Amos 2:4-5

The book of Amos, one of the minor prophets, and chapter 2, verses 4 and 5 for our text and study this evening. Thus said the Lord, for three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof because they have despised the law of the Lord and have not kept His commandments, and their lives cause them to err, after the which therefore others have walked. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devire the palaces of Jerusalem. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this evening. Have you ever wondered? But Aiken must have felt like when God was going through all the children of Israel, and they had to pass before the Lord, and he was selecting out the guilty party that took something from the city of Jericho. You recall that he had stolen 200 shekels of silver, a wedge of gold, and a fine Babylonian garment, and he hid them in his tent to go hold. and buried them and thought no one would know. But God knew. Slowly but surely, as the Israelites pass before the leaders, Joshua, and so forth, God is selecting out which group to take. First, he selects the tribe of Judah. Can you imagine? Here you are, and, ooh, he’s got the right tribe. too. He singled out Judah. And then, perhaps the fear and worry became more evident when the family of the Zerheights were singled out. You can imagine maybe beads of sweat are starting to break out when his grandfather’s clan was set apart. Zabdi, Aiken could feel the noose tightening slowly but surely around his neck and he was going to be. be found out. And God was going to punish him. There was no room to hide. Amos, in a sense, here is slowly but surely getting around to pronouncing God’s judgments upon Israel, the Northern Kingdom, where he in particularly is, in this book, is bringing the message. Up to this point, you can imagine the audience was probably fairly happy with what he had to say. After all, these heathen nations around us, they deserve to have God’s judgment fall upon them. Maybe you got a little applause on that. But the storm of divine judgment gets a little close when he starts talking about Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. It started out in the heathen lands. Then I went to the east. Edom, Ammon, and Moab, who in a sense were sort of like cousins to Israel through Lot and Esau. But now we’re getting down into the family. Now we’re dealing with the northern kingdom. Like Aiken, there’s probably a little twinge of fear. He’s going to get to us, too. It’s coming. It’s coming. We’re next. Now there were good reasons why Amos spoke. his message here first to Judah before he gets to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. You recall that Amos was a prophet from the land of Judah. And God wanted to avoid any appearance of partiality or favoritism or prejudice on Amos’ part. Yeah, if he had nothing to say about his own sinful people, but threatened only the Northern Kingdom with God’s wrath, A cry of protest certainly could be on a written raised. You’ve got a huge beam in your eye. You need to, your own nation’s eye got this huge beam in. And what are you doing up here picking out the modes from ours? Not going to be able to do that. The judgment upon Judah would hopefully strike some fear into his hearers if God could smoke in his wrath. Think about this. Against Jerusalem. The place. of his presence where his temple was, where the sacrifices were being made. How could Samaria hope to escape? How could the Northern Kingdom with his golden calf worship think they’re going to get away with it? So those who are at ease on the mountain of Samaria might be made to realize how serious matters really are. The sins of Judah and Israel were very much alike. So what could be said about Judah certainly was. would apply to Israel as well. Judah and Israel were viewed as God’s special nation. Certainly they were divided at this point, but they were still classified in that sense. And they always thought, well, we’re God’s favor. He’d surely protect us. He would watch over us. We’re immune to disaster. Yet when Amos lays into Judah here, Israel has to realize, well, Israel has to realize, you know, if you’ve got to level Jerusalem, what is he going to do to us? He’s going to severely judge his special nation. So the same anger here, which burns against the other nations, burns against Judah, and eventually will burn against Israel as well. So Israel is now stripped of any special exemption they may thought they have had or possessed. The terrible judgment is getting closer and closer, a la Aiken in the past. It’s coming. Well, let’s see here. As we look at this, Judah is condemned, as we see in verse 4, for despising God’s law. That’s the first thing it’s mentioned. Amos at this point speaks in generalities. Nothing is said about, you know, burning bodies of kings or slaves. trading or, you know, ruthless murder or theft or something of this nature. Other nations were judged for injuries done to their fellow human beings, your neighbor. Judah here is judged for crimes against the Lord God himself in particular. They had received the law of God. God had come down on Mount Sinai, had spoken to Moses, given He said, given He him the law of God. And he presents it to the people of God. Boy, that was a special gift that God gave that nation. And yet, here they are refusing to obey his commands and despising the very law of God that they were very privileged to possess. