Amos 9
Vision of Bethel worship center verse 1
I saw the Lord standing upon the altar – and HE said
Smite the lintel of the door – that the posts may shake
and cut them in the head – all of them
And I will slay the last of them with the sword
he that flees of them shall not flee away
he that escapes of them shall not be delivered
People trying to hide from judgment verse 2- 4
Though they dig into hell
thence shall MINE hand take them
Though they climb up to heaven
thence will I bring them down
Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel
I will search and take them out thence
Though they be hid from MY sight in the bottom of the sea
thence will I command the serpent – and he shall bite them
Though they go into captivity before their enemies
thence will I command the sword – and it shall slay them
and I will set MINE eyes upon them for evil
and not for good
Nature used in judgment verse 5- 6
AND the Lord GOD of hosts is HE that touch the land – and it shall melt
and all that dwell therein shall mourn
and it shall rise up wholly like a flood
and shall be drowned – as by the flood of Egypt
It is HE that build HIS stories in the heaven
and has founded HIS troop in the earth
HE that calls for the waters of the sea
and poured them out upon the face of the earth
The LORD is HIS name
LORD moves all nations verse 7
Are you not as children of the Ethiopians unto ME – O children of Israel?
says the LORD
Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt?
and the Philistines from Caphtor – and the Syrians from Kir?
LORD deals with sin in Israel verse 8- 10
BEHOLD – the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom
and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth
Saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob – says the LORD
FOR lo – I will command
and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations
like as corn is sifted in a sieve
YET shall not the least grain fall upon the earth
All the sinners of MY people shall die by the sword – which say
The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us
Restoration of Davidic throne verse 11- 12
IN THAT DAY I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen
and close up the breaches thereof
and I will raise up his ruins
and I will build it as in the days of old
that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the heathen which are called by MY name
says the LORD that doeth this
Restoration of productive land verse 13- 15
BEHOLD – the days come – says the LORD
that the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed
and the mountains shall drop sweet wine
and all the hills shall melt
I will bring again the captivity of MY people of Israel
and they shall build the waste cities – and inhabit them
and they shall plant vineyards
and they shall drink the wine thereof
and they shall also make gardens – and eat the fruit of them
AND I will plant them upon their land
and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which
I have given them – says the LORD your God
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. 8064 “heaven” [shamayim] means sky, abode of the stars, or atmosphere.)
DEVOTION: All the way through the Bible there are people who are trying to hide from God. There are people who think that if they are in the dark, God can’t see them. There are people who think that God doesn’t care what is happening here on the earth. There were people in Israel who didn’t think that God even existed.
Here we find that when judgment is about to fall on Israel they think that they can dig their way to a place below the graves and God can’t find them.
They think that they can go into first of three heavens talked about in the Bible. The first heaven is what is above us each night. The second heaven is thought to be the place where the angels live. The third heaven is where the LORD has HIS throne. Remember HE is omnipresent.
They also think that they can climb to the highest pike on earth and jump or fly into the first heaven and God can’t bring them down. They are all wrong. The God of the Bible is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscience (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere present) to name a few of HIS attributes. There is no place to hide. There is no place to run.
The LORD has promised judgment to Israel. However, HE will not completely destroy them. HE is going to restore them in the future. HE is going to restore the blessings of the land in the future. The LORD had a plan and continues to work HIS plan.
We will all have to face the LORD one day. The question we will have to answer is “What did we do with HIS son, Jesus Christ?”
Those who are followers of the LORD will stand before the LORD at the Judgment Seat of Christ. When we appear before the LORD we will have our works tested to see what they were made of and what our motives were when we did them.
It is always a test to keep our motives pure. The people in this chapter were doing impure things and hoping they could hide from God when the Great White Throne was convened. They are wrong. No hiding from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Don’t try to hide. Work for the LORD once you have made a commitment to HIM. Encourage others to work alongside you to reach your world for the LORD.
