See God's Mercy and Kindness and Trust in him

Text Ruth 1:19-2:23 Time 09 03 22 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

We began to look last week at the Book of Ruth. We began by giving a number of reasons why we should study it - Because it's in the Bible; it's a wonderful story; it's from the days of the judges and shows you can be godly even in dark times; it's about the conversion of a Gentile; it is obviously pro-female; it shows us something about the ancestry of Messiah - these are his people.

Last week we looked at the first 18 verses and we said three things

1. Don't be surprised when bad times come and when bad times turn worse

2. Don't be surprised if when bad times become good there is still heartache

3. Don't be surprised when God brings you good in the midst of trouble

This week we will go on to look at Naomi's return to the Promised Land after her exile in Moab and what we find from Chapter 1 verse 19 through to the end of Chapter 2. Again, there are three main things to say.

1. Refrain from making the mistake of judging your situation by appearances

We read in Chapter 1 verse 19 how the two women Naomi and Ruth went on until they came to Bethlehem. The distance would have been perhaps about 60 or 70 miles, so it was quite a journey but the writer skips over that part.

When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?" Ten years had passed and Naomi has been through a lot. No doubt her appearance had changed. This verse suggests that she and her family had been wealthy and well known in the town.

In verses 20 and 21 Naomi speaks. She says "Don't call me Naomi, ... which means "pleasant" Call me Mara, bitterness because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."

As far as Naomi is concerned she is trying to tell it like it is but in the very next verses she is contradicted. Verse 22 says So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning towards the end of April.

Naomi is describing it all wrong. Yes, she left Bethlehem years before with her husband Elimelek who has died but to say she went away full is not totally accurate as the reason she went away was because of the famine in the area. She was not full at that time.

Further, when she says that the LORD has brought her back empty, she is again not accurate. She is forgetting that Ruth her daughter-in-law at great self-sacirifice has committed herself to Naomi and come with her to Bethlehem.

This is not an isolated example of a believer making a false assessment of a situation. We can cite other examples.

• Genesis 15:1, 2 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" Eliezer did not inherit, of course, but Abram could not see it at the time.
• Or what about Jacob in Genesis 43:26 when he says "... Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" None of that proved to be true, although we understand why he could say such a thing.
• There is an outstanding example in 2 Kings 7. At the beginning of the chapter we read how despite the city being under siege Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" "You will see it with your own eyes," answered Elisha, "but you will not eat any of it!" And that is exactly how it turned out. The city was relieved and as the final verses of the chapter remind us It happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." The officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" The man of God had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!" And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.

God was more gentle with Naomi. At the end of the book her grandson is born and we read (4:14-17) The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth." Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

So when we make our interim judgements, just remember what Paul says (1 Corinthians 4:5) judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. Things we think are working against us are working for us. It is like the workings of a clock - some wheels are going this way, some that, but they are all combining to give the right time. In the same way God works all things together for the good of his people.

2. Realise that God is full of mercy and kindness towards all who come to him

As we come into Chapter 2, we learn what happens next and how God sustained Naomi and Ruth over the early months back in Bethlehem. These verses are a reminder to us that God provides for his own. He is full of mercy and kindness and even at what seem to us the most difficult and demanding times, he is there with his love and kindness, ready to deliver us from our troubles and to bless us in every way, if we will only look to him.

We can say a number of things from verses 1-17. We can say

1. Do not forget the mercy and kindness found in God's law

In verses 1 and 2 two things come out that today need to be explained a little to be understood but they are the first proofs that God is not going to abandon Naomi but has already planned long ago how he will minister goodness to her. So first

1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

So not only did Naomi have Ruth but there was a man in Bethlehem who was going to prove to be a saviour to Naomi and to Ruth too. He is simply mentioned here but his role is going to be crucial as the story unfolds. We are told that he was a relative on Naomi's husband's side and a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek. His name, Boaz, means strength and that was a little clue too in its own way.

We sometimes find the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy a little boring but they contain the laws that God intended his people to live by from their entrance into the Promised Land under Joshua through to the coming of Messiah. Among those laws were rules that meant there was a strong onus on the people to care for each other and particularly for those they were most closely related to. Elimelek had died but, as we shall see, Boaz was one of his closest living relatives and so under an obligation, according to God's law, to provide for Elimelek's remaining family.

