The Levitical Laws and New Testament Expositions

[~Zao~]

They did sacrifice to idols, it nearly got all of them killed but Moses talked God out of it. Moleck was an especially nasty demonic idol, demanding the death of infants as sacrifices. The ultimate affront to God's sovereignty was to craft this thing from gold and say this is the god that lead us out of Egypt. When the eighth century prophets got their start, Amos was just a sheppard who made a little money on the side picking figs. When he confronts the High Priest with God's message the High Priest says if you want to be a prophet stay away from the High Places, because they belong to the king. The response of Amos was indignation, he in effect says you think I'm looking for a job! I was called to this, I was doing fine herding flocks and picking figs, I'm here because God called me to do this. Those strange idols, those gold and silver gods that were never gods. Paul makes an interesting point with regards to idolatry:

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. (Col. 3:5-6)
​

Idolatry passed away in the ancient world, supposedly, or did it?

Grace and peace,
Mark

Most striking to me is the heart of God being under such a heavy weight which is why God had sent Amos from the southern Kingdom to the northern Kingdom because His prophets and Nazarites were denied hearing (Amos 2:12-13)
It seems that especially on Valentines Day we should give consideration to the heart of God.

“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets Prophesy not
Behold I am weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves is weighed down.

 

[mark kennedy]

Most striking to me is the heart of God being under such a heavy weight which is why God had sent Amos from the southern Kingdom to the northern Kingdom because His prophets and Nazarites were denied hearing (Amos 2:12-13)
It seems that especially on Valentines Day we should give consideration to the heart of God.

“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets Prophesy not
Behold I am weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves is weighed down.

Iarael was at their peak of military and economic might and facing devastating judgment due to idolatry when Amos was called. There is a reason having or making other gods was at the top of the ten commandments. Their kings and priests were failing them and God was sending prophets with a dire message.

 

[BobRyan]

When exploring books like the Revelation, Hebrews and even some of the writings of Paul I've found a cursory understanding of Leviticus to be invaluable.

good point.

Lev 19:18 "Love your neighbor as yourself" -- upheld all through the NT text.
Lev 17 prohibition against eating meat with blood in it - upheld in Acts 15

 

[~Zao~]

Iarael was at their peak of military and economic might and facing devastating judgment due to idolatry when Amos was called. There is a reason having or making other gods was at the top of the ten commandments. Their kings and priests were failing them and God was sending prophets with a dire message.

Yes, Amos was contemporary of Isaiah, Micah and Hosea so it was really the time of the great messages of the great heartfelt plea of God to return to Him.

Their thought was “ Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but that He revealed His heart unto His servants the prophets” Amos 3:7 But the northern Kingdom had put all His prophets to silence. At that time they had managed to reclaim all the land that they had lost, not seen since David and Solomon. Yet the gap between the rich and the poor was at it’s widest point. In fact to the heart of God what had caused the split seemed to be the prevailing actions that had to be stopped because all the resources that God had poured on them fell on deaf ears. Even the message of doom fell on deaf ears.

Only a handful of people believed the message of the prophets, the ones to whom God gave a ’”song” as mentioned in Isaiah 5:1-7 Their faithful message was one of repentance. Amos preached of the wealth and prosperity at the expense of the poor, against the lack of justice toward those who were doing right, and against religious rituals devoid of true faith, performed only to win some favour with God rather than to seek the heart of God.

The Hebrew word for sheaths of Amos 2:13 is ‘amar which has a double-meaning and is also used for those who are self-seeking. Pressed is ma’am which is the idea of burdened with pain. Even tho He had sent those to warn them the people had rejected them. Amos knew the heart of God and wasn’t preaching a God of anger and wrath but rather a God who had a broken heart. He prophesied not only on behalf of those suffering, but also from a desire to protect the heart of God.

So the next time you speak out against against the sin of our nation, ask yourself why you are speaking out. Is it from fear that you will be swept up in judgement and lose your comfortable lifestyle? Or is it because you feel the heart of God breaking, and you want to protect His heart?​

from~ Hebrew Word Study~ Revealing the heart of God~ Chaim Bentorah