The price of despising God
Amos 4:1-13; 12/4/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Today’s message is the second of God’s three judgment messages on the northern kingdom of Israel through the prophet Amos. From the judgment of the rich woman in Samaria, the prophet started the judgment of the sanctuary, history and the meeting with God, which is so profound and intimate that people have to give praise to God. Let’s look at the first point:
Pride and Prejudice
“Pride and Prejudice” is a masterpiece written by Jane Austen in the early nineteenth century in England, reflecting the marriage, money, education, morality, etiquette and other aspects of the gentry class in England in the Regency era. I use these two extreme terms to express the state of the northern kingdom of Israel faced by the prophet Amos. First, the blind spot of the rich. The Prophet said that the cows in Bashan are a bit of a joke! It means that these Samaritan women, who overfed and gained weight, oppressed the poor and needy. The picture given by Amos is that a full woman does not know the hungry, that is, you are full, but there are a group of hungry people around you. However, people who are full are indifferent and ignorant of people who are hungry. How do we feel when we see beggars on the street? Also indifferent? When we saw people burnt to death in Urumqi’s chain building, did you also have no mercy and no tears in your eyes? When people are so poor that only money is left, the prejudice in their hearts will become binding and controlling.
Second, the hypocrites. Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The same goes for people who think they have status, power, and fame. This is why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, who had no love for the weak. This can be seen from the conversation between the husband and wife in this family in the scriptures. There may be a few beggars at the door of the house who are about to freeze to death, but this fat woman like a Bashan cow raises a glass at home and says to her husband: “Bring us some drinks!” One day each of us will face the judgment of our souls! When the police beat people in the street, facing a young woman in thin clothes, four or five burly men pressed her to the ground. Kneeling with hands tied behind her back on the street in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, for public display. A policeman told passers-by that she must have committed some crime! My friends in Guangzhou said the same thing, but my heart was broken.
Finally, leave a breach. The arrogance of the Samaritans made them even more arrogant, especially after the Assyrian Empire destroyed Damascus in 801 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel had no bottom line in behavior. They think that they are in power and can be in power for life, and the staff around them are all their own people. More importantly, the northern country of Israel at that time was already the second (or third) largest economic power in the Middle East. In addition to Assyria, the Egyptian Empire, it has come to her. The country is powerful, peaceful and rich, but there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. “wolf warrior” diplomacy bullying the southern kingdoms of Judah, Ammon, and Moab, and continuing to oppress the poor internally, provoking God’s wrath. The breach was made by oneself, and the hook was drawn by the evil done by oneself. This hook was exactly what the Assyrians used when the Israelites were taken into captivity. Because there were many captives, the hooks were used up, and the fishhooks were used again. Let’s look at the second point:
Cursed warning
The curse is terrible, but the warning curse is a grace, can you understand it? When the prophet Amos warned, the Israelites still had a chance to repent. First of all, break into Harmon! We all know what the breach is, but what about Harmon? Some are not sure, it should refer to a place, such as Mount Hermon. Or the place where the captives were exiled, such as Mount Meni in Assyria (Jer. 57:27), or Hermal near Kadesh on the banks of the Orontes. In fact, its meaning is an abandoned place. It’s a bit like a village where lepers were held, or a square cabin where people infected with the COVID are held today. Even the Iron Chain Building in Urumqi, which seemed to be on fire but could not escape, also seemed to be the coming massacre which settled scores at an opportune moment. Harmon was chosen to enter in by oneself, just as one left the breach by himself. We were obviously created in the image of God, with dignity, freedom, and truth, but we were still willing to be slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. God rescued us through Moses, but some of us complained why God took us out of Hamon and did not continue to be slaves? This “Harmen nostalgia” is a common problem among sinners, do you have it?
Second, the sanctuary was defiled. Gilgal was the sanctuary established by the Israelites when they first entered Canaan, and Bethel was the sanctuary established by Jeroboam when the northern and southern kingdoms were divided. It’s just that at this time the sanctuary has become a place for various idol worship, a bit like “Yiguan Taoism”, where Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam are all worshipped. Jeroboam recast the golden calf of Egypt and accepted idols of different Canaanite gods into the sanctuary. Breaking the rule of a Levite being a priest, he even burns incense on the altar himself and sacrifices to the golden calf he made. This is exactly the same as our Levites today who clearly do not serve God full-time, but insist on acting as false pastors and false elders.
Finally, a sacrifice that displeases God. Jeroboam asked the people to “Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.” It seems to be more godly than the southern country Judah! The direction is wrong, the target is wrong, the harder you work, the more you make mistakes. When we are self-righteous, we don’t know that what we say and do is not from God! As the Bible says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to death. Offering a grain offering but also offering a fermented offering is like praying on the main road, lest people will not know. Or, like King Saul, he insisted on offering sacrifices himself, which God was not pleased with. Our value is not what we can do, but that we are already invaluable if we do nothing. Let’s look at the third point:
The way out of praise
The price for taking God lightly like this is heavy, isn’t it? How to do? Can you return to praise and give all the glory and praise to God? First of all, the city has clean teeth. Why did God please King David? One of the most important reasons is that King David was a man who praised God. When reading the psalms written by David, everyone was moved by his clean teeth. A person who praises God must have clean teeth, a person who speaks kind words, a person who always praises, a person who comforts and encourages people, and a person full of wisdom! Through Amos, God required the Israelites not to keep just one person’s teeth clean, but to keep the teeth of the city clean. Swearing and foul language are naturally forbidden, and even some vulgar jokes are inappropriate. May God grant the teeth of our church to be clean, lest we offend Him!
Second, return to the Lord. In the last days, God will let us experience food shortages, insufficient drinking water, damage to vegetables and fruits, drought, mildew, plague, etc. At the same time, God also calls and invites us to draw close to Him with the words “You have not returned to me. This is what the Lord has said” five times! At this time, a sister sent a video about Kazakh herdsmen who were unable to transfer their flocks in time due to the epidemic control, so that a large number of flocks were trapped and died in the severe cold. I forwarded it on Facebook, but I am also praying for these shepherds in my heart. May God help them to turn fully to the Lord, so that they will lack nothing!
Finally, prepare to meet the true God. Amos said, “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.” Why? Why do we still need to prepare to see God? This can be an important factor that we can easily overlook, right? Amos continued to give the reason why we must prepare to meet God? That’s because “He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name.” He is our Creator, and we the sheep of his pasture!
Conclusion
Well, dear brothers and sisters, this world and everything in it will pass away, but the Word of the Lord will endure forever. He is not only a merciful and loving God, but also a holy and righteous Lord! This is why God is not to be mocked!
Let’s pray……
Amos 4:1-13
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
3 You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.
5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings—boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
7 “I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
10 “I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
11 “I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”
13 He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name.
