Judgment on Moab, Judah, and Israel
“This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Moab, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, (Or I will not revoke the punishment) because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. So I will send fire against Moab to consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war cries and the sound of the ram’s horn. I will cut off the ruler from Moab and kill all the officials with him,” says the LORD.
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they have rejected the Law of the LORD and have not kept His statutes; they have been led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked. So I will send fire upon Judah to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.” This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Israel, even four,
I will not revoke My judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the earth; they push the needy out of their way. A man and his father have relations with the same girl and so profane My holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. And in the house of their God (Or of their gods), they drink wine obtained through fines. Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below. And I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite. I raised up prophets from your sons and Nazirites from your young men.
Is this not true, O children of Israel?” declares the LORD. “But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. Behold, I am about to crush you in your place as with a cart full of grain. Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest of mighty men will flee naked on that day,” declares the LORD.”
God is still calling out nations and holding them to account. First, God takes on Moab. Evidently, the Moabites have beaten the Edomites in battle. While it is traditional to put one’s foot on the neck of a conquered king and then either hang him or kill him in some other fashion, it is not traditional to destroy the body. But the Moabites have not only killed the king of Edom but also have burned the body and the bones until nothing is left but lime. Destroying a body in such a fashion will prevent that individual from possibly rising from the dead or being reincarnated according to traditional beliefs. Now God is saying that as the Moabites have used fire to carry out a dastardly deed, He will send fire to consume their citadels and their ruler and all his officials will die in battle.
Next God turns his attention to Judah, and things in Judah are a horrific moral morass. 1. The citizens of Judah have rejected the Law of the Lord and have not kept His statues. 2. They have been led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked. 3. They sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. 4. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the earth. 5. They push the needy out of their way. 6. A man and his father have relations with the same girl and so profane My holy name. 7. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. 8. In the house of their God (Or of their pagan gods), they drink wine obtained through fines. 9. They have made the Nazirites drink wine when Nazirites are not even supposed to taste so much as a grape or even eat a single grape skin. 10. They have commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
For rejecting the Lord who has delivered them and who has given victory in battle, Judah is going to suffer complete destruction. “Behold, I am about to crush you in your place as with a cart full of grain. Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest of mighty men will flee naked on that day,” declares the LORD.”
Once more we realize that being a prophet can be very dangerous! It’s amazing that after giving these prophecies, Amos survives to prophesy again. Certainly, God must be protecting Amos. Yet it’s also possible that God has chosen Amos precisely because Amos is a sheepherder and a farmer. Amos’s low social status might help protect him as he prophesies and then returns to the village. On the other hand, is it possible that the upper – class citizens of Judah might simply write Amos off as an ignorant person from the bush?
APPLICATION: While many of us claim that we want to hear from God, how picky are we about the appearance of the messenger? Do we listen better if someone claiming to be a prophet is nicely dressed and obviously highly educated? What if God sends somebody in stained jeans and a blue work shirt and dirty work boots? Here in Ghana the cheapest and most common footwear is flip flop sandals. Poor women may wear cloths made by sewing several pieces of left over material together and pairing this with a worn tee shirt. Such material is sometimes called “African sympathy cloth.” What if God were to send an old lady in a tee shirt and African sympathy cloth to give you a message in pidgin English? Would you listen or would you simply ignore her?
In Romans 1:18-23 Paul described those who claim to hear from God but who really don’t. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
God is a good Father and good fathers do not force their kids to play guessing games. If we ask God to give us wisdom and to teach us about Himself, He will certainly do so. The big question for us is this: Do we really want to hear from God? What if God asks us to clean up our acts? What if God asks us to give up something to which we are addicted such as work, food, video games, not to mention things such as drugs or alcohol? But here is the secret: if we truly want to change, we can ask God and He will help us change. May God give us humility so that we will ask for His help!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us want to change but we feel stuck in our obsessions. Help us to want to change and help us to trust You to help us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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