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 Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: This study of the book of Amos chapter 5 as if righteousness has no value. That's what he is accusing the nation of Israel in these verses. Seek ye the Lord and you will live. Don't seek but because these cities will become not then seek the Lord he's saying and you shall live but I want you to see Israel he's saying to them really what happened you turn justice into bitterness, you turn righteousness and you dump it to the earth as if it is not valuable. And you see brothers and sisters this is also shows us why God was so pleased with Yeshua the Messiah because he was a man that was just a man that was righteous a man that lived his life in this world to please God the Father to the fullest.

And anything that is done in a small measure to learn from him is honoring the Lord but unfortunately in the days when Amos was giving his message to Israel sadly justice was become like like bitterness and righteousness was cast into the earth like dirt as it has no value before God. But now notice brothers and sisters in the next verses in verses 8 to 9 the Lord called Israel to himself. He says really you really need to come to me because I know everything. And I'm the creator of all things. I'm the sovereign God. You need me Israel just turn to me and you will see what a blessing you're going to enjoy.

Notice in verses 8 to 9. Amos 5 verse 8 to 9 seek him or seek the one that notice it mention a list of the things that the Lord is doing. Seek him seek Jehovah number one because he makes us the seven stars. The Hebrew word for seven stars is In other words in the English elsewhere it's mentioned a Pleiades. It's mentioned in Job 9 verse 9. These are the the seven stars that give direction that men in past history used those seven stars. I have no idea about this but it's amazing to those who understand the manner whereby the stars are positioned.

God is the one who created the stars and he positioned them exactly where they belong to be there. Notice it says here seek ye the one him that makes us the seven star and Orion. And then he says he turneth the shadow of death into the morning. In other words he can turn sadness into joy. You remember what we read in scripture the joy of the Lord is your strength. He can turn everything into joy if we turn to him. Thirdly notice it says here he says the shadow of death into morning and then he said the third thing and he makes us the day dark with night.

And then notice that he in verse 8 at the middle he calleth for the waters of the sea and he pour them out upon the face of the earth. He's the one who give us the rain to enjoy. And especially in the land of Israel when Israel depended so much about upon the rain that come down from heaven when there was a famine in the land of Israel that mean that God disciplined his people and he didn't allow the rain to be poured upon the earth. And then he continue and he said at the end he said the Lord is his name.

Jehovah is his name. And verse 9 he continue that he's strengthen is the spoiled against the strong so that the spoil shall come against their fortress. In other words the weak one he can strengthen so he will be able to defeat the strong. That's the one that you need to turn to. You remember when Saul Paul had his thorn in his life in his body and he besought Yeshua the Messiah three time. He says I besought him three time to take away this thorn in the flesh. And you remember what the Lord Yeshua the Messiah said to him Paul he said my grace is sufficient for you.

And then Paul understood he said when I'm weak then I'm strong. You know spiritual strengths come when we recognize our weakness and we recognize that we are failing people. We need God's grace in our life. This is what God can do in the life of his own people. He can can strengthen us the one that he's spoiled and weak and he can allow him to go against the strong and to come even against a fortress and to defeat it when he turned to the Lord. What an amazing truth to learn. God is saying to Israel seek this one.

Don't seek a Don't seek Don't seek idolatry. Seek the true and living God and you will see what a blessing you will enjoy. Well will Israel will respond to the call of the Lord. Notice it says here in verses 10 to verse 13 the Lord points to Israel's wrongdoing. He pointed that which they have done wrong and you notice the list here that we have in this is verses 10, 11, 12 and 13. Look what they have practiced and that's made it necessary for God to punish the nation and to send them eventually into captivity.

Notice verse 10 first of all. They hated and abhorred the one who rebuked them and said to them you're wrong. Notice verse 10. They hate him that rebuke in the gate and they abhor him that speakers uprightly. In other words if there would be someone there by the gate maybe one of the leaders or one of the people who passed by the gate in the in Samaria in Shomron and he's telling hey listen that is wrong. That is not the way that you should behave. Turn back to the Lord but you know what they do they hate him.

And they abhor the one that is speaking upright. When one is speaking the right they don't like to hear it. Isn't it true brothers and sisters when we persist to carry on in our own wrong way and we are not humbling ourselves before the Lord and we are not repenting before the Lord and in ego and pride we continue in our own way and somebody going to come to us a brother or sister says hey brother Gideon that's not right. And if we are not broken before the Lord then we are not humble before the Lord and say no I'm going to do my thing.

