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. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:14-15
Remnant
They Will Rely On The LORD
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
Isaiah 10:20-23
The Eyes of the Lord GOD
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.” Amos 9:8 (KJB)
“eyes … upon the sinful kingdom — that is, I am watching all its sinful course in order to punish it (compare Amo_9:4; Psa_34:15, Psa_34:16).
not utterly destroy the house of Jacob — Though as a “kingdom” the nation is now utterly to perish, a remnant is to be spared for “Jacob,” their forefather’s sake (compare Jer_30:11); to fulfil the covenant whereby “the seed of Israel” is hereafter to be “a nation for ever” (Jer_31:36).” From the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary
“The guilty will certainly be punished. If they enter the sacred place of worship, even that will not shelter them, Amo_9:1. Flight and concealment will be in vain. Let them climb ever so high, or burrow ever so deep; let them scale the loftiest hills, or dive into the deepest seas-the consequences of their sins will overtake them, Amo_9:2-3. How can sinners hope to escape from Him whose chambers are built in the heavens and whose voice governs the tides, Amo_9:6? The great desolations of the past prove the exactness and severity of His judgments, Amo_9:7-8. How remarkably Amo_9:9 has been fulfilled? Notwithstanding their scatterings, the Hebrew people have been preserved as a race.
The final paragraph, Amo_9:11-15, is very reassuring. It is a burst of noble anticipation, quoted by the Apostle James, Act_15:14-17. The promises made to Abraham and David are yet to be fulfilled. The derision of their foes, of whom Edom was the ringleader, will be silenced. Through the parted curtain, we descry the golden age of the future. There is a divine plan working to its conclusion, and Israel shall yet come again to the land given to their fathers.” From THROUGH THE BIBLE DAY BY DAY with F. B. Meyer for Amos 9:1-15
When the Righteous Perish
“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil.” Isaiah 57:1 (KJB)
First of all we need to understand who the righteous are. The righteous are those whom God declares righteous, and none other. In the context of Scripture these righteous are a remnant of Israel who were ashamed of the sin, debauchery, and evil in the land, and they kept themselves from it. The righteous of today are those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ death on the cross; His burial and resurrection proving the deal.
The death of the righteous is just as likely as the death of the evil. It is most likely going to happen, and none knows the day. The death of the righteous is not eternal. The death of the wicked is eternal. There is a place in Heaven prepared for the righteous. There is no place found for the evil in Heaven, so the only place for them is Hell.
When the righteous die there will be many wicked who applaud that death saying something like “Well that trouble maker is gone, and good riddance”, maybe just thinking it. The wicked always see the righteous as the cause of trouble. At any rate they do not care at their passing.
The merciful are the same as the righteous, and will be taken away from the evil that God has declared judgment upon. God knows how to deliver the righteous from the evil…
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished…” 2 Peter 2:9
Become one who is righteous before God. Call on the name of the One who died on the cross for you, was buried, and He rose again. His name is Jesus Christ the Son of God, God the Son.
The Victory of the Lord’s Witnesses
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” Revelation 11:7-14
The ministry of these two witnesses will be short. A number of 1,260 days is what they will have. Really, we who are witnesses only have a short time, but most have longer than 3.5 years.
God does not allow them to be harmed until their testimony is finished. The “Beast” (not of those mentioned in 4:6-8) arises to wreak havoc and he has hated these messengers of God. According to 13:3 the “beast” receives a deadly head wound and is healed. This undoubtedly means he is a man struck in the head, is killed, and is raised supernaturally [using means of deceit] by the devil himself – “The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit”. It is he whom, when their mission is finished, God allows to capture and kill them.
Where does this event take place? Their dead bodies are allowed to lay in the streets of this city. Here, God allows spiritualizing, because He does it, “Which spiritually is Sodom and Egypt”. What is this place? It is the city of Jerusalem, “Where…our Lord was crucified”. In verse 2 it is called the “Holy city” now in verse 8 it is called “Spiritually…Sodom and Egypt”. Sodom, a place of depravity and great immoral behavior. Egypt, a place of many gods, which are not gods at all, and the place which hated God’s people. Most of the problems for God’s people come within religion, within the visible Church. We can see that in the death of the two witnesses.
For many days the people “that dwell upon the earth” have been tormented by the prophets of God. The Word of God torments self-serving, evil, God-despising souls.
