Amos 4: The Future and the Past

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B: Amos 1:13-2:3, LASER POINTER

Opening

Melanie and Abbie and I had a great time of rest and refreshing over the last couple of weeks. We took a short weekend trip to Ruidoso since we couldn’t leave the State without quarantining, and we had a wonderful time there. Thanks for your support and prayers while we were gone, and thanks to Joe for filling in so well at the pulpit and in leading the staff, and thanks to the rest of the church staff for their care for my family during our vacation.

I wanted to let everyone know that our Student Pastor Trevor Clark, and his wife Amanda and daughter Amelia welcomed a new member of their family this week with the birth of Davis Anthony Clark on Friday morning. Here’s a pic of little Davis. Both Amanda and Davis are doing well, and are at home. I’m so excited for them!

This morning, we are going to continue our look at the Old Testament book of Amos. Throughout this series, I’m going to keep coming back to and reminding us of what I believe is kind of the thesis or theme of the entire message of Amos, which we found in verse 2 of Amos 1. And that is that “The Sovereign Lord roars,” and every part of this prophecy needs to be read with that filter in place if we are going to read, understand, and apply this message effectively. The Lord is sovereign over all people in all places at all times, and it is critical for us to come in submission to His Word and His will as He has chosen to reveal it in Scripture. And sometimes, when He does that, He roars in warning or in judgment upon the injustice that we carry out in our world.

MAP - explain quickly

This week, we will draw the net even tighter around Judah and Israel, God’s covenant people, as we look at the Lord’s messages to the nations of Ammon and Moab.

Let’s stand in honor of the Word of God as we read our focal passage this morning, Amos 1:13 to 2:3.

Amos 1:13–2:3 CSB

13 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory. 14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm. 15 Their king and his princes will go into exile together. The Lord has spoken. 1 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2 Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn. 3 I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. The Lord has spoken.

PRAY

This is the last pair of nations that we will look at before we arrive at the messages to the covenant people of God—the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. You’ll recall that the messenger here, the prophet Amos, was from Judah, but he is giving this prophecy in Israel, and most of it is primarily about the Northern Kingdom.

While Amos has been prophesying, I would imagine that the Israelites would have been largely giving hearty approval to the messages that he was sharing. And for these two nations in particular, even though they were Israel’s distant relatives, they would have been looked down upon in disdain by the descendants of Abraham.

Ammon and Moab were brother nations, much like Judah and Israel. However, their origin story is a little less auspicious than their cousins’. The nations of Moab and Ammon descend from Abraham’s nephew Lot, who had traveled with Abraham when he left the land of Ur at the command of the Lord. In fact, the namesakes of these two nations, Ben-Ammi and Moab, were the sons of Lot, born to him through the conspiracy of his two daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were the product of drunken incest. You can read about that in Genesis chapter 19, beginning in verse 30.

Historically, Moab and Ammon were regularly in conflict with other nations in the area, including Israel, Judah, and Edom as we just read. What we see in the messages of justice and judgment from the Lord for them today is based upon how they practiced warfare. As a result, both of their promised punishments were based on warfare. We’re going to start at the end of these two messages before we look at why they were being judged.

The prophesied judgment against Ammon reads as follows:

Amos 1:14–15 CSB

14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm. 15 Their king and his princes will go into exile together. The Lord has spoken.

Like the other four messages that we have looked at thus far, the principal city of Ammon will be destroyed by fire, and through battle, the king of Moab and his princes will be taken into exile.

And the message against Moab is similar in its pronouncement of a military-based judgment:

Amos 2:2–3 CSB

2 Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn. 3 I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. The Lord has spoken.

The differences here are twofold, though. Kerioth was not the greatest city of Moab. It was, however, the religious center of the nation. This will be more important when we look into their “fourth crime,” according to the formula of these messages from the Lord. The other difference is that their leaders will not be taken into exile, but will die by the sword.

According to the Roman historian of the Jews, Josephus, both Moab and Ammon were defeated in the Babylonians in 582 BC, and this prophecy, given about 180 years earlier, was fulfilled.

To this point, we have considered the Lord’s judgment against Aram and Philistia because of how they treated other human beings, people made in the God’s image. We also looked at the judgment against Phoenicia and Edom for how ready and willing they were to mistreat their brothers, those that they should have been at peace with.

This pair has to do with their actions against the future and against the past...

1) Passionately protect the future.

Ammon sought not only to raid and steal from Gilead, but sought to make it so that doing so would continue to be easier and easier in the future by killing off those in future generations before they were even born.

Amos 1:13 CSB

13 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.

This was the reason the Lord was going to bring judgment on the nation: the destruction of unborn children for future convenience and personal gain. They were attempting to destroy the future of Gilead by killing their unborn children now.