So in his law God had already provided a way out of this mess for Naomi. Then secondly we read

2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favour." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." Now if you know the laws in the Books of Moses as Naomi did and as Ruth clearly had come to know them, this makes sense.

In Leviticus 19:9,10 God says to the people When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings the left over grain of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.

The same thing is in Deuteronomy 24:19-21 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.

Because of this provision in the law and the fact that the law was being kept by at least some, there was hope for Ruth and Naomi as poor as they were.

It reminds us how God's Word is stored with such laws for his people and when they are put into practice they are a means of mercy and kindness to those who are in need.

Isn't that what is happening with the Ukrainian refugees for the most part now? People know that law Love your neighbour as yourself and so, although not all involved are Christians, they are obeying God's law and it is proving a blessing to many.

2. Do not forget the mercy and kindness found in God's providence

We read next (3, 4) how Ruth went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. That As it turned out is said perhaps a little tongue in cheek. The only other place it comes up in the Bible is in Ecclesiastes 2:14 which speaks of the wise and the foolish and how the same fate overtakes them both. It is clearly God's providence that leads her to this very field.

In verse 4 we get to meet this man Boaz. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The LORD be with you!" "The LORD bless you!" they answered. From the start you get the impression of the sort of man this is, a man who walked with God and who was a good employer, respected and even loved.

In verses 5-7 we read that he asked the overseer of his harvesters, "Who does that young woman belong to?" The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.' She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."

Alongside God's laws there are his daily providences which also reveal his mercy and kindness. It is true that his providences are sometimes dark - the famine, the death of Elimelek and their sickly boys down in Moab - but the general trend is positive and we see it here in the field that Ruth chose. God will provide for you if you rely on him. Do not doubt it. He may not give you a Mercedes Benz but he will give you what you need.

3. Do not forget the mercy and kindness found in God's people

Most often God's mercy and kindness will come by means of human beings or at least that is what we are most likely to notice. Here it is Boaz. Boaz says to Ruth (8, 9) My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.

Boaz clearly has a concern for Ruth and a concern that goes beyond mere laws. He is determined to look after her and is willing to do all he can to make things easier for her.

It is reminder to us that we ought to be showing such kindness to others also.

4. Do not forget the mercy and kindness found in God himself

We read next how (10-12) At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, "Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me - a foreigner?" Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband - how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

This is the broader point. In coming to the Promised Land, Ruth has left her father and mother and her homeland and is now living with a people she did not know before. However, in so doing she has come to take refuge ... under the wings of the God of Israel and Boaz prays that the LORD will repay her for what she has done, that she will be richly rewarded by the LORD which is exactly what happens to Ruth.

We cannot go to the Promised Land today. There is no such place. However, we can trust in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and if we do, we too can expect to be richly rewarded.

5. Do not forget that his mercy and kindness goes above and beyond the law

In verse 13 Ruth says to Boaz May I continue to find favour in your eyes, my lord, ... You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant - though I do not have the standing of one of your servants. She speaks humbly and thankfully then. This is the spirit we ought to be cultivating in ourselves.

We read that at meal time Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. This was not required by the Law. Here Boaz is going above and beyond what the Law required.

It is the same in verses 15-17 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Let her gather among the sheaves rather than behind the harvesters and don't reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her." So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. That is about 25 kg or 54 pounds, quite a load.

We are urged always to go the extra mile and not simply follow the letter of the law. That is certainly the way the Lord deals with us. He does far more for us than we deserve. Rejoice in his grace, mercy and kindness to us all.

3. Recognise God's daily provision for his people by means of his guardian-redeemer Christ

To close we will look, thirdly and finally, at verses 18-23. Here we read how Ruth carries back to town the load she has harvested. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. Naomi asks "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!" And so Ruth explains what happened and tells Naomi that she was in the field of a man called Boaz. Naomi is excited

20 "The LORD bless him!" she says "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers."

Ruth adds (21) that he had said to her to Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.

