THE THIRD SERMON A LAMENTATION ON THE VIRGIN OF ISRAEL AND THE FIRST GROUP OF WOES In this third and last sermon He addresses His talk to the children of Israel, as a lamentation on the fallen virgin of Israel, showing her miserable condition, and presenting the way to life instead of the death that prevailed on her. This chapter includes a group of woes (verses 18-27); although some consider the verses 10 to 17, as being woes as well. Anyway this whole chapter and the following one, are one sermon for the fallen virgin of Israel. 1- The fallen virgin of Israe l1 – 3 2- Seek the Lord and not the ido l4 – 9 3- Oppression in the courts of justice 10 – 15 4- Wailing and mourning 16 – 17 5- The first group of woes: a- Desiring the day of the Lord 18 – 20 b- The formal worship 21 – 24 c- Mixing the worship of the Lord with idol worship 25 – 27 1- THE FALLEN VIRGIN OF ISRAEL: He starts the third sermon by a lamentation on the virgin of Israel: “Hear the word which I take up against you, this lamentation, O house of Israel: The virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up. For thus says the Lord God: ‘The city that goes out by a thousand, shall have a hundred left.And that which goes out by a hundred, shall have ten left to the house of Israel”(Amos 5: 1-3) The words in our hands are a lamentation set by the Lord Himself, to describe with sadness, the condition reached by the virgin of Israel. By calling her ‘a virgin’, He probably proclaims that this lamentation on the dead, is said on the virgin of Israel who is like a bride who died in the prime of her life, a virgin who has not yet enjoyed the married life. She is the virgin whom the Lord expected to be His perpetual bride; But, because she chose the way of spiritual death, she lost her life before having the chance to enjoy the union with her Groom. God probably called her ‘the virgin of Israel’, as a sign that, up till that moment, she was the virgin, who was never defeated nor fallen into captivity … But through her evil, she has lost her virginity, and even her whole life. Being His virgin bride, God has jealousy on her. The apostle Paul bore the spirit of his Lord when he said: “I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11: 2-3). The virgin of Israel has fallen from what she should be as a virgin for the Lord, bearing His holiness and splendor. She, unfortunately has fallen, and shall rise mo more, on account that she rejected her Groom’s chastisement, for the sake of her return to Him. Leaning upon herself or upon others, she has no one to raise her up. She lies forsaken on 50 her land, She did not go out to fight an external battle, but was defeated within herself, because of her inner weakness; according to the words of the Lord Himself: “A man’s foes will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10: 36). We fall in our inner Jerusalem when we abide to the ‘ego’, and live for ourselves and not for the Lord who loves us. Falling in her inner battle because of the ‘ego’ that seeks what is for herself and not what is for the others; the soul of man would have much to lose; If she goes out by a thousand, she shall have a hundred left; and if she goes out by a hundred, she shall have only ten left. She would lose much, and a few faithful remnants would remain kept with God; that remnant amounting to one tenth is in the eyes of God so dear and valuable to keep for the sake of His faithfulness toward His believers. We saw that more clearly in our study of the Book of Ezekiel in more than one location1. God would not forget the hundred for the sake of the thousand; nor the ten for the sake of the hundred. He has not forgotten Lot and his two daughters for the sake of the entire region of Sodom and Gomorrah; Nor has He forgotten Noah and his family for the sake of the corruption of the whole world. 2- SEEK THE LORD AND NOT THE IDOL: Presenting a lamentation on the virgin of Israel, He did not stop at that sorrowful description, but revealed the way to safety through resorting to God, the source of life, and forsaking the idol worship; saying: “Seek Me and live; But do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba” (Amos 5: 4, 5) The people in those days bore the outer appearances of religion; Although they used to go out to worship in the holy places, yet it seems that worshipping God got mixed with idol worship, especially in the main locations in Israel, like Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba; Or that their worship probably turned into mere formalities to pacify their conscience, by offering much to God at those locations; Yet, as they did not seek Him by their hearts, nor keep His commandments in their life and behavior, As I said before, the rite separated from the spiritual life, and their worship turned into a cover for their evil way of life. By seeking the holy places, Our first and last goal should be the life by and with God: “Seek Me and live”. Notice that the word “seek”, does not mean just asking with the mouth, but extends to having a true inner longing toward God, the Secret of our true life. And As St. Augustine says, talking to God: [How should I seek You, O My Lord? … Seeking You, I seek the happy life; … By seeking You, my soul lives; as my body lives by my soul, and my soul lives by You2! Those locations which were previously holy, became offense through idol worship; Hence He says: “For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing”(Amos 5: 5) When the Samaritan woman said to the Lord Jesus: “’Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship’. Jesus said to her: “Believe Me, the hour is coming when you will, neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem worship the father; … God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John4: 21, 24). 