In what ways do you see the world
most clearly ignoring what God says?
What about Redeemer OPC?
Can we ever ignore what God says?
Quick Review of Week 4 ….
Last 150 years
before Jonah
ISRAEL
• Larger, wealthier
• Mixed population
(ethnically and
therefore religiously)
• More exposed to
outside forces
• Spiritual/political
instability
• Enjoyed advantages of
trade and commerce
from coastal route
JUDAH
• Smaller, poorer
• More homogenous
population
• Isolated from outside
forces
• Stable dynastic
tradition (Davidic line)
• Held Jerusalem and
the temple complex
Characteristics
of the Divided
Kingdoms of
Israel and Judah
The Sins of Jeroboam
• New Places of Worship
• New Forms of Worship
• New Priesthood
• New Holy Day
• Subjugated Church to the State
Ancient Near East
“Dark Ages” End:
The Rise of NeoAssyria
Ancient Assyrians
• From the end of 10th century BC to the 7th century BC, the
Ancient Near East was dominated by the dynamic military
power of Assyria
• The first ancient civilization that rightly deserved to be called
an "empire"
– At its height, Assyria laid claim to an empire that stretched from
Egypt in the west
– To the borders of Iran in the east
– Encompassed for the first time in history, within the realm of a single
imperial domain, the whole of the “Fertile Crescent”
Maximum Extent of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (627 BC)
Neo-Assyria
• Assur, the city by which Assyria eventually became known, was
famous for the worship of its chief god, "Ashur," who was
derived from the Sumerian pantheon
• This kingdom was initially established on the cities of Nineveh,
Ashur and Arbil
• This heartland of the plains contained rich agricultural wealth,
but had no natural boundaries to provide defensible frontiers
• Thus, the productive grainlands of Assyria offered open and
desirable access and rich plunder to any predatory nomads,
mountain peoples or power who, fielding a superior military
organization, could impose its own will on the land of Ashur
• The only salvation in the face of such vulnerability
lay in the conscious development and maintenance
of an effective military that would prosecute
vigorous and, when necessary, ruthless offensive
campaigns against those enemies who threatened
the security of the Assyrian state
Need for an Army
• Nevertheless, the quest for security and economic advantage are not
enough to explain Assyrian militarism
• In addition, there arose an ideological dimension to such expansionism
in the conviction of the Assyrian kings that the god Ashur had laid upon
them the task of unifying the world under his command
“Ashur, father of the gods, empowered me to depopulate and repopulate,
to make broad the boundary of the land of Assyria.”
• Such words also draw our attention to the central role of the king in the
evolution of Assyria's power
• As the embodiment of the state, the monarch was the arbiter of all matters
to do with Assyria
• The king was at once the appointed agent of the god Ashur
• He was the commander in chief of the army, and
• He alone determined domestic and foreign policy
• Assyria's rise to empire in the Neo-Assyrian period is inextricably bound up
with the dynamic and qualitative leadership of its kings
• The corollary of this was, however, that ineffectual kings led to periods of
dynastic weakness when Assyrian power underwent a temporary eclipse
on the international scene
Assyria
• Adad-nirari II (911 – 891)
• Begins Assyrian recovery after dark ages
• Inspired his people to battle their way out
from under their oppressive neighbors
• Pushes control south into Babylon
Judah
• Rehoboam (930-913)
• Jerusalem sacked – 925
• Abijam (913 – 911)
• Asa (911 – 870)
• Good King
• Many faithful migrate to
Judah
• 901 – Defeated Ethiopia
Israel
• Jeroboam (930-909)
