MOTIVATIONAL ATROCITY-I—Amos 1:3--2:5
OR--Indefensible National Atrocities/Pride
Attention:
The Pastor’s Cat…
A pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his yard & then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc.
The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his truck & drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up & get the kitten.
That’s what he did, all the while checking his progress in the truck. He then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the truck a little further forward, the rope broke.
The tree went "boing!" & the kitten instantly sailed through the air & out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. Nobody had seen it. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," & went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store, & met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart & was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater & everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?" She replied, "You won’t believe this," & then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it."
She said to the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, & ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, & landed right in front of her."
The ‘Atrocity’ of the cat’s ‘arrival’ ‘Motivated’Mom to keep the cat!
ATROCITY—‘an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or injury.’
Need:
In a very real sense, any nationally motivated actions, levied thru a democratically governed people, are a result of the personal choices of those people of that republic. Those choices are spiritually telling/significant!
Rom. 2:4-5—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God,”
2Chron. 12:1-12—“Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom & had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, & all Israel along with him. And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, & people without number who came with him out of Egypt--the Lubim & the Sukkiim & the Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah & came to Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam & the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, & said to them, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You have forsaken Me, & therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’” So the leaders of Israel & the king humbled themselves; & they said, “The LORD is righteous.” Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.” So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, & took away the treasures of the house of the LORD & the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, & committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would go & bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom. When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; & things also went well in Judah.”
Amos declared God’s wrath to be justified/warranted due to nationally motivated atrocities.
Nationally motivated atrocities move God to retribution.
Why/When/How do nationally motivated atrocities move God to anger & retribution?
3 Endorsements of nationally motivated atrocities that move God to anger/retribution.
ENDORSE—“To approve openly, To recommend, or To declare one's public approval or support of.”—Merriam-Webster; New Oxford American Dictionary
If the true Church backs nationally supported ‘atrocities’ to the ‘exclusion’ of God’s desire,...If the true Church ever ceases to recognize God’s morality & godliness, then the church will have ceased to be God’s Church. Then any country in which that so-called ‘church’ is housed—the true Church being absent—places themselves on the same level as any other country.
Ps. 33:12—“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”
Ps. 144:15—“Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!”
Amos 1:3--2:6 Background:
Amos prophesied ~<760BC. The Assyrians were the ‘big dawgs’, but had not yet exiled Israel. After roughly 40yrs.(~720s) following Amos’ prophecies, Assyria under Shalmaneser-V, would conquer & absorb/assimilate the northern kingdom of Israel into the Assyrian empire(Samaria was captured 722BC).
There are six ‘foreign’ governments which the prophet Amos addressed in 1:3--2:3. These are unaccepting of & thus foreign to God’s blessings & choosing which Israel should enjoy(the divided kingdoms of Judah & Israel together).
Amos’ prophecies from 1:3 thru 2:5, concern the nations & city-states surrounding the northern kingdom of Israel. Seven nations(including Judah) are named & singled out for active judgment. The format of each of these condemnations is similar in Amos. The focus is to gradually hem in Israel as being in league with pagan nations so that they are well & undeniably aware of their national & thus personal guilt regarding their Maker. Israel obviously denies the fact that they are at fault(2:6-16ff.).
In “not turning away” God is declaring that the “transgressions” chosen by the overall city/state/nation have made them worthy or deserving of His judgment. YaHoWeH’s capacity for tolerance has definite limits, when dealing with free mankind, particularly as it relates to His own people.
Ex. 34:6-7—“And the LORD passed before him[Moses] & proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful & gracious, longsuffering, & abounding in goodness & truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity & transgression & sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children & the children’s children to the third & the fourth generation.”
Ps. 103:8-14—“The LORD is merciful & gracious, Slow to anger, & abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
*2Pet. 3:9—“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
By Amos’s time, YaHWeH—the self-existent, eternal, all mighty God—has been taken advantage of for so long that He must now act. He will not relent of His determinations for any of the nations & peoples prophesied against.
Valid reasons for YaHWeH’s condemning determinations are stated plainly for each nation/state/city, including the northern kingdom of Israel(2:6-16ff.).
Amos 1:3--2:6 records eight sets of “becauses”—reasons for God’s retribution/judgment upon each of the eight nations.
These ‘becauses’ comprise the central applications for today’s audience—as we relate these historical ills to the social ills of our own society.