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: 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD. (2400 “sinful” [chatta’] means fallible, having committed unrighteous acts, one who bears blame, one counted culpable, offender, exposed to condemnation, or wicked person.)
DEVOTION: Omnipresence of the LORD is what is being reported here. The LORD is Sovereign over HIS creation. HE is sovereign over man, animals, angels and nature. HE is in control.
Every moment of every day HE sees what everyone is doing. HE cares what is happening. HE especially cares for those who are obedient to HIS Word. HE cares for HIS prophets.
Today the LORD is watching every action that we take. HE knows if we are obedient to our parents if we are still at home. Do they have to tell us more than once to do something that we should have done the first time? HE doesn’t like having to tell us more than once what is right.
If we are on the job and disobedient to our boss, HE sees it. If we are in the military and are not doing our duty, HE sees it. If we are in ministry and not doing our part, HE sees it.
If we are retired and just sitting around the house, HE sees it. Those who are retired should be serving the LORD well. I have observed men and women who are a real blessing to the church through their ministry of helps after retirement.
God wants us to be active until HE takes us home to heaven. Children help your parents around the house. Older children still help their parents. Parents need to help the children when they are in need.
CHALLENGE: All Christians should be actively using their spiritual gift/gifts in the local church. The time is short.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 All the sinners of MY people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. (1157 “prevent” [ba’ad] means behind, round about, through, out of, for the benefit of, on behalf of, or separation.)
DEVOTION: Judgment has been given. The execution of the judgment is still a little time away but coming soon. God informs us from Genesis chapter three until today that judgment day is coming. It is closer than it was yesterday. We don’t know when HE will send HIS Son for a second time. The Bible states that it will happen. Before it happens some of us believe that the church will be called up to heaven.
The children of Israel are going to face a judgment at the hands of the Assyrians. It will be one that will lead to a time period of captivity and then a return to the Promised Land under the rule of another government. Israel will not be free again to own the Promised Land until the return of the LORD.
Here we find those who know the word of the LORD. Here we find people who have been warned many times by the prophets. Here we find a nation whose religious leaders are leading them away from the LORD.
The sermons that these religious people hear from the priests are that God will never judge them because they are a chosen people. They are a people who have listened to the promises of God but still have not applied them to their lives.
So they think judgment will never touch them it is for the other people. They think that they won’t be confronted by the LORD because of their sins. They are wrong. God is HOLY.
HE is still HOLY. We have to face the fact that if we are not going in the direction the LORD tells us about in HIS Word, HE will come in judgment of us. HE is not going to spare religious people, only true believers.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 13 Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. (5066 “overtake” [nagash] means to draw near, approach, step up, come forward, or very near proximity.
DEVOTION: The same Hebrew word is used in verse ten. The religious people of Israel don’t think that the judgment will approach them. They think they are immune to any judgment of the LORD.
Now we have gone beyond the time of judgment to the time of blessing. The LORD seems to always offer hope even to people who think they don’t need the LORD. There is a future for the nation that those who presently in the nation will not see. They stand judged for their sins.
In the future, there is not going to be a famine of the Word of the LORD or of food. The food will be growing so fast that before the planter can leave the field there will be harvesters close by. The growing season will be very short. There will be plenty of rain. There will be plenty of food.
This has not happened yet. It is still future. A key to understand how long into the future is that statement that God is going to “raise up the tabernacle of David.” The future includes a king who is a descendent of David. Who will this king be?
The book of Revelation informs us that this KING from the tribe of David will be none other than the LORD Jesus Christ. HE will return for a second time to the earth to rule and reign over the nations. The Millennial kingdom will be a time of great blessing. It will be a time period when the devil will be chained for a thousand years. It will be a time period when there will be peace on the earth.
Children will be born that will have a choice to follow the King or not. Only believers will enter the Millennial Kingdom and the only form of temptation with come from the flesh. The world will be ruled by the LORD and the devil will be chained. Temptation will still be real. Choices will still have to be made.
