The Man from Tekoa (Amos 4-5) Sunday School February 17, 2019 Sleater-Kinney Road Baptist Church, Olympia, WA

Transcription

1 1. OUTLINE: a. By logical argument: - 4:1-5: says judgment is coming! and sarcastic aside o 4:6-11: s reason for judgement = warnings ignored o 4:12-5:3: judgment is coming! o 5:4-5: s offer of deliverance 5:6-15: preaches seek the Lord and live! 5:16-17: says judgment is coming! 5:18-20: preaches are you sure you want the Lord to come!? 5:21-24: says, I hate externalism! 5:25-27: says, take your idols into exile with you! b. By speaker: 4:1-12 4:13 5:2 5:3-5 5:6-15 5: : : We ll examine the text using the logical outline, but by clearly identifying the speaker 2. TEXT: 1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, Bring, that we may drink! 2 The Lord has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, 1

2 even the last of you with fishhooks. 3 And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon, 4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; 5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! declares the Lord. - cows of Bashan o woman sarcastically compared to cows - who oppress (etc.) o loving your brethren is s central concern for His covenant people; the most visible fruit and mark of faith o this oppression is likely indirect; their thirst and demand for the finer things in life ( drink ) prompt their husbands to exploit their positions and, thus, oppress the poor and needy - by His holiness o it will certainly happen - take you away (etc.) o vivid imagery of these women being dragged to the breached city wall like fish caught on a hook o they re made to file out one by one, like dumb cattle, o and are cast down the mountainside like trash - Bethel Gilgal o worship centers for syncretistic Yahweh/pagan worship o deliberate sarcasm from 6 I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, 2

3 7 I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; 8 so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me, 9 I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me, 10 I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me, 11 I overthrew some of you, as when overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me, - Three points are worth mentioning: o (1) is in total control of His creation; every single aspect of it (weather, crops, famine, warfare, victory and defeat) o (2) This are the blessings and cursings (Deut 28-29) acted out, just as promised covenant membership entails obligations, and negligence is dealt with o (3) The goal was repentance - Implications for us, today: o (1) is still in total control of His creation 3

4 o (2) Covenant membership still entails obligations (Job 5:17-18; Ps 94:12-13; 1 Cor 11:32; Rev 3:19) 1 o (3) s goal is still repentance 12 Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your, O Israel! 13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth the Lord, the of hosts, is his name! - Basic message is get ready! o behold: the sovereign is serious, here 1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: 2 Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up. - is distressed at this news o no more to rise: the Northern Kingdom, not Israel as a whole 3 For thus says the Lord : The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel. 1 These citations refer to individual obligations and discipline. I believe corporate discipline is still applicable, at the local church level, but I won t go into it here. For this lesson, I ll stick to the individual application in a New Covenant context. 4

5 - explains why he s distressed; plans to destroy perhaps 90% of Israel s armed population in the coming destruction - But, there is a ray of hope: 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live; 5 but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. - This is the crux of the message; this and mini-sermon which follows - What does want? o (1) Seek me o (2) and live - How? o (1) Not by going to Bethel o (2) Not by going to Gilgal o (3) Not by going to any of the false worship sites o (4) Not by doubling down on hypocrisy - explains: 6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, 7 O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! - Obviously, wants something more than hypocritical sacrifices what is it? o So far, the only clue we have is corruption of power (1) Justice has been perverted; turned to bitterness for those wronged (2) Righteousness is despised; cast to the dirt like trash o Again, expects His people to live up to their billing! 5

6 8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name; 9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. - If you make angry, trouble will follow! o Because is who He is, nothing can stay His hand except repentance 10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. 11 Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. 13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. - Here are the specifics of about Israel s sin: o These only make sense in a state church system o You cannot directly import these principles to today, in a secular context without a state church theocracy o But, you can principalize in an individual sense, or a corporate, local church sense, if you re careful - What are the sins? o (1) In legal proceedings, they hate people who speak out for the truth, against corrupt justice They hate the truth about sin, righteousness and judgment They hate to be reminded of their obligations to fairness and equity 6