This may come across as harsh, but to a certain extent, this has been happening legally in the U.S. since 1973. With all due respect to those who are hearing me right now who have terminated a pregnancy, there is grace and love and forgiveness at the cross of Jesus Christ, and I love you and care about your hurt and pain. I don’t relish preaching messages like this, but this is where God has taken me in this passage. This part might be painful for you, but it is completely clear why the nation of Ammon was being judged: they killed the unborn. They did it as a part of warfare, and we look at that and we have no problem saying that it is a grave injustice. But we in the U.S. have a protected right to kill the unborn, doing so by the millions each year, and we simply call it a choice.

According to the CDC’s numbers and estimates, just over 41,000,000 unborn babies were killed by abortion from 1973 to 2018. The Guttmacher Institute’s (which is PRO abortion, by the way) independent research says that the number is probably closer to 62 million. 62 million. How many people is that? We’re horrible at scale when it comes to big numbers like that, so I’ll try to give you a comparison. If you were to take the populations of NYC, LA, Chicaco, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Austin, Jacksonville FL, Fort Worth, Columbus OH, Charlotte NC, San Francisco, and Indianapolis… the 17 most populated cities in the US, you’d be about halfway there.

Now, I know that some will argue with me that abortions in the U.S. aren’t for future convenience or personal gain. But this is a very nuanced semantic argument. It may not have been for gain, but it was certainly to avoid loss in the vast majority of cases. And it may not have been convenient to have an abortion, but in most cases, the pregnancy was inconvenient. You might want to make an appeal to the hard cases as a means to justify elective abortion, but I’m not going to go there because all of those appeals are basically smokescreens and tricks with mirrors, because very nearly all abortions in the U.S. are just another form of birth control. Abortion is just simply wrong, because it’s voluntarily killing a tiny human simply because he or she exists.

A few weeks ago in this series, I spoke about how all humans are bearers of the image of God, and as such, deserve dignity, respect, and love. This includes unborn humans. God intimately fashions each individual person beginning at conception:

Psalm 139:13–16 CSB

13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.

Each person’s life is a straight line of individual distinction: from conception, through birth, aging, and ultimately death. Logically, regardless of what scientific terminology may say by using distinctions like zygote, embryo, and fetus, each independent, genetically-unique human life begins at conception. These terms are accurate from a scientific perspective as stages of development, but now are used as a method of conveniently avoiding attributing full humanity to an unborn baby. Ask any honest scientist to explain what KIND of zygote, embryo, and fetus we are talking about, and they can only answer one way: HUMAN.

We must protect future generations by standing against voluntary abortion as birth control. It’s the killing of a human being, one who is made to bear the image of God, for personal benefit. The argument for the mother’s right to choose leaves out the possibility that the baby might have something to say about the matter, but the baby cannot speak for himself or herself. That child needs advocates who will speak for him or her.

The one exception that I’m willing to make: a true and imminent risk to the life of the mother. Better to lose one life than two. This is protecting future generations as well.

Church, we can take solace in one thing: abortions in 2018 are at the lowest point since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal throughout the U.S… actually, abortions in 2018 were lower than in 1973. Continue to support pro-life organizations such as CareNet, minister to and pray for those who are struggling with unplanned pregnancy and the possibility of having an abortion, as well as those who have made that painful choice in the past and may feel that there is no care or grace for them in the church due to messages like this. There is. I know women in this very body who carry the pain of having had an abortion, and even though we have to stand against the action, we love you and care for you.

But most importantly, Jesus loves you and cares for you. He proved it by dying for you, paying the penalty due because of our sins. His forgiveness is available to you if you will just call out to Him, surrendering the choices of your past, the pain of your present, and the direction of your future to Him, because He is Lord and He knows what is best for you. You can surrender to Jesus right where you are, right now, and know that you are forgiven.

We must remember our starting point: that it is God who is sovereign, and since He is sovereign, it is His perspective that matters above all others. Every life belongs to God, according to Ezekiel 18:4. It is God’s right to judge any and every nation, because He is God. And as He judged Ammon for their killing of the unborn in Gilead, I believe that God will judge our nation for our willingness to call the ability to choose to kill the unborn a fundamental right. I pray that our judgment is not like Ammon’s.

The flipside of the condemnation of the nation of Ammon is found in the condemnation of the nation of Moab. Whereas Ammon was destroying the future, Moab burned with such hatred against the past that it led them into sin.

2) Humbly reflect on the past.

I’ll be honest: when I first read through Amos, I was pretty confused by the judgment against Moab. Look at what they were judged for:

Amos 2:1 CSB

1 The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.

“Burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.” What did this mean? Is it wrong to burn bones? So is cremation wrong? Didn’t the men of Jabesh-gilead cremate King Saul and his sons after the mistreatment of their bodies by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 31?

The scholarly consensus is that the Moabites, during one of their conflicts with Edom, actually dug up the remains of the Edomite king, and then burned them to dust. This would have been particularly problematic for two reasons:

It would have served to deny the dignity and humanity of the Edomite king by denigrating his tomb and treating his bones the way that they would treat animal bones.