There should only be a choice of becoming a follower of the King but that is not going to happen. Throughout history every human being has been given a choice. What is yours?
CHALLENGE: Even in a perfect environment with a perfect King there will be people rejecting Christ. Our time to work is NOW. A time of blessing is coming. Don’t look to NOW as your time of blessing and concentrate on material things.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Altar verse 1
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 1- 6, 8
Standing on the altar and He said
Smite the lintel of the door, that the
posts may shake: and cut them in the head,
all of them; and I will slay the last of them
with the sword: he that flees of them shall
not flee away, and he that escapes of them
shall not be delivered
Though they dig into hell, thence
shall Mine hand take them;
Though they climb up to heaven,
thence will I bring them down
And though they hide themselves in the
top of Carmel, I will search
and take them out thence
And though they be hid form MY sight
in the bottom of the sea, thence
will I command the serpent, and
he shall bite them
And though they go into captivity before
their enemies, thence will I command
the sword, and it shall slay them:
and I will set Mine eyes upon them
for evil, and not for good
And the Lord GOD of hosts is HE that touches
the land and it shall melt, and all that
dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall
rise up wholly like a flood, and shall
be drowned as by the flood of Egypt
It is HE that builds HIS stories in the heaven
and has founded HIS troop in the earth;
HE that calls for the waters of the sea,
and pours them out upon th efface of the earth:
The LORD is HIS name
Hid from MY sight verse 3
Mine eyes verse 4
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 5, 8
Lord GOD of hosts verse 5
Creator verse 6
LORD – Jehovah verse 6- 8, 13, 15
Have not I brought up Israel out of the land
of Egypt? and the Philistines from
Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? verse 7
Lord GOD verse 8
Eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful
kingdom verse 8
I will destroy it from off the face of the earth;
saving that I will not utterly destroy
house of Jacob – says the LORD verse 8
I will command and I will sift the house of
Israel among all nations, like as corn
is sifted in the sieve, yet shall not the
least grain fall upon the earth verse 9
All the sinners of MY people shall die by the
sword, which say, The evil shall not
overtake nor prevent us verse 10
MY people verse 10, 14
I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is
fallen, and close up the breaches thereof
and I will raise up his runs, and I will build
it as in the days of old
That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
and of all the heathen, which are called by
MY name, says the LORD that does this verse 11, 12
Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the
plowman shall overtake the reaper, and
the treader of grapes him that sows
seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet
wine, and all the hills shall melt
And I will bring again the captivity of MY people
of Israel, and they shall build the waste
cities, and inhabit them; and they shall
plant vineyards, and drink the wine
thereof; they shall also make gardens
and eat the fruit of them
And I will plant them upon their land, and
they shall no more be pulled up out of
their land which I have given them,
says the LORD your God verse 13- 15
LORD your God verse 15
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 15
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Carmel verse 3
Enemies verse 4
Egypt verse 5, 7
Children of the Ethiopians verse 7
Philistines from Caphtor verse 7
Syrians from Kir verse 7
Nations verse 9
Edom verse 12
Heathen verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evil verse 4, 10
Sinful verse 8
Sinners verse 10
Heathen verse 12
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Delivered verse 1
Good verse 4
Promise verse 13- 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children of Israel verse 7, 9, 14
like the children of the Ethiopians
House of Jacob verse 8
Tabernacle of David verse 11
Brought out of captivity verse 14
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Hell verse 2
Heaven verse 2
Die verse 10
In that day verse 11
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QUOTES regarding passage
Here is the last of eight references to the “sword” in Amos. “By the sword” occurs first in the verse, perhaps echoing its last occurrence in the final vision in vv. 1, 4. Some warring nation would serve as God’s agent of judgment. “All the sinners among my people” implies that all the people of Israel were not sinners and thereby were not destined for death by the sword. “The sinful kingdom” (v. 8) was made sinful by “all the sinners among my people.” The purpose of judgment was to remove them.