The Scripture tells us that the dead bodies of the prophets lay in the streets of Jerusalem for the whole world to see. Their depravity is shown in thinking they could be spiteful to an empty human body which lays decaying in the streets.
These are so evil in their hearts, that they rejoice and celebrate over the prophets deaths. Elijah the prophet was asked by King Ahab, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” The king accusing the prophet of the trouble. It was not the prophet who troubled Israel, but the kings vile and wicked ways. There is nothing more wicked, vile and evil than putting on the pretense of worship. Elijah answered back the king saying, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (1 Kings 18:17-18). When these people see their “troublers” are dead they celebrate, glad because the “beast” has overcome them. What they do not realize is that God had protected them for 3.5 years. The unrighteous are rejoicing today when the righteous fall, or are removed through death or tragedy.
Their celebration is, however, short-lived, for when the 3.5 days have expired the people hear a voice from Heaven. Notice the words used. “Come up hither” the same words used in 4:1. There are similarities in the rapture of the Church and this, but they differ as well. The bodies of these prophets are seen by the world being resurrected and ascending into Heaven.
Probably for the first time in some time they recognize a power even greater than the “beast” and “Great fear fell upon them”.
These people “of the earth” are enemies of the prophets. They were thus the enemies of God but look at God’s mercy. It is shown in His sending the prophets to warn them. The people who are the enemies of the prophets are the enemies of God. Jesus said, “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10:41). If you have a problem getting along with the man of God, you have a problem with God. Certainly, these people “of the earth” had a problem getting along with “God’s men”.
“The same hour” judgment fell upon God’s enemies. At the opening of the sixth seal, there is an earthquake (6:14). At the ending of the sixth trumpet, which is the “second woe” there is another earthquake. This quake destroys one-tenth part of Jerusalem, seven thousand men are slain, and the remainder of those alive are fearful. One almost surprising thing is that those who remain give “glory to the God of Heaven”. Does this mean that they believe God and trust His way of salvation? Some think so. It does not mean that it was glory God received. It probably means, that they saw His power, but not believing Him.
It is sad, even today when the glory of God is seen through His mercy, grace, His people, and in creation, and people still reject Him and His Son Jesus. So sad it is too, to see such power displayed and yet they proceed after their own ways, hardening their hearts to God and His Spirit (Hebrews 3:7-11). Maybe because they cannot see.
Remember the “woes” are mentioned in 8:13 and begin with the fifth trumpet in 9:1. The first “woe” is past in chapter 9:12 and the second begins. The pronouncement given in 8:13 is warning of the seriousness of these next three trumpet judgments. When this “second woe is past” it is like God is saying, “This was it. Your chance of repentance, of salvation, is past. There will be no more delay. No more prophets” (Amos 3:7). “The third woe cometh quickly” is certain to relay that message.
One great victory for God’s witnesses in any period of time is seeing the word of God, which was spoken, fulfilled.
The Reason for GOD’s Discipline
“Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. And they that escape of you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from Me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.” Ezekiel 6:8-10 (KJV)
God desires that people know that He is the LORD. Therefore He will do what it takes to get His people to Himself. Someone has said, “God loves us the way we are; but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.” See Hebrews 12:6-8.
-T.A.
Day 31 – The King’s Cupbearer
I only wrote a bit of Nehemiah yesterday, so since my reading this morning was the rest of Nehemiah this writing will only deal with the King’s cupbearer.
My reading today began in Nehemiah 5 and extended to Esther 5. I will deal with Esther, the Lord willing, in tomorrow’s commentary.
We are told that Nehemiah was a captive of Israel in Shushan the palace (1:1) of king Artaxerxes of Persia. Nehemiah was the king’s “cupbearer (1:11). This task was more than just simply carrying the cup of the king’s wine and drink. Nehemiah was to taste the drink, then if he did not die from drinking it; because someone might be trying to assassinate the king; then, he would know that it was safe for the king.
Nehemiah was a man who had a heart for his home and people. We see in verse 3 of chapter one that he had received word from Hanani who had returned from Judah that the remnant who had been left of the captivity were in great affliction, and it crushed his heart.
“And they said unto me, ‘The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.’ And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, ‘I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments: let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou mayest hear the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel Thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against Thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.'” Nehemiah 1:3-6 (KJV) (This prayer continues to the end of the chapter).