From a spiritual perspective, this was particularly bad: both the Moabite and Edomite cultures believed that the act of exhuming and burning someone’s bones in this fashion prevented them from having peace in the afterlife, or even worse, kept them from immortality altogether. Regardless of whether their belief was accurate, the motive behind this action was one of vindictiveness and hatred. This would also have been at least partially religiously motivated, thus the promise of judgment on the Moabite religious center Kerioth.

I believe that the greater issue here is the second issue. Both could certainly be true, couldn’t they? While the first issue makes sense in relation to the focus on humanity and the image of God that we’ve found so far in these messages of judgment, I think that the fact that the Moabites would try to deny someone peace after death shows how vicious they were willing to be to their enemies… even those enemies who were long since dead.

While we may not be able to fully grasp the ramifications of the burning of the bones of the Edomite king, the fact is that God is aware that the nation of Moab was going against not only His law, but against their own societal norms of conduct and conscience as well. What I mean by this is that the Moabites should have known it was wrong because of their meaning behind the actions, but they did it anyway. Had the tables been turned and Edom had done this to a king of Moab’s bones, they would have been furious and gravely hurt. God understood their motives, not just their acts.

Paul wrote about this idea in Romans 2:

Romans 2:12–15 CSB

12 For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them

This doesn’t mean that anyone is saved apart from the completed work of Jesus Christ. It means that God has created us as moral beings, and He holds us accountable to that natural compass of morality that we have been given. And all of us come up short in that regard, and deserve the judgment of God. Since that’s the case, there’s no room for haughtiness or pride in our own moral perfection, because it doesn’t exist.

The Moabites were in essence attempting to guarantee that the Edomite king would be eternally condemned, as if somehow their own sins were “less than” his or his people’s. They were trying to play God. But God turns the tables and declares that judgment would be coming on them because of their vindictive hatred.

For us, we cling to our anger and call it “righteous.” The Moabites likely would have done the same. We say that those we hate “deserve it.” The Moabites certainly would have done the same. We judge each other with measures that we would be terrified to ever have used against us, all the while feeling that we are “justified” in doing so. I think the Moabites would have felt the same way. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says:

Ecclesiastes 7:9 CSB

9 Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

We can trust that God is a just God who will ultimately prevail, and at that time, sin will be wiped out, evil will be no more, and there is no reason for us to seek revenge.

Psalm 37:1–8 CSB

1 Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. 2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants. 3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, 6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday. 7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans. 8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.

It takes humility to approach the past in this way—to trust that the Lord will take care of things. We don’t have to be agitated or envious, we don’t have to take matters into our own hands, attempting to put those that we see as “enemies” in their place. Instead, we can trust in the Lord, do what is good, and allow His righteousness to shine through us.

By all means, take strong stands against immorality and sin, but let go of grudges and hatred, of insults and put-downs. We can disagree vehemently with people and not resort to the condemnation that comes with violence or with the verbal dehumanization of another person. That’s the way the world fights. We aren’t called to fight like the world fights. We’re called to something higher, something better:

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 CSB

3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

We are to demolish arguments, but not people. That’s not our place. Pray for those you disagree with. Engage in dialogue and conversation with them. Show them that you care for them, even if you disagree with them. They’re still people with an eternal destiny, and we all need the grace that is only found in Jesus. Could God be roaring against our willingness to jump up and condemn people to hell, but not to share with them the Good News that would save them?

Closing

The beauty of the Gospel is that our salvation isn’t based upon how well we do at earning it through following, but often failing to follow, what we know is right. Jesus died for all of us, and each of us. He bought by His blood the possibility of our having an eternal future and a forgiven past through a repaired relationship with the God of the Universe. He satisfied the wrath of God by laying down His life for people who don’t deserve it. We receive forgiveness and that repaired relationship with God through trusting in what Jesus has done for us, not what we can do for ourselves. And because He beat death by rising again, we have eternal life with Him if we give up our lives to Him in faith.

If you have questions about salvation, I’d like to ask you to stay in the sanctuary for a few minutes following service. If you’re online, reach out to us on Facebook or by email.

Some of you may have been praying about joining Eastern Hills formally as members. During this COVID time, we’ve struggled to come up with a good way for this to happen, while keeping everyone safe and healthy, and I apologize for not having solved this sooner. If you believe that God is calling you to join with this church body in formal membership, please stay in the sanctuary for a few minutes as well.

We have also put down some dots on the floor here at the steps if you would like to come down and pray in a few moments. Donna is going to come and play a song for a time of reflection, and if you’d like to take this time to give your offering online, please feel free to do so. If you are going to give physically, you will be able to put your offering in the plates by the doors as you leave at the close of service.

PRAY

Thanks for being here this morning. It’s been great to see each of you and worship the Lord together. We will again be releasing in our COVID-safe manner, by rows starting at the back. If you have questions about trusting in Jesus, or if you believe that God is leading you to join this church family, please wait and then we’ll move a little closer together once everyone is out of the room.

God bless all of you, and have a wonderful week!