You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth

God explains to Israel the judgment coming upon them. God has only made a covenant with one nation, Israel. So Israel is suppose to understand the relationship and her responsibility. hence God will carry out His judgment. However, God does not execute judgment without telling His people and giving them a chance to repent, this is the role of the prophets. In this particular instance, God gives details of the things that will be destroyed, in the temples such as the altars and the palaces.



Amos 3

Authority of the Prophet’s Message

1 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

2 “You only have I known of all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Who can but prophesy?

Punishment of Israel’s Sins

9 “Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod,[a]
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the oppressed within her.
10 For they do not know to do right,’
Says the Lord,
‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“An adversary shall be all around the land;
He shall sap your strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord:

“As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria—
In the corner of a bed and on the edge[b] of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”
Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house;
The houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,”
Says the Lord.

The Glory of the Lord shall be Your Rear Guard.

God is pleased with His people who are following His ways. When the people fasted, He reminded them more the importance of social justice and supporting the disadvantage. He also promised those who continue in His ways, that they will share in the promised inheritance.


Isaiah 58
Fasting that Pleases God

1 “Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’
“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen,
A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Because the Daughters of Zion are Haughty

The first part of this chapter describes God's judgement on Judah and Jerusalem. Their sin had provoked the Lord to anger, and they will become oppressed by others. In the second part, God's people are compared to a woman with haughty looks. God will strike her down with scabs and remove all her ornaments and jewelry. She will be made smelly, bald and wearing sackcloth instead of expensive robes. She will also be desolate. This would be the same judgement that would face Israel.


Isaiah 3
Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
The stock and the store,
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
2 The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.
4 “I will give children to be their princes,
And babes shall rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the elder,
And the base toward the honorable.”
6 When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your power,”[a]
7 In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”
8 For Jerusalem stumbled,
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the Lord,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their sin as Sodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”


Oppression and Luxury Condemned

13 The Lord stands up to plead,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
With the elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have eaten up the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord God of hosts.

16 Moreover the Lord says:

“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with outstretched necks
And wanton eyes,
Walking and mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will uncover their secret parts.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;
19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
21 and the rings;
The nose jewels,
22 the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
23 and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.

24 And so it shall be:

Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your mighty in the war.
26 Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.

A Threefold Cord Is Not Quickly Broken

This chapter briefly discusses four topics. The first one relates to situation where those who were oppressed had no comforters while their oppressors continue to wield great power over them. If the author of this is Solomon, then it may be that Solomon was referring to neighbouring kingdoms.
The second topic describes a man who works for his own sake. He has no companion and he works constantly. The author asks who does he work for that he has to sacrifice enjoying goodness. The implication is that such work deprives one of enjoying the fruits of the labour.
The third topic gives the famous saying "And a threefold cord is not quickly broken". It tells of the strength derived from being in companionship. They can enjoy the fruits of their labour together. If one should fall, the other will help them up again.
The fourth topic tells from an example of one from humble beginning who was made king. He became ruler over many and so gained popularity. However, he grew foolish with age, and soon was no longer remembered.


Ecclesiastes 4

1 Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.
2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
3 Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

The Vanity of Selfish Toil
4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
6 Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
8 There is one alone, without companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his eye satisfied with riches.
But he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?”
This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away
13 Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
14 For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
16 There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Happy Is He Who Has The God Of Jacob For His Help

The psalmist has many reasons to praise God. Here he encourages us not to put our trust on any man, because they are fallible just like anyone. But instead trust in God who is infallible. So he says "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,"

God is the creator of the Universe. In addition, God also attend to the needs of his people. God cares for the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the strangers, the fatherless, the widow but not the wicked. Also God loves the righteous but not that in God's eyes it is faith that is seen as righteousness as oppose to doing the right thing only.





Psalm 146
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Who Can Utter The Mighty Acts Of The LORD?

This psalm starts off with praising God for His mighty acts. It acknowledges God's salvation and favour for His people. The people acted in rebellious ways but God still saved them and redeemed them. God led them out of Egypt but they soon forgot and became idolatrous. Moses interceded and God did not destroy them all.

The account of the Israelites was a cyclical pattern of disobedience, repentance, favour from God and back to disobedience. Their rebellion and disobedience went to the point of utter abomination in God's eyes involving the sacrificing of their own sons and daughters to demons and pagan idols.

God gave His people away to be oppressed by their enemies. But because of their cries and God's covenant and His mercy, God relented and saved them.



Psalm 106
Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins

 1 Praise the LORD!
       
         Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
         For His mercy endures forever.
       
 2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?
         Who can declare all His praise?
 3 Blessed are those who keep justice,
         And he who does[a] righteousness at all times!
       
 4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people.
         Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
 5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
         That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
         That I may glory with Your inheritance.
       
 6 We have sinned with our fathers,
         We have committed iniquity,
         We have done wickedly.
 7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
         They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
         But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
       
 8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
         That He might make His mighty power known.
 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
         So He led them through the depths,
         As through the wilderness.
 10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
         And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
 11 The waters covered their enemies;
         There was not one of them left.
 12 Then they believed His words;
         They sang His praise.
       