One day as Nehemiah is serving the king his countenance was sad (2:1-3). He receives the king’s favor, and is allowed to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. When he arrives in Jerusalem he arises in the night and surveys the walls of the city to investigate the walls condition, and the work that would be needed to restore them. When he tells the people of his plans. There is some reluctance to the plan, and some outright mockery of the plan (2:19). He tells them that “The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem”; the latter part speaking to Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, of course.
The work is started with the gates and the wall. One of the things that must be doe when rebuilding something is to get the trash out of the way (4:10).
Once the work was squared away, and assignments made, and materials gathered the work on the wall was done in quick order. They had to work with weapons on their sides and nearby. They had a trumpeteer with Nehemiah at all times. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem hated the work of the Lord and His servants; and they were set to stop it. That is the case with the servants of the devil in every age. He is like a lion walking about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
The wall is finished in 52 days (6:15). They had a heart to work and to get the wall erected.
We need to remember that Nehemiah was a contemporary of Ezra, and we find Ezra present in the reading of the Law,
“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen,’ with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” Nehemiah 8:5-6
In the 10th verse of chapter eight we find a verse which is very familiar to many Christians,
“…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
The people had heard the Law of the LORD, and began weeping, and mourning; and they are told to not weep nor mourn, but to rejoice in that day. It was a day to celebrate because they had returned to the worship of the LORD of hosts.
There is a need among Christians today to rejoice in the wonderful grace of the Lord. His work of grace is more than amazing; it is glorious. We have much to rejoice in. The joy of the LORD is our strength. That is what The King’s Cupbearer was rejoicing in.
Nehemiah’s final prayer is short, but shows his dependency on the God of grace and the grace of God; “Remember me, O my God, for good” (13:31).
Come to the grace of God through the death, burial and bodily resurrection of His Son Jesus. There is the source of joy and strength.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Returning Remnant
The prophet has given a very solemn, and somewhat discouraging words. The ministry of the prophet of God is to speak the truth of God’s Word, no matter to whom they are speaking.
When one is called by God to proclaim the Word of God it is to God, and to God alone that we are held accountable. Isaiah knew this and he never withheld a word. He warned the laid back, at ease people of Zion that, though they had it made at that present time there was judgment coming from Assyria, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians; that they would be taken into captivity, and then he also let them know that God would lead some – a remnant – back to their blessed land.
This prophecy is given at least 100 years before it would take place. Isaiah would not live to see it happen. We know from the records of Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Daniel that it did come to pass just as Isaiah had said.
As we journey through the Scriptures reading, meditating upon them, learning, we find that there are many times God is not pleased with Israel. They are divided into a Northern kingdom called Israel, Ephraim; and into a Southern kingdom called Judah, and this was an act of chastisement from God for their departure from the way of David, and overtaxing of the people. They were often afflicted by surrounding enemies, because they turned their back on God. Of all the kings named in the Northern kingdom there is not one of whom it is said, that he “did right in the eyes of the LORD”.
When God’s people turn their backs on God, His Word, His prophets and begin to hate and kill His prophets, and despise the way of God, then God will send judgment to chastise His people. With Israel (both Northern and Southern kingdoms) they would go into captivity, and Jeremiah the prophet says it would be for a period of seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10). After that seventy years are accomplished God would allow a “Remnant” to return to the land.
There are many who have given up on the nation of Israel today. Some say, “God is through with Israel as a nation”. One national ruler says, “We will destroy Israel”. At this time this man’s “kingdom” is in jeopardy due to charges of an unfair election process. The kingdoms of men fall. None of these things said by such rulers are so, nor will they come to pass. God has not given up on Israel. He still has a remnant who will one day call on the name of the One whom “they have pierced”, and call Him Lord, and the kingdom of David will be forever established with Jesus Christ as King.
Where the nation has trusted many times upon their captors, their “protectors” – such as those who are siding with Israel today; though their protection is like whitewash – they [Israel] will come to a place their hope and stay [trust] will be upon the LORD alone. Israel’s only protection is the LORD. Your protection; also mine is the LORD of hosts.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.” Isaiah 10:20-23 (KJV)
Paul the apostle writes of the promises and hope of Israel in Romans 9-11, and there he tells us, “All Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:26). Let us all pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), remembering that the only true and lasting peace will come when the Prince of Peace comes and sits on His throne in Jerusalem, and His name is Jesus.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 