Amos

post 095

Having really wrestled with the previous topic, I found myself this morning ready to retract the entire thing due to my lack of documentable research. It appears that I have snagged this idea right out of thin air... literally.
I am against such illogical declarations.

But as is my morning habit, I was flipping through pages to reach my place in Zechariah for my daily reading, when my thumb slipped and I was looking at the first chapter of Amos instead. I was about to continue to Zech. but was checked, and so I began to read Amos 1 through chapter 2.

Amos was a herdman of Tekoa,
He was out among the herdmen when he got this vision from the LORD.
(Not really your prophet type, or location.)

What he saw is not a pretty picture:
There is a list of 8 places God said; "For three transgressions of (insert the name of the place) and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof;" Amos 1:3,6,9,11,13,2:1,4,6
and then follows the specific sins and what God will do.
The first 6 places were pagan; Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon and Moab.
Chapter 2:4 begins God's argument with Judah and Israel, whom in this list appear to have no distinction from those of the pagan list. They are all hosed.

But the crimes listed, and God's reasoning with them, is much more detailed for the Jews in this passage;

Judah's sin begins in 2:4 "...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:"

Since these are God's people, and America is God's people through Jesus, we can at least see the perspective God has regarding such conduct.
Can we then apply this concept to us?
I think we can... With this hope; our fathers have indeed walked after other values. But there are signs that we, unlike Judah, are rejecting those values, and attempting to returning to the original way. If this is so, and we do succeed in removing wicked leaders, and replacing them with those who hold godly values, there is alot of scriptural precedent indicating God might hold back his intent, just as he did at Nineveh.
(this can be argued both ways;

Nineveh was pagan and did not know better, whereas Judah knew full well the course she was taking offended God, as do we. it is for this reason that God declared; "I will not turn away from the punishment thereof"

Why then did he also hold the other 6 to the same standard?
Because they were also familiar with the workings of the God of the Jews through proximity and interrelations with them. They were not ignorant, as Belshazzar was not ignorant.

Israel's sin begins in verse 6 "...because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;"
The first thing that comes to all our minds is the city teens actually killing each other for there actual shoes! This is such a pointed and literal argument! and of course there is no denial of the huge problem of our habit of "taking the sucker" as one example which falls under selling the righteous for silver.
but God's argument continues;

"That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor..."
What does that mean?
A desire to possess some otherwise worthless thing just because someone else has it.
The poor are regularly robbed, not because what they have is valuable, but because they are easy.
"...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:"
There is an animalistic desire of our young men to take the virtue from the meek young woman, but that is not enough, this verse describes no limitations on the vial ideas we get regarding sex. Americans have no shame. and no regard for what is holy.
Are these sins specific?
Yes they are.
Are they conducted on the streets of most any city in America?
Yes they are.
Can we extend these listed acts to understand overall concepts which might also fit into this list?
Yes we can.
America, the land "Under God" falls fully guilty of each specific act, and also acts which fit into the concept of these listed. Not occasionally, but regularly. we are so used to them that we no longer see them as all that offensive!

v.9-11 God further adds degree of their crime against him by reminding them of the great works he did to provide them their homeland, but they defiled his efforts, and profaned what he declared holy.
Not looking good for America either.

So God declares in 2:13 "Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves."
Is God unable to bear their sins? He sure seems to be saying that.
He has put up with their offensive conduct, and willful rebellion as a cart is continually piled higher with the farmers sheaves. The first ones on don't go away over time, the load just continues to grow.
God is complaining. He does not like the circumstances.

so he says; Enough!
v.14-16 "Therefore
the flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong shall not strengthen his force,
neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
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.
And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,
saith the LORD"
Paul Harvey used to say it like this; "You can run, but you can't hide."
In this list we see "unusual circumstances" play out. The mighty armies of our nation which are used to great success, find themselves just unable to pull off the job.
Strange unfortunate circumstances create a failure where success should be sure, etc.

Amos 3:1-2 "Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."
At the time of this writing this was quite true. Today America can very easily be added to a nation of the earth whom God has known. and in this way we become responsible to Him, in like manor with slight variations as Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.

With all my heart I want to detract what I have posted regarding Americas demise.
But I can only do what I am shown, as a researcher of history, and an interpreter of scripture.
And if I then hear a voice from heaven, that is in keeping with the heart of God shown in scripture, can I recant it?

I cannot.
After all I actually do have scriptural precedent in the prophet Jonah.
1:1-2 "Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amettiai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it: for their wickedness is come up before me,"
3:4 "...And he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."

But what did I hear?
God intends to destroy America on November 2nd.
It is our job to do what we can to change his mind.
By all means, shore up the brass gate, God knows it needs it bad.
But don't neglect the faith while you do it.
In our present state, as dilapidated as the gate is...
Our national faith is in much more need of repair.

Now please, have a read of this older post.
Help Hope or Folly