Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel. (2 Samuel 23:1)
The Sweet Psalmist Of Israel
Reading the book of Psalms is an experience in which one finds the glory, majesty, and beauty of the grace of Jehovah God. It is not merely a book of poetry. Painted across each tapestry of praise, the joy of living in the presence of the Lord is declared with deep colors of prayer, meditation, security, righteous judgment, and bountiful hope. Jesus acknowledged the power of the Psalms before ascending as a testimony of Himself. Quoted often in the New Testament scripture, the musings of the ancient disciples declare the fulfillment of God’s divine plan. Martin Luther said the book of Psalms could easily be called a “little Bible” since it “contains, set out in the briefest and most beautiful form, all that is to be found in the whole Bible.”
The collection of one hundred fifty psalms is a complete picture of who God is. David, the king, is the author of nearly half the psalms. He is a man completely devoted to a life of thinking about his heavenly Father in every possible way. Called the “sweet psalmist of Israel,” the shepherd boy extols the character of the Lord as worthy of praise and honor because of the loving care of his Shepherd. David knew God as few men have ever known Him. He declared the coming of the Messiah. Justice would be meted out to those who rebelled against the Lord. Faithfulness is a common thread in his writings, and the praise of God’s mercy fills the page. If you want to know who God is, read the psalms.
Prayer is a vital part of the heart of God’s children. Look at the psalms on bended knee and find the words to express to the Father the yearnings of the heart. Learning to pray will come from the psalmist who spoke in tones of majesty the greatness of a loving Father. Use the words of the psalms to frame the words of prayer. David was a man after the heart of God because his heart was always talking to the Father.
Singing is not an act of worship contained within the Sunday morning building. David shows in his psalms that giving God glory through psalms is a way of living. Sing the psalms in your heart to praise the glory of what the Lord has done. He is greatly to be praised. The book of Psalms is a great story. Take time to read, meditate, praise, and glorify the Lord with the sweet psalmist of Israel.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
Every Knee And Every Tongue
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was with God at the beginning and created the world. Through the divine plan of the Father, Jesus came into the world as flesh to live and dwell among those He created. Jesus knew He would suffer and die a horrible death at the hands of those whom He formed in the image of His Father. The plan to save sinful man could only be established through the blood of God’s Son. When Jesus began His ministry, He taught as one with authority. His miracles confirmed His deity. No man could reason as Jesus did, and no authority could move the plan of God away from the salvation of all humanity. The words of Jesus remain the unchangeable word of God. When the Bible was completed as a divine canon, the Lordship of Jesus Christ was confirmed on every page.
Almost all men believe Jesus was a real person, but very few believe Him to be the Son of God. Believing Jesus is real is vital, but it does not mean the world accepts Him as anything more than a good man or teacher. Jesus did not come to earth to be a good man. His role as a teacher was not to impress the intellectuals of His day. What men fail to accept is that the man from Nazareth is the divine revelation of God’s will to save man from sin, and there is no other one in whom a man can be saved from eternal condemnation. Eternal life is dependent upon believing and accepting Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Obedience is necessary to follow the words of Jesus. Faith alone cannot save. There must be a full acceptance of the words of Jesus Christ and a willingness to follow His word. Sadly, most of the world refuses to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ.
The fact that the world does not accept Jesus as Christ does not diminish who He is and what He is. Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. His words will judge men in the last day. All men will bow before Him. Kings, despots, peasants, and the commoner will share one experience on the day of judgment. God has highly exalted His Son above all men, and there is no name greater than Jesus Christ. Everyone will declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, on the final day. A man can deny Jesus all his life, but in death, he will see the glory of God through His Son.
Every knee will bow before the King of kings and Lord of lords. There will be no one standing before Jesus Christ with pride and arrogance. What men will seek who denied Jesus in life is mercy and pity, but there will be none to give. Every tongue will confess what they refused to acknowledge in life. There will be no unbelievers at the judgment bar of God. All men will believe and know that God is real, and His Son is the preeminent One who is above all men. His name will be exalted above all names. Every knee and every tongue will confess – no exceptions.
