THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

Last week I told you that I would like us to use our study through the book of Amos to reexamine our beliefs and actions. In other words, is the way we think and act consistent with Biblical Christianity?

However, I would like for us to also get a feel for how Amos presents his case. What he does is this. He singles out every nation that surrounds Israel , points to the one glaring evil in each nation, and then pronounces God’s impending judgment on them. As he moves from northeast to southwest, from northwest to southeast, to the middle-eastern borders, preaching against the evil in these nations, and preaching God’s judgment on them, you can almost hear the crowds of Israel cheering, chanting, and yelling out, “Preach it brother.”

His intent is to start Israel thinking about what is right and wrong, what God will tolerate and what He won’t, and that God’s patience will some day run out. Amos wants to awaken moral thinking in Israel .

We can always see the sin and evil in other peoples’ lives easier than we can in our own. Let me give you an example. I was pastoring a church at a time when all these television evangelists were becoming popular. My head deacon and I decided to go to one these guy’s crusades when he came to town.

What we didn’t know was that as a grand finale, he always hired a small boy to sit in the ceiling rafters with a dove in a cage. Towards the end of his sermon, the preacher would shout for the Holy Spirit to descend. That was the cue for the little bird to release the dove. The dove would fly around and people would be overcome with emotion and pass out.

However, the night we attended something went wrong. When the preacher called for the Holy Spirit to descend, nothing happened. He called again, a little louder and a little more passionately. Nothing happened. He looked up angrily at the small boy. The boy, in a very anxious voice called out, “Sir, a big black cat just ate the dove. Shall I throw down the cat?”

Well the deacon and I had plenty to talk about on the way home. It was easy for us to see the hypocrisy of this evangelist.

I never cease to be amazed at how easy it is for us to see sin and evil in other people, other countries, other religions, and other political parties, … yet we can’t see it in ourselves. Amos found a way to get Israel to think about morals, about ethics, and about what is right and wrong. That is pretty much the main idea of this morning’s text. IN GENERAL, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT AND WRONG. To be sure, we are good at conveniently forgetting what’s right and wrong when it comes to our own behavior, but it is easy to see evil when are victims of it.

I want you to hear this yet one more time because I don’t want anyone to use my message or illustrations to defend some political system, some countries, or some political party. You know my feelings on governments all around the world including our own. I think all governments are hopelessly corrupt. Yet, we as believers are instructed by God to obey the law. I will use illustrations from current events, simply because they fit the examples that Amos uses. It will help us to get an idea of how Amos sets up his own people to hear God’s judgment on them.

In verses 3-5, we can see that cruelty can push God over the edge. In other words, WE ALL KNOW VIOLENT PEOPLE ARE EVIL. If you have your Bibles open, you will notice that this section starts at chapter 1 verse 3 and ends at chapter 2 verse 16. Amos is going to proclaim 8 oracles from God dealing with 8 different countries. We are going to look at the first 6 this morning, and the last 2 next week. These oracles follow a certain pattern. I will explain them as we go along, but basically the first part of the oracle starts out by identifying God as the source. Secondly, he uses a formula, for 3 sins, even for 4. Thirdly, the specific sin is mentioned. Fourthly, the punishment is announced. Lastly, he sums it up by identifying God as the source of the oracles.

In the first half of verse 3, God’s sovereignty is emphasized. Look at the very first phrase of the passage. The NIV and NLT have it, “This is what the LORD says.” The ESV and NASB have it, “Thus says the LORD.” I like, “Thus says the LORD,” because it sounds more like a formula. Virtually all the prophets use this phrase. “Thus says the LORD,” matches the rhythm of the Hebrew. The Hebrew reads, “co amar YHWH,” “Thus says the LORD.” Do you hear it?

