They sell the innocent for silver

They sell the innocent for silver

Scripture: 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, I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem Amos 2:4-5

This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. 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. Amos 2:6-8

Observation: In the Scripture today, Amos moves on from proclaiming judgment on the heathen nations to judgment on Judah and Israel specifically. God in His justice and righteousness judges both the heathen for their sins and also the children of God themselves where they have turned away from Him. Just as God judges Israel, He too will judge those who turn away from Christ. In the book of Hebrews, there are stern warnings for those who still go on purposely sinning even after receiving Jesus- “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:26-29

Against Judah, they were judged for rejecting the law of God and not keeping them, even following after false gods. Under the new covenant, we are not under law, but under grace. However, this means living by the Holy Spirit as Galatians 5:18 says “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law”. The Holy Spirit will not force His will upon us for that is not His way. As long as we are on earth, there is temptation, and we have a choice, to do things God’s way or to do it our own sinful way. Though temptation calls, if we continue to see God’s Holy Spirit, we will receive the power to overcome all temptation. The mind is important. We must set our mind to follow the Holy Spirit. The Spirit loves God’s Word, and will lead us often to it. The result of the Spirit’s leading is love for God, and love for our neighbor, which is the very spirit of the law.

Israel were especially admonished for their cruel treatment of the poor, their deceit and their sexual immorality. From the beginning, God has always been concerned for the poor, and those who are cruel and take advantage of the poor will receive harsh judgment from God lest they repent. In our lives, we should always have a heart for the poor, and help where we can. Also, we need to be on particular guard against sexual immorality, one of the most dangerous of all sins. Just see what happened in the case of King David and Bathsheba. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

Application: Resolve to seek the Holy Spirit day by day, seeking to live by His guidance. Remember that when we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the law, and He will lead us to exhibit fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Beware of hardening our hearts and deliberately continuing in sin which is akin of trampling the Son of God under our feet. Remember that God is particularly concerned about the poor, so we too should feel likewise, and do what we can to help the poorer in society where we can. Be very careful of sexual immorality, the sin committed against one’s own body.

Prayer: Precious Holy Spirit, lead me to follow God’s ways day by day. Lead me O Lord in the way everlasting. Forgive me O Lord, for the times, I deliberately sinned because of my own selfishness or impatience. Help me grow more and more like You, Lord Jesus. Give me a heart of compassion for the poor, and help me always flee from sexual temptation. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.