BROKEN COVENANTS
1. We hear of someone who is kidnapped and our hearts go out to the family.
2. The crime of kidnapping sometimes makes the national news.
3. The faces of abducted children are on web sites, milk cartons, and billboards.
4. There is even a fascinating web site devoted to the prevention of kidnapping.
5. The address is kidnapper.com (that is kidnapr.com).
6. A 30 second video of a child may be filed with this service.
7. If a child disappears, those at kidnapper.com promise to immediately give the tape to law enforcement.
8. Last week it was affirmed that the book of Amos can be related to modern times.
9. Another comparison between the time of Amos and our day is found in the word kidnapping.
A. Amos lived in a time when people were snatched.
B. People were taken so they could be forced into slavery.
C. Let’s look at Amos 1:6.
D. Here again we find the “for three transgressions, yea for four statement.”
E. God
said the people of
F. These people took whole communities and sold them into slavery.
G. We object to people taking a single child. We believe kidnappers should be stopped and punished.
H. The prophet Amos dealt with people who took entire populations.
I. This
was the sin of those in
J. To
appreciate where
K. Last
week information was given about
L. The
city of
M. For now we want to look at the area found in the lower left corner of the map.
N. The
city of
O. The
Philistines had five cities, but during the time of Amos,
P. The
other cities in this area were Ekron,
Q. Because the Philistines had sold entire groups of people into slavery, punishment had to come.
R. God did not approve of capturing people and selling them into slavery.
10. AS
BAD AS THIS WAS, ANOTHER CITY DID SOMETHING THAT WAS WORSE.
A. This
city was a place known as
B.
C. This city had two parts.
D. Nebuchadnezzar waged a 13-year war against this city from 585-572 B.C.
E. This battle destroyed the main part of the city.
F. Alexander
the Great destroyed the rest of
G. He laid siege to the city for seven months and built a ramp to the island.
H. This
fulfilled God’s will because the people of
I. They had to be punished
J. What did they do? What was their sin?
K. According to Amos they sold people into slavery (9a).
L. You might be thinking, “That is what the Philistines did.”
M. Yes,
but there was a big difference between those in
N. This statement may be explained by some other verses READ.
O. There
had been a strong and close relationship between
P. The
people of
Q. These people had worked together on a spiritual project (God’s temple).
R. There
was a royal wedding that brought
S. The prophet Amos added there was a “brotherly covenant” (1: 9).
i). That
is,
ii). From time to time in the news there is news about an international treaty.
iii). An agreement between nations has either been made or broken.
iv). These agreements either cause great joy or great tension.
v). International relationships are in the Bible. They are not new.
vi). In Amos 1 two nations formed not only an alliance, but an agreement.
vii). They formed a very close kind of agreement (a covenant).
viii). The prophet Amos came along and said, “You broke the covenant.”
ix). You not only broke the covenant, you mistreated the other people in the covenant.
x). Capturing and selling people was enough to justify sure and painful punishment.
xi). Capturing and selling those who were part of a covenant was especially ungodly.
xii). For this sin the people had to apy
11. Amos 1 tells us that God hates covenant breaking.
12. Before this thought is further developed perhaps some additional information should be given.
A. We may make a promise. We may say,
B. “Tomorrow I will mow the yard, take out the trash, do the dishes” or a hundred other things.
C. Perhaps these promises are not fulfilled.
D. We do not do what we said. This is not good, and I am not saying that breaking our word is good.
E. However, failing to take out the trash when we said we would is not equal to covenant breaking.
F. Think of the matter in this way.
i). The
presidents of
ii). They set up a meeting for September 19th of this year.
iii). A week before the meeting one of the men decides to cancel the summit.
iv). Has a treaty been broken? No. There was a plan to meet but this meeting was not a treaty.
v). A treaty or a covenant might be thought of as a contract.
vi). This is a binding agreement between two or more parties.
vii). The word translated covenant is found 256 times in the Bible (CBL, Aleph-B, p. 589).
viii). It is used of people who made a covenant about water rights (Gen. 21:27, 31).
ix). Marriage
is described as a covenant (Ezek. 16:8; Mal.
x). God
made a covenant with His people at
xi). A covenant was a binding agreement.
13. In our day and time we consider binding agreements (contracts) to be important.
14. The Bible says that God considers covenants to be important.
A. Listen to some verses from Deut. 28.
B. This chapter contains both blessings and cursing from God.
C. These verses reveal that the Hebrew people understood they were in a covenant with God.
D. If they obeyed the terms of the covenant they would be blessed – verses 1-10.
E. Good things came from obeying the covenant.
F. What if the covenant was not obeyed?
G. What if the terms of God’s agreement with the Hebrews were broken?
H. Some of this information is found in verses 15-25.
I. Those
in
J. This covenant may have been broken because of what is recorded in Isa. 28:2.
K. Those
of
i). They were so confident and full of themselves they didn’t think agreements needed to be kept.
ii). They didn’t believe contracts and obligations had to be honored.
iii). Covenants were made to be broken.
iv). Doesn’t this sound just a little similar to what we hear today?