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Books about them here despising the law, have not kept the commandments, and their lies caused them to error. And we’ll see here that they just followed it in the traditions of their forefathers in this regard. Lies is used in a sense, and we’ll talk about this in a moment, of false idols, false gods and images and things like that. Judah is supposed to be God’s special name. A people dedicated to him. And yet, when they’re granted these special privileges, they came with great responsibilities. When God brought them out of Egyptian bondage, freed them from the cruel slavery they were in, you’ll recall that they were given the law of Moses that God gave on Mount Sinai, the tablets of stone and so forth in particular. but they had the great advantage surpassing all their nations in that they had the word of God. They knew the proper way of worshiping God and who God was. Psalm 147 verses 19 and 20, he showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes, and his judgments under Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation, even when he chastens them. even when he sends messengers to them, various prophets, to speak to them about their wicked ways, they knew the truth, and they rejected the truth. My friends, in rejecting the truth, they rejected the truth. They rejected the true God. This is the problem. It’s all very frightful when we think about it. Though the specific sins here are not mentioned in detail at this point, this is the problem. This is the main problem. Now they despise the law of God, it says here. And basically they were saying, we will not have Jehovah God rule over us. We’re going to choose another deity. We’re going to choose a different God. The word of God was the only authoritative rule of faith and practice given to men. It was a wonderful gift. The very priest’s, of the law could lead one to eternal life and happiness for the law was the schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, the Savior. And here they are, snubbing their nose at it, despising it, casting it aside. Judah here, like a dog, was overjoyed because he has slipped out of the leash or the chain, and he’s not all right. He’s no longer confined, which God’s law did confine them in their behavior. And now they think they’re free to do whatever they want. So they deliberately cast aside the revelation of God with content for it. They refuse to keep God’s commandments. They have not kept His commandments, it says. Now, the first accusation here is with regard of the law in general, but now we’re going to get specific. We’re going to get down to individual commandments. The law is made up of statutes, commandments, judgments, the Bible says. And thus, Amos is now dealing with the specific rules or individual commandments here. We’re going to the particulars. We could talk about the ten commandments, the regulations for sacrificial worship, the rules for marriage and divorce and so forth. Judah had embarked on a path of willful departs. from God’s specific commandments like you’re not to have any other gods before me. You’re not to make any images or idols or likenesses of the Lord God. You’re to keep the Sabbath day, holy and so forth. They decided, we’ll create our own rules and regulations. They were doing what they deemed best in their own eyes. Years ago, they were members of the Housing Authority Board in Evansville, Indiana. that they thought they came up with a good fundraising idea. They observed that many of the residents in the town were just living together without marriage. And they assumed that they would marry if they could afford marriage, a wedding. So they decided that they would, the board did, that they would have a raffle. And they would offer a price of an all-expensed wedding for anybody that, you know, would joined the raffle here and participate in it. The applications were distributed, but not one person turned one in. Not one. Apparently, the raffle wasn’t such a good idea for raising money. It seems that God’s law regarding sexuality and sexual sin and so forth wasn’t very popular. Evidently, this community was satisfied with living as they pleased. No one wanted to admit. that they should be married. So God’s commands come, and they say, Thou shalt not, or thou shalt, but these Jews here erased it from their minds. They pay no attention, so Judah refused to keep God’s commandments. Judah followed after false ways. Their lies caused them to err. No doubt this has reference to idol worship. God often uses that kind of language because it’s all fake. It’s all. all lie. These people aren’t really, you know, these supposed deities are not real gods. There’s only one true in living God. And so they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worship created things rather than the creator himself. This Romans 1. 