They are further specified as “all those who say, ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’ ” Some in the prophet’s audience were contradicting his message. They were saying that “disaster” (rāʿâ, “evil,” or “calamity;” cf. 3:6; 9:4) was not their destiny. Thus they were ones who rejected the word of God (cf. 2:12; 7:16). Amos was saying that only a remnant could hope to survive the coming disaster. (Smith, B. K., & Page, F. S. (1995). Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Vol. 19B, p. 162). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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8–10 The nation was to be destroyed, but not totally (v.8). Thus an element of hope is introduced at this point. Many scholars deny the words of vv.8–15 to Amos because the message of hope is not consonant with the gloomy message of total destruction presented to this point. But it is precisely this element of hope that places Amos in the mainstream of classical eighth-century prophetism. The concept of hope in vv.8–15 is quite unlike the eschatological hope of the post-exilic period, and the eighth-century prophets placed their hope of the future in a kingdom portrayed with obvious Davidic motifs (Isa 9:7; Mic 5:2). It is true that Amos held no hope for the nation of Israel. But that is not to say that he held out no hope for a preserved remnant. One of the important elements of Amos’s message was that the nation was not to be equated with the remnant; it was precisely that false hope that he attacked. The sifting process (v.9) would produce a true remnant from Israel (v.10; cf. Jer 30:11). (For a study of the remnant in the OT, see G. Hasel, The Remnant [Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 1972].)
Amos’s denial of the popular belief that the nation was automatically the remnant raises serious questions. Did he deny the remnant concept altogether? Did he see no continuation of the promise to Abraham? It is difficult to answer such questions in the affirmative, for to do so would exclude Amos from the current of OT thought. Without the remnant passage of vv.9–15, the Book of Amos is incomplete. Amos was not a prophet who pronounced only doom. There are rays of hope not only here but even in undisputed passages such as 5:4, 6, 15.
Some commentators deny that the figure of “sifting” in v.9 implies a process of separation. They see the “pebbles” as representing the wicked, who are not allowed to escape and who are destined for judgment. But v.9 is logically connected to v.8 by the word “for” (kî), where a separation between the destroyed kingdom and the remnant is implicit in the statement affirming that the nation will not be totally destroyed. Verse 9 thus explains v.8 by analogy.
The concept of separation is inherent in the figure of sifting. Failure to see separation in the sieve motif leaves unexplained the shaking of Israel “among all the nations” (v.9). Amos decreed that the nation was doomed to exile (7:17). The consonance of this with the “shaking” of v.9 is apparent. The process of winnowing, whereby the grain falls to the ground and the larger refuse remains in the sieve thus representing the sinners, is not necessarily in view here. The word “grain” does not appear in the Hebrew. It is simply “as one shakes with a sieve.”
The word “pebble” (ṣerôr) in v.9 need not be understood as “grain.” It connotes anything that is compacted and refers to anything that will not pass through a sieve. In 2 Samuel 17:13 (“a piece,” NIV) and Proverbs 26:8, ṣerôr is used of a pebble, but never specifically of grain. There is no need to see a reference to good or evil in ṣerôr. Amos simply stated that while the smaller pebbles pass through, the larger ones remain in the sieve. This material is analogous to the remnant (McComiskey, T. E. (1986). Amos. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, pp. 328–329). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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“I will destroy!” (vv. Amos 9:5–10) Nine times in the book, Amos calls God “the Lord of hosts,” that is, “the Lord of the armies of heaven and earth.” A. W. Tozer correctly says, “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.” The people of Israel created their gods in their own image and held such a low view of Jehovah that they thought He would approve of their sinful ways.
Amos reminded them of the greatness of the God they thought they were worshiping. He is the God of creation, who can melt the earth with a touch and make the land rise and fall like the swelling of the Nile River. He controls the heavens, the earth, and the seas, and no one can stay His hand.