1 Confession 10: 20. . 2حزقیال ص 85 51 We do not deny that God finds pleasure in the holy place, that man, in love, dedicate to be places to worship Him; Yet His pleasure is for the sake of man who is sanctified by them! Even in a consecrated church, the heart of man rises beyond all the frontiers of place or time, to set forth to eternity, to find the Spirit of God raising him up to heaven itself. In a previous work, I dealt with the building of the church, and its concept and relationship to the inner life of the soul of man, as well as to the heavenly and liturgical1 life. In case the house of God loses its spiritual concept, and man confines himself to the dust and earth, the house of God would turn into a hindrance, rather than a secret of setting forth of the soul to heaven! The Lord says: “Seek God and live” (6). That is the ultimate goal of our whole worship, to encounter our Lord Jesus, and to seek Him with our whole heart, as the secret of our life. Then the Lord threatens: “Lest He breaks out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, with no one to quench it in Bethel” (Amos 5: 6) Many tribes of Israel used to bless the children of Joseph, because the mountain of Bethel was among their portion (Joshua 16: 1, 2). But that mountain, if misused, would turn into a burning fire. Likewise, the priesthood, which gives man huge spiritual and shepherding possibilities, if misused, would turn into a weapon for perdition! … And why should we talk about Bethel and the priesthood, When the Lord Christ Himself, the secret of salvation for many, says that His coming has become the secret of judgment for those who deny Him: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin; If I have not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father” (John 15: 22, 24). And as the apostle Paul said about the Lord Christ: “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death to death, and to the other the aroma of life to life” (2 Corinthians 2: 15, 16). We come back to Israel to find him mixing the worship of the living God with idol worship; and to find Bethel turning into perdition for the house of Joseph; Here He means all Israel coming to Bethel, whose life is flared with the fire of evil with no one to quench itl; have turned the truth into the bitterness of oppression, and have corrupted the heavenly righteousness by casting it to the ground. “You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast righteousness to the ground”(Amos 5: 7) Like the wormwood, an extremely bitter herb, which no man can endure, When the truth that would bring pleasure to the heart of God and man, turns into iniquity, it would turn into the contrary, it would become as bitter as wormwood. So are those with great energies and talents; When they are sanctified by the spirit of the truth, mixed with love and humility, they would testify to the truth, and would present by the Holy Spirit, glorified works, testified to by the generations, and held fast by heaven. But in case they go astray, they would not just become negative, but would turn into bitter wormwood in the mouth of God and His church; and would turn into tools for destruction instead for edification. They would “cast righteousness to the ground”, as their thought bears a fatal earthly nature, without knowing it. 1 ا رجع سلسة "الكنیسة بیت الله" بالعربیة والإنجلیزیة – 15 جزءًا. 52 Therefore, Let the Lord Himself be, all the time, the subject of our seeking, to live, and not to turn into wormwood, or to cast righteousness to the ground. … But Who is this Lord whom we should seek? “The One who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into morning, and darkens day into night; Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name. He flashes destruction on the stronghold, and brings the fortified city to ruin”(Amos 5: 8, 9) (1) The One who made the Pleiades and Orion; two groups of celestial bodies or stars that were well known in the old. If Israel were diverted to worship the stars, the true God is the Maker of all the stars; He is the One whom they should seek. In the Septuagint version, it came that God is the One who created things, and who can also change them. And St. John Chrysostom had a very bold interpretation; He believes that God, the Creator, trains us, His children, on creative life; saying: [Although God has givenus a body from the earth, Yet to