Psalm 37:1-18; Amos 9:1-10; Rev. 2:8-17; Matt. 23:13-26
This prophecy of judgment against Israel sounds like the polar opposite of Psalm 139. In the Psalm, wherever the psalmist goes he finds the Lord and finds that a comforting thing in the end because he realizes the Lord is on his side. Here, the opposite is true, there is indeed no place to hide from the Lord but it is not His love that is manifest but His judgment. The question, “Are you not like the Cushites to me?” is an awful thing to hear. The Cushites are the Egyptians and the Lord has just announced that His judgment will be like that He displayed in the plagues of Egypt. That they have become like the ones who enslaved them is more than metaphor, it is reality as Amos has shown throughout this prophetic narrative. They have enslaved the poor and they have perverted justice, they have followed after other gods and their hearts have become hardened against Him and truth. They will neither hear nor see. They do not believe any evil will come against them but they will see that their own evil is their end. In this prophecy we get a glimpse of the Lord’s thoughts on His people perverting truth and it isn’t pretty.
Jesus calls out the leaders of the people for their failures. They have become true legalists, forgetting that the law is in some ways a secondary issue. The primary issue has always been what the Lord has done for us, just as He begins in giving the Ten Commandments, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” The law flows from that relational issue. My parents gave me rules but first they gave me love and the intention of the rules was to keep me safe, they were based in love. Jesus says that the leaders have been unconcerned about that relationship and more concerned with rules. In the process, they, like the Ephesian church from yesterday’s epistle reading, have lost their way and are leading others to lose their way as well.
The letter to the church at Smyrna contains no admonition. Apparently this church was under a great deal of stress and persecution and the letter warns that it will get worse but they are encouraged to persevere. The letter to the church at Pergamum is quite different. They are commended for some things, they live in a difficult place for instance, where “satan’s throne is” and where “satan dwells.” They are, however, called to deal with certain sins they are tolerating, notably the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans. We know that Balaam was a Moabite prophet and we know the story about his donkey speaking for the Lord to him, but what was his teaching? Balaam counseled the king of Moab on how to destroy Israel, by intermarrying with their men. The Moabite wives would then lead the men astray. We do need to ensure that our children marry Christian wives, it is important for them to be the spiritual leaders of their homes and families. The teaching of the Nicolaitans is an uncertainty to us, we have little or no information on these people.
Jesus! I do now adore Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
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