25 says. They turned to false heathen worship to man-made gods. They were deluded into believing the lie of these false gods. My friends, if you reject the Bible, you reject the Bible’s God. It’s that simple. And if you reject the Bible’s God, other gods, idols of some sort, are going to fill the void. People who reject God’s rule over them will substitute or exchange the true God for some false God. It always happens. I don’t know, you know, maybe people aren’t, you know, having an idol set up in their house. But there are the gods of materialism and power and wealth and achievement and even pleasure. They’re all idols to the people worship. Judah followed after false ways. Judah walked in the path of their ancestors, after which their fathers have walked, it says. You’d think they would learn something from the past. What had happened? in the past when their fathers read the book of judges. How many times does God have to tell you the same thing? You turn away from me, I turn away from you. You turn away from me, I chasing you. But sadly, if error remains on the scene long enough, it seems to become accepted practice. And the fathers pass down their evil traditions to the children, and on and on it goes. This has happened down through church history. Armenianism is a good example. You know, when the Baptist originally were in America. They had strong Calvinistic teachings. Look at their early confessions. Look at the confession, like the Philadelphia Confession of Fay. The New Hampshire Confession of some of the confessions that the Baptist had, they’re Calvinistic. What happened? Almost all Baptists are Armenian. Or most of them. God had warned the Israelites not the fall, the the worship practices of the Canaanites. When they entered to the promise, they destroy their Tare down their centers of worship. Don’t get involved and don’t think, well, how did they worship? Their gods. We’ll try. Don’t do that, he says. And yet that’s what they’re doing. A poison here slowly worked death among them. What is an abomination? The eyes of God became accepted practice for these people. Parents have a definite influence on their children. A molding, a shaping takes place. patterns are established. An error gets passed down from one generation to the next. Cared about God’s standard. After all, their fathers didn’t follow it. God’s warning in Ezekiel 20, verses 18 and 19 is this, but I said under their children in the wilderness, walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers. Neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God. Walk in my statutes and keep my judgments and do them. So Judah walked in the path of their ancestors. Judah’s judgment here is seen in verse five. But I will send fire upon Judah and it shall devire the palaces of Jerusalem. It’s sad that those who have the benefits of God’s law, which is the source of all blessing God’s word, are going to be judged right alongside these heathen nations. Never had the law of God. Judah chose the way of death. Their subsequent history shows the irrefutable proof of their folly. The fire of God’s judgment is declared and it will fall. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, would devire the royal palaces, the great houses of Jerusalem. He burned the city with fire. The temple and the palaces of the king and his nobles were destroyed. just as God had said. This took place around 586 BC, about 200 years after this prophecy. Jeremiah 52 verses 12 to 15 tells us exactly the same thing, how he burned these places down. So Judas condemned and punished for despising God’s law. Now, let me draw a couple practical thoughts tonight from this passage. And the first is this. Beware of the terrible sin of rejecting the Lord you once worshipped. When you embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are acknowledging your allegiance to Him. He is your God. You are one of his people. He is the Lord of your life. You are agreeing to submit to his commands as a humble servant. You’re to be a servant of righteousness. Now, when you refuse to obey the precepts of the word of God, you are guilty of violating your allegiance to the Lord. God first calls you to repentance. But failure to repent will bring fearful consequences. Look with me at Hebrews chapter 10, verses 25 to 30, if you would, tonight. I remind you that the Hebrews, I believe Paul is the author, I think, of this epistle. When Paul writes to them, he is concerned that they may go back to Judaism. is concerned that they may turn away from Christianity. And so his message to them is you can’t go back. You cannot turn away from the Lord. Now notice verse is 25 here through 30. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see today approaching. Some, who professed, Christ have now been deserting or staying away from the assemblies. Some of them. For if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. You have the truth. You can’t go back. You can’t put your hand to the plow and go back. But a certain fearful, looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devire the adversaries. He that despise Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much soreer punishment oppose ye. Shall he be thought worthy, who hath trod and underfoot the son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he, and I believe that he means the Lord Jesus Christ. I think John Owen is correct on this. We have sanctified or set apart an unholy thing and hath done despite