Naomi wisely concludes that It will be good for Ruth to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else's field she might be harmed. And so that is what happens (22) So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

The key thing here then is that by Gods grace Naomi and Ruth have found a kind hearted, loving man who will look after them in their time of need. More than that, this man, Naomi knows, is one of our guardian-redeemers. He has the power and obligation to redeem Elimelek's land for Naomi and Ruth and, as we shall see, that is just what he does. Indeed, he does a whole lot more.

This points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. First, we notice his kindness and love. We realise he is a loving Saviour. But then we realise that he is more than that. He has the power to redeem us through his death on the cross on our behalf. And so we put our trust in him - or we ought to. He not only shows us kindness and saves us but he does a whole lot more for us too, as is pictured later in this Old Testament book. We will come to that we hope but for the moment think of the Saviour, the one who shows us such kindness and who alone can save us, as we trust in him.

Reasons not to be surprised and a call to commitment

Text Ruth 1:1-18 Time 02 03 22 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

I thought we might begin to look tonight at the Old Testament Book of Ruth. Ruth is a very attractive book as it is a book about ordinary people living ordinary lives but who are surrounded by God's love and care. It is not really, as so much of the Old Testament is, about kings and prophets or empires and wars. Ultimately, it links in with the stories of kings and prophets, yes, but first it is a love story told against the backdrop of tough times. No wonder God's people like it so much.

One other things about it is that it is full conversation - lots of dialogue. That adds to the interest.

If someone should say to me, why should I read the Book of Ruth? I would say

1. Because it is in the Bible. God want us to know this story. It is part of his revelation to us.

2. Because it is a wonderful story. Even just a story it is very engaging and worth knowing.

3. The book begins In the days when the judges ruled. I think it is particularly interesting as a contrast with that book, which in many ways is quite a depressing book with its cycle of forsaking the Lord, the Lord sending an enemy to chastise his people and then relief through a judge but all of these judges marked by one flaw or another. One writer calls the book "a summer's morning after a night of wild tempest" (Edersheim). The Book of Ruth reveals that even in days when everyone did was right in their eyes, there were godly people in the land such as Boaz and Ruth. We too can and must live good lives even in wicked times. There is light even in the darkness times.

4. It is always interesting in the Old Testament when we read of Gentiles who believe. Ruth, like Rahab before her, was a pagan and yet she found refuge under the wings of the God of Israel as the predominantly Gentile church does today.

5. It is a very feminine book. Naomi and Ruth are prominent in it. Modern people sometimes suppose that a patriarchal system has to be anti-women. That is not the case. This book shows it. Ruth is a heroine fo all times.

6. Because it supplies with important information about the ancestry of the Messiah. At the end of the book it is revealed that this is not just a charming story but the story of King David's great grandparents. David himself was, of course, himself an ancestor of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah.

Today we will look at the opening chapter as far as verse 18. We want to say three main things.

1. Do not be surprised when bad times come and when bad times turn worse

1. Do not be surprised when bad times come

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man's name was Elimelek, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

Verses 1 and 2 set the initial scene for us. The book was written probably in the time of David but it goes back to an earlier time, that of the Judges.

On one hand, here is a man who lives in Bethlehem - if you are a Christian, you cannot miss the fact this would be Messiah's birth place. These are Jews living in the Promised Land. His name means My God is King and hers Pleasant. They live in a place called The House of Bread.

However, there is a famine and they decide to emigrate to a nearby pagan country, to Moab. The names of their sons are ominous too (perhaps they were nicknames). Mahlon means sickness and Kilion wasting away. Perhaps it was concern for the boys that led Elimelek and Naomi to take the radical step they did at this time. They were probably a wealthy family at the start of the story. It is the wealthy not the poor who can afford to flee.

Reading of refugees from famine at this time inevitably makes us think of the refugees pouring out of Ukraine at the moment. They are refugees because of war rather than famine but they are having to cross borders, into Poland or Moldova or Slovakia or Hungary, leaving behind a great deal but finding safety.

In ancient Israel part of the covenant was that if the people were disobedient then they could expect war and famine and drought and other such things. No doubt this famine was part of such a judgement. In these New Testament times matters are not tied together so closely. Even in Old Testament times it was not that famine came because Elimelek and Naomi were personally responsible.