• Led people of Israel away
from worship of true God
• Established two golden calf
worship venues
• Bethel in South
• Dan in North
• Sets bad precedence in
Israel
Assyria
• Tikulti-Ninurta II (891 – 884)
• Consolidated gains of his father
• Rebuilt walls of Assur
• Maintained influence over Babylon
Judah
• Asa continues to reign (911 –
870)
Israel
• Nadab (909 – 908)
• Was an evildoer
• Baasha (909 – 886)
• Was a murderer
• Elah (886 – 885)
• Was a drunkard
• Zimri (885)
• Murdered Elah
• Omri (885 – 874)
• Forced Zimri’s suicide
• Worst king yet
Assyria
• Ashur-nasir-pal II (884 – 859)
•
•
•
•
•
Renowned for brutality
Great empire builder
Treated Babylon with respect
Expanded to Syria
Peace with Phoenicians
Judah
Israel
• Asa (911 – 870)
• Omri (885-874)
• Jehoshaphat (870 – 848)
• Ahab (874 – 853)
• Generally good king
• But – allied with Ahab
• Went into battle with Syria
• Set new standard for evil among
northern kings
• 861: Elijah announces a famine
• 857: Defeats prophets of Baal
Annoints Jehu, Hazael, Elisha
• 856: Ahab takes Naboth’s vineyard
Brutal Force
• Assyria also distinguished itself as the most ghastly,
bloodthirsty, and brutal empire of the ancient world
• Fearful descriptions of Assyrian aggression not only fill
pages of the Old Testament, but are proudly proclaimed
in the annals of the great nation itself
•
•
•
•
•
Flaying
Impaled on stakes
Headhunting
Dismemberment
Burning up children
Assyria
• Shalmaneser III (858 – 824)
•
•
•
•
31 Campaigns in 35 years of rule
Continues policies of respect toward Babylon
853: Attacks into Syria against Ben-Hadad II
841: Hazael assassinated Ben-Hadad II
Shalmeneser Locked Hazael in Damascus
Jehu paid tribute (Black Obelisk)
• 830-824: Civil war back in Assyria
Judah
Israel
• Jehoshaphat (870 – 848)
• Ahab & Jezebel (874 – 853)
• Jehoram (848 – 841)
• Ahaziah (853 – 852)
• Married to Atheliah – daughter of
Jezebel
• Puts to death all his brothers
• Attacked by Edom, Philistines, Arabs
• 845: Prophecies of Obadiah and Joel
• Died of horrific disease (2 Chr 21)
• Ahaziah (841)
• Injured in fall through lattice
• 852: Elijah taken up to heaven in whirlwind
• Elisha follows as second great prophet
• Joram (852 – 841)
•
•
•
•
Joined Hazael and Ahaziah vs. Shalmeneser
Returns to Jezreel wounded in battle
Visited by Ahaziah
Killed in a coup by Jehu
Assyria
• Shalmaneser III (858 – 824)
Judah
• Atheliah (841 – 835)
• Mother of Ahaziah; daughter of Jezebel
• Killed all the sons of Ahaziah except Joash
• Killed in coup in 835
• Joash (835 – 796)
•
•
•
•
Took throne at 8 yrs old
Good king until the death of Jehoida
Bribes Hazaeel to prevent attack by Syria
Assassinated in 796
Israel
• Jehu (841-814)
• Killed Jezebel & 70 sons of Ahab
• Paid tribute to Shalmeneser (Black Obelisk)
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
•Glorifies military achievements of Shalmaneser III (reigned
858-824 BC)
•Lists his military campaigns of 31 yrs and tribute he exacted
from their neighbors: including camels, monkeys, an
elephant and a rhinoceros
•The second panel from the top includes the earliest
surviving picture of an Israelite: Jehu, king of Israel, brought
his tribute in around 841 BC
•Ahab, son of Omri, king of Israel, had lost his life in battle a
few years previously, fighting against the king of Damascus
at Ramoth-Gilead (I Kings 22: 29-36)
•His second son (Joram) was succeeded by Jehu, a usurper,
who broke the alliances with Phoenicia and Judah, and
submitted to Assyria
•The caption above the scene, written in Assyrian cuneiform,
can be translated:
“The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I received from him silver,
gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom,
golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king [and]
spears.”