7 This is all likely applicable in an interpersonal context, too o (2) They have opulent, large homes how did they get them? Economic extortion of some sort; the point is that its unfair and exploitative o (3) They have huge vineyards how did they get them? The same economic exploitation o (4) They oppress righteous people The manner is not specified; local context with the original audience made it unnecessary o (5) They take bribes (presumably to pervert justice) o (6) They don t help the poor and needy Again, Israel was a covenantal society, from top to bottom A key component of this was love for the fellow members of the covenant (Deut 24:14-15, 17-22; 26:1-15; 27:19; Ezek 22:1-12; Zech 7:8-14, etc.); it s fallacious to extrapolate this out to a generic commandment to (for example) feed the poor in your local community, in a New Covenant context 2 The most direct parallel in a New Covenant context is a local church deliberately, contemptuously, not helping its own members who are struggling financially - In a time like this, why do prudent people keep silent? o Because it s an evil time any attempt to speak truth will bring punishment from those in power - Each of these sins are about not loving your neighbor, but these are simply the fruit of a poisonous tree what is it? o They don t love, so they don t love each other, either! - makes this clear: 14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the of hosts, Justice. 2 For more of my perspective on this issue, see my article Orphans, Widows, the Poor and 7

8 will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. - This is what wants: o (1) Seek good (i.e. holiness, righteousness, etc.), especially in the context of justice in civil society; (the courts, the corridors of power, business dealings) o (2) Hate evil o (3) Love good o (4) Establish justice in your communities In a New Covenant context = your local church - If you do this, maybe will relent 16 Therefore thus says the Lord, the of hosts, the Lord: In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, Alas! Alas! They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, 17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst, says the Lord. - Yet, judgment is still coming! o pass through: echoes of the vengeful Passover angel suggest the scope of the destruction from the Assyrians 18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, 19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? 8

9 - What is the day of the Lord? 3 o (1) Narrowly, its when the Lord will destroy all enemies o (2) More broadly, it s the time period when the Lord will return, punish the wicked, reward the righteous, establish His kingdom, and peace and prosperity will reign, with His people (Israel) as the showcase of His kingdom - Why would the Israelites be looking forward to the day of the Lord? o Because they re looking forward to destroying all enemies - Why is saying they re wrong? o Because (irony of ironies!) they re also s enemies, as long as they continue to love evil, and hate good! - What s the connection for your life, today? o (1) Are you waiting for Jesus to return? o (2) Are you looking forward to it? o (3) Well, are you sure you want Him to return, right now? o (4) Are you sure that will be good news for you? o (5) Are you sure you re a Christian; really, really sure? o (6) How s your fruit? How s your heart? - point is that their externalism does nothing for them! 21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. - Because they re His enemies in their heart, says: o (1) I hate your feasts o (2) I hate your assemblies o (3) I hate your sacrifices; I won t even look at them 3 I am very much aware there is more to be said about this topic. I m also aware that some dispensationalists believe the day of the Lord is the span of time from Jesus ascension to the end. I m not going to go there, for this lesson. 9

10 o (4) I hate your songs of praise; I won t even listen to them - What would rather have? o All these things from people who actually do what He says (v.24)! - How does this apply to you, today? o If you re a deliberately hypocritical person, o who s superficially attached to a congregation like a crusty barnacle, o but with no inward life (like a dead plant in a pot), o that is, a pretend Christian or a severely sinful one o then says: (1) I hate it when you come to church (2) I hate everything you do for me (3) I hate the songs you sing to me (4) I won t even listen to you - What should your response be, if this is you? o Repent, return to (or, come to Him for the first time), and then He ll gladly receive all these things from you because they re sincere! 25 Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the of hosts. - Take your idols into exile with you! 10