Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Amos - For Three Sins of Edom

“For Three Sins of Edom”
(Amos 1:11-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 2, 2006)

Amos 1:11-12 11 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever. 12 So I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah."

THE PASSAGE CONSIDERED:
The history of Israel and Edom begins with the history of two boys (Genesis 25:22-26) While the two boys would be born within minutes of one another, Esau (Edom) was the older boy and Jacob (Israel) was the younger boy. Before they were born, God revealed to their mother Rebecca that the older would serve the younger. Esau had the birthright by age, but Jacob would be the child of promise.

Later in their lives Esau would sell his birthright for a bowl of stew. Years later still when their father Isaac was ready to pass on the covenant blessing to his favorite son Esau, Jacob and Rebecca worked to deceive Isaac into blessing Jacob with the words Isaac intended for Esau. The older brother was bitter and envious against the one whom God designated as the promised child so long ago. Esau comforted himself with thoughts of killing Jacob. With his parents’ blessing, Jacob returned to the “old country” to find a wife. He found two, and had many children and grew in possessions. Amazingly, on his return back to the place where his older brother was living, Esau received him very well. But though the personal animosity may have faded, the hatred of the nation of Edom for the nation of Israel would go on for many generations.

A seller needs a buyer. Philistia and Tyre captured whole communities of Israelites to sell them to an angry and envious enemy. Edom was the buyer. When Judah later was sent into exile, Edom show off their hatred of the descendants of the chosen younger brother with these words of Psalm 137:7: “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” Amos speaks in this passage of this pattern of hatred. The descendants of Esau have pursued their brother (Israel) with the sword. They have “cast off all pity.” Their anger would not quit. They kept their envious wrath forever. For this reason God would destroy Edom.

THE POINT: The world is a place of seething anger and vengeance, where men take it upon themselves to subjugate and abuse their enemies.

THE APPLICATION: The cross was a place where the energetic malice of the world was expressed against the chosen Son, Jesus Christ. Men have no grounds to be angry with Jesus Christ, and yet they not only rejected Him, they also despised Him. (Isaiah 53:3) Oddly enough, it is the wrath of God against humanity that should be unending. But God the Son has taken eternal wrath and swallowed up our punishment in His own death. Now He lives and invites us into a community where man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. While we may get angry, we are not to sin in our anger. Vengeance is not ours. We are called to be a people of patient faith. We are people who say, “Forgive them Lord they do not know what they are doing.” By the grace of God, do not let the sun go down on your anger.

A PRAYER: Merciful Savior, look on us in our pitiful weakness. We have been forgiven much. How could it be that we would hold on to anger? Direct us again to the beauty of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us. Grant to us what we can have only by your gift. In Jesus Name. Amen.

A POEM

A brother buys his brother out of hate?
Where is the pity for your father’s son?
But Esau’s violent anger finds no end,
And Jacob’s people live as Edom’s slaves.

You hate the One,
Who came to save.

The thorns are pushed upon the brow.

What mercy shown by Christ for sinners slain!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Amos - For Three Sins of Tyre

“For Three Sins of Tyre”
(Amos 1:6-8, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 19, 2006)

Amos 1:9-10 9 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood. 10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds."

THE PASSAGE CONSIDERED:
Tyre was an island city-state that was a part of what we call Phoenicia. A strongly fortified location, the inhabitants of Tyre took great pride in their geographical advantages. But they were a smaller power in the ancient world at a time when lesser kingdoms needed a larger “protector.” By the 14th century BC they were vassals to Egypt, a much more dominant regional power. This kind of alliance of friendship was important to them militarily and economically.

By the time of David we read of the close relationship between this great king of Israel and Hiram, the ruler of Tyre. Later this city-state and her people were very important in the construction of Solomon’s temple. The Bible records for us expressions of warmth and goodwill between Israel and Tyre.

Despite these promising beginnings, eventually the relationship of “brotherhood” was lost. As God spoke through the prophet Amos many years later, the defining cultural sin for this island city and her surrounding territories was that they “did not remember the covenant of brotherhood,” and so “delivered up a whole people to Edom.”

We do not now today the stipulations of any official agreements that existed between Israel and Tyre, but it seems clear that handing over the Israelites to their enemies was not a part of any commitment of brotherly care. The sin alluded to here was a clear violation of trust, and a breach of the pathway of goodwill that had once existed.

There would be divine consequences for this. Eventually Tyre would be under the less than benevolent “protection” of the Assyrian Empire, surrendering after a thirteen year siege. Later Tyre was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The Greeks apparently used rubble from the buildings and monuments of Ancient Tyre in order to form a land bridge causeway that enabled them to defeat the former island fortress. Many inhabitants were killed or enslaved.

THE POINT: The world is a place of broken commitments, where honorable pathways are abandoned in favor of short-term gain.

THE APPLICATION: Where there is no godly ethic of true commitment, and where men foolishly decide that they do not need God or his people any more, shocking and speedy betrayals become commonplace. How was the Tyre spirit expressed against the Messiah? The crowds that gave Him Hosannas of praise soon left the path of worship and shouted “Crucify Him!” This was a sad change by so many who had seen and heard of the miraculous signs of His divine authority. Still He showed perfect covenant faithfulness in His powerful cross work.

A PRAYER: Great and Holy God, we lay hold of the sure promise that You have for Your people in Christ our Lord. He is our Protector. His Kingdom shall never fail. Help us now to be people who make commitments carefully. Keep us from entangling affairs that would not be in accord with Your wisdom. Help us to keep our word even to our own hurt. Thank you for the faithfulness of Christ. In Jesus name, Amen.

A POEM

The grief that comes when brothers walk away
from goodly paths they traveled once in peace!
Where now are Hiram’s promises of help?
His people turned away to their own hurt

“Hosanna!” then –
now “Crucify!”

How can it be? The Bread of Life!

But worldly sinners throw away the Pearl.