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:31-33)
They Are Stronger Than We
Excitement filled the air as the Hebrews approached the land God had promised to Abraham. The years of bondage in Egypt were over, and a new land lay before the newly formed nation of Israel. God had shown His power to deliver the people and give them a law to be His own special people. Under Moses’ leadership, the land of Canaan spread before the anxious people, filled with anticipation and hope. Twelve men were chosen to spy out the land, to observe its fortifications, economy, and the types of people dwelling there. Leaders from every tribe were selected to report on the land’s conditions, whether the people who dwelled in it were strong or weak, few or many.
After forty days of spying out the land, the twelve men returned. They brought evidence of the land’s immense bounty (one cluster of grapes had to be carried between two men on a pole). They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. The land was lush with the bounty of the land, flowing with milk and honey. Ten men were discouraged by what they saw of the people and the strength of the armies. They told the congregation that the people of the land were strong, that the cities were fortified and very large. It also concerned the ten spies, the descendants of Anak, who lived in the land. These were men of giant stature towering over the people. This frightened the ten spies, who discouraged the people.
The report from the ten spies caused the congregation to lift up their voices, crying out to the Lord all night. There was an insurrection to have new leaders and return to Egypt. The hearts of the people melted at the news of the ten spies. The men had convinced the people that they could not go up against the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites. They convinced them that the people of the land were stronger than the nation of Israel. The tragedy of this message was how easily Israel had rejected Moses and Aaron and turned their backs on God, their deliverer. Lost in the fear of the giants of Anak and the strong fortified cities was remembering how often the Lord God had delivered the Hebrews and cared for them.
Rebellion begins with forgetting the power of God. The Hebrews were in bondage to the Egyptian slave masters. While the people greatly outnumbered their captors, there was nothing the Hebrews could do to save themselves. Moses came to the people with great signs and wonders to show the power of God over the nation of Israel. The plagues brought upon Egypt were not done as window dressing to impress the people. Every plague attacked a section of the nation of Egypt and dismantled its economy, military, government, and home. When the ten plagues were finished, God’s power had destroyed the greatest nation on earth. The Hebrews stood at the edge of the Red Sea, fearful that they were going to die at the hands of the Egyptian army. God delivered them and destroyed the army.
The Lord provided manna to the people when they complained about having nothing to eat. At Rephidim, there was no water to drink, and God gave the people an abundance of water when Moses smote the rock. The Amalekites came against the Hebrews, who were not trained in war. By God’s grace, Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. At Mount Sinai, the presence of the Lord brought fear to the hearts of the people as they saw the glory of God on the mountain. There were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Three thousand Hebrews were killed in the rebellion of the golden calf. Nadab and Abihu were killed for offering strange fire before the Lord.
The ten men convinced the people after returning from spying out the land that the people of the land were stronger than they were. They thought the people of the land were stronger than Israel. After all that God did and how He showed His great power, the people turned away from the Lord and refused to enter the land of promise. The heart of the people trusted in their own strength. As a result, three generations of Hebrews died in the wilderness. Who was stronger than God? The people were fearful because they did not trust in God. When men look to their own strength and wisdom for deliverance, they will only find bondage. God showed His power in so many ways, and the people still believed they could not conquer the land. Joshua and Caleb sought to dissuade the people, but to no avail.
God has provided the greatest power to deliver man from sin in His Son, Jesus Christ, but the world cannot believe there is anything to save in a carpenter’s son from Nazareth. The wisdom of man cannot accept the gift of God. There is nothing to consider from a man hanging from a cross. What the world cannot see is that the cross is the full measure of God’s power. Satan is not stronger than the will of a heart willing to follow after the Son of God. There is power in His blood. The glory of God is found in Jesus Christ. Only by His power is there salvation.
Now there went forth a wind from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers), and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. (Numbers 11:31-32)
Learning To Be Content
It was not long after leaving Sinai that the people of Israel began to complain to Moses about the lack of meat in their diet. They knew God provided everything they needed as He had done with the manna and provisions of water, but in their carnal lusts, they demanded meat from God. The object of their complaint was an intense food craving. They insisted that God give them what they wanted. In their complaint, they “remembered” the bountiful meals they had in Egypt that included an abundance of fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. They complained they only food they had was the distasteful manna. Memory has a way of tricking the mind into forgetting how bad the good old days were. God delivered the Hebrews from Egypt, who were oppressed and in bondage. They did not sit around enjoying great feasts of fish and vegetables. Their memories came from their carnal desires and sinful attitudes toward God.
