Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of the book of Amos chapter one. When Amos is saying, and notice what he said in verse three. First of all, in verse three, he shows us the most terrible a sin of Damascus. What did they do? Notice that. He says in verse three, thus says the Lord, for three transgression of the Damascus and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. Now he gives us the reason because What's the reason? Because they have threshed with threshing instruments of iron. Now I didn't write this. This is the word of the Lord.

Now Damascus, again, I would like you to see that Damascus in the north of Israel, in the map, you can see Damascus in the north of Israel. And if you will know this, that on the eastern side of Dead Sea and the Jordan River, there were two and a half tribes who did not enter into the promised land, if you remember, it was half of the tribe of Manasseh, as we read in the days of old, and it was and there were two and a half tribe that didn't enter into the promised land. And to these two and a half tribes who remained there, they remained in the area that is called Gilead.

Gilead in the north and northeast of Jordan River. And look what they have done to these people in the land of Gilead. It says there in verse three that they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron. After there was a warfare and a conflict, and those people of Gilead from the two and a half tribes remained dead on the ground. Do you know what the Damascus have done? What Syria have done? Here was the Lord is saying here, they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron. They ran over the bodies of the dead individuals that remained there from the conflict and like they are threshing wheat in the gardens or in the field.

They were going with it is their machinery, you might say, and they were cutting to pieces the bodies of those who remained dead on the ground. That was an awful sin of the Damascus. In other words, it was the sin that rose up as it says here, a horrible sin that they have committed. Now there were many other sins that they have committed because it says in verse three, three transgression of Damascus and the four will not turn away the punishment of God. In other words, there were many sins that have already committed, but it's as it were, the cup was running over.

And the time has come is to discipline Damascus and the people of Syria who behave in such a way. And so what God is saying in verses four and five, it says the punishment, the judgment that going to come upon Syria is found in verses four and five. Listen, it says here, but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben Hadad. Verse five, I will break also the bar of Damascus and I will cut off the inhabitants from the plain of Aven. And him that holdeth the scepter from the house of Eden and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kiri, saith the Lord.

In other words, the Lord says, look, because of multiplication of sins at Syria, the Damascus have committed, I'm now it came to the point of you might say no return, and the time will come and I will have to judge the people of Syria. And God promised them a few things. Number one, he promised that fire will enter into the house of Hazael and devour the palaces of Ben Hadad. You know, they usually in the capital city, you have all these palaces, all those places where they have to the king of Syria live. And the time of judgment has come.

And God was going to bring this fire into Damascus, and the judgment of God will come upon them. Notice verse five, he says, I will break also the bar of Damascus, the protection of Damascus, and I will cut off the inhabitants from the plain of Aven. And him that holdeth the scepter. Who is the one who hold the scepter? That's the king. The king will the king of Syria, he eventually with his people will going to captivity unto Kiri, saith the Lord. In other words, judgment is going to come upon the city of Damascus, which is the capital city of Syria, because of what happened in their activities that they have done to the people of Gilead.

Please turn with me to second Kings chapter 10. Second Kings chapter 10 verses 32 and 33. Look where we read. Second Kings chapter 10. It says in those days the Lord began to cut Israel short. And Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel. And listen to verse 33. From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the the Gadites, this is the tribe of God, and the Reubenites, this is the tribe of Reuben, and the Manassites, it is half of the tribe of Manasseh from Aroer, which is by the river of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Now chapter 10 and verse Listen to the next verse, verse seven. Chapter 13 verses three to seven. And there you find out what really happened. In verse three, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben Hadad, the son of Hazael, all their days. Verse four, and Joahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him for he saw the oppression of Israel because the king of Syria oppressed them. And the Lord gave Israel a savior so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrian, and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before time.

Then verse six, nevertheless, listen, Israel, even though God deliver Israel from the hand of Syria, they still fail to submit to the Lord. Nevertheless, they departed not from their sin, the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but they walked therein, and there remained the grove also in Samaria. This is the terrible idols that they were worshiping in Samaria. Then verse seven, neither did he leave of the people to Joahaz, but 50 horsemen and 10 chariots and 10,000 footmen for And here is the word for the king of Syria had destroyed them and had made them Listen to this like the dust by threshing.

See what the king of Syria did because Israel did not obey the Lord. The king of Syria rose up against Israel. And if we read in Amos chapter one in verse three, he have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron. How terrible behavior it was that God said judgment is coming. And that's why in Amos chapter one verses four and five, the judgment of the Lord was upon Damascus. Fire will come, and eventually their king and their people will be taken to become captive themselves because of the manner whereby they have treated the people of Israel.