I hate this this person who come and tell me something that I don't like to hear. This is us. This is the nature of those who rebel against the Lord and continue on in their own way. They don't like to hear someone telling them you need to change your ways. You need to behave better. You should have not continue in that path. God is dishonored and you are not going to be able to be used by the Lord if you're going to continue in your own way but we don't like it. They did not like it.

They hate the one and they rebuke the other. They simply did not want to submit to it. Look at verse 11. Not only that but they also Israel treated the poor wrong so that they become if you know they were not just with them. Notice as we read here in verse 11 it says for as much therefore as you're treading upon the poor or trample in the pool and then it said and you take from him burdens of wheat. This is taxes from them. Ye have built houses and hewn of hewn stone but ye shall not dwell in them.

Ye have planted pleasant vineyard but ye shall not drink wine of them. In other words Israel you didn't behave in a right way to the poor and to the needy. What did you do? You stepped upon them. You took from them taxes. You really treated them well in order to build for yourself things that you wanted for yourself but I can assure you God is saying in this verse 11 ye have built houses of hewn stone but ye shall not dwell in them. Why? Because the Assyrian they're coming. And captivity is going to be coming very shortly.

And he said you planted vineyard pleasant vineyard but you are not going to enjoy them. You're not going to drink of the wine of the vineyard because of the manner of your behavior or Israel. In verse 12 Israel is really afflicted the just. And they bribed and ultimately they diverted justice among the nation. Look at the condition that we read here in verse 12. Now remember beloved brothers and sisters God says it about his very own people. He doesn't talk about the nations around. He will deal with those nation but he's speaking about his own people.

And notice what he says and I'm reading verse 12 again. He says I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. I know them all. They afflict the just number one. They take bribe number two. And they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right wave. So what really happened is that they really afflicted the people who were doing right. They also bribed others and eventually they really diverted justice. Imagine if you go to the court and the judge who knows what's right and what's wrong diverted justice and make you guilty even if you are not.

You know a few days ago I was listening to a YouTube that spoke about the babies that are being killed by abortion by the thousands. And those babies cannot speak for themselves in the womb of their mothers. They cannot stand and speak. And the person who made a reference to this reminded us of a judgment of a court case that happened about 120 years ago. It's known to Israel in Israel it's known as the court of Dryfus was a 35 years old Jewish man an officer in the French army. Wrongfully he was sentenced to life behind bars for allegedly providing French military secrets to the Germans.

Dryfus was placed in prison on Devil's Island in French Guyana where he spent nearly five years. He was declared guilty while he was innocent. They diverted justice. And this particular person who took this and he says just imagine the thousands of babies who have nobody to stand for them and to defend them because someone decide that they don't they are not considered as living beings. And every day abortions are made. And many babies that can't defend themselves die. Fortunately for Dryfus someone came and spoke for him later on. And he was declared innocent. But not for the many babies who die.

Justice are being diverted. Just heard recently that one of the governors what state it was that he said that now it can be legalized in their own area that they were a baby can be born even put on the desk and the woman can decide if she wants him to be alive or dead. Imagine beloved brothers and sisters how far men goes when God is not in the picture. So that's the condition that existed in a time when Israel did not submit to the authority of the Lord. The wrongdoing are multiplied here. It says in verse 13 the righteous in Israel kept silence in that time.

Why? Because there was no use because the time that was there nobody seemed to listen. Notice verse 13. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time. Why it says here because for it is an evil time. It says here in Hebrew it was an evil time that even the just one the people who knew it was wrong did not speak because they knew no use. Nobody going to listen anyway. That made it necessary for God to bring the Assyrian and take the nation of Israel into the land of Assyria. And so you notice we are in Amos chapter 5 and in verses 14 and 15 now the Lord again emphasizing his call to Israel to hate that which is evil and to love that which is good.

And we read here notice that in verse 14 he said seek good and not evil that ye may live and so the Lord the God of hosts shall be with you as ye have spoken. Notice verse 15 hate the evil and love the good and establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. You see in the last two verses here verses 14 and 15 in the portion that the Lord is appealing to Israel to repent. Here he's appealing to them seek that which is good and not that which is evil.

In verse a 15 he said actually hate evil and love the good. You see this is what make it so unique when God's people are truly turning to the Lord. And they change their behavior by making a decision for that which is honoring unto the Lord. You see what is in those two verses God is appealing to the conscience and the hearts of the nation and he's saying listen I want you to seek that which is good and not that which is evil because of the list that he just presented before him before them in verses 10, 11, 12 and 13.