The Lord answered their complaint by bringing quail from the migratory patterns of the flocks coming from Africa and flying over the Red Sea and across the Gulf of Akaba. There were so many quail that a man could walk a day’s journey gathering the quail that fluttered about three feet off the ground. The people spent all night and the next day gathering quail in enormous numbers. A man who gathered the least brought home more than 55 bushels of meat by some estimates. The people complained to God in their lusts, and the Lord answered with more quail than they could manage. Fearful of losing any of the quail, the people worked feverishly to supply themselves with an abundance of meat, so afraid of losing any of the birds that they stayed up all night to collect them. Their greed filled their hearts with carnal lust.
When the people complained, God answered their prayers. But instead of giving God the glory for His benevolent provisions, the people greedily went after the quail with abandoned lusts to fill their bodies with carnal desires. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord struck the people with a very great plague, and many died. The place was called Kibroth Hattaavah to remind the people of God’s punishment for yielding to the lusts of the flesh.
God gave the people meat in abundance. It was a lot of quail, but God was not trying to fill their bodies but to test their souls. He gave them so much quail to test their faith in Him. Instead of running headlong after the quail that was like dust on the ground, the people should have gathered what they needed and been satisfied. Then they should have expressed their gratitude to God for His grace. Learning to be content is a hard lesson when quail is a day’s journey around the camp, hovering three feet off the ground. There was no restraint. The wrath of God was a sign from God warning the people of Israel to trust in Him to provide all they needed, and that was all. It is a hard lesson for people to learn. Be careful when the quail is more than can be gathered in a day. It may be a warning from God to be content.
For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12)
Giving An Account Of Self
There was an old sage whose wisdom was sought out by the community. He was a wise man giving answers to difficult questions of life. One day, a young and arrogant youth sought to stump the old man by concealing a live bird in his hands and asking, “Sir, is the bird in my hands alive or dead?” His plan of deception was simple. If the wise man said it was dead, he would open his hands and let the bird fly away. If he said it was alive, he would give his hands a quick squeeze and open them to reveal a dead bird. Surprisingly, though, the old man never looked at the younger man’s hands. He looked deep into his eyes and quietly said, “My son, it is whatever you wish it to be.”
Life is about choices. A man can blame others for his troubles, indict society for the ills of life, and refuse to take personal responsibility, but at the end of the day, a man’s life is determined by the choices he makes. Ironically, many blame God for the trials of life. They cast dispersion on God’s character for the suffering in the world, refusing to realize that God never intended for humanity to live in a world of suffering. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were challenged by God, they blamed everyone but themselves. Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam blamed the woman. They would not accept that the choice was singularly theirs and theirs alone.
Blaming others is not the answer to poor decisions that are made in life. Shifting the blame to someone else is the favorite pastime in a world that refuses to accept personal accountability. Everyone is innocent. The world is to blame. What the world fails to acknowledge is that, before God, a man stands alone, accountable to himself. There will be no advocates to plead his case. Parents will not be able to answer for their children. Husbands and wives cannot appeal to each other. Society will not be on trial at the judgment seat of God. Every life is open and laid bare before the judgment seat of God.
The choice of life and death is in the hands of every individual. There are no exceptions. God views a man’s life from one viewpoint – what has the man done with his life? There will be no excuses, no appeals, and no blaming others. Everyone who stands before God will agree with God’s judgment because they will know their life as a choice they made. God’s grace is a choice that must be made for all who stand before a righteous God. You hold your life in your hands. Whatever you wish it to be, it will be.
Individual choice declares the glory of God. The Lord God created the universe and all of its splendor, but He will not force someone to worship Him or to obey Him. Adam and Eve were free moral agents, able to make choices. Satan did not force Eve to take the forbidden fruit. She did so of her own volition. Eve was deceived by her decision whether to ‘let the bird live or die.’ God could have stopped Eve from taking the fruit, but her decision was her choice. So it is with the judgment of God on the final day. God desires for all men to repent and come to Him.
The final judgment will be according to the righteousness of God and the choice of man. No one will blame God if they lose their soul. Those who inherit eternal life will praise God for His righteousness. Everyone who is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone will agree with the judgment of God because the choice was made by themselves. They denied the grace of God who wanted to save them. The matter of choice is in the hands of the individual. There can be no blaming parents, society, or God. All men will choose whom they will serve. Like the young man who did not understand the moral prerogative of choice, “My son, it is whatever you wish it to be.”