Which brings us to LORD, all in capital letters. Remember, this is the special Name God uses with Israel . He is their God and they are His people. But the interesting thing about this Name being used here is that God is demonstrating that not only is He the God of Israel, He is the God of all nations. In these next 6 oracles, God is going to state that He sees the evil these nations are doing and that He will judge them. I know people get all cranked up about corrupt politicians and governments. But the fact is that God sees it all. He will judge and punish evil.

And that brings us to the second half of verse 3. God has limits. As we studied through the books of I & II Peter, we saw that God has delayed the second coming of Jesus because of His love and patience. He is waiting for people to repent of their sins and be saved. But we also learned that there will come a day when He does return and judge.

Amos says that it appears that these evil nations have been doing all sorts of evil stuff, and something has just happened to push God over the edge. I love this Hebrew idiom. It is used often in Hebrew poetry. The saying goes, “For three sins, … even for four.” We know these nations were extremely sinful. They were sexually immoral, they stole, exploited one another, and basically made up their own rules for living. And God patiently waited for them to repent. But something happens so horrible that it seems to just push God over the edge. It is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Let’s start here in verse 3. Damascus is singled out. Damascus was the capital of what is today the nation of Syria . What is the sin they committed that was so horrible, that God could no longer tolerate it? It says, “Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth.” Gilead was the land Israel occupied east of the Jordan River between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea . Every time Israel was weak politically, economically, and militarily, Syria would take advantage, come down and pillage the area. But ancient Syria was known for being extra cruel. There was a farming tool that was a heavy wooden plate with metal spikes attached to the bottom of it. It was dragged through wheat fields to harvest the wheat. The Syrians would use it to kill people. They would wound men, women and children, then drag these farm threshers over them and mutilate the bodies. They were noted for chopping up people and actually flaying them.

Think about what we have seen on our living room televisions. We have seen people flying passenger planes into buildings, killing thousands of men, women, and children. We have seen people chopping off the heads of people. The Bible says that this type of cruelty will push God over the edge. God will not let this type of cruelty go unpunished.

Which brings us to God’s judgment as described in verse 4 through the first half of verse 5. God singles out two specific leaders and their families for punishment. They may have gained wealth, power, and status by their ruthless conquests, but they are marked for torture and death by God. They burned and destroyed cities. Damascus will be overrun and destroyed, and further the ancient Syrians would be sent into exile. It’s interesting that the Assyrians launched a 5-year siege against Syria . The Assyrian policy of conquest was to take prisoners and deport them to other parts of the empire and settle other people in these conquered territories.

Here is a lesson that kings, dictators, leaders, and presidents must remember. God will hold each leader and their families responsible for their decisions and the harm they do. They can have all sorts of people surrounding them, encouraging them and giving them all sorts of praise, but God is not swayed by public opinion. He sees and when we push Him over the edge, He will act. The punishment will be swift, and it will fit the crime.

And as we are reminded in the last phrase of verse 5, judgment will come because God is certain about it. The oracle started out, “Thus says the LORD,” and it finishes with the sound of finality, “Says the LORD.” It’s as if God is putting an exclamation point after the judgment. In other words God is saying, “I saw all your evil. I gave you plenty of time to get your act together. You spit in my face, and now you are going to suffer the consequences, … For sure!”

There should be no confusion on our part. WE ALL KNOW VIOLENT PEOPLE ARE EVIL. You see all sorts of people would say that there are no moral absolutes, but when we are the victims of evil, we immediately are able to stand up and say, “That was evil. That was wrong.”

Let’s move on to the next sin that can push God over the edge. In verses 6-10 we can see that human exploitation can push God over the edge. For us, … WE ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO BUY AND SELL HUMAN BEINGS ARE EVIL.

