Simeon.

Simeon had been blessed by God and his family and needed to expand their territory.

And in order to do that he had to move others out.

Guess who God put there that needed to be moved out?

1 Chronicles 4:

You see, God keeps his promises.

He promised to judge and wipe out the Amalakites because of what they did to Israel, and He did it.

And he is going to judge the antichrist and his final form of religious and commercial empire and that fulfillment is layout for us in this chapter.

I. Judgment Announced (vs.

1-3)

The Character of the Messenger (vs.

1-2a)

He Has Great Dominion

He has Great Delight

He Has Great Distinction

The Components of the Message (vs.

2-3)

The Fall Will Be Great (vs.

2)

The Fortress Will Be Grotesque (vs.

2)

The Filthiness Will BE Global (vs. 3)

II.

Judgment Avoided (vs.

4-5)

a.

A Command Proclaimed (vs.

4)

b.

A Combination Prohibited (vs.

4)

c.

A Curse to Pass (vs.

4)

d.

A Condition Packed (vs.

5)

e.

A Concept Preserved (vs.

5)

III.

Judgment Defined (vs.

6-8)

Thus far we have paid close attention to the fact of what is the message that the angel will be bringing and how intense and global the destruction will be.

The next section of verses that we are going to look at will really answer the question why.

What are the circumstances that will bring about the destruction of Babylon; which remember is the final religious and commercial empire of the AntiChrist.

This will be the final destruction of the world.

Remember that the Scripture says in the verses that we have already looked that the kings of earth go after her, so the sin will be global and so the destruction will be global as well.

But let us look more closely at the why.

The Request Directed (vs.

6a)

Reveal

“Reward” is “ἀποδίδωμι” and literally means to “pay back, to recompense whether it is for the good or for the bad”.

And of course, in this context it is for the bad.

Of course, the context also indicates to us a difference in the one that is being addressed.

The angel is no longer speaking to John but is speaking directly to God.

The request of the angel parallels the prayer of the saints in chapter 6.

Revelation 6:9-10

The angel’s prayer for justice is based on the Old Testament principle of lex talionis, the law of retaliation, the principle of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”

The angel’s prayer for justice is based on the Old Testament principle of lex talionis, the law of retaliation, the principle of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”

Lev

Now, what Jesus Christ did was to take the OT law and taught Grace and forgiveness.

Matt.

5:39:42

Babylon has been extended enough grace and heard enough warnings.

It is time for vengeance.

It is time for her destruction.

Understand, that there will come a time when Grace and Mercy will end and the destruction that has accumulated for years will finally be poured out.

God is not going to be mocked.

And right now, Babylon is sowing destruction and the day will come when what they have sown, will be reaped.

This angels plea’s for the rightful destruction of Babylon has been a message that has been echoed throughout the OT.

I think that it is important at this point to pause and reflect that recompense and vengeance belongs to God alone.

Our attitude should be thus:

1 Thess.

5:

Now, those commands do not preclude the holy, righteous God from judging sinners.

As Satan’s empire has done to Christians, so God will do back to them.

Which is why God told the saints under the altar and tells us now, “wait, rest.

Judgment is coming.

It is not for you to judge.

I will take care of it.

b.

A Recompense Detailed (vs.

6b)

Not only does the angel request of the Lord that she be paid back just as she paid out, but the angels requests that she be paid double what she paid out.

The angel’s request that God give back to Babylon double according to her deeds (literally in the Greek “double the double things”) is a request that Babylon’s punishment fit her crimes.