Jehovah is the God of history, who showed His great power by delivering the Jews from the bondage of Egypt (v. 7). He claimed them for His own people. Yet they turned against Him and went their own way. Therefore, He will have to treat the Jews (His special people) as He treats the Gentiles! The exodus from Egypt will be looked upon like any migration of a people from one place to another, for the people of Israel gave up their national distinctives when they abandoned the worship of the true God.
But He is always the God of mercy (vv. 8–10), who will keep His covenant with Abraham and his descendants and not destroy the nation. The nations would be sifted, and the sinners punished, but not one of His true worshipers would be lost. It’s always the believing remnant that God watches over so that they might fulfill His will on the earth. The self-confident sinners, who don’t expect to be punished, are the ones who will be slain by the sword (v. 10). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (pp. 71–72). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.)
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Nevertheless, He remembered His promise to the fathers, and His word as to the coming Seed must not fail; so He excepts a remnant. He “will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob” (vers. 7, 8). He will sift them among all nations as wheat is sifted in a sieve, but not the least grain shall fall to the ground. Only the sinners of His people will die by the sword, they who said, “The evil shall neither overtake nor hinder us” (vers. 9, 10). This is the figure the blessed Lord uses when addressing self-confident Peter. He is to go into Satan’s sieve, but not for final destruction; only that the chaff may be separated from the wheat.
Such shall be the result of Israel’s sifting among the nations. They are not all Israel that are of Israel; that is, not all that are descended from Jacob are children of faith. Only those who bow to the word of the Lord and believe His testimony are the Israel of God. Upon such, a New Testament apostle invokes peace from God. These will be the wheat that will be preserved for the coming kingdom. (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 183–184). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. All the sinners of my people, the great, notorious sinners, idolaters, oppressors, perverters of law and equity, cruel and inhuman judges and others, shall die by the sword; either at home in the wars, or abroad by barbarous men that captivate them; as ver. 4. Which say; in their hearts thinking or hoping, or in their words discoursing, the impossibility of what Amos did foretell. The evil, the sad, miserable, and desolating end, shall not overtake nor prevent us; as a pursuing enemy, we will flee from it: see ver. 1. It is far off, we shall die first, and be safe in the grave; a kingdom in its prosperity, and well settled, as this kingdom was in Jeroboam’s time, cannot soon be brought to such confusion; we shall never see it. This savoured rank of their atheism, and these shall certainly fall and perish, and never rise. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 920). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers)
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Ver. 10. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, &c.] By the sword of the Assyrians, and of others, into whose countries they shall flee for shelter, ver. 1, 4. even all such who are notorious sinners, abandoned to their lusts, obstinate and incorrigible; live in sin, and continue therein; repent not of sin, disbelieve the prophets of the Lord, and defy his threatenings, and put away the evil day far from them: which say, the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us; the evil threatened by the prophet, the sword of the enemy, the desolation of their land, and captivity in a foreign land; these evils, if they came at all, which they gave little credit to, yet would not in their days; they would never come so near them, or so close to their heels as to overtake them, and seize them, or to get before them, and stop them fleeing from them; they promised themselves impunity, and were in no pain about the judgments threatened them; so daring and impudent, so irreligious and atheistical, were they in their thoughts, words, and actions; and therefore should all and every one of them be destroyed. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 521–522). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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8–10. I have often thought that this part of Amos’s prophecy is peculiarly ours, and it is indeed enough to arrest our most serious attention, as a nation and a people. Surely the eyes of the Lord are upon us! Our land hath been for many generations like Judea of old, with the gracious eyes of the Lord upon us, from one end of the year even to the other end of the year. Deut. 11:12. But what hath been our provocations from father to son? What the Lord said by the Prophet Malachi is our character, Malachi 3:7. Let the Reader observe the awful sifting time here spoken of; and though there is indeed, that sweet and precious promise, that in this strict search, not a grain of the pure wheat shall perish or fall to the earth; yet in national calamities, who but must take part? When the Lord for the wickedness of a land maketh it barren, these form awful times. In the days of Lot, though sent out of the overthrow, his city was destroyed. Gen. 19:29. In the days of Jeremiah, the good figs as well as the bad were carried away. Jerem. 