Bobservations' Column
Titled - "None Above the Law"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
The judgments continue and come home to roost upon Judah in chapter 2 of Amos. But before we get there, the chapter begins with the three transgressions of Moab. If you will, recall Abraham, and his nephew Lot: their flocks and herds were many, and getting into the land, they decided to part company so their animals would all have plenty of land upon which to graze and feed. Lot chose the pleasant valley to the south, and the hill country was left for Abraham.
The valley Lot chose was the location of several cities, including Sodom and Gomorrah, and we all know how that ended (Genesis 19). Lot found himself living among heathen, fornicators, and others whose lives God called abominable in Leviticus 18. He fled Sodom just prior to God destroying the debauchery of that city. Lot and his two daughters escaped to the neighboring city of Zoar at the Dead Sea (Gen.19:22).
Lot’s morals were already compromised from having lived among those people. His daughters’ were as well. Their husbands-to-be were dead back in Sodom, and the girls thought they should raise up seed to continue their father’s name among the family lineage. They decided to get their father drunk, and each sleep with him to provide another generation unto Lot. The eldest daughter named her resultant son Moab (“of the father”), and the younger daughter named her son Ben-Ammi (“son of Ammi”).
These two boys became the progenitors of the Moabites and the Amorites respectively. Both these city-nations became enemies of the Israelites. From Abraham’s family line, we find the righteous, and the unrighteous.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning's Audio Message:
Amos 2:1-16 - "None Above the Law"
Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:
This morning, we are continuing in the book of Amos starting in chapter 2. Amos continues to pronounce judgment on Israel's enemies; however, we will also see that God is impartial to all, he shows no favoritism. Israel may be God's chosen, but they have sinned against God, and they will not be spared His righteous judgement.
After pronouncing judgment on Damascus (Syria), Philistia (cities on the Mediterranean coastline bordering southern Israel), Tyre (modern Lebanon, north of Israel), Edom (the southern part of modern Jordan), and Ammon (northern part of modern Jordan, east of Israel), the LORD turned His attention to Moab, a country located east of the Dead Sea, between Ammon on the north side and Edom on the south. "Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment." The Moabites were kinsmen to the Israelites because they traced their ancestry to the older daughter of Lot (Genesis 19:37). They were a pagan people who worshiped a god named Chemosh (Numbers 21:29, Jeremiah 48:7).
The Moabites would be judged by God for their transgressions, one of which was the burning of the bones of the king of Edom to lime. Consequently, the LORD would send fire upon Moab, which would consume the citadels of Kerioth. The term Kerioth refers to a city containing a shrine devoted to Chemosh, the Moabite god. The word translated citadels can also be translated as "palace" or "fortress." This Moabite city has been identified with el-Qereiyat and Khirbet Aleiyan (Jeremiah 48:41). Using fire as a symbol of judgment, the LORD threatened to destroy Moab along with the fortresses of Kerioth.
With the judgments against the surrounding pagan nations finished, the prophet proceeded to address Judah, moving ever closer to his ultimate target of Israel. Greed, so all-consuming that for insignificant debts the people of Israel would sell another into slavery (cf. Matthew 18:23-35), was accompanied by uncontained sexual passion. Care for the poor is a prominent OT theme (Proverbs 14:31; 17:5), and sexual purity is mandated repeatedly (cf. Leviticus 18). Violations of both are an affront to God's holy name.
After pronouncing judgment on Damascus (Syria), Philistia (cities on the Mediterranean coastline bordering southern Israel), Tyre (modern Lebanon, north of Israel), Edom (the southern part of modern Jordan), and Ammon (northern part of modern Jordan, east of Israel), the LORD turned His attention to Moab, a country located east of the Dead Sea, between Ammon on the north side and Edom on the south. "Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment." The Moabites were kinsmen to the Israelites because they traced their ancestry to the older daughter of Lot (Genesis 19:37). They were a pagan people who worshiped a god named Chemosh (Numbers 21:29, Jeremiah 48:7).
The Moabites would be judged by God for their transgressions, one of which was the burning of the bones of the king of Edom to lime. Consequently, the LORD would send fire upon Moab, which would consume the citadels of Kerioth. The term Kerioth refers to a city containing a shrine devoted to Chemosh, the Moabite god. The word translated citadels can also be translated as "palace" or "fortress." This Moabite city has been identified with el-Qereiyat and Khirbet Aleiyan (Jeremiah 48:41). Using fire as a symbol of judgment, the LORD threatened to destroy Moab along with the fortresses of Kerioth.