The thing to learn from what happened to them then is that troubles can come in different shapes and forms at any time. We must expect such things.

It was not necessarily wrong that they fled to Moab but it was a strange thing to be doing, especially if, as seems likely to be the case, they had lived through the period when the LORD gave Eglon King of Moab power over Israel to the point where the Moabites, with others, had occupied Jericho, before God raised up Ehud. Perhaps peace in Ehud's time made it easier to travel to Moab.

Ironies abound when the man whose God is the king leaves the house of bread for a pagan land. Ironies often come in when we are in trouble. Yet, trouble is never too far away, we will find.

2. Do not be surprised when bad times turn worse

It would be nice if we could say that after a while in Moab things took a turn for the better but that was not the case. We read in verses 3-5 first Now Elimelek, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. This, on the face of it, is not a good development. If it was right to flee to Moab, surely to intermarry with Moabites does not sound right, although it was not banned completely. And then further After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion the sickly one and the one wasting away also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. It may be that the ten year period is not how long the marriages lasted but how long Naomi's family were in Moab altogether.

Sometimes after a trouble, things get better but sometimes they don't - rather they get worse. There is no guarantee. We need to accept that is going to be so at times. Sometimes we feel we cannot take any more but then we find we sometimes can.

At the beginning of his book on the subject of suffering Don Carson gives examples of terrible sufferings Christians have gone through. He does it in order to counter the superficial retort that Christians do not suffer as the world does. As he says, "The truth of the matter is that all we have to do is live long enough and we will suffer."

2. Do not be surprised that when bad times become good there is still heartache

So that is the first part of the story, in verses 1-5. Next we come to the story of Naomi leaving Moab to return to the Promised Land. That is in verse 6 and the verses that follow.

We read in verses 6 and 7 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. The LORD comes to the aid of his people in various ways. Here it is by bringing the famine to an end. Naomi had kept the channels of communication with here home town open and so she knew when Bethlehem became the house of bread once again. Even though several years had passed by this time she knew where home was and she was keen to return.

In verses 8 and 9 we read how she said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud. Naomi spoke openly of the LORD and had no doubt taught her daughters in law a good deal about the true God. However, despite the bond that had evidently grown up between them, she did not expect them to go with her to Bethlehem.

However, we read how (10-13) they said to her, "We will go back with you to your people." But Naomi is insistent said, "Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me - even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons - would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has turned against me!" Someone today would not put it quite like that but what Naomi is saying is that she does not expect her daughters in law to remain with her as they need the wherewithal to live and she is in no position to help them find it.

I do not know what you make of her It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD's hand has turned against me. I suppose she is referring not to returning to Bethlehem but to the famine and then the loss of her husband and her two sons which she recognises is what the LORD has done. They have lost their husbands it is true but she has lost her husband and two sons and whereas they are young enough to remarry, she is not.

And so even when her time away comes to an end, there is still sadness - sadness over the memory of what has happened but sadness too at the need to say goodbye to these women and to the prospect of not seeing them again.

We are perhaps tempted to suppose that if the Lord is with us then everything will be rosy at all times but even in the good times there can be things that are tough to take, as here.

3. Do not be surprised when God brings you good in the midst of trouble

So up to verse 13 of Chapter 1 it is pretty much bad news - the sadness of famine and emigration, of sickness and death and then of helplessness and parting. But then in verses 14 and 15 almost out of nowhere happiness comes. 14, 15 At this at the prospect of parting they Naomi and her two daughters in law wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but an important but Ruth clung to her. "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." Naomi does not want to take advantage of Ruth's loyalty and kindness. Ruth was a Moabite and she had worshipped Chemosh - should she not go back to doing that? It would be wrong to think that Naomi condoned it but she would not take advantage of Ruth.

And then another But and in verses 16-18 and one of the most beautiful statements in Scripture

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." When Naomi realised that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

There are moments in life like this - when the Orpahs and the Ruths of this world part and from then on, everything is different. It is in part a matter of God's sovereignty but real choices are made. Are you Orpah or Ruth?