24:5. And the Lord by Ezekiel declared, that in respect to temporal things, he would cut off the righteous with the wicked. Ezek. 21:3. Oh! who could but mourn to lose even but our ordinances, our sabbaths; and to have the golden candlestick of the blessed gospel removed out of its place! Rev. 2:5. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Ezekiel–Malachi (Vol. 6, p. 395). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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From: TozerSpeaks by A. W. Tozer
I have often wondered how any professing Christian man or woman could approach the communion table and participate in the memorial of our Lord’s death without feeling and sensing the pain and the shame of the inward confession: “I, too, am among those who helped put Him on the cross!” (p. 197)
The suffering of Jesus was corrective. He was willing to suffer in order that His might correct us and perfect us, so that His suffering might not begin and end in suffering, but that it might begin in suffering and end in healing. (p. 202)
I have discovered that truly repentant men never quite get over it, for repentance is not a state of mind and spirit that takes its leave as soon as God has given forgiveness and as soon as cleansing is realized. (p. 202)
Those humble Christians said to one another: “Let us walk softly and search our hearts and wait on God and seek His face throughout the next three months. Then we will come to the communion table with our hearts prepared – lest the table of our Lord should become a common and careless thing.” (p. 205)
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From: PREPARE: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly HOSTILE CULTURE by J. Paul Nyquist
This is the first counterintuitive principle from Scripture about persecution: the persecution of believers is normal, not strange.
One of the more difficult truths for us to grasp is that the world hates us. The world doesn’t tolerate us – even though toleration is a supposed value of our society. It doesn’t like us. No, it hates us. Jesus makes this plain in John 15: 18-17. (p. 61)
The Greek word used for world (cosmos) doesn’t refer to the physical earth or its inhabitants. It refers to the ungodly system permeating the earth, which is hostile toward God and shakes its fists at Him at every turn. The world’s beliefs and values are antagonistic to God, His Word, and His people. This is the system Paul commands us to avoid when he writes in Romans 12: 2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (p. 62)
Grant Osborne comments, “To follow as God demands is to renounce the centrality of self.” Christ isn’t asking us to necessarily give up creaturely comforts, but to renounce our life’s self-interest – plentiful in affluent America. (p. 69)
It means we are to follow Jesus, and keep following Jesus, and never stop following Jesus. It means we cannot renounce self just once or take up our cross once and consider it sufficient. Instead, the discipleship Christ requires is a “day to day to day” following that never stops. (p. 72)
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Psalms 37
The righteous will receive eternal life, while the wicked ultimately will be destroyed.
INSIGHT
Serving the Lord does not always pay temporal dividends. The righteous still experience misfortune, financial reversals, physical illnesses, natural disasters, and persecution. At the same time, the unrighteous often prosper, enjoying wealth, fame, honor, and health. David realizes God’s justice wins in the end. So do not be discouraged in doing right, even when the unrighteous prosper. Do not be tempted to copy them. “Depart from evil and do good” (v. 27). “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way” (v. 34). “Mark the blameless man” (v. 37). “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord” (v. 39). (Quiet Walk)
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LIMITATION TO THE PROMISE
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
We now note what we might call the limitation to this promise. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” In the original that is emphasized by placing “to them that love God” at the commencement of the sentence. “We know that to them that love God all things work together for good.”
The promise is definitely limited. It is not universal as to the people included. The popular idea of the love of God is the very antithesis of this. That idea says that He is regarded as promising to bless all in exactly the same way. That He does so in His providential dealings with mankind in general is true. But following that, there is a great fundamental division and distinction everywhere in the Bible between the saved and the unsaved, between those who have entered into a covenant relationship with God in salvation through Jesus Christ and those who have not, or, to use the words of our text, “those who are the called” and those who have not been called.