In verse 6 we can see that slavery is so wrong because human beings belong to God, … and to God alone. Ancient Syria was up on the northeast border of Israel . Now Amos moves to the southwestern border of Israel . Gaza is the portion of land on the southern border of Israel and extends down to Egypt ’s borders. Gaza is the land of the Philistines. Modern day Palestinians occupy this area. When Israel entered the land under Joshua over 600 years earlier, they were to drive the Philistines out of the land. Because of fear, laziness, greed, and lust, they never did. The Philistines were a constant thorn in Israel ’s flesh. Depending on who was militarily stronger, they would conquer and abuse one another. That was all bad enough. However, the sin that pushes God over the edge is that the Philistines seem to have been raiding communities or areas occupied by defenseless people. They raided farmers and shepherds, along with their families, and sold them to the Edomites. Edom was located on the King’s Highway that connected Egypt with Europe and the Middle East . They were located in a perfect place to traffic slaves. What made it even more perfect is that Gaza ’s territory bordered Edom . There would be no middleman.

According to the American Anti-Slavery Group, there are presently 27 million people who are enslaved around the world. Young boys are kidnapped, enslaved, and trained to race camels in the United Arab Emirates . In many countries, women are considered to be property. They can be beaten, humiliated and killed by their husbands. Women are denied rights to be free. The Russian Mafia has enslaved women from Eastern Europe and made them prostitutes all over Europe , and the world. Young girls are sold into slavery and prostitution every day.

Probably the most openly reported incidents of slavery occur daily in the Sudan . Listen to this story as told on the American Anti-Slavery Group Website, “When Francis Bok was seven years old, his mother sent him to the local market to see eggs and beans. Suddenly, government militia forces attacked, shooting adults and rounding up children. Francis saw one girl who would not stop crying get shot in the head. When her sister burst out crying, the soldiers chopped off her foot. Strapped to a donkey and taken north, Francis was given as a slave to one of the soldiers. The man’s entire family came out to greet Francis – by beating him. Every day he was forced to tend cattle, and was beaten every morning. At age 17, he ran away. “I would rather die than be a slave,” says Francis.

Sudan ’s on-going civil war and inter-ethnic conflict has seen a revival of black chattel slavery, where southern women and children are abducted as slaves by government-armed Arab militia forces. Over 100,000 remain in bondage today, serving as domestics and concubines.”

God created us to be in a special, intimate relationship with him. We belong to no one except God. God will not tolerate the enslavement of human beings.

I think we must distinguish this type of slavery from the Biblical notion of slavery. In order to ensure that no one starved or fell through the cracks, God gave Moses a provision in the law where people who became destitute, could sell their land and themselves into slavery. The point is that if people could continue to work to support themselves and their families through this indentured servant institution, their dignity could be preserved and they would not have to beg. But there are two important protections in the law. Every 50^th year, land would return to the original families, so families would not have to remain in slavery for generations. All slaves would be forgiven of their debts and freed during this jubilee year as well.

Secondly, Slaves were to be treated fairly and like family. In fact, many of the slaves did not want to leave their new homes and there was a ceremony that allowed them to remain part of the family after their time was up. The slavery that Amos was talking about was dehumanizing. It was selling human beings as if they were a piece of property. That’s the type of slavery we are talking about in modern times. People are treated as things. When the things are no longer useful, they are discarded and replaced by new things.

God will not tolerate this. In verses 6-7, they will learn not to mess with what belongs to God. God names four major cities in the region and says that He will destroy those major cities in a most horrible way. He will humiliate and destroy the kings. And finally, God says he will not stop until every Philistine is dead. They won’t be exiled and sent to another land. They will suffer, be humiliated, and every last person killed, … dead. If we think God ended the first section with an exclamation point, here He ends it with a double exclamation point. He refers to Himself as Adonai YHWH. He is the sovereign LORD. There is no escape for the people who kidnapped and sold His people into slavery.

People who own slaves, men, religious leaders, and political leaders who own slaves and perpetuate the subjugation and mistreatment of women will have to one day stand before God. It will not be pretty. Exploiting people to make money, to get ahead, or to become more comfortable will be judged by God. It will be ugly. I don’t think I even want to see it. We don’t have to be confused.