So we are speaking if we look at the map again, we are speaking about Damascus, which is north of Israel and specifically in the area of Gilead, which is on the eastern side of Jordan River. That's where the two and a half tribes of Israel remain who did not enter enter into the land when Joshua brought the people of Israel into the promised land. So he began with Damascus. But now, beloved brothers and sisters, he's going down from Damascus in the north, and he's speaking about Gaza, which is in Hebrew Gaza, which is part that belong to the tribe of Judah, which is in the south west border of Israel.

And up till today, there is still problem between Israel and Gaza. Just yesterday, a rocket was shot from Gaza into the southern part of Israel, and the Israel Iron Dome have blocked that rocket. But many people live there, and for months and months and years and years, they are under the danger of the a being a a every time killed by all those rockets and things like that that happened today. But we are going back now over 2,700 years, beloved brothers and sisters. And we are going now Notice this in Amos chapter one verses six to eight.

Here we learn of the judgment that going to come upon Gaza, which is the one of the cities of the Philistine. And so we read notice in verse six. Amos chapter one and verse six, thus says the Lord, for three transgression of Gaza and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. And then he gives us the reason in verse six B because Why? Because they carried away captive their whole captivity to deliver them up to a dome. What happened in those days when Amos was speaking to the northern kingdom of Israel? In those days, the people of Gaza, of Gaza, here on the southwest part of the land of Israel by the Mediterranean, what did they do?

According to verse six of Amos chapter one, they carried away captive This is Jewish captive. And they carried them as slaves, and they delivered them to those people that are called Edom right here, next door, the neighbors on their south. In other words, already in those days, the people of the Philistines were one of the greatest enemies of the people of Israel throughout Israel history. If you remember, it was Shimshon, Samson, who instead of marrying within the nation of Israel, what did he do? He went and he took a two wife a a Philistine woman.

And then he ended up, if you remember, having Delilah Delilah to be his wife. And you remember how Delilah betrayed him, and ultimately she said to him, the Philistines is upon you. And he she cut the hair of his head. He was a Nazarite. And as a Nazarite, his strength was in his devotion to the Lord. And by violating the word of God and allowing the Philistines to have influence upon him, Shimshon, Samson, who was a a man that supposed to bring sunlight to the nation of Israel ended up to be defeated. And the Philistine cut his eyes, if you remember, made him to to walk in circles and led by a young boy.

And eventually Samson received one final strength from the Lord and destroyed the whole building, as we read here in the book of Judges. But the Philistines and Israel had conflict continuously. But one of the highest crimes of the Philistines was that they carried away the people of Israel, the people of Judah, and of the northern as well, captive. And they deliver them up to a dome to become slaves there. And so God is saying this and he's reminding of the fault of Philistines. So now here is the judgment that will fall upon city of Gaza, but not only Gaza, the other cities in that belong to the Philistines.

Notice and I'm reading now verses seven and eight. And there we have the judgment of the Lord upon Gaza. Fire will come upon Gaza's wall and the perishing of the Philistines, as we read in those two verses. I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, God is saying. We shall devour the palaces thereof. And I will cut off the inhabitants from and him that holdeth the scepter from And I will turn mine hand against and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God. Now you notice that he's mentioning here four towns, Gaza, and but he's missing one city of the Philistine called Gath.

And apparently already Gath was taken over earlier, already was destroyed earlier in the earlier days. But here is the punishment of Gaza, of Gaza because of what they have done. They have sold the people of Israel to be slaves to the land of Edom. So again, beloved brothers and sisters, look once again, we have Damascus is the first one on the northeast of the land of Israel. Gaza is on the southwest, and these are nation that surrounded Israel in the days when Amos was speaking, as it is indeed today, in the days in which we live in today.

So let's move along because thirdly, in verses nine and 10, there's a judgment that going to come against Tyre. Tyre is today in Hebrew we call it and this is present day Lebanon today. And today, thank God, there are many Christians in Lebanon. And I remember years ago we used to have in Israel we used to have a a gate when many of the Lebanese Christians came into Israel to get help from the people of Israel. The military, the Israeli army opened the door for many of the believers to from there to come in and be protected from the problem that they have had.

And I am speaking about now years ago in the '70s and in '80s. But when we are looking back now over 2700 years ago, the conflict between Tyre and Israel was there, but Tyre was somewhat different because Tyre Tyre in Hebrew used to have an agreement with King David and an agreement with King Solomon, his son. So to them, notice what it says here, in the next verses, Amos one verse nine, here is the sin of Tyre. What is the sin of Tyre verse nine? Thus says the Lord, for three transgression of Tyre and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof.

