WHAT GOD DOES WHEN HE
IS FED UP WITH OUR SINS
Amos 2:4-8
The nation of Israel ,
having been released from slavery in Egypt
kept their slave
mentality. They spent 40 years wondering in the desert
because of their slave
mentality. The God who freed them, gave them laws and
doctrines of freedom.
As a nation they refused to keep God's commands and thus
lost their freedom.
God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham that the
promise land would
be given to His descendants. Gen 17:7.
God made a conditional covenant with Nation Israel
concerning their prosperity
in the promise land.
Their success in the land was conditional on their obedience
to God's commands. Ex
19:5
THE SINS OF ISRAEL
V:4. " This is what the Lord says: "For three sins
of Judah , even
for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because they have rejected the law
of the Lord and have not kept his
decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed."
A. True freedom comes from following God's commands.
1. In the New and
the Old Testaments, we have two great commands.
a. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
b. Love your
neighbor as yourself.
2. Jesus said if
you love me, keep my commands.
3. True freedom
is in the love of Jesus.
B. God is
longsuffering, but He is not pleased with our sins.
1. The Israelites
had been in the promise land for 700 years as free people.
2. They were free,
but still imprisoned by their pagan beliefs.
3. They were free,
but still following their slave habits.
4. They were free,
but disobeyed God's commands.
C. At Mount Sinai, God gave the nation of Israel
His law to govern them and His decrees
to worship Him.
1. God made a covenant
with Israel
that if they kept His commands and statues
they would
prosper.
2. God promised if
they did not keep his commands, He would punish them.
FIRST: REJECTED GOD'S
COMMANDS
D. The Israelites
rejected God's commands.
1. The commands of
God covered every aspect of Jewish life.
2. They did not
want to live under God's rules.
SECOND: REFUSED TO WORSHIP GOD
E. They did not keep
God's decrees for worship.
1. Instead of
bring the unblemished animals for a sacrifice to the Lord, they brought
the lame and
the cripple.
2. Instead of
bringing the best to God, the Israelites brought the worst animals
for sacrifice.
THIRD: WORSHIPPED
IDOL gods
F. The Israelites worshipped idol gods.
1. Instead of
worshiping the creator, they worshipped things created by the creator.
2. Instead of
worshipping the true and living God, they worshipped the gods of
their
imagination.
3. Instead of
worshipping the God who has all power, they worshipped the gods who
had no power.
4. Instead of
believing the truth, they believed a lie.
V:5. " I will send fire upon Judah
that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem ."
A. The Temple
that Solomon built in Jerusalem was
constructed according
God's
specifications.
1. It was adorned
with the best gold, silver and bronze.
2. It was the
place where God visited His priests in the Holy of Holiness.
3. It was the
place where all sacrifices to God was made.
B. In 586 BC, the Temple
was burned down, Jerusalem was
destroyed and the
people were
taken into Babylonian captivity for 70 years.
1. Some of the
blessings of God are conditional on our obedience.
2. The wrath of
God is conditional on our disobedience.
V:6. " This is what the Lord says: "For three sins
of Israel , even
for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals."
A. Not only did Israel
turn against God, they also turned against their own people.
1. They forgot the
pain of their 430 years of slavery and enslaved their own
people.
2. They had a
slave mentality, and found reasons to enslave their own.
B. When their own
could not pay a debt, they sold them into slavery for silver.
1. They violated
God's command, because a debt was to be forgiven in the 7th
year.
2. Honest people
who could be relied on for repayment, were sold into slavery.
3. The poor went
into debt to purchase a pair of sandals.
a. When they
couldn't pay this small amount, they were enslaved.
b. The Israelites
became hard hearted in the face of the generosity of the Father.
FIFTH: DENIED JUSTICE TO THE POOR
V:7. " They trample on the heads of the poor as upon
the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use
the same girl and so profane my holy name."
A. The Israelites
took advantage of the poor by denying them justice due according to
God's commands.
1. They showed no
compassion for those in need.
2. As it is today
the rich are in collusion with each other to deny human rights.
3. According to
the Adam Clark commentary, their judges were corrupt and took
bribes to condemn the righteous.
SIXTH: VIOLATED GOD'S COVENANT OF MARRIAGE
B. Marriage is the
first divine institution of God.
1. The woman was
created to be the help mate of a man, to be loved and admired.
2. Women were
never intended to be prostitutes.
3. They were never
intended to be abused and misused.
C. The men of Israel
openly exposed their disrespect and disregard for God's commands
by committing
adultery and fornication with young women.
1. Fathers and sons had sex with the same women
in direct violation to God's
commands.
2. Leaders of the
community and fathers become poor role models, training up the next
generation of
Israelites to be more violent and corrupt.
SEVENTH: COMPOUNDED
SINS
V:8. " They lie down beside every altar on garments
taken in pledge. In the house of their
god they drink
wine taken as fines.
A. The Israelites compounded their sins by
finding new ways to displeased God.
1. If a poor
mans garment was taken in pledge, it was to be returned at sun down.
Ex 22:25 -27.
2. Man is the
noun. Poor is the adjective.
a. This man
is a child of God who happens to be poor.
b. They
took the garment of a child of God who was under the covenant of God
and laid on it in temple of their idol
gods.
c. They
violated God's commands by worshipping idols and the rights of
the children
of God by keeping their garments.
B. God gave them over
to their reprobate minds.
1. God was fed up
with Israel 's
sinfulness.
2. God announced
to His prophets the judgment of Israel .
C. Just as God made promises to Israel
under the Law, God has made
promises to us
under Grace.
1. Promises of
success are conditional on our obedience to God's commands.
2. God's judgment
is based on our disobedience
OUR GREATEST FREEDOM IS IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S COMMANDS
Rev. M. Mitchell,
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
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