But if that’s not bad enough, verse 9 describes adding insult to injury. Tyre is next on the list. It is located on the northwestern border of Israel . Modern day Lebanon is located in this place. There is a lot of interesting things about the structure in this next section. If you look at your text, even though each oracle will still start with, “Thus says the LORD,” you won’t find the summary exclamatory phrase, “Says the LORD” used until verse 15. What makes the next 3 oracles special is that these nations enjoyed a brotherhood with Israel . Tyre enjoyed very close relations with both Kings David and Solomon. The people of Edom , in verse 11, were descendants of Isaac’s son, Esau, Jacob’s brother. And the people of Ammon, were descendants of Lot , Abraham’s nephew.

Next, let’s keep in mind that Gaza , Tyre , and Edom are all wrapped up in slave trade. But two things make Tyre ’s slave trading worse. First of all, since they are located way up on the northwestern border of Israel , they would have to transport these defenseless, innocent men, women, and children to the most southeastern part of the region. Perhaps they traded the slaves to the Philistines who in turn traded them to the Edomites. They Phoenicians were located were located on the Mediterranean Sea and were famous sailors. So they could easily transport the salves south to Gaza .

The King of Tyre went out of his way to supply materials to David and Solomon to build their palaces and the Temple . So they were related in the sense that they contributed to building God’s Temple in Jerusalem . They were long time friends. That makes the treachery even worse.

As verse 10 points out, God will add severity to the judgment. The city of Tyre and the Phoenicians were conquered by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Egyptians, and the Romans. The city was destroyed. There is no excuse. WE ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO BUY AND SELL HUMAN BEINGS ARE EVIL.

In verses 11-12 we learn that unrestrained hatred can push God over the edge. Look, WE ALL KNOW THAT ACTING OUT IN RAGE IS EVIL. We all know people who try to bully people. We know employers, leaders, politicians, and countries that bully people.

We learn in verse 11 that Edom was a nation that acted without any remorse. Ancient Edom was located on the site of modern day Jordan . Edom is down on the southeast corner. Actually the next two nations Amos speaks against, Ammon and Moab also were located in modern day Jordan .

Edom was settled by Esau’s descendents. It seems at the end of Jacob’s story, he and Esau had made peace. But it seems as if Esau’s descendants held on to a grudge and felt as if they were cheated out of God’s blessings by Jacob’s descendants. Hatred festered and the Edomites looked for every opportunity to act out against Israel . Every time another nation fought against Israel , it seems as if Edom was right there to pile on. Not only were they willing to receive Israeli slaves and sell them to foreign nations, they felt no remorse for buying and selling their cousins. They felt almost a perverse sense of pleasure as they helped other nations conquer, humiliate, and kill their cousins. It is interesting to me that if you follow modern day world events, almost every Muslim nation has a desire to wipe out Israel . They use almost every excuse to attack Israel . Almost every evil act is justified in their minds because of their hatred of Israel .

What’s further interesting to me, that from the very beginning, Christians, Muslims, and Jews have been fighting, killing, and hating one another. Yet, each one traces their human and spiritual lineage back to Abraham. Yet during the crusades, Christians killed Jews and Muslims. Today, Muslim nations are obsessed with wiping Israel off the face of the earth. People wear vests loaded with explosives and detonate them in crowed busses, restaurants, and other public places, killing many innocent men, women, and children.

The warning comes in the form of an eye for an eye punishment in verse 12. God will not tolerate this kind of hatred and He will certainly make the punishment fit the crime. Unchecked anger turns into rage and rage becomes irrational and causes people to do all sorts of crazy stuff. I don’t think we have to stretch too much to understand this. WE ALL KNOW THAT ACTING OUT IN RAGE IS EVIL.

Unrestrained greed can push God over the edge as demonstrated in verses 13-15. In other words, WE ALL KNOW THAT GETTING WHAT WE WANT BY HARMING OTHERS IS EVIL.