Black Obelisk – Jehu panel
• King Jehu of Israel is the
guy on his hands and
knees with Shalmaneser to
the left standing up
• Israel had been gradually
distancing itself from a
posture of obedience to
God
• It wanted to get free from
the constraints of the God
of Israel
• It found YHWH to be too
demanding and wanted to
experience a certain
degree of liberty
• Whenever we start playing that game, we are going to find ourselves in a whole
new kind of slavery
• Here is a king who is supposed to be the king of the people of God
• He was supposed to be the one who is actually carrying the very sanction of
God, and he is bowing in a kind of abject, groveling posture before a pagan ruler
and his false god
… Now Week 5
35-Year Power Vacuum
• Following his success in Syria and Palestine during the campaign
of 841 B.C., Shalmaneser III turned his attention to areas in the
northwest and to the north and east of Assyria
• During the final six years of his reign, he faced revolt in Assyria
itself, and consequently was unable to conduct foreign
campaigns; this "neglect" led to predictable conduct among his
vassal states and their kings
• As long as Shalmaneser III, their suzerain, marched through
the land on annual or somewhat frequent campaigns to
collect tribute, his subjects usually remained "loyal" under
the threat of force
• However, when the great king's army was occupied
elsewhere for any extended time, the vassal states in the
neglected area rebelled
• In such a vacuum, the strongest local kingdom (Syria led by
Hazael, followed by his son Ben-Hadad) dominated the
immediate area and exercised power over its neighbors,
especially Israel and Judah
Assyria
• Shamshi-adad V (824-811)
• Had to settle civil war in Assyria
• More rebellions elsewhere are answered with
brutal and horrific punishment
Judah
• Joash (835 – 796)
Israel
• Jehu (841 – 814)
• Jehoahaz (814 – 789)
• Son of Jehu
• Constant wars with Hazael
and Ben-Hadad III
Assyria
• Adad-nirari III (811 - 783)
• Imposed tribute on Aram-Damascus (Syria), Phoenicians,
Philistines, Israelites, Edomites, and others
Israel, Syria & Assyria
(2 Kings 13:3-7)
3”And
the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel,
and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of
Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.
4Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD
listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the
king of Syria oppressed them. 5(Therefore the LORD gave
Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the
Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as
formerly. 6Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of
the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but
walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.)
7For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty
horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the
king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust
at threshing.”
Israel, Syria & Assyria
(2 Kings 13:3-7)
3”And
the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel,
and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of
Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.
4Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD
listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the
king of Syria oppressed them. 5(Therefore the LORD gave
Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the
Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as
formerly. 6Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of
the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but
walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.)
7For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty
horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the
king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust
at threshing.”
Assyria Heads West, Again
• Following both internal and external revolts against Shalmaneser III late in
his reign, Assyria remained in a state of weakness through much of the
rulership of his son and successor Shamshi-Adad V (824-811 B.C.)
• Not until the reign of Adad-Nirari III (811-782 B.C.) did the Assyrian power
really revive and take the road to conquest again
• In 806 BC he takes his army into Syria for the first time in three decades
• Adad-nirari attacked and defeated Syria, taking extensive tribute from
Ben-hadad
• Assyria’s western expeditions continued until 802. The entire west
became tributary to Assyria.