The “central message” of Amos is that God is neither ignorant of nor indifferent to our sins.—K. Mathews AROR He is neither indifferent to the sins of the world nor of the sins of his people.
This also calls us to examine our part in either—enabling, encouraging, or proffering the motivating atrocities, OR curing or ridding ourselves of these same humanitarian atrocities.
You/We either help to invite God’s judgment, OR you/we help to dispel it.
1—National atrocity motivates God’s retribution when that nation endorses...
CALCULATED BRUTALITY(1:3-5)
Explanation:(1:3-5)
1:3—“Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, & for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.”
:4—“But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
:5—“I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” Says the LORD.”
Here(:3-5) Amos declares that a judgment has been determined of the LORD. YHWH’s judgement is particularly against “Damascus.” Damascus’ judgment is taken up in vss. :3-5.
This “oracle then, is against Aram under the name of it’s chief city, Damascus.”—NAC
The phrase “For three transgressions”... “& for four” implies that sin has been multiplied upon sin. It implies that the limit of God’s tolerance of the sin has been reached. Damascus’(& those that follow) has arrived at a ‘three strikes & you’re out’ scenario.
It is as if God is saying, “If Damascus had only sinned once or twice, I would have spared them, but since, after having been so often pardoned, they still persevere so continually, I will no longer "turn away" their punishment.”.....“There may be also a reference to seven, the product of three & four added; seven expressing the full completion of the measure of their guilt (Lev. 26:18,21,24; compare Mt 23:32).”—JFB
This ‘numbering & stepping over the limit’ concept is explicit elsewhere, however each employs differing numbers—"six & seven,"(Job 5:19); "once & twice,"(Job 33:14); "twice & three,"(Job 33:29); "seven & also eight,"(Eccl. 11:2).
Though there is a limit, God is ultimately just in all His doings! God is ultimately just in all His doings—“I will not turn away.” He will not turn a blind eye. He treats all the same, but He expects more from those who have greater revelation. He is looking for & is expecting faith. He is definitive regarding that which crosses any ‘line’ He has set. Because to cross any ‘line’ He has set is an outward sign of a lack of faith in Him.
Ps. 145:17—“The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.”
Dan. 9:13, 14—“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities & understand Your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, & brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.”
*The particular social ill that is pertinent to the judgment upon Damascus(Aram), is that they chose to “thresh Gilead with implements of iron.” Of course this action has nothing to do with harvesting the crop, but rather pertains to the treatment of God’s people & others, as harshly & inhumanely as one would a grain crop at harvest time!
“Threshing” is a process of extracting the grain from the remainder of the plant(stalk/stem). By the continual action of driving a ‘sledge’ over the loosely laid out grain stalks, the heads of grain were gradually loosened from the stalks, leaving most of the grain in the chaff. However if the sledging was overdone, the grain could not be harvested as all parts of it(chaff, grain, stalks) would have been ground together into the soil.
“A circular space, from thirty to fifty feet in diameter, is made level, if not naturally so, & the ground is smoothed off & beaten solid, that the earth may not mingle with the grain in threshing.”—Ralph Gower in ‘The New Manners & Customs Of Bible Times’[NMCBT]
‘Sifting’ was a process subsequent to threshing. It was employed to remove the chaff completely from the grain itself.
The actual threshing was accomplished by the use of a ‘threshing sledge.’ It was a series of boards ‘rafted’ together forming a flat platform for holding weight(usually rocks). The platform may have held on it’s upper side a rim or some sort of tie-down for containing & securing the rocks or weighting material. Metal protuberances(nails/spikes) were driven thru the platform from the upper side until they well protruded thru the underside. Or flints were embedded in the underside of the platform & held in place by pitch or other means.—NMCBT/John Gill
A Metaphorical application of threshing is in—Isa. 41:14-15—““Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains & beat them small, And make the hills like chaff.”
Gilead:—
“Gilead as used in the OT, is a rather imprecise term. In the narrowest sense, it is a “city”(Hos. 6:8).” “At the other extreme, the term seems to be used for all of Transjordan.” The ‘land’ of “Gilead is divided into two parts by the Jabbok”[River]. ‘Northern Gilead’ encompasses an area east from the Jordan River, whose northern & southern boundaries are between the Yarmuk River(north, just south the Sea of Galilee/Chinnereth) & the Jabbok River(~centrally located between the Dead Sea & the sea of Galilee). ‘Southern Gilead’ encompasses the area east of the Jordan River, & sandwiched between the Jabbok River(northward) to the Arnon River(southward—near the center of the Dead Sea). Bashan was to the north of Gilead & Moab was to the south.—ISBE(1982)
Gilead was a high plateau E. of the Jordan River.