Verse 13 is an example of a nation satisfying lust at any cost. Ammon is located on the east side of the Jordan River , north of the Dead Sea . It was located in the northern part of modern day Jordan . In order to expand their borders, to get more land, money, power, and influence, they didn’t hesitate to just take what they wanted. If they were strong enough to do it, they would. In fact, they didn’t hesitate to rip open pregnant women, kill the women and their unborn children. We see every day that terrorist of all kind don’t hesitate to kill innocent men, women, and children to get what they want. It doesn’t matter to them how many innocent people suffer, just so they get what they want. These Ammonites were so filled with lust for power and wealth, they killed their own cousins. The Ammonites were related to the Israelites through Lot , Abraham’s nephew. After Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot settled in Ammon.

But again, verses 14-15 remind us that God will make the punishment fit the crime. God will bring a more powerful nation to destroy Ammon. The army will set siege against the city. They will overcome it, destroy it, and pillage it. They will carry off the kings and leaders into captivity.

Again, this is not complicated. WE ALL KNOW THAT GETTING WHAT WE WANT BY HARMING OTHERS IS EVIL.

The sixth oracle is spoken against the Moabites. Moab also would be located in modern day Jordan . Chapter 2, verses 2-3 state that desecrating the dead can push God over the edge. WE ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO DESECRATE BODIES AND GRAVES ARE EVIL. We are reminded in verse one that bodies are sacred to God. It wasn’t enough that the King of Moab defeated his enemy. He had to dig up the former king’s bones, and burn them.

All of us have seen terrorists hanging up dead bodies from a bridge. We have seen them drag dead bodies through the street. I’m not sure what their reasoning is but I’m sure they could tell us why. Just because people are at war or just because a nation declares war, doesn’t justify evil actions. I think it is safe to say that even though many people think they are fighting on God’s side, they will find themselves on the wrong side of God when their actions push Him over the edge.

Verses 2-3 point out that messing with the dead will get you dead. They burned the bodies of a dead king. Terrorist have mutilated dead bodies, displayed dead bodies, and humiliated dead bodies. Look at verse 2. God will send fire upon them. They will be eaten up by violence and fire. And God will destroy their leaders and officials. I think it becomes pretty simple. WE ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO DESECRATE BODIES AND GRAVES ARE EVIL.

As Amos preached these first 6 oracles against all the nations that surrounded Israel and threatened their existence, the crowds were cheering him on, “Preach it brother!” Amos is going to preach it. But his audience won’t like where the message is going to go from here. Amos has awakened their spiritual awareness. They know that violence, exploitation, rage, vengeance, lust, and desecration are all evil. They are very aware that God’s patience will run out and that He will surely come to judge evil. In the next two oracles, Amos will apply these principles to both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel .

We see things happening all over the world, wars, inhumanity, suffering of all sorts, and natural disasters. God used all of these throughout history to punish nations. God has used evil nations to even judge His own people. We try to make a lot of fancy arguments and justifications for evil behavior. But in the end we would have to say, IN GENERAL, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT AND WRONG.

Amos has the people right where he wants them. He’s got us too. We easily can see the acts and results of terrorism on our televisions. We easily see how evil they are and we rejoice when they are killed and judged. If that is so, then we admit that we know right from wrong. And if we know right from wrong, then we should be able to see the evil in our own lives. Next week, we’ll see Amos stun his audience. But for now, let me just leave you with this quote from Jesus:

“³And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? … ¹²”Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. ¹³”You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. ¹⁴But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:3, 12-14/NLT).

Jesus’ point is this. If we can see the evil in the lives of people and nations around us, we should be able to see the evil in our own lives, in our own institutions, in our own governments, and in our own political parties. Amos’ audience has demonstrated that they know right from wrong. We are forced to admit that we also know right from wrong. We too are without excuse.

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK

AMOS 1:3-2:3

The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back

Amos 1:3 – 2:3