Amos 2:1 says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime: God next sent His judgment on Moab, because they had burned the bones of the king of Edom. Matthew Henry says that at one point the king of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering to his gods when he was losing a war with Edom, and the king of Edom was burned in revenge when the king of Moab had the upper hand. Verse two adds, But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet: God said He was going to send fire on Moab for her sins, and that the people would be in great tumult and with a lot of shouting, out of fear I believe. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will one day experience this same tumult and fearful shouting in the day of God's judgment. Verse three continues, And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD. God said all the leaders of Moab would be cut off, or destroyed, as will all leaders who stand against God today one day be destroyed. Verse four states, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked: God now turns His judgment to Judah, some of those who were called His people. Their specific sin was turning away from God and His commandments, and for also causing others to do the same. If we call ourselves followers of Christ, we need to follow God's laws and commandments and certainly never cause anyone else to turn away from them. Verse five adds, But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. Judah was going to be punished just as her neighboring countrys were. To be God's in name only will never spare anyone from facing the judgment of God. Verse six says, Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; God now pronounces His judgment on Israel, the rest of the people called by His name. The specific sin that He lists is mistreatment of the righteousness and the poor for the sake of material gain. We as Christians cannot afford to put material wealth ahead of obedience to God and helping the less fortunate around us. Verse seven adds, That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: God said the men of Israel were guilty of sexual sins. There is an abundance of this today. Verse eight continues, And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. God added that they used the things dedicated to Him for their own benefit. We as followers of Christ need to realize that everything we have belongs to God and use in in accordance with His guidance. Verse nine declares, Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. God said that He, not the people of Israel, had destroyed the Ammorites who were a very powerful nation. He was responsible for the victory over the Ammorites, and He is responsible for our victory over sin today. We cannot take pride in our spiritual victories, but must give the credit to God. Verse ten adds, Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. God said He had freed the people of Israel from servitude in Egypt, led them forty years in the wilderness, and then gave them the land of the Amorites. Whatever success we have in the world today as Christians we must acknowledge that it is because of God's blessings to us. Verse eleven continues, And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. God reminded them that He had given them prophets and set aside some to be Nazarites, and then He asked them if this were not so. If we stray away from God as His people, He will always remind us of what He has done for us, and what He has done can never honestly be denied. Verse twelve states, But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. God said the people of Israel corrupted the Nazarites and told the prophets to not prophesy. Because of their sins, they did not want to hear His word or leave those who were to be dedicated to Him alone. We must never refuse to hear God's word proclaimed and must abide by it as Christians. Verse thirteen declares, Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. God said that the people of Israel had trampled on Him and His word. God said the sins of the people of Israel, His chosen people, were a great burden to Him. We need to pray that we as followers of Christ never allow ourselves to be the same way. Verse fourteen adds, Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: God said that their strength would fail them. We cannot be victorious as Christians in the world today without God bringing the victory to us. Verse fifteen continues, Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. Then verse sixteen concludes, And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD. God continued to tell the people of Israel that their own strength and power would fail them. If we go out into the world today as followers of Christ without His power keeping us safe, we are going to fail.
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