15. THE INFORMATION IN AMOS 1 IS JUST AS PRACTICAL AND RELEVANT AS IT WAS IN THE TIME OF AMOS. SOME HAVE THE IDEA THAT THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT BECAUSE THEY ARE IN CHARGE. OTHERS BREAK THE MOST SOLEMN OF AGREEMENTS. MANY OPREATE BY THE STANDARD THAT A GOOD LAWYER CAN GET US UT OF ANYTHING
A. Amos 1 says that covenant breakers will be punished.
B. In fact, God said that His wrath is poured upon those who break covenants, Rom. 1:18, 31.
C. As we noted a moment ago, one covenant is marriage.
i). Marriage is a union where two people make a binding agreement.
ii). Because this is essentially a contract there are some very clear terms.
iii). One of these terms is that some forefit their right to be married.
iv). If a person is currently married they are not entitled to enter into a second marital covenant.
v). Also, if a person has violated the terms for divorce in Mt. 19, another covenant is not allowed.
vi). If people do have the right to get married, and this right is used, a covenant is formed.
vii). Single people who contemplate marriage are considering a binding agreement.
viii). Our society may not view marriage is a binding agreement. God does.
ix). God said, “one man, woman, and only death is to part them.”
x). When people get married they need to be taught the union is a binding contract.
xi). Even if a smart lawyer can end the marriage and help someone make out like a bandit,
xii). God has not torn up the agreement.
xiii). Many preachers say something like, “We are here before God and these witnesses.”
xiv). Those words are not filler material.
xv). It is as if a document is being signed and God’s signature is on the document.
xvi). God says we only have the right to marry again if our spouse dies or is guilty of fornication.
xvii). If we attempt to violate the terms of this agreement we break a covenant.
xviii). The penalty for breaking this covenant is at least three-fold.
xix). The Bible uses the words “adulterer” and “covenant breaker.” Scripture further says,
xx). “Such people shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
xxi). Marriage is to be a covenant that is honored.
xxii). The time of this covenant is to be honored (till death do us part).
xxiii). The promise of sexual fidelity must be honored.
xxiv). The covenant made by two people usually says that all others will be forsaken.
xxv). The man takes a woman to be his lawful wedded wife.
xxvi). The wife takes the man to be her lawful, wedded husband.
xxvii). This removes two more people from the dating pool.
xxviii). The covenant made in marriage is an agreement that is binding and one God insists that we honor.
xxix). If we don’t severe consequences are justified and should be expected.
16. THE WORD COVENANT MAY BE APPLIED IN A SECOND WAY.
A. The Lord said, shortly before the end of His life, said, “This is my blood of the covenant.”
B. Jesus gave a covenant to His people—a new covenant.
C. This covenant contains a variety of things.
D. There is information on what to do, what to say, and how to act.
E. Remember that covenants may be described as contracts.
F. God has made a contract with man.
G. If we do what is in the contract (just like the Jews, Deut. 28) we have heaven as our eternal home.
H. If we do not fulfill our part of the agreement we will not go to heaven.
I. That may sound rather cold and unloving, but a loving God has given us an agreement.
J. This agreement tells us what we must do.
K. We either follow the rules or we do not.
i). People can call us ultra conservative.
ii). Some would employ the word legalist.
iii). Others may allege were are narrow minded and petty.
iv). In the world we understand the importance of a legal contract.
v). If we fail to fulfill the terms of what we agree to consequences are going to be paid.
vi). Large ticket items such as houses and cars are repossessed.
vii). Failure to fulfill a contract can lead to lawsuits.
17. In the spiritual realm bnot following the covenant this leads to death.
18. Mt.
7:21: Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
19. Who will go to heaven, Lord? He that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
20. We might word that, “He that keeps the covenant.”
21. In a time when many break the most sacred of oaths, we must know that covenant breaking is wrong.
22. Each Sunday when we partake of the fruit of the vine we are reminded of our covenant with God.
23. Will we determine in our minds to keep God’s covenant in every respect?
24. Are we part of God’s covenant?
1 Kings 9:12-13
12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.
13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.
ASV
2 Sam 5:11
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.
ASV
1 Kings 5:1
5:1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
ASV
1 Kings 16:31
31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him
ASV
