In a court of law we call on witnesses to tell us what they have seen. They attest to the truth of the matter. In Bible times 2 or 3 witnesses to a heinous crime would mean someones execution. When we get to the recipients of God’s judgment. as found in chapters 1 and 2 of Amos we see an interesting statement from God. "For three sins of (the country) even for four I will not turn back my wrath" What God is saying in His great grace is that they have sinned multiple times - more than enough to bring about His judgement.
In your study today look up these verses and answer the following questions. What is their
sin? What is their sentence? Damascus (1:3-5), Philistia (or Gaza) (1:6-8), Tyre (1:9-10), Edom (1:11-12), Ammon
(1:13-15), Moab (2:1-3), Judah (2:4-50, AND Israel (2:6-16)
We find the record of three sermons (preached by Amos) in chapters 3-6. The First
sermon (3:1-15) Spells out Israel’s privileges, her perversions, and the prophecy against the people. The Second Sermon (4:1-13) Amos denounces Israel and defends God. The Third Sermon (5:1 – 6:14) Is God’s indictment of Israel, and His
invitation to repent.
Before we get "self-righteous" and shake our heads at these countries let's look in the mirror at ourselves. Remember what Jesus said. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. - Matthew 7:1-5 The sins were focused on the cruelty of the social injustice and moral decline of each country.
How far have we strayed from God's truth? Praise God for His great grace. Amen?