 13 They soon forgot His works;
         They did not wait for His counsel,
 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
         And tested God in the desert.
 15 And He gave them their request,
         But sent leanness into their soul.
       
 16 When they envied Moses in the camp,
         And Aaron the saint of the LORD,
 17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,
         And covered the faction of Abiram.
 18 A fire was kindled in their company;
         The flame burned up the wicked.
       
 19 They made a calf in Horeb,
         And worshiped the molded image.
 20 Thus they changed their glory
         Into the image of an ox that eats grass.
 21 They forgot God their Savior,
         Who had done great things in Egypt,
 22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
         Awesome things by the Red Sea.
 23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
         Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
         To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.
       
 24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
         They did not believe His word,
 25 But complained in their tents,
         And did not heed the voice of the LORD.
 26 Therefore He raised His hand in an oath against them,
         To overthrow them in the wilderness,
 27 To overthrow their descendants among the nations,
         And to scatter them in the lands.
       
 28 They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,
         And ate sacrifices made to the dead.
 29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
         And the plague broke out among them.
 30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
         And the plague was stopped.
 31 And that was accounted to him for righteousness
         To all generations forevermore.
       
 32 They angered Him also at the waters of strife,[b]
         So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
 33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit,
         So that he spoke rashly with his lips.
       
 34 They did not destroy the peoples,
         Concerning whom the LORD had commanded them,
 35 But they mingled with the Gentiles
         And learned their works;
 36 They served their idols,
         Which became a snare to them.
 37 They even sacrificed their sons
         And their daughters to demons,
 38 And shed innocent blood,
         The blood of their sons and daughters,
         Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
         And the land was polluted with blood.
 39 Thus they were defiled by their own works,
         And played the harlot by their own deeds.
       
 40 Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people,
         So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
 41 And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
         And those who hated them ruled over them.
 42 Their enemies also oppressed them,
         And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
 43 Many times He delivered them;
         But they rebelled in their counsel,
         And were brought low for their iniquity.
       
 44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
         When He heard their cry;
 45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
         And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
 46 He also made them to be pitied

       
 47 Save us, O LORD our God,
         And gather us from among the Gentiles,
         To give thanks to Your holy name,
         To triumph in Your praise.
       
 48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
         From everlasting to everlasting!
         And let all the people say, “Amen!”
       
         Praise the LORD!

In Judah God is Known

This psalm reveals who God is - He who is known in Judah, Israel, Salem, Zion. He is all powerful, glorious, excellent, able to subdue armies of chariots and horses. He is someone to be feared and terrible to be around when angered. He will deliver judgement to earth and deliver the oppressed. He is above all earthly authorities including kings of the earth.


Psalm 76
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments.[a] A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

 1 In Judah God is known;
         His name is great in Israel.
 2 In Salem[b] also is His tabernacle,
         And His dwelling place in Zion.
 3 There He broke the arrows of the bow,
         The shield and sword of battle.  Selah
       
 4 You are more glorious and excellent
         Than the mountains of prey.
 5 The stouthearted were plundered;
         They have sunk into their sleep;
         And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
 6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
         Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
       
 7 You, Yourself, are to be feared;
         And who may stand in Your presence
         When once You are angry?
 8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
         The earth feared and was still,
 9 When God arose to judgment,
         To deliver all the oppressed of the earth.  Selah
       
 10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
         With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
       
 11 Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;
         Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
 12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
         He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

Psalm of Judgement Against the Wicked

David opens up the Psalm with praise to God, as we should also open our prayers. The theme to me seems to be about the righteous judgement of God over wickedness. God has prepared a throne of judgement, He will judge the world in righteousness. Yet at the same time, He is a refuge for those who need and trust in Him, "He does not forget the cry of the humble".

Although the judgement seems to be aimed against nations in this passage, it can also be applied to individuals. There is wickedness among individuals, there are also individuals who surrender and trust God. The chapter ends by asking God to put fear in them "That the nations may know themselves to be but men" - implying that men has thought of themselves as something more.



Psalm 9

To the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Death of the Son.”[a] A Psalm of David.

 1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
         I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You;
         I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
       
 3 When my enemies turn back,
         They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
 4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;
         You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
 5 You have rebuked the nations,
         You have destroyed the wicked;
         You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
       
 6 O enemy, destruction are finished forever!
         And you have destroyed cities;
         Even their memory has perished.
 7 But the LORD shall endure forever;
         He has prepared His throne for judgment.
 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,
         And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
       
 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
         A refuge in times of trouble.
 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
         For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
       
 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion!
         Declare His deeds among the people.
 12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
         He does not forget the cry of the humble.
       
 13 Have mercy on me, O LORD!
         Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
         You who lift me up from the gates of death,
 14 That I may tell of all Your praise
         In the gates of the daughter of Zion.
         I will rejoice in Your salvation.
       
 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
         In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
 16 The LORD is known by the judgment He executes;
         The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Meditation.[b]  Selah

       
 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,
         And all the nations that forget God.
 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
         The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
       
 19 Arise, O LORD,
         Do not let man prevail;
         Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
 20 Put them in fear, O LORD,
         That the nations may know themselves to be but men.  Selah