“this country[Gilead] lay beyond Jordan[east], & was inhabited by the Reubenites & Gadites & the half tribe of Manasseh; who were used in a very cruel manner, by Hazael king of Syria.” “By him they were beat, oppressed, & crushed, as the grain of the threshing floor.”—John Gill
2Kgs. 10:32-33—“In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; & Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead--Gad, Reuben, & Manasseh--from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead & Bashan.”
2Kgs 13:1-5—“In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, & reigned seventeen years[814-798BC—some 30 yrs. prior to Amos’ prophecy]. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, & followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, & He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, & into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. So Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, & the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. Then the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; & the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.”
Application:—
If sledging had actually been used as a means of demoralizing a people by literally driving a sledge over them, then this speaks of a “shamelessly cruel conduct.”—NAC
“Threshing” pictures cold, merciless, brutal abuse in order to obtain a desired or lusted for gain/benefit.
The various means sought(desire/lust) for obtaining said benefit flows from the king’s personal desire, which in turn flows thru the government’s organization to obtain it, so that the big picture of the entire society becomes one of an endorsement of the brutal methods used to obtain the ‘benefit.’
This does not mean that there are not individuals or even groups who counter the lust of the overall organized governmental desire.
*God is looking for compassion even among the lost. Particularly among those who surround(nationally) God’s people.
He is still looking for the same, among those who may surround Christians(His people).
“Transgressions”(See :6, 9, 11, 13, 2:1)—evp peh’-shah—Noun Masc.—1) Transgression, rebellion—1a1) Transgression(against individuals), 1a2) Transgression(nation against nation), 1a3) Transgression(against God)—1a3a) in general, 1a3b) As recognized by sinner, 1a3c) As God deals with it, 1a3d) As God forgives, 1a4) Guilt of transgression, 1a5) Punishment for transgression, 1a6) Offering for transgression. Strong—A revolt(national, moral or religious).
?From—evp—To break away(from just authority), i.e. Trespass, apostatize, quarrel.
“Not”(See :6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4)—al lo’, awl low’, hl loh(De 3:11) OR--wl—Adverb—1) Not, no—1a) Not(with verb - absolute prohibition), 1b) Not(with modifier - negation), 1c) Nothing(substantive), 1d) without(with particle), 1e) Before(of time). Strong—a primitive particle; Not(the simple or absolute negation); by implication--No; often used with other particles.
“Turn away/Revoke”(See :6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4)—bwv shoob—Hiphil(causative) Imperfect—1) To return, turn back—1d) (Hiphil) To cause to return, bring back. Strong—To turn back(hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively(not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally--To retreat; often adverbial--Again.
“Because”—le al—Prep.—1) Upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against; Conj.—2) Because that, because, notwithstanding, although. Strong—properly--The same as le[substantive—1) height or—adverb—2) above, upwards, on high] used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications.?le ; properly--The top; specifically--The highest(i.e. God); also(adverb)--Aloft, to Jehovah.
“Threshed”—vwd doosh—1) To tread out, thresh. Strong—a primitive root; To trample or thresh. Used 14X.
“Implements/Sledges”—Uwrx khaw-roots'—Adj.—1) Sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent. Noun Masc.—2) Strict decision, decision; 3) Trench, moat, ditch; 4) Gold (poetical). Strong—passive participle of Urx[verb]; properly, Incised or (active)Incisive; hence(as noun masculine or feminine)--A trench(as dug), Gold(as mined), A threshing-sledge(having sharp teeth); figuratively--Determination; also Eager. Used 18X.
“Iron/Iron Teeth”—lzrb bar-zel’—Noun Masc.—1) Iron; 2) Tool of iron; 3) Harshness, strength, oppression(fig.). Strong—perhaps from the root of [twzrb beer-zoth'; probably feminine plural from an unused root(apparently mean to pierce); holes]; Iron(as cutting); by extension--An iron implement.