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10)
Running To The Name Of The Lord
Ancient cities typically had strongholds in the midst, with formidable battlements serving as places of safety and security. Armies would attack the city with great force, and the people would flee to the fortress for safety, knowing the king and his army would protect them. There was a feeling of security in the tower or fortress as a place of refuge. The wise man uses this common image from the ancient land as a message of God’s protective power over His people. When danger arises, the faithful will seek refuge in the tower of God.
The name of the strong tower is the name of the Lord. Calling the tower the name of the Lord suggests the eternal attributes of the Almighty, His everlasting love, undying mercy, and the knowledge that no power could defeat the will of the Lord God. The power of God always defeats the onslaughts of the evil one, Satan. Through the knowledge of God’s word, the faithful saints will seek the refuge of the Creator who promises complete protection from the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Danger lurks in every corner as the devil seeks those whom he can devour. The child of God recognizes the dangers of the roaring lion and seeks the shelter of God’s mighty tower to protect them. They run to the tower when they hear the roar. The danger is real. Standing alone will bring certain disaster. The only power to defeat Satan comes from the word of the Lord. His name is the power of salvation to defeat the ways of the devil. It is not found in human wisdom. Those who stand in the field of human knowledge will soon be devoured by the wicked one. For those who run to the tower of the Lord, they will find safety and security.
The name of the Lord is the strongest of towers with power that makes the devil run. While the child of God runs to the tower, the devil runs from the power of God. The righteous know the voice of Satan and run away as quickly as they can. They know the only hope is in the tower of the name of the Lord. Safety is not found outside the tower. God has promised safety inside the tower. This requires submission to the will of the Father and to obey His commands. Calling on the name of the Lord is the submissive spirit yielding to all that God says. Running to the strong tower of the Lord is calling out for the power of God to defeat the dragon. The bastion of grace and power will never fall and will never fail the righteous.
Sin does not have to have dominion over the spirit of God’s people. Satan was defeated when the lost sinner yielded themselves to the grace of God in the waters of baptism, where sins were washed away. Rising in victory, the child of God has a strong tower to run to and be safe. God’s promises are true. He has promised to protect His people if they come to Him. Running to the tower of the Lord is a choice. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, but if the saint does not seek its shelter for safety, there can be no hope. God provides a strong tower to save the saint. Those who run to it are safe.
Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. (Psalm 119:157)
No Excuse
The righteous will always suffer at the hands of the unrighteous. Evil and goodness cannot dwell together without conflict because they are opposed in every respect. God’s faithful have always suffered from slights, prejudice, misunderstanding, and falsehood. Persecution is a common trait. People of God stand alone in a dark world seeking the glory of God against those who seek carnal glory. Conflict is inevitable. Trials and troubles are the common lot of those who desire to live godly in a corrupt world. Satan successfully tempts some to abandon their trust in God when faced with persecution. They fall to the wiles of the devil to deny the Lord. Only the strong in faith will stand against the pattern of abuse and persecution leveled against the righteous because they are rooted in the word of God.
There are many reasons given why some abandon their faith. They blame the church, the preacher, unkind brethren, society, and even God. Faced with trials for their faith, some cower down to turn away from God’s love. The trials of life become too severe, and they quit. Their lives become stories of eternal tragedy as they blame the hardship of serving Christ for their lack of faith. An unknown psalmist clarified the reaction of the faithful when faced with persecution when he boldly declared that he had many persecutors and enemies, but he refused to turn away from the word of God. His heart was firmly planted in the will of God. The number of persecutors was many. He had numerous enemies. This would seem to be a daunting task to maintain faith in the face of such odds. His resolve was firm. He would not deny God.
Faith grows from the seeds of God’s word. The more the heart pours into the testimonies of the Lord, the greater the firmness to remain rooted and grounded in truth. Even when enemies abound, faith remains secure. Faced with persecution, faith continues to be resolved with the trust in God’s word. This all comes from dwelling in the testimonies of the Lord. God’s word is the foundation that protects against the devil’s attacks. There is no excuse to allow the trials of life to destroy faith. If a man remains constant in the world of God, he will not abandon God. Even if there are many persecutors and many enemies, no one has an excuse to turn away from God. How many enemies did Jesus have when they killed Him, but He remained faithful?