• Adad-nirari’s campaign in the west relieved Syrian pressure on Israel,
making him Israel’s “savior” during the last days of Johoahaz (2 Kings 13:5)
• This verse illustrates that God also used one foreign power (Assyria) to
deliver His people from the hand of a more immediate oppressor (Syria)
• In a stelae found in Nineveh, Adad-nirari says: "I received the tribute of
Jehoash the Samarian, of the Tyrian [ruler] and of the Sidonian [ruler].“
• After the death of Adad-Nirari in 803, Israel under Johoash, son of
Jehoahaz, was able to inflict defeat on Syria
Assyria
• Adad-nirari III (811 - 783)
• Imposed tribute on Aram-Damascus (Syria), Phoenicians,
Philistines, Israelites, Edomites, and others
• Probably the “savior” of 2 Kings 13:5 who allowed Israel
to escape domination by Aram-Damascus
• Army rebelled against monarch – deposed him
Judah
Israel
• Joash (835 – 796)
• Jehoahaz (814 – 789)
• Amaziah (796 – 767)
• Jehoash (789 – 782)
• Defeated the Edomites
• 785: Lost war with Jehoash
• Continued struggle with Syria
• Paid tribute to Adad-nirari III
• Elisha dies during his rule
• Jeroboam II (782 – 753)
• Greatest king of Israel’s 200 year
history
• Time of prosperity and ease
Assyria Goes Home
• After the Assyrians attacked and defeated Syria,
they suddenly stopped their advance toward
Palestine and returned to Nineveh
• This abrupt retreat unwittingly set the stage for a
surge of Israelite wealth and power that had
steadily waned following Solomon's reign
• In the absence of foreign domination, Israel's
prosperity and influence began to grow
• Assyria experienced a half century of decline
when it had to contend with its own internal
affairs as well as with threats from Urartu in the
north, it greatest rival in the eighth century BC
Assyria
• Shalmaneser IV (782 - 773)
• Son of Adad-nirari III
• Remembered as weak and inept
• May reflect the preaching of Jonah (780)
Judah
• Amaziah (796 – 767)
– Also known as Uzziah in
the Old Testament
Israel
• Jeroboam II (782 – 753)
• Amos preaches against easy
life (760)
• Hosea preaches against
unfaithful Israel (755)
JONAH
The Prophecy of Jonah
(2 Kings 14:23-28)
23“In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah,
Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he
reigned forty-one years. 24And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he
made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far
as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel,
which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was
from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very
bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from
under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might,
how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
What
doesthe
theauthor
contrast
Jeroboam’s
How does
of between
2 Kings assess
Jeroboam
What do Jeroboam’s accomplishments described in verses 25
secular
achievements
as a religious
leader? and his spiritual failures
and 28 tell us about him as a secular leader of his nation?
teach
Christians
living
in the 21st
What us
kind
of king was
Jeroboam
II? century A.D.?
The Prophecy of Jonah
(2 Kings 14:23-28)
23“In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah,
Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he
reigned forty-one years. 24And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he
made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far
as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel,
which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was
from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very
bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from
under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might,
how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
Give an
example
howJeroboam
theological
leaders
our time
Why
do youof
think
II “did
not of
depart
fromhave
Whatdoctrinal
warningchanges
should we
Christians
take
from
instituted
contrary
to the
Word
of this?
God.
all the
sins” of his namesake?
Why do you think these church leaders made these changes?
Are we at Redeemer OPC tempted to do similar things? Explain.
The Prophecy of Jonah
(2 Kings 14:23-28)
23“In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah,
Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he
reigned forty-one years. 24And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he
made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far
as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel,
which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was
from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very
bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from
under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might,
how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
When we read about these kings, we often read of the prophet
What
are we
herehave
about
Jonah?
What
message
didtold
Jonah
from
God?
of God who would give God's message to the king and people.
other well-known
prophet
was from
WhyWhat
is it significant
that Jonah's
prophecy
about
Who is the prophet of God who was on the scene during the
the expansion
region of Gath-hepher?
Israel's
was fulfilled?
time of Jeroboam II?
The Prophecy of Jonah
(2 Kings 14:23-28)
23“In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah,
Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he
reigned forty-one years. 24And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he
made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far
as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel,
which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was
from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very
bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from
under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might,
how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
What
do you
theking
people
of Israel had
Whyattitude
would God
helpthink
an evil
like Jeroboam
II?
towards
Jonah?
What does
this teach us about God's willingness to
What
we than
expect
Jonahpeople?
to do if God gives him
workwould
with less
perfect
another command?
The Prophecy of Jonah
(2 Kings 14:23-28)
23“In
the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah,
Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he
reigned forty-one years. 24And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he
made Israel to sin. 25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far
as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel,
which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was
from Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very
bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.
27But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from
under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might,
how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
tendcourt
to describe
prophets
WhatOld
kindTestament
of prophetscholars
was Jonah,
or free?
either
“court prophets”
or “free
prophets.”
Whatas
kind
of pressures
would a court
prophet
to the king be
What
subject
to? do you think they mean by these terms?
How might a pastor experience similar pressures in his ministry?