With the judgments against the surrounding pagan nations finished, the prophet proceeded to address Judah, moving ever closer to his ultimate target of Israel. Greed, so all-consuming that for insignificant debts the people of Israel would sell another into slavery (cf. Matthew 18:23-35), was accompanied by uncontained sexual passion. Care for the poor is a prominent OT theme (Proverbs 14:31; 17:5), and sexual purity is mandated repeatedly (cf. Leviticus 18). Violations of both are an affront to God's holy name.
Amos 1 and 2 are really meant to be read and analyzed together as they are a review of the judgements from God. In Amos 2, however, we see God turn his attention away from Israel’s enemies to their own sinful acts. According to God, Judah was rejecting God’s law, disobeying God’s commandments, and committing idolatry. Amos was a shepherd from Judah but was sent to be a prophet for Israel, to which the offenses were far more severe.
Israel was guilty of horrific crimes including trampling the poor, denying justice to the oppressed, committing fornication, profaning the Lord’s name, wrongfully taking items as a pledge from those indebted to them, collecting fines from others, forcing Nazirites to drink wine, and commanding true prophets not to prophesy.
Think for a moment how personal this was for God. Here are God's own, His children who are walking in willful disobedience to His law. “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Israel, blessed by God, chosen to be His own and given them hidden knowledge, chosen to bring forth the Messiah. He blessed them, protected them, gave them His Word that they would live fruitful and productive lives. And just like the daughter that goes and throws her body away after her father has desperately loved and protected her, Israel (and Judah) did much the same.
Israel was guilty of horrific crimes including trampling the poor, denying justice to the oppressed, committing fornication, profaning the Lord’s name, wrongfully taking items as a pledge from those indebted to them, collecting fines from others, forcing Nazirites to drink wine, and commanding true prophets not to prophesy.
Think for a moment how personal this was for God. Here are God's own, His children who are walking in willful disobedience to His law. “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Israel, blessed by God, chosen to be His own and given them hidden knowledge, chosen to bring forth the Messiah. He blessed them, protected them, gave them His Word that they would live fruitful and productive lives. And just like the daughter that goes and throws her body away after her father has desperately loved and protected her, Israel (and Judah) did much the same.
Think for a moment of how personal our sin is to God. Think of how dearly He loves you. Consider those things in your life that “aren’t a big deal.” Would you receive the same words here that God is giving to Israel and Judah? Jesus’ sacrifice illustrates His seriousness for our wayward lifestyle.
Sunday Morning's Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
For Three Transgressions . . . and For Four (2:1) - The phrase “for three sins . . . even for four” is a common phrase in Amos (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). Used a total of eight times in the book, these words play a special role in the way Amos communicates sin and judgment. “Three sins” represents fullness or completeness; “four” represents an overflow or a sin that is the tipping point for God’s judgment. The word sins or transgressions in Hebrew specifically refers to “rebellions.” The first two chapters of Amos contain eight messages against the nations, including Judah and Israel, condemning them for their rebellion against the Lord.
Interestingly, “for three sins . . . even for four” is not followed by four specific sins. In fact, the typical pattern is to list one or two sins and move on. Therefore, the expression is not meant to imply a specific number of sins but to communicate that there is an excess of sins that have led to God’s judgment.
Moab (2:1) - Descendants of Lot and his elder daughter (Genesis 19:37).
Burned the Bones (2:1) - This event, where vengeance didn't stop at death, is not recorded elsewhere in Scripture. In the ancient world it was very important for a man's dead body to receive proper burial. That is why tombs often had curses inscribed on them to protect them from being desecrated or treated with indignity (disrespect).
Kerioth (2:2) - This is an important Moabite city, either as a capital or center of worship. The term Kerioth refers to a city containing a shrine devoted to Chemosh, the Moabite god.
Judge (2:3) - Possibly denoting the king, who was often so designated (2 Kings 15:5; Daniel 9:12).
Judah (2:4) - The kingdom of Israel was divided after Solomon's death. Judah is the southern part of Israel's kingdom.
Despised the Law of the Lord (2:4) - The nations were judge because they had sinned against the law of God, which was written in the heart and conscience (Romans 2:14, 15). Judah and Israel were judged because they sinned against God's revealed, written law.
Despised the Law of the Lord (2:4) - The nations were judge because they had sinned against the law of God, which was written in the heart and conscience (Romans 2:14, 15). Judah and Israel were judged because they sinned against God's revealed, written law.