There will be no excuses on the final day. No one can stand before the Lord and blame people who persecuted them for why they gave up their faith. There will be no excuses for the things enemies did to the Christian, explaining why they turned away from God. Yes, there will be those who oppose the faithful, but the faithful will remain true to the word of God. The testimony of the Lord is the foundation of faith. Stand firm in the word of God. No excuses.
I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2)
I Love The Lord
There are many reasons to love the Lord. The immeasurable blessings of God abound from a rich and gracious Father who bestows upon His children the eternal grace of love and compassion. No one is deserving of God’s blessings, but He gives them anyway. Sin marred the harmony between God and man, and immediately the Lord spoke of redeeming sinful man through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Jesus came to the world with power and glory, showing the love of His Father to a lost and dying world; and they killed Him, murdered the Son of God on a cross. Through the death of Jesus, man finds life and hope, and forgiveness.
One of the foundations of faith is the knowledge that God hears the prayers of the faithful. The Creator of the world hears the tiny voice of a single heart begging for mercy in a vast universe of people. Billions of souls walk upon the face of the earth, and the Lord God knows the name of every person. God has a name for every star, and they are uncountable, and He knows the voice of those who seek His face because He created them in His image. It should not come as a surprise that God hears the prayers of the faithful. Man was created for the glory of the Father. Made in the image of the eternal, man shares a special place with God that death cannot change. When a man devotes his life to the will of the Father, God grants the soul eternal joy and eternal life. God hears the prayers of the faithful as they plead for mercy and grace.
Loving the Lord comes from the eyes that see God’s grace in their lives and how the Lord moves His hand to guide, protect, and nourish the downtrodden soul. Loving the Lord is not based on self-merit but on the knowledge that God hears the voice of His children. All the supplications of the faithful heart do not go unheeded by the Maker of the universe. God knows the distinct nature of the voice of every person on earth. He does not tire nor grow weary. He, in a figure, bends down to take notice of the feeble voice of His child to know their needs and bless them with His love. Loving God is knowing He inclines His ear to those who seek Him.
Realizing how wonderful it is to be known and heard by God, the thankful heart turns to the Divine with complete faith and love, trusting in the answers that are given. Loving the Lord does not demand answers from a human standpoint but accepting the divine will of the One who inclined His ear to the petitions of the child seeking the favor of his Father. There are many reasons to love the Lord. Few compare in total to the joy that God knows, He hears, He acts, and His will brings the greatest blessings of all. There is nothing to measure how great the gift of God’s love is when the heart comes to the divine throne seeking favor. Why do you love the Lord?
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1)
Excel Still More
On June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere. Miss Liberty’s sculptor was the noted Frenchman, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. Together with his crew, Bartholdi created a masterpiece of excellence. The intricacies of this statute are incredible. One intriguing aspect of this commitment to excellence can be found atop her head. The detail given to this section of the statue makes you think the sculptor planned for the whole world to gaze down at Lady Liberty’s head frequently. The fact is, once she was raised to her full height of more than 151 feet, only the seagulls could appreciate the artist’s propensity for excellence. Bartholdi didn’t think anyone would notice his work up top, but he still wanted every inch to be finished with the best he had to offer. Good thing, because in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright created a new avenue for the world to examine Bartholdi’s work. Excellence starts when we’re committed to doing our best, whether anyone else ever notices. Besides, somebody like Orville or Wilbur may come along and make sure the whole world takes notice of your work. (Charles Swindoll)
God always wants the best for His creation. Worship is centered around offering the best. When God established the Passover Feast, He wanted the best to be offered. The lamb was to be without blemish, a male of the first year. The law also stated that it was an abomination to the Lord to offer a bull or a sheep that had any blemish or defect. At the end of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi declared the people of God had polluted their offerings by presenting before the Lord defiled food, and blind animals that were lame and sick. They would never offer such things to their leaders, but they would offer profane worship to the Lord.
Worship is offering to the Lord the best a man has without the fanfare of the world taking notice. No one will notice the work of the quiet disciple of the Lord serving his Savior and King, but the Lord sees. God knows and sees the hearts of all men. What matters is not what men see standing on the ground, but what the Lord looks upon from above. The view from the eternal is what measures the worth of a man. His character is built upon the excellence that every part of his life is important to the Lord. What God sees is what matters. The view from above shows the true excellence of a heart sculptured by someone seeking to live pure and holy before God.