Ruth says three things that show that the commitment she was making was

1. A radical commitment. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. She is committed to Naomi. Where Naomi goes Ruth is going. She had grown up in Moab, worshipping Chemosh but all that was about to change. She had learned about the true God from Naomi and she liked what she heard and was willing to go with Naomi to learn more. Everything was about to change she knew but she knew this was the right thing to do and so she made the commitment that was necessary.

It's like that when you become a Christian. It is a radical change. It means that everything is about to change.

2. A theological commitment. Your people will be my people and your God my God. From now on Chemosh and the other gods of paganism meant nothing to her. For her, God had only one people and they were her people. For her, there was only one God and it was Naomi's God and from now on he was her God too.

Again that is what it is like when you become a Christian. It is a theological change. It means that you recognise that God has only one people - true Christians - and that there is only one God and that you serve him.

3. A lifelong commitment. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me. Here we see the depth of Ruth's commitment. This was no spur of the moment thing. She had thought it through and she was committed to Naomi and to the true God no matter what may come.

Have you made that sort of commitment? That is how it must be. Lasting. Lifelong, Forever.

Here we are thinking of Naomi and the good that came to her because of Ruth's commitment but such commitment is good in all sorts of ways - good for Naomi good for Ruth, good for the kingdom, good for all who hear her story. Pray for such commitments in the midst of the troubles that surround us.

A Final Word of Judgement and Hope

Text Amos 9 Time 06 03 22 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We come this week to the final chapter of the prophecy of Amos and, as has been the case throughout, the theme is once again judgement. Generally speaking, this is the constant theme of the prophets. They announce a word of judgement. The chapter speaks of thresholds shaking, people being killed with the sword and none escaping; God touching the earth and it melting, mourning and destruction. But then in verse 8 a note is sounded that you also do hear sometimes in the prophets - a note we have hardly had in the book so far, a note of mercy towards God's people. Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob, declares the LORD. And the closing verses of the book give hope to God's people, a hope that does not disappoint.

So here is more on judgement but also a great word of hope.

1. Consider this vision of the Lord by the altar, calling for judgement

We have said previously that these final chapters (7-9) are characterised by a series of visions. We have had visions of locusts, of fire, of a plumbline and a basket of summer fruit. The final vision is here at the beginning of Chapter 9. Amos says (1)

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them down on the heads of all the people; those who are left I will kill with the sword. Not one will get away, none will escape.

So the scene is the Temple and the LORD is there by the altar, the altar where the sacrifices were made in the courtyard. The Temple is for his glory but God calls for it to be destroyed and tumbling down it comes. The fall of the Temple will not kill everyone but there will also be a sword for those that escape the Temple's fall. He adds Not one will get away, none will escape.

That idea is then driven home in verses 2-4, in a similar way to what we had in Chapter 5 where we have the man who runs from the bear only to be met by a lion and when he tries to hide in a house he puts out his hand and is bitten by a snake.

Here it is a little like Psalm 139 where the psalmist speaks of being unable to escape from God's presence. Here it says

• Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them.
• Though they climb up to the heavens above, from there I will bring them down.
• Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them.
• Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.
• Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them.

In conclusion "I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good."

The preacher and hymn writer Horatius Bonar once told of two men discussing their religious experience. One had attended church for many years but had not trusted in Jesus Christ for eternal life. The other man had spent many years living an immoral life and had only recently come to trust in Christ.

“So you say you have found Christ, and have peace with God?” the churchgoer asked. “I have indeed,” the other replied. “I've found him, I have peace, and I know it.” “Know it!” the churchgoer snapped. “Do you think that God would give a sinner like you peace, and not give it to me, who have been doing all I can to get it for so many years?” The new Christian answered, “You are such a respectable man that you can get on without peace and pardon, but a wretch like me cannot.”