Fire Upon Judah - (2:5) - The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this judgment c. 605-586 B.C. (2 Kings 24, 25).
Go in unto the Same Maid (2:7) - In the context of oppressing the helpless, the reference was probably to a slave girl (Exodus 21:7-11). Israel was supposed to be a nation set apart unto God, a priestly nation, obedient to His law. However, Israel did what was prohibited by the law, with men exploiting young women (Exodus 21:7-11, Leviticus 18:7-8).
To Profane (2:7) - To profane means to treat something sacred with disrespect or irreverence. In this case, Israel profaned God's holy name.
To Profane (2:7) - To profane means to treat something sacred with disrespect or irreverence. In this case, Israel profaned God's holy name.
Clothes Laid to Pledge (2:8) - Outer garments used to secure a loan were to be returned before sunset (Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 24:12-17); instead they used them to engage in idolatrous acts. We see they had no compassion at all for the poor. They took the things away from the poor that were necessary for them to live and used them. They did not need these things but they took them from the poor anyway. The poor had pledged them and the rich took the clothes away. Notice, the word god is not capitalized. This is speaking of their worship of false gods. They were a greedy self-indulgent society. They hated the authority of God.
The Condemned (2:8) - They used the wine bought with unjustly extracted fines from the poor to engage in forbidden idolatrous worship, thus sinning twice against the Lord.
Amorite (2:9) - The Amorites were an ancient nation mentioned frequently in the Old Testament. They were descended from one of the sons of Canaan (Genesis 10:15–16). In early inscriptions, the Amorites were also known as Amurra or Amurri. The “land of the Amorites” included Syria and Israel. Some of the southern mountains of Judea were also called the hill country of the Amorites (Deuteronomy 1:7, 19-20).
Two kings of the Amorites named Sihon and Og were defeated by the Israelites under Moses’ leadership (Deuteronomy 31:4). In Joshua 10:10, five Amorite kings were defeated by the people of Israel, and the victory was decisively won in Joshua 11:8. In the time of Samuel, peace existed between Israel and the Amorites (1 Samuel 7:14).
Less than a century later, King Solomon forced the remaining Amorites into slavery: “All the people who were left of the Amorites . . . who were not of the people of Israel—their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction—these Solomon drafted to be slaves” (1 Kings 9:20-21). The Amorites are last mentioned in Amos 2:10. It is assumed they either died out or were absorbed into the culture of Israel.
The Amorites were known as fierce warriors during their prime. Moses referred to Og, the king of the Amorites, as a very tall man whose bed was approximately 13.5 feet long (Deuteronomy 3:11). Despite their strong numbers and military might, the Amorites were destroyed due to their worship of false gods. Israel’s conquest of their land was part of God’s judgment on the pagan Amorite culture.
Height...Strong (2:9) - Their giant stature was said to make the exodus spies look like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:32, 33). God will destroy them completely - both fruit and root (Ezekial 17:9; Malachi 4:1).
Nazirites (2:11) - The Nazirite/Nazarite vow is taken by individuals who have voluntarily dedicated themselves to God. The vow is a decision, action, and desire on the part of people whose desire is to yield themselves to God completely. By definition, the Hebrew word nazir, simply means “to be separated or consecrated.” The Nazirite vow, which appears in Numbers 6:1-21, has five features. It is voluntary, can be done by either men or women, has a specific time frame, has specific requirements and restrictions, and at its conclusion a sacrifice is offered. Yet Israel made the Nazirites drink wine, corrupting their commission, and commanded the prophets saying, 'You shall not prophesy!' The Israelites corrupted these offices, so that there was no moral leadership. They did not want to hear God's word, nor follow His ways. They were in full rebellion against the covenant they had entered into with their Suzerain Ruler. Therefore, God's judgment was unavoidable as a matter of contract. An example of this occurrence is set forth in Amos 7:12-13, when Amaziah the priest of Bethel commanded Amos to no longer prophesy in Bethel, because Amos' prophecy was not favorable to Jeroboam, king of Israel.
Behold, I am pressed under you (2:13) - God will providentially press down on Israel, unlike when they were free to sin, so that they cannot flee or escape from the invading nation which will inflict God's judgment, most likely Assyria in 722 B.C. The intended parallel idea would be that as God bogged down Israel (so she could not flee) because of her sin, so a cart would be immovable if overloaded with sheaves.