Golden Age
• The word of the LORD spoken by Jonah
concerning Jeroboam's reign was being fulfilled
• At the expense of Syria, Israel was expanding as
far northeast as Damascus and as far north as
Hamath
• Judah was also expanding their territory and
profited from their relationship with Phoenicia,
which controlled trade in the Mediterranean
world
• All of these factors created a new Golden Age for
Israel and Judah
United Again
A. Amos 1:2-5
C. Amos 1:9-10
Uzziah attacked Philistia
and built towns among
Uzziah built towers
the Philistines
in Jerusalem
E. Amos 1:13-15
B. Amos 1:6-8
F. Amos 2:1-3
D. Amos 1:11-12
Uzziah attacked
Arabs in Gurbaal
Uzziah restored
Elath to Judah
•In power and prosperity, Israel and
Judah were comparable to the
kingdom of David and Solomon
•Both kingdoms had especially able
leaders in Jeroboam II and Uzziah
who both had long reigns
•Israel reclaimed territory from central
Syria to the Dead Sea and expanded
east over the Ammonites
•Judah expanded their borders south
to Elah (defeated the Arab states) and
west to Ashdod (subduing the
Philistines)
•As a result, their joint kingdoms
stretched almost as far as the
geographical limits of Solomon’s reign
•Israel and Judah were at peace with
each other & both profited from the
fact that they controlled the major
trade routes
Israel Blessed Politically and Economically
• Israel was at the peak of its prosperity and
expansion during the reign of Jeroboam II
• Its strategic location near the international trade
routes, as well as conquests and commerce,
accounted for its great affluence
• Because of the outrageous tolls Jeroboam II charged
for merchants to travel on these Israelite-controlled
trade routes, the nation's wealth and power began
to rival that of Solomon's kingdom two centuries
earlier
• The fertile region of Samaria was ideally suited for
agriculture, with the valleys producing wheat and
barley; the hills yielding grapes and olives
• An impressive citadel with strong fortifications and
public buildings crowned the capital city of Samaria
Let’s Examine the Internal
Situation in Israel under
Jeroboam II and Jonah
Internal Background of Israel:
According to Hosea
Hosea 1:2
“When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea,
‘Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom,
for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.’ ”
Hosea 4:1-2
“Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel,
for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;
there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
What does Hosea reveal about the religious and moral
conditions in the northern kingdom under Jeroboam II?
Internal Background of Israel:
According to Amos
Amos 2:6-8
“Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not
revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a
pair of sandals—those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so
that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on
garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those
who have been fined.’ ”
What sins does Amos reveal about
why God is going to punish Israel?
Amos 6:4-6
“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their
couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing
idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves
instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves
with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”
Whom does Amos warn here? What are their sins?
An expensive finely crafted ivory decoration
found in 8th century bedroom of Israel
Internal Background of Israel:
According to Amos
Amos 3:15
“I will strike the winter house along with
the summer house, and the houses of ivory
shall perish, and the great houses shall come
to an end,” declares the LORD.”
Amos 4:1
“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who
are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress
the poor, who crush the needy, who say to
your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’”
What do these verses reveal about
Israel’s society and culture?
An ivory that decorated
furniture in Israel
Internal Background of Israel:
According to Amos
Amos 5:7, 10-13
“O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down
righteousness to the earth! …
They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who
speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you
exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your
transgressions and how great are your sins—you who afflict the
righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an
evil time.”
What additional information does
Amos provide about Israel?
Israel’s Spiritual/Moral Decline
Ivory writing boards
• Israel’s economic prosperity led to:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Self-indulgence
Exploitation of the poor
Sexual immorality
Pride
Idolatry
Legal corruption
A society divided between the unrestrained rich and the embittered poor
• Ironically, this spiritual and moral descent occurred while religion
flourished
– The people faithfully attended the shrines at Bethel, Dan, Gilgal, and Beersheba
– They offered their sacrifices
– They believed that their relationship to God would protect them from
disaster
ToWhat
what parallels
extent dodoyou
youthink
see between
the church’s
spiritual
Israel during
and moral
Jeroboam’s
decline rule
is related
and to our
increase
the Christian
in wealth
church
andof
material
today?success?