The churchgoer’s mistake, of course, was to attempt to find peace with God by “doing” all he could. He believed his religious efforts would shield him from the consequences of sin. The people of Israel made the same mistake. Their confidence was based on the outward trappings of religion. The Lord, however, called for the destruction of the very things in which they had placed their trust. He promised to pursue them in judgment, no matter what measures they took to avoid his wrath

Be in no doubt then, there is no escape. This judgement will find you out. Amos is speaking firstly of the coming of the Assyrians and his prophecy proved to be true. Everyone was affected. But beyond that he is speaking about the final judgement, when Jesus comes again in glory and everyone who has ever lived will be judged. There will be no escape on that day. You will not be able to hide. You will have to face the LORD. Yes, you may dig down to the depths below or try and climb up to the heavens above. You may try and hide on a mountain top or think you can hide at the bottom of the sea or in another country but it will not be possible. You will be found. And you will be judged.

2. See the Lord Almighty touching earth so that it melts, all mourning and then the judgement

More is said about this in verses 5-8. First, in verses 5 and 6 we read

The Lord, the LORD Almighty - he touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn; the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt; he builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth; he calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land - the LORD is his name.

Here is perhaps another burst of praise as we have had before but it may be that Amos is thinking beyond the Assyrian invasion to the final judgement itself when the world will indeed melt and there will be mourning everywhere. The phrase the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt repeats what is also in the previous chapter. We said then that just as the Nile in Egypt would rise and sink year by year so there will be great tumult when the final judgement comes. Here we also have the phrase he builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth which could refer to the present creation but may be points to the time when God's judgement throne will be set up on earth at the end, ready for the judgement.

He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land - the LORD is his name - this is a reminder of the flood, a great judgement on this world that wiped out nearly everyone and that prefigures the final judgement by fire.

In verse 7 we step back for a moment as we are reminded that God is sovereign. He is in control of all things that happen. And so he says "Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?" declares the LORD. The Cushites lived in the north east of Africa below Egypt. There is always the temptation to think of ourselves as extra special if God has had dealings with us. The Israelites are warned here not to think like that. God is God too of the Cushites. It goes on "Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?" Yes, God did bring the Israelite up out of Egypt with a mighty hand but it is not the only movement of people that he has brought about. He also brought the Philistines from Caphtor or Cyprus to the coast so that they lived in the west of Israel. He also brought Arameans or Syrians up into Kir, in Mesopotamia.

God is in control. And so it says in verse 8 "Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth." It does not matter which kingdom it is, if it is a sinful kingdom then God will see it and know it and he will will destroy it from the face of the earth. That includes Israel. They too will be judged. We will all be judged.

And then we have these wonderful words at the end of verse 8 Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob, declares the LORD. There is still mercy and so the final verses of the book dwell on this wonderful truth.

There is such a thing as God's mercy and how we need that mercy. However, let's face the fact first that there is going to be a great judgement.

3. Know the future and the fact Israel will return from exile, never to be uprooted again

So from verse 9 to the end, to verse 15, we have these final word, mostly of encouragement and mercy. They are, understandably, very much in Old Testament terms but I am sure we can see beyond that to their fulfilment in these New Testament times.

We can divide the verses into four and say

1. Hear this promise of future sifting

We begin with words that are still about judgement but that contain a word of mercy. The image of grain being shaken in a sieve is used.

"For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'"

So there is going to be a terrible time of sifting. All the sinners among God's people will die by the sword. In Amos's day they were very sceptical of such prophecies. They confidently said 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.' However, when the day of judgement comes - the temporal Assyrian judgement and then the final judgement - they will know that they were wrong. The mercy hidden here is that some will prove to be pebbles. They will not be sifted like the grain - no none of these pebbles will reach the ground but will be preserved by the goodness and kindness of God.

Spurgeon says "The sifting process is going on still. Wherever we go, we are still being winnowed and sifted. In all countries God’s people are being tried “like as corn is sifted in a sieve.” Sometimes the devil holds the sieve and tosses us up and down at a great rate, with the earnest desire to get rid of us forever. Unbelief is not slow to agitate our hearts and minds with its restless fears. The world lends a willing hand at the same process and shakes us to the right and to the left with great vigor. Worst of all, the church, so largely apostate as it is, comes in to give a more furious force to the sifting process.