Building a 151-foot-tall statue required attention to detail throughout the project. Living a godly life requires attention to details that matter to the One who looks down from above. God knows everything in the lives of His children. The world may frown and disapprove, but they cannot see the beauty that encases the image from above. God wants His children to excel in their lives so the world can see His beauty. When a Christian seeks to live above the world, he shows the glory of God to a lost and dark world. Nothing is hidden from the view of God, but the Lord desires His people to reflect His image, no matter where the world views them. Attention to detail can bring a lost soul to Christ. The whole character of the Christian excels in all they do to please God.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” (Amos 9:13)
The Book Of Amos
Amos was a sheep breeder from Tekoa and a tender of sycamore fruit, who was tasked to prophecy against Israel and Judah. He lived in the days of Uzziah, the king of Judah, and Joash, the king of Israel. Amos declares that he was no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but he was the man God called to preach against the sins of God’s people. He was accused of sedition by Amaziah, the idolatrous priest of Bethel. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity in the Northern Kingdom. Social corruption, religious apostasy, and luxurious living characterized the world of Israel. Amos denounces the neighboring nations and condemns Israel for serving the mammon of the world and believing no nation could conquer them.
The message of Amos was harsh. They sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals. A man and his father go in with the same woman. Idolatry filled the land where God’s people drank to the wine of the Baals and Ashdod. Violence and robbery were common. God punished the people seeking to bring them back to His way, but they refused. His discipline began with blessings, then famine, drought, and pestilence. The people did not serve the Lord. God sent plagues like those of Egypt upon His people, and they did not return to Him. Some cities were overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. They did not repent.
Amos is the Old Testament writer who declared from the mouth of God, “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” This was no idle threat. God’s longsuffering was coming to an end, and the full fury of His wrath would be poured out on the Northern Kingdom. The Lord pleads with Israel to repent, to seek Him, and live. If the people do not repent, there will be wailing in the streets, destruction, and calamity. It will be like a man running from a lion who meets a bear or like a man running into his house, leaning his hand on the wall, and bitten by a serpent. There is no hope. The judgment and wrath of God are coming in full fury and might.
The Lord showed Amos a vision of locusts, a plumb line, and a basket of summer fruit to tell Israel that the will of the Lord will be complete against Israel. Judgment comes from the Lord of hosts, who touches the earth and it melts, who builds His layers in the sky, and establishes the strata in the earth. There is no God like the Lord God. Amos shows the power and might of God’s wrath, who will destroy the sinful nation of Israel but save the house of Jacob. By the Lord’s command, He will sift the house of Israel among the nations, and all sinners will die by the sword. None will escape.
Amos paints a dark picture, and the words of the man from Tekoa come true. At the end of his message, Amos offers the glimpse of hope that can only be found in the Lord God. The wrath of God is against all unrighteousness, but God is not willing that any should perish. He desires for all men to come to repentance, and He opens a way for salvation. Amos concludes his message with a promise of hope and redemption. On that day, God will restore the tabernacle of David. The prosperity of God’s grace will once again be given to His people. God’s wrath does not remain against those who seek Him. Israel will be destroyed, and Judah will be taken captive. Seventy years will pass before the remnant of God’s people return, but the nation will never be the same. What is left as the remnant of God’s people will always be in bondage to another nation. Seventy years after the coming of Christ, the Jewish nation will come to an end.
Amos has a message for the people of his day, and it resonates with the people of God today. It remains the same message. God hates sin and will punish wickedness, even among His people. The wrath of God is terrible, consuming, and complete. No one will escape the judgment of the Lord. In the midst of the severity of God is His goodness. The nation of Israel will disappear, but the kingdom of Christ will rule over the world. Grace is found in the blood of Jesus, who brings hope to the lost and eternal life to the damned. Prosperity will be found in the kingdom of Christ. Hope is given anew with the promise of Heaven. Joy comes to the heart when faith guides the soul to live in hope. That is the message of Amos. God hates sin, but He offers hope. Christ died to take away sin and bring the promise of eternal life to those who repent.
The Heaton File 