under the Spirit of grace. for we know him that have said vengeance belongeth in the Lord I will recompensateeth the Lord and again the Lord shall judge his people. The warning of Scripture is that the servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t do it is going to be punished more strictly than the one who didn’t know his will and disobey. One still accountable, ignorance is not a complete excuse here but they’re punished more lightly but those that are privileged to know and God’s word, the entrance of God’s word gives light so you have been enlightened to turn away from that light and that truth that you’ve once knew is a serious matter. It’s the revolt against Christ rule and it will be severely punished. How much soreer punishment he says. Now this is a practical truth which touches our lives every time we hear the word of God preached. Your responsibility is to obey the message of God. We’re not to harden our hearts against the message and heap up wrath against ourselves. The Pharisees were charged by Christ with knowing the law of God but not obeying it. They were play actors. God was on their lips but not in their heart. That’s a danger to be avoided at all costs. If you love me, keep my commandments. If you have a bond of friendship with God by faith in Jesus Christ, then be eager to obey His word. Otherwise, you’ll be guilty of despising God’s law and in danger of provoking God’s judgment. So beware of the terrible sin. here. Of turning away from the Lord God. Notice this also. Your sanctification requires paying attention to specifics. As long as we use general terms, sometimes we think we’re fairly safe. We just talk about the law of God. Well, okay, we may feel okay. We don’t feel guilty. It’s the fact that the law contains specific commandments. When those commandments are expressed and explained to us, then we have problems. That’s when uneasiness comes over us. The particulars are important to sanctification. This is why the Ken commandments, which are given to us, have specific sins listed in them. As Paul said in Romans 7, I would not have known lust, except the law had said, thou shall not covet. You know, he thought he could keep the law, he tells us in Romans 7. As a natural man, he thought, well, I’m obeying the law, and so forth. But he said, that commandment slew me. It’s specific. And now he doesn’t have any excuse. When we talk about stealing, when we talk about false witness, when we talk about all the things that the law says, bang your parents, about the worship of God and the commandments related to it. We should look at the law. We should look at the specific commandments. We should try to extract from them and understand from them the principles, the specifics, of what God is telling us, with regard not only to worship, but treating how do we treat our neighbor. Your religion gets real serious when we start getting down to specifics. It’s easy to talk about loving Christ. It’s easy to say, oh, I’m living for the Lord. What’s difficult, is to honestly be applying the specific commandments of God to your life. Because that’ll tell you whether you’re living for Christ or not. That’ll tell you whether you love Christ or not. That’s where the rubber meets the road, if you claim to be a believer. Your sanctification requires paying attention to specifics. Lastly, do you ever despise the law of God? I’m reminded of a story about a little boy who went to a store, talked to the sales clerk about buying a birthday gift for his mother, and he asked to see some cookie jars. And so there was a whole display of cookie jars there, and so he’s looking at all the cookie jars, and he’s carefully lifting up the lids of each one. And he was disappointed when he went through them all, and he said, don’t you have any cookie jars that have quieter lids? Don’t make any noise? I like human nature. Man wants to sin without feeling guilty. You want to get away with it, see, without getting caught. You don’t want to get caught with your hand in a cookie jar, which is what he’s trying to do. So you attempt to circumvent God’s commandments, if possible. You look for a way to wiggle out of God’s demands. He said, well, I wouldn’t do that. I love the laws of God. You’re like David. Oh, how I love thy law. But if you examine your life, you may find you have more work in common than the Judah than you realize. We despise the word of God when we try to make it ambiguous. Leave a little loophole for us there. Whenever you come across the plain teaching, which requires a change in behavior, I wonder what the Hebrew Greek says. Oh, that’s got to be for another age. It can’t be applied to me today. Failing to do that, some people just. just to decide, well, I’m just not going to read that section of scripture. I won’t pay any attention to that. So we treat that portion of the Word of God as non-existent, as if that commandment in error was stated. Blank it out. Many have despised the law of God because they don’t want to relinquish their sin. One preacher said once of God’s word, this book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the sin. book where are you do you despise the law of God are you honestly trying to apply it to your life well let us close with a word of prayer for you