Well, well! let it go on. Thus is the chaff severed from the wheat. Thus is the wheat delivered from dust and chaff. And how great is the mercy which comes to us in the text, “yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” All shall be preserved that is good, true, gracious. Not one of the least of believers shall be lost; neither shall any believer lose anything worth calling a loss. We shall be so kept in the sifting that it shall be a real gain to us through Christ Jesus."

We have to be sifted. We all suffer. We all have to face death and the judgement. But fear not - not a pebble will reach the ground. God will keep all those who trust in Christ safe forever.

2. Hear this promise of future restoration, repair and rebuilding

Then in verses 11 and 12 we have this "In that day "I will restore David's fallen shelter - I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins - and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name," declares the LORD, who will do these things.

So here we look beyond the invasion and to a return from exile. It is pictured as the restoring of David's fallen tent. Jerusalem's broken walls will be rebuilt and its ruins will be restored. God will rebuild it as it was before and beyond that, they will again be a force to be reckoned with and they will possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name. All the nations belong to God and they will all come under the rule of David in due time.

When Amos wrote, the Davidic dynasty was struggling and Israel would soon come to an end as a nation but he sees a restoration. He is looking forward to the time when Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and when, through him, the nations would hear the good news of salvation and be saved. These are the days in which we now live. How thankful we should be. How we should be praying that more and more may come under Messiah's rule.

These verses are quoted by James the Lord's brother in Acts 15. He sees them as a sure promise of the gathering in of the Gentiles.

3. Hear this promise of an abundance of wine and other produce and return from exile

The next picture is an agricultural one. It has several element but it climaxes on a vision of wine flowing everywhere.

13, 14 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile." The promise is of a return from exile but it is more than that. Wine - emblematic of great joy - will flow.

What glorious days of joy lie ahead for the people of God. In part they are here now so rejoice!

4. Hear this promise of rebuilding and replanting and replenishment

Finally, in verses 14 and 15, we read "They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God. A glorious future pictured then in this world terms - ruined cities rebuilt and re-occupied, vineyard planted and the wine they produce drunk and gardens producing other fruits that are then enjoyed. God is going to plant Israel and it will not be uprooted again - not some Zionist declaration that Jews will have a home land in the middle east but a guarantee that God's kingdom will never come to an end but advance without being destroyed.

That is indeed what we see today and what we must pray for more and more.

So that is the note we end on. Yes, a great day of judgement is coming but before that there are many who are going to be saved by the grace of God. Great blessings flow from his hands and thought ought to encourage us all to trust in him.

Ripe for Judgement and a Famine of the Word

Text Amos 8 Time 27 02 22 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We are now in the final section of Amos, in Chapters 7-9. The earlier part of the book contains prophecies against the nations (Chapters 1 and 2) and prophecies more directly to the Israelites (Chapters 3-6). From Chapter 7 on we have a series of visions. Last week we looked at Chapter 7 and the three visions there - the locusts, the fire and the plumbline - and the historical section where we learn of some personal interaction between Amos and his persecutors. As we said then, the prophets sometimes speak of seeing visions rather than simply speaking messages from God. Amos's book begins (1:1) The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa - the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Isaiah and Obadiah begin in a similar way. There is just one vision in Chapter 8. We want to say four things tonight then from the chapter.

1. Consider the basket of fruit Amos sees and its meaning and ask when you will be judged

The fourth vision comes in the first three verses of Chapter 8. This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. "What do you see, Amos?" he asked. "A basket of ripe fruit," I answered. Then the LORD said to me, "The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. "In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD, "the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies - flung everywhere! Silence!"

So a very simple point. Amos is shown a basket of fruit, the fruit is said to be summer fruit or ripe fruit. The LORD uses the picture to show that the time is ripe for judgement for Israel. Now the NIV has made things appear slightly different to what is actually said. It is actually a play on words - summer fruit involves a word very like the word for end. It is more like showing the prophet a basket of the fruit tamarind and then saying the timeo'therend is here. The niv still makes the right point that the basket of fruit speaks of the fact that The time is ripe for God's people Israel; I will spare them no longer he says. Although the exact time is not stated, they now know it is not far off.