Now notice the word because. Why? Because they delivered up the whole captivity to a dome. In other words, they identified somewhat with what the Philistines have done in Gaza by turning the captivity to a dome, the Jewish people to become slaves. But look at the next thing that he was was said is because it said it said and they remember not the brotherly covenant. Now you see, brothers and sisters, please turn with me for a moment to the book of second Samuel, just for a second. Second a Samuel chapter five. In second Samuel chapter five, the king of Israel David could not build the temple for for the God of Israel because he was a bloody man.

But look what David did. David in second Samuel chapter five had an agreement with the king of Tyre, with the present day Lebanon, you might say. It says here in a verse nine, second Samuel chapter five and verse nine, David dwelt in a fort and called it the city of David. And David build round about from Miloh and inward. And David went on, and he grew great, and the Lord of host was with him. And look at this verse 11. In Hiram, the king of Tyre sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters and masons, and they build David a house.

King Tyre and the king of Israel had a great relationship, and there was an arrangement between them. And King Tyre was sending to David cedars in order to build his house. Now turn to the book of first Kings also for a moment. Chapter five, first Kings chapter five. Not only that David had a good relationship with a Hiram, the king of Tyre, but King Shlomo Solomon and King Hiram had an agreement, had a a covenant between themselves. As it says here, and I'm reading now first Kings chapter five and verse 12. In fact, I'll read verse 10.

And Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 measures of wheat for food to the household, to his household. And 20 measures of pure oil and thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. Shlomo, the king of Israel, was providing for Tyre a for the king of Tyre all sort of things such as a as we read here a certain measures of oil and and so on and food for his household. And look what it says in verse 12. And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him.

And there was peace between Hiram and Shlomo. And they two made a league, a covenant together. But you see what happened. That's amazing. They broke that covenant. And that's why the Lord is mentioning this through Amos in this a first chapter in verse a verse nine he says, here is the sin of Tyre. What Tyre have done according to verse nine, they deliver up the whole captivity to a dome and remembered not the brotherly covenant. Now, brothers and sisters, listen listen, it was such a wonderful relationship between the two kings, Shlomo and Hiram, David and Hiram.

But when they broke the covenant and they have ended up identify with the people of Gaza here in the in the southwest and the delivering the people of Israel to become slaves, they broke the relationship that they have had. And notice the consequence of this sin. It does say in verse 10, the judgment of the Lord will be upon Tyre. And the judgment be very similar. There will be fire that going to come. And I'm reading again verse 10, but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre which shall devour the palaces thereof.

Apparently because of the fact that there was this brotherly relationship between Israel and Tyre, you don't read so much a you might say a strong judgment that I mention elsewhere. But yet you do see in verse 10 that God will send fire. He will divide the palaces. And again, the palaces is where the king was sitting, and the judgment of the Lord would fall upon the king of Tyre. Number four, the next nations are no longer a distant nation that had no blood relationship like Damascus, like Gaza, and like Tyre. Those three nation have no blood link with the people of Israel.

But now you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, as the judgment of coming is now he's going to deal with another three nations on the eastern and southern side of Israel, nation that had actually relate you might say blood relationship with Israel. You know, most of the problem that is going on today in the Middle East a problem that existed between cousins, between family members. In fact, in the body of Christ, in the body of Messiah, most of the problems exist among believers is between believers who are both born again, both belong to the Lord, but for some reason, one reason or another, they fight each other and have constant conflict and dividing themselves instead of enjoying love relationship, enjoying the things of the Lord.

And here we can see that even family ties is not avail unless you are treating one another in a godly way, guided by the Holy Spirit of God. And so we read in verses 11 and 12. And there he's speaking about the people of Edom. And so we read about the sin of Edom. Listen to that in verse 11. Thus says the Lord, for three transgressions of Edom and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. Why? Verse 11 be because. Because he did pursue his brother with the sword. And it cast off all pity and his anger did tear continuously.

And he kept his wrath forever. But I will send a fire upon Teman which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. But the reason that God is accusing now the land or the people of Edom, he called them notice it because he pursue his brother with a sword. You remember when Jacob and Esau were born. They were born they were twins. When Rivka came to the Lord and asked her, what's going on? It seems to be the days a something going on in my stomach. And the Lord had to tell her, there are two nations in your stomach, in your belly.

One is stronger than the other, but the elder shall serve the younger. And you remember she gave birth to Jacob and to Esau. Esau was born first, and Jacob held the heel of Esau. His name was called Jacob because he was a heel holder. And the meaning of Jacob also is supplanter, which is showed the the nature of all humanity. But what happened since the time that Jacob and Esau were born, there was constantly conflict between the two brothers. And if you remember, one time Esau was hungry, and he sold his birthright to his brother Jacob Jacob for a little bit of food.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0. Or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. And Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

God bless you. Shalom. Shalom.