They ought not anymore to treat the poor in a wrong way. They ought not anymore to afflict the just to to bribe the others or to divert justice. They have to change their ways. Otherwise the judgment will have to come and sure enough beloved brothers and sisters listen as we are drawing nigh to the last portion for our ministry today and notice that it says in the last verses and I want this to highlight those verses 16 and 17 because of all this. Because Israel did not react to what God have called them to do judgment was going to come and here Amos is speaking on behalf of the Lord in verses 16 and 17 God's call for repentance was actually rejected and judgment eventually will come and so notice the use of the word therefore.

Notice in verse 16 therefore. Every chapter when God is bringing a promise of judgment is therefore is because. Notice in chapter 4 and verse 12 therefore thus will I do unto thee oh Israel. And now again in chapter a 5 and verse 16 therefore the Lord the God of hosts the Lord saith thus wailing shall be in all streets. And they shall say in all the highways alas alas. And they shall call the husbandmen. This is the farmer to morning and such that are skillful of lamentation to wailing. God said therefore there will be you might say a funeral service.

There will be the Lord say wailing in all the streets. He's speaking about Samaria. He's speaking about the northern kingdom of Israel. He's speaking about Gilgal. He's speaking about Bethel. He's speaking about all that northern kingdom that the streets will eventually will experience wailing. And you notice what they're going to say alas alas and that word alas alas it come from the Hebrew In other words when they will cry out because of what is going to happen there when the Assyrian will come. Notice they're going to call to the farmers to come to mourn. The people going to come from their all the farm.

They're going to leave their farm land you might say to come to the streets and they will as it were will have this procession. And there will be morning saying in Hebrew And notice beloved brothers and sisters at the end of verse 16 even such it are skillful of lamentation to wailing. Now who are those skillful to do lamentation do you know in those days of old. They were also a you might say almost professional people who came to funeral services to lament. They were in a sense you might say they had no relationship to the family or so.

They didn't know what any but they were professional lamenting people. They were crying. They were in a sense almost you might say it was almost their business to come and to lament on behalf of a dead person. And he says they will call such that are skillful. The professional lamenters will come to wail. The Hebrew word wailing is is when you are gathering around a person who died and there will be a people who speak about that person who passed away and they will wail and they will weep and they will cry on behalf of a person that passed away.

Sad sad thing we find out that notice in verse 17 because why it's going to happen. Because now the Lord himself will pass through Israel to cause the people to wail because the judgment that will come. Notice brothers and sisters this is a direct intervention of the Lord himself. It says in verse 17 it says and in all the vineyards or in all vineyards shall be wailing for I God is saying I will pass through thee saith the Lord. I'm going to be the one who going to come through thee oh Israel and I'm going to be the one that will cause these wailing to come to pass because of the judgment that I will bring upon you.

It is sad that God had to come to this point of saying this about his beloved nation of Israel. You know this expression I will as it says here in verse 17 I will pass through thee. It remind me of what God have done when he passed through the land of Egypt. And delivered our forefathers out of bondage into liberty. We read of it in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 12 I will pass through the land of Egypt this night. And I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt both men and beasts and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.

I am Jehovah. You see when he brought our forefathers out of the land of Egypt he passed through the land and he brought about the judgment upon the Egyptians. But nowadays the reverse. He's passing through the land. It's no longer Egypt. It is the land of Canaan and the land of Israel. And he's executing the judgment no longer upon the Egyptian there. It's upon his very own people. The northern kingdom of Israel that have gone astray. And the day of judgment had to come to pass. What a sad commentary we have here about the judgment of God against his beloved nation of Israel.

So I'm going to close with this but I want to just read the very same old verse that we read every time in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 17 applicable to God's people today where Peter says for the time is come the judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us Peter is saying what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God. Verse 18 says and if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and a sinner appear. If God judge his own people what do you think going to happen to the unregenerated world who refuse to accept the person of the son of God the Messiah Yeshua Jesus himself.

God is holy. And he judge sin but he appeals to his people. Seek good not evil. Seek me and ye shall live. And we all need take heed to it and respond to it and turn to the Lord to have fellowship with him and we will be eventually blessed by the Lord. He's a good gracious loving God who love to bless his people. Can we say amen to that?

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitan. 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.