Salvation is the result of the operation of special grace, and there are special promises to those who have received this grace. The gospel has but one word to speak to those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to exhort them to repent and to believe. It holds out to them no special promises until they have done so. Indeed it threatens them with disaster. It does not tell them that “All things work together for good” for the reason that it tells them that they are “condemned already.” Special promises and comforts and consolations are not to be obtained directly. They are the consequences and results of salvation. They are offered only to those who “love God.”
A Thought to Ponder: Salvation is the result of the operation of special grace. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 119-121, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Spiritual Cleanliness
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” (Matthew 23:25)
Three of the eight “woes” in Matthew 23 deal with a particular aspect of spiritual cleanliness. This one seems to emphasize personal cleanliness. The next verse amplifies the thought: “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26).
The emphasis is on the internal heart. The biblical principle is very clear. If our hearts are not right, our lives will not be righteous. If what is “inside” is not clean, the “outside” will never be clean. Perhaps a list of the more obvious Bible references will help refocus our commitment.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
- “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34-35).
- “Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:29).
- “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).
May our “cup and platter” be as clean as God’s holiness is able to make it and “let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Along with the Word of God and prayer, the Pastor’s example of submission and service is perhaps the most valuable spiritual weapon he has for disarming the enemy, calming the conflict, and eventually emptying the trenches. (p. 60)
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While the insights of “conflict resolution” are helpful and can be used profitably, the concerned shepherd/soldier knows that the first step toward victory is his own submission to the Lord and to his people. (p. 60)
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In matters of leadership, gentleness is not weakness; it’s power under control, power directed toward healing people and not harming them.
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Ministers who submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ will discover authority in their submission, not the authority of an omniscient dictator or an invincible general, but the authority of the one who said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” (p. 61)
(10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. & David W Wiersbe)
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Psalms 100
All men are exhorted to praise the Lord because He made us and we are His.
INSIGHT
Psalm 100 is perhaps the finest example of a praise psalm in the Bible. The righteous heart pours forth a spontaneous stream of undefiled praise. First, he calls upon all men everywhere to praise the Lord. Then he identifies the relationship which God has with His children. We are not our own; He has made us. “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (v. 3). Next he calls for us to praise God again: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise” (v. 4). Give thanks. Bless Him. Then he finishes by listing attributes of God. God is good; He loves forever. Make this psalm your personal psalm of praise. (Quiet Walk)
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THE REALM OF EXPERIENCE, PART 2
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose Romans 8:28
In the same way, great crises in life show us our weakness, helplessness, and lack of power. Paul illustrates that in Romans 8. “We know not what we should pray for as we ought.” In a time of peace and of ease we think that we can pray, that we know how to pray. We are assured and confident, and we feel that we are living the religious life as it should be lived. But when trials come, they reveal to us how weak and helpless we are.
That, in turn, drives us to God, and makes us realize more than ever before our utter dependence upon Him. This is the experience of all Christians. In our folly we imagine that we can live in our own strength and by our own power, and our prayers are often formal. But troubles make us fly to God and cause us to wait upon Him. God says of Israel through Hosea, “In their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15). How true that is of all of us. To seek God is always good, and afflictions drive us to do so.
But all this is mainly from our side. Looking at it from the other side, we can say that there is no school in which Christians have learned so much of the loving, tender care of God for His own as the school of affliction. While all is well with us, in our self-satisfaction and self-contentment we shut God out of our lives; we do not allow Him to reveal to us His solicitude for us even in the details of our lives. It is only when we are troubled that we “know not what we should pray for as we ought” and that we begin to realize that “the Spirit…makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
A Thought to Ponder: There is no school in which Christians have learned so much of the loving, tender care of God for His own as the school of affliction. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 124-125, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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