He the Sovereign LORD adds that "In that day ... the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies - flung everywhere! Silence!" The worship in their temples will come to an end. There will be silence. For the singers will not be singing but wailing in light of the Assyrian attacks.

2. Observe the sins of Israel and ask whether you are also guilty of such things

In verses 4-6 we go down to the market place and we get another glimpse into the sins that were common in that time. A number of sins are highlighted.

Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?" skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

There was a general lack of concern for the needy and the poor. They were the downtrodden of their day and rather than doing away with the poor of the land by making them rich they were seeking to grind them into the dirt so that they cold no longer live.

The people claimed to be religious but see how Amos pictures them When will the New Moon festival be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat? They were more interested in business and making money than they were in religion.

Then there were the sharp practices such as skimping on the measure, so that on each sale the buyer would lose a little, boosting the price above what the sale was really worth and cheating with dishonest scales, so that again a little extra money was made on each transaction.

Finally, he speaks about buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, people being forced to sell themselves into slavery at a pittance and selling even the sweepings with the wheat to once again make a little profit.

It would be good to think that such things do not exist in our day but sadly that is not the case. Businesses use hidden charges, binding contracts, small print and late payments of bills to try and take advantage of the unwary. We know that sometimes manufacturers use deceptive statements to lure in the unwary customer. So low fat often means lots of sugar and when they describe what is in a serving the serving may well be much smaller than you would imagine. Have you heard of mechanically recovered meat? There are still ways of using it in food products.

And what about us in our business dealings? Are we honest and fair?

3. Hear this word of judgement on Israel and consider the fact that you too will be judged

The charge sheet of sins is followed by this statement in verses 7 and 8 The LORD has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. "Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt."

Here the solemn warning is again of coming judgement. It is put in terms of trembling - Israel is going to be shaken; and of mourning - there will be many deaths; and also of the Nile rising up and sinking, which it did annually - there will be a tumult, a great uproar.

The sovereign LORD goes on in verses 9 and 10 with more images, "In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious festivals into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. The idea of the sun going down at noon is apocalyptic language that speaks of revolution and radical change. The great and powerful will lose their power and greatness. Mourning is again mentioned, along with weeping and the accompaniments of mourning - sackcloth and shaved heads. In a powerful image we read I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

As we have said the waning here is of the Assyrian invasion which happened in 722 BC. What lies ahead for us, we do not know but I'm sure the pandemic and this current war in Ukraine focusses the mind. Who knows what might happen? Even if we escape the worst of such things, there will be a judgement. No-one will escape the final judgement. It is fast approaching. Are you ready? We must trust in the Lord Jesus now, before it is too late.

4. Worse than hearing of judgement, worse than famine or drought - no word of the Lord

The chapter finishes not where we might expect it to but with a warning of a famine - not a famine of food or of drink either but of Gods Word. In verses 11 and 12 we read "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

What is this a reference to? As you know, from the time of the last of the Old Testament prophets to the New Testament, there was a period when God did not speak, when there was no revelation and that could be the reference. It is more likely that Amos is saying that a time will come before the end when there will be no prophesying like he is giving it to them at this time. They may not like his messages but there is something worse - no messages at all.

Verses 13 and 14 add that "In that day "the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria - who say, 'As surely as your god lives, Dan,' or, 'As surely as the god of Beersheba lives' - they will fall, never to rise again." Israel was given over to false religion. They would even go all the way down to Beersheba to get it. Amos warns that it will do them no good, especially as the day of judgement approached Then they would see how useless it is.

Our situation is such that there is not a full famine of God's Word such has been the case in the past in this country and in others - where you cannot even get hold of a copy of God's Word - as is the case in Saudi Arabia or North Korea today. However, there is little reading of the Word, little interest in it. Preaching of the Word is despised. We ought to realise what a dangerous state that is when the Word of God is scarce. Yes, nobody enjoys being reminded of their sins or of the judgement but better that then no warning at all.

In Ukraine today they are hearing wailing sirens announcing bombing raids and the need to find shelter. Not pleasant at all. However, you would rather that, surely, than no sirens, no warnings. Let's be thankful for God's Word. Let's heed its warnings.

We are ripe for judgement. Let's not deny it. Are we ready?