In this compelling episode, we dive into Amos Chapter 2 with guest reader Roy Hanske. As we explore the powerful messages in Amos, we reflect on the judgments pronounced upon Moab, Judah, and the northern tribes of Israel. The episode invites us to consider our own lives and the higher standards to which we, as followers, are called. Through a detailed exposition of the biblical judgment, we are encouraged to examine whether our actions align with our beliefs.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are in Amos chapter 2. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Roy Hanske, from Christian Radio here in Denver, read the 16 verses of Amos chapter 2. Roy has been a friend of the Ezra Project for years. He invites me as a guest on his show each year to promote daily Bible reading. He also has been a moderator, a master of ceremonies at our annual Ezra Project banquets in the past. So, Roy, thank you for your support of the Ezra Project, and God bless you as you read Amos chapter 2.
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Amos chapter 2. This is what the Lord says, For three sins of Moab, even for four I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king, I will send fire on Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kiriath. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him, says the Lord. This is what the Lord says. For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees. Because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed. This is what the Lord says, Father and son use the same girl, and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their God they drink wine taken as fines. Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites. I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazarites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel? declares the Lord. But you made the Nazarites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day, declares the Lord.
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I’m using three personal Bible reading journals through the book of Amos, one from 1997, 2004, and 2011, seven years apart. And I read Amos 1 through 3 or 4 in each one of those journal entries already yesterday, so I will not refer to my journals today on Amos chapter 2. Chapter 2 begins with a continuation of the judgments on other nations or neighbors that we found in chapter 1. Chapter 2 verses 1 through 3 start with a judgment against Moab. But then things change. Up to now, the hearers of Amos were probably happy that God was going to judge their neighbors. Now the judgment turns to Judah in verses 4 through 5. Amos is sharing with the northern tribes, so they may have also been pleased that Judah, their southern friends, were going to be judged, though they were truly part of the nation of Israel. To put this in context, you might know that the nation of Israel, the twelve tribes, were split. And the northern tribes were the northern kingdom, and Judah was part of the southern tribes. So again, Amos is addressing those in the north. So again, they might have been pleased to hear a judgment on Judah that went like this. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray. Unlike the previous judgments of the other nations, Judah is held to a higher standard. The other nations in chapters 1 and 2 were judged based on their inhumanity to themselves and to others. But Judah is judged for rejecting the law of the Lord. As Christians, do you think we should be held to a higher standard? Scripture tells us, to whom much is given, much is required. So we can look around the world and look around at our friends and look around at our cultures and say, God, I hope you judge those people. They’re not acting very good and correct toward one another. As Christians, sometimes we get a little judgmental. We ask and hope that God judges those around us for us. behaving in ways that are not consistent with your word. But what can we really expect from those who don’t serve you, who don’t know you, who don’t claim you to be their Savior and Lord? Yes, God will judge, as he illustrates in Amos chapters 1 and 2 here. But we will be held to a higher standard. 1 Peter 4, verse 17 says, For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? So Judah is going to be held to a higher standard than the neighboring nations, and so are we. Next, Amos brings judgment to the northern tribes of Israel. That starts in verse 6. Why will those listening to him now be under God’s judgment? Verse 6 says, Because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. Verse 7 says, Those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted. So part of the judgment on the tribes of Israel is they have not treated the poor very nicely. Next, A man and his father go into the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned. Israel is guilty of sexual immorality. And in verse 8, they lay themselves down besides every altar, probably insinuating idol worship. So Amos begins the laundry list against the tribes of Israel. And then to remind them of where their blessings come from, God reminds them of their history. In verse 9, he was the one that destroyed the Ammonites. In verse 10, he was the one that brought them up out of the land of Egypt. In verse 11, he’s even the one who raises up prophets to give them warnings like Amos is giving them. And then God, through Amos, gives them a glimpse of their future, starting with verse 13. Behold, I will press you down in your place as a cart full of sheaves presses down. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life. He who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life. And he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, declares the Lord. The northern tribes of Israel may have been fine listening to the judgments of God on their neighbors and even on their friends from the south, Judah. But now, God’s pending judgment is at their doorstep as well. What’s our life application from Amos chapter 2? Let’s not look outwardly at the things going on around us and hope God judges those injustices that we see in our eyes. Yes, He will do that. But what about the injustices? What about our own behavior? Are we guilty of some of the things listed here against the tribes of the northern kingdom here in Amos chapter 2? Is our behavior inconsistent with our beliefs? That’s the warning Amos is giving the tribes of Israel. It may be a warning for some of us today. Is our behavior consistent with our beliefs? Father, we pray to you. We ask you to touch our hearts. That’s why we read your word. We ask you to convict us, to grow us in maturity toward you. And so this little chapter of Amos chapter 2 might be touching our hearts. And we might be saying, yeah, we have some problems. We are not consistent in our behavior with our beliefs. But the good news is, Lord, you care and you love us. You give us warnings through the scriptures like you’re doing here today. And you give us the chance to course correct so we don’t have to face your pending judgment. So today, Lord, we ask you to examine our own hearts and see if there be any wicked way in me. And if so, we give you, Holy Spirit, the right to purge it in the name of Jesus. Renew a right spirit within us. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Across our listening audience, more and more of you are supporting AdBible by visiting our website at EzraProject.net and purchasing resources like Club 365 subscriptions, Bible reading journals, and one or more of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. We thank you so much and encourage more of you to do the same. You will find helpful and inspirational tools to enhance your personal time in God’s Word. Today I want to review the three tools we see most listeners getting. First, Club 365. This is a monthly subscription opening our vault of all Add Bible audio recordings and all printed pages of the entire Day by Day Through the Bible devotional series. By joining Club 365 for only $7 a month, you have access to both audio and written information on all 66 books of the Bible. Club 365 is a goldmine, and it is completely flexible to your personal Bible reading plan. So if you’re reading Matthew or Isaiah or Psalms or Revelation, you have access to audio or written comments, applications, and prayers on any of them at your fingertips. Get Club 365 at EzraProject.net today, like so many others have. Secondly, another hot seller are our Bible reading journals. We offer two. One is a chronological Bible reading journal that contains a daily Bible reading plan chronologically. You don’t have to buy a chronological Bible. Just get our chronological Bible reading journal. It has over 200 pages, so you can journal your way through the entire Bible. This book is our number one bestseller over the last two decades. The other journal is called the Trio Bible Reading Journal because it has three annual Bible reading plans in it. a New Testament schedule, an Old Testament schedule, but if you do them both on the same day, a complete Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the Bible in 365 days. We have a limited supply of the TRIO Bible reading journal. The cool thing about our journals is they start when you start. Day one of the schedule is the day you start, not January 1. Again, completely flexible to your Bible reading habits. Order your journal for just $9 at EzraProject.net and we ship it free. And the third product people are ordering is one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. There are only 11, but they cover all 66 books of the Bible, filled with comments about passages, applications from the passages, and prayers related to the passages. Listeners are understanding Bible passages in a whole new way, thanks to digging deeper with a day-by-day supplement to their daily devotions. You can find all 11 books on our website at EzraProject.net. They are available in print and digitally. Get one today and start understanding your Bible in a whole new way. So that’s all for today. Join me tomorrow for another chapter of AdBible. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
