CROSSING The THRESHOLD-III—Amos 1:1-2
Attention:
Hushers:
Six-year-old Angie & her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Mom had gone to the bathroom, so taking advantage of the moment, Joel giggled, sang, & talked out loud.
Finally, his big sister had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked arrogantly.
Angie pointed to the back of the church & said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers!”
A Threshold is a crossover or transition zone or optimal use zone. Where the upper limit or end of effectiveness is reached.
When the threshold is reached, of God’s toleration for sin in the world & particularly among His people, His wrath takes over & He approaches them in a very different way.
God used (His servant)Amos to declare God’s new but strained relationship with His people.
Amos declared God’s strained relationship with His people.
An amiable/good relationship between God & His people can be so changed that it invites God’s wrath.
What does a failed relationship with God evoke/prompt?
OR--
What results from God’s Crossing His Threshold?
God is Longsuffering—
Rom. 2:4—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
BUT...
God can Reach/Cross His Threshold & we discover that
A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
1. PUBLIC REVELATION(:1a)
2. TIMELY/Available OPPORTUNITY(:1b)
3—A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
OUTRAGE(:2a-b)
Explanation:(:2a-b)Jealousy/Ire/Exasperation/Hostility
:2—“And he said: “The LORD roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.””
“The LORD roars from Zion,”
Why/When does a lion roar?—A lion “roars” when it has prey. The roaring of the lion is an assurance, on the part of the lion, that he has captured his prey or it is imminently within his grasp.
A “roar” is also a sign to the other lions within the pride, that food has been captured/subdued for their benefit.
Amos 3:4—“Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?”
Amos 3:8—“A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
Isa. 5:29—“Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.”
In Rev. 5:5—Jesus/Messiah/Christ/Son of God/=“The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!”
In the case of this prophesy “the LORD Himself is pictured as a lion which “roars.” YaHWeH’s position(from which He “roars” having captured His quarry) is “from Zion.”
Regarding “Zion”—Lit.=‘Parched Place’—possibly meaning that there is nothing of any significance there except God!
2Sam. 5:6-9—“And the king & his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind & the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion(that is, the City of David). Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft & defeats the Jebusites (the lame & the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief & captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind & the lame shall not come into the house.” Then David dwelt in the stronghold, & called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo & inward.”
2Chron. 5:2—“Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel & all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion.”
Ps. 132:13-14—“For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
“Roars”—gav shaw-ag'—1) (Qal) To roar—1a) Of lion, conqueror, Jehovah, cry of distress. Strong—a primitive root; To rumble or moan. Used 21X.
“Zion”—Nwyu Tsee yown'—Zion = “Parched place”—1) Another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books. Strong—the same (regularly) as Nwyu[from the same as hyu in the sense of conspicuousness [compare xun];A monumental or guiding pillar; Tsijon(as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem. JFB—The seat of the theocracy from which you have revolted.
“And utters His voice from Jerusalem;”
YaHWeH likewise loudly openly proclaims(Ntn naw-than’--Lit.-‘gives’) His judgment “from Jerusalem.”
God openly declares His word of judgment “from” that place which is precious to Him & of His own choosing(Deut. 12:5; 2Chron. 6:5-6; Ps. 132:13-14).
God has caught the prey which unchecked, has brought spiritual devastation to His city & thereby His holy name.
Regarding “Jerusalem”—Lit. =‘Teaching of Peace’(God’s peace)
2Kgs. 19:20-21—“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.’ “This is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: ‘The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back!”
Deut. 12:5—““But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; & there you shall go.”
2Chron. 6:5-6—“‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. ‘Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there; & I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’”
Heb. 12:22-24—“But you have come to Mount Zion & to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly & church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, & to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
“Utters/Thunders”—Ntn naw-than'—Qal Imperfect—1) To give, put, set—1a) (Qal)--1a1) To give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend, 1a2) To put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate, 1a3) To make, constitute. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.).
“Voice”—lwq qowl—1) Voice, sound, noise; 2) Lightness, frivolity. Strong—from an unused root meaning to call aloud; A voice or sound.
“Jerusalem”—Mlvwry yer-oo-shaw-laim—Jerusalem = “Teaching of peace”—1) The chief city of Palestine & capital of the united kingdom & the nation of Judah after the split.
Argumentation:
Amos 3:8-15—“A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy? Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, & say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her. For they do not know to do right,’ Says the LORD, ‘Who store up violence & robbery in their palaces.’” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered.” Thus says the LORD: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria-- In the corner of a bed & on the edge of a couch! Hear & testify against the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground. I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end,” Says the LORD.”
*Prov. 20:2—“The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.”
Jer. 25:30-31—““Therefore prophesy against them all these words, & say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise will come to the ends of the earth-- For the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.””
Hos. 13:1-9—“When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died. Now they sin more & more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!” Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud And like the early dew that passes away, Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney. Yet I am the LORD your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no Savior besides Me. I knew you in the wilderness, In the land of great drought. When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled & their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me. “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me.”
Joel 3:16-17—“The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens & earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.””
Isa. 59:14-21—“Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, & it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the LORD. “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, & My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time & forevermore.””
Heb. 12:18-29—“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched & that burned with fire, & to blackness & darkness & tempest, & the sound of a trumpet & the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid & trembling.”) But you have come to Mount Zion & to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly & church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, & to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
God’s anger was spent on Christ as He hung on the Cross. He paid for our sin nature & thus for each of our sins.
Eph. 4:26—““Be angry, & do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”
Jn. 7:24—““Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.””
Illustration:
It is hard for me to accept the pitiable state of the building & dock on the Carrabelle River in front of Harry’s Bar & adjacent to ‘Just Right Marine’/The dock is so dilapidated(& has been for years) that a person could easily fall thru it/In fact, the pilings are so eaten away that the entire dock could fall into the river!—in fact, the eastern connecting part of it already has!/By the crumbling dock there are two sunken shrimp boats which sank some 2-3 years ago/There is a covered(questionable) breezeway connecting the old brick ice house(?)to the dock—The roof has caved in to the point that a person would have to duck underneath it if they were to brave walking down the dock/The abandoned ice house has become a home for weeds, wild critters, & vagrants/It is outrageous that such neglect is allowed to tarnish our town!/OUTRAGE
Application:
?You Recognized God’s OUTRAGE?
?How will you respond to God’s Crossing the Threshold?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
“See those men in the doorway?...They’re hushers!”
Action:
A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
3. OUTRAGE(:2a-b)
1. PUBLIC REVELATION(:1a)
2. TIMELY/Available OPPORTUNITY(:1b)
Presented 08/26/2018am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