:4—“But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
Hazael was the founder of a ruling dynasty in Damascus from 843-798BC. “The house of Hazael” describes the dynasty of rule in Syria begun by Hazael & maintained by his son, Hadad. The “house” “severely oppressed the northern tribes & became symbolic of Syria’s aggressive policies against Israel(2Kgs. 8:7-15; 13:3, 7)—K. Mathews AROR
“Two or possibly three Ben-Hadads appear in the Old Testament(1Kgs. 8:18, 20; 20:1ff.; 2Kgs. 6:24; 8:7-9; 13:3).—NAC
The prophet Elisha(thru Elijah) was commissioned by God to anoint Hazael as king of Syria. After having done so, Hazael assassinated the reigning king Ben-Hadad in order to become the king of Aram.(1Kgs. 19:15; 2Kgs. 8:7-15).
It was prophesied in 2Kgs. 8:12 that Hazael would “commit monstrous crimes” against Israel. He fought against Joram(Israel) & Ahaziah(Judah) wounding Joram.
2Kgs. 8:7-15—“Then Elisha went to Damascus, & Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; & it was told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, & go to meet the man of God, & inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’” So Hazael went to meet him & took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; & he came & stood before him, & said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’” And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the LORD has shown me that he will really die.” Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; & the man of God wept. And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, & their young men you will kill with the sword; & you will dash their children, & rip open their women with child.” So Hazael said, “But what is your servant--a dog, that he should do this gross thing?” And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria.” So Hazael said, “But what is your servant--a dog, that he should do this gross thing?” And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will become king over Syria.” Then he departed from Elisha, & came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me you would surely recover.” But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth & dipped it in water, & spread it over his face so that he died; & Hazael reigned in his place.”
“The names of Hazael & Ben-Hadad would be synonymous with the long history of Syrian conflict & oppression.”—EBC
“Assyrian documents refer to the new dynasty he”[Hazael] “founded as ‘the house of Hazael’.” “Rezin, who may have been king in Damascus when God sent Amos to Israel as his prophet, was the last king of Aram-Damascus before the Assyrians annexed it in 732BC.”—NAC
Amos was written nearly 40 years after the “Hazael” dynasty had run it’s course.
Fire—:
“The fire” “is best understood as a metaphorical representation of God’s judgment(cf.-7:4).”—EBC
“The particular property of fire that made it suitable as a method of warfare was its power to consume” completely or “devour.”—NAC
As a result of the “fire”, the dynastic ‘palaces” which Ben-Hadad’s house had secured will succumb to total destruction.
:5—“I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” Says the LORD.”
*“Breaking the gate bar of Damascus” implies that YHWH will remove from the city, the walled protection in which her people trust. A walled city with “gate bars” is one in which there is perceived strength. The “bars” themselves hold the gate(s) shut against the enemy.
Upon having their “gate bar” broken, they will no longer have it within their free power to determine for themselves who & what comes in & goes out.
“The scepter” speaks of rule & sovereignty. It arises from the city-state(?) of “Beth Eden”[‘house of pleasure’] As Hazael & Ben-Hadad, so the king(?probably Rezin?—NAC) who reigns from “Beth Eden” will be “cut off.”
The Syrian’s “captivity will be in “Kir.” Kir was located in below Gilead in Moab ~halfway between the Arnon & Zered(southeastern extremity of the Dead Sea) Rivers.
“Going captive” anticipates the imminent arrival & exilic practices of Assyria’s Tiglath-pileser III(AKA-‘Pul’).
*All the human aspects of :4-5 signify the punishment of an entire nation that has given itself to unsympathetic brutality(:3c).
Argumentation:
2Tim. 3:1-5—“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
2Pet. 2:4-15—“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell & delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; & did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; & turning the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; & delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing & hearing their lawless deeds)-- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations & to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, & especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness & despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power & might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught & destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, & will utterly perish in their own corruption, & will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots & blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery & that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, & are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way & gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
Ezek. 21:31—Against Ammon when Nebuchadnezzar had gone to Jerusalem rather than to them—“I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.”
Isa. 10:5-7, 12, 20-21—“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.”.....“Therefore it shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion & on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, & the glory of his haughty looks.”.....“And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God.”
Jer. 25:4-7, 12-14—“And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early & sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way & his evil doings, & dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you & your fathers forever & ever. ‘Do not go after other gods to serve them & worship them, & do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; & I will not harm you.’ “Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the LORD, “that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.”.....Babylon—“‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon & that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the LORD; ‘& I will make it a perpetual desolation. ‘So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations. ‘(For many nations & great kings shall be served by them also; & I will repay them according to their deeds & according to the works of their own hands.)’”
Jer. 50:11-15; 45; 51:24, 49—“Because you were glad, because you rejoiced, You destroyers of My heritage, Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain, And you bellow like bulls, Your mother shall be deeply ashamed; She who bore you shall be ashamed. Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness, A dry land & a desert. Because of the wrath of the LORD She shall not be inhabited, But she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified And hiss at all her plagues. Put yourselves in array against Babylon all around, All you who bend the bow; Shoot at her, spare no arrows, For she has sinned against the LORD. Shout against her all around; She has given her hand, Her foundations have fallen, Her walls are thrown down; For it is the vengeance of the LORD. Take vengeance on her. As she has done, so do to her.”.....“Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Babylon, And His purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them..”.....““And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight,” says the LORD.”.....“As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.”
Isa. 5:20-21—“Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
Isa. 33:1—“Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you.”
Mat. 24:12, 13—During the Tribulation—“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
Gen. 49:5-7—“Simeon & Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.”
How do you treat others when you are angry? Do you abuse them?...Plot their demise?...Bear a seething grudge?...Laugh inwardly at their difficulty?
Js. 5:1-6—“Come now, you rich, weep & howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, & your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold & silver are corroded, & their corrosion will be a witness against you & will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; & the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure & luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.”
Mat. 5:6-7, 9, 13-14—Jesus said—“Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”.....“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.”.....“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out & trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Lk. 10:30-37—“Then Jesus answered & said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, & fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, & departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came & looked, & passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him & bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil & wine; & he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, & took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, & said to him, ‘Take care of him; & whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ “So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go & do likewise.”
Mat. 5:44-48—“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, & pray for those who spitefully use you & persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Illustration:
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Zachary Koehn, 29, in August 2017 was convicted of first-degree murder & child endangerment causing death/He was responsible for the death of his nearly 4-month old son, Sterling Koehn/Sterling had been left in his diaper for more than a week—He had been wearing the same diaper & had been left in the swing for nine to 14 days/Additionally the room was hot, which attracted flies, & as he sat in the swing, his diaper ate through his skin, causing the skin to rupture/Sterling was covered in maggots/Sterling’s mother, Cheyanne Harris, 21, has also been charged with first-degree murder & pleaded not guilty, according to the complaint/Prosecutors noted that while Sterling suffered, Koehn & Harris cared for a healthy 2-year-old daughter in the same apartment/Both parents admitted to using methamphetamine & Sterling’s umbilical cord tested positive for meth/CALCULATED BRUTALITY
Iraq under Sadaam Hussein, there was a prison, Abu Gahraib by name/It was filthy & political prisoners were herded there like cattle/The Americans came & made the prison more humanitarian/However, there was an incident in 2004, when some of the American soldiers working the prison thought it would be great fun to force some of the Muslim terrorist prisoners, strip them naked, put hoods over their heads, & pile them on top of one another in one of the prison hallways/The soldiers then proceeded to take smiling selfies of themselves with the pile of prisoners!/Should our country ever get to the point where it sanctions & endorses such behavior, it will put itself entirely on the wrong side of ‘God’s fence’!/CALCULATED BRUTALITY
Police brutality against blacks(‘coloreds’) during the 50s & 60s was—for God’s Church—an unconscionable abuse of state, & local power/CALCULATED BRUTALITY
Today’s news is full of personal & societal examples of brutality. When a government or a people sanctions the devaluation of human life it is a blight on that people/Who you & I elect to office is of vital importance!/Neither we nor the world can afford for us to lose the Judea-Christian foundational aspects of our country, which rules out CALCULATED BRUTALITY
Application:
?Is your country an endorser of CALCULATED BRUTALITY?
?What atrocity is your country endorsing?
God needs YOU to partner with Him in continuously removing the National Atrocities that invite God’s retribution.
God did not save us so that we would be like those who are without Christ! Part of the reason God saved us, is so we would be living testimonies to His righteousness before those who have no moral compass!
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The ‘Atrocity’ of the cat’s ‘arrival’ ‘Motivated’ Mom to keep the cat!
Action:
National atrocity motivates God’s retribution when that nation endorses...
1. CALCULATED BRUTALITY(:3-5)
Pt#1 only! presented 02/24/2019am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