carry it with us to heaven; Yes it is indeed an earthly body, Yet it should be turned into a heavenly one It is as though God says to us: ‘I have created heaven and earth, and have given you the authority to create. Turn your earth into heaven, as that is within the authority I granted you!” Being the One who create and change things (8), as He describes Himself, He gave man a like authority; as though He is an Artist Father who teaches His art to His son! “I created your body beautiful, and gave you the authority to do better! If you are not able to create man, Yet by the Holy Spirit, you can make him righteous and acceptable to God; … I have formed the matter; So you should adorn the will! See how much I love you, and grant you authority to do great things? See how great the honor I am giving you1?!]. (2) God, whom we seek, turns the shadow of death (the night) into morning, and darkens the day as night. He is not only the Maker of heaven and earth from naught, but He can also make changes: He changes the night to day, and the day to night. What is the night, or what He called the ‘shadow of death’, that He changed to morning, but the realization of the prophecies of the Old Testament; and turning the shadows of the law as man was fallen under death, as though in the night into the joyful day of His coming, when we were enlightened by His divine light; according to the words of the prophet: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined”? (Isaiah 9: 2). Let us then present to Him our night, to turn it into day; Let us deliver to Him all our labor and sorrow, to shine on us, and they wouldturn into spiritual joy, exalted peace, and an unutterable glorious rejoice. As to the day that darkens to become night, It reminds us of the divine work during the time of crucifixion, when the midday turned into darkness because of our sins, carried on the shoulders of our Redeemer. That is the exalted work of the Lord, bearing our sins in Him; He who knows no sin. What is the day that turns into darkness, but the day of the wicked, who live in the luxuries and pleasures of life, assuming that the joy of the world will never come to an end, and the pleasures shall forever endure…; But in His love, and through His seemingly cruel chastisements, God turns their day into night, to keep them from being bound to the day of the world, and its pleasures. 1 In 1 Tim. Hom. 15. 53 (3) He calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth… He turns the waters of the sea into clouds that cover the face of the earth and drop rain on it. … In our study of the book of Joel (2: 23), we saw how the early and the late rain, refer to the grace of the Holy Spirit working in the children of God. God, whom we seek, is the Creator, who changes our life through the coming of the Savior Messiah; He who gives the fruit through the water of the Holy Spirit; according to the words of the Lord Himself: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will Flow Rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7: 37-39). Even though we are earth, Yet the water of the Holy Spirit would turn us into a cheerful paradise of God, bearing in us the fruit of His Spirit. (4) God, whom we seek, His name is ‘Jehovah’. Having presented Himself to us as a Creator, a Re-newer of our nature through the work of salvation of the Lord Christ, and the Grantor of the fruit in us by the Holy Spirit, has brought us over to His secrets … He is ‘Jehovah’; namely, the Incomprehensible ‘Being’… Even though He got very close to us through His salvation work, and through sending His Holy Spirit; Yet He remains the God who could not be approached in the perfection of His essence. We have already dealt with the concept of the name of God ‘Jehovah’, in our study of the Book of Exodus (Chapter 3). (5) God, whom we seek, is He “Who flashes destruction on the stronghold, and brings the fortified city to ruin” (9); … who strengthens the one robbed, to charge against the stronghold of his strong oppressor, to restore his robbed right. He is the God who supports the oppressed soul and grants it conquest. 3- OPPRESSION IN THE COURTS OF JUSTICE: The courts of justice for the Jews were held in a public place ar the city gate (Deuteronomy 22: 15; Isaiah 29: 21), presided by a judge or a prophet, who rebukes the oppressor and supports the oppressed; But unfortunately, those courts of justice turned into courts of oppression, about which He says: “They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. Therefore, because you tread down the poor, and take grain taxes from him; Though you have built houses of hewn stones, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. You afflict the just and take bribes. You divert the poor from justice at the gate” (Amos 5: 10-12) Those were painful portraits of the oppression that prevailed upon the courts of justice. On one aspect, those elders used to show partiality toward the oppressors at the expense of the truth; And instead of rebuking the oppressors, they hate the one who rebukes or warns them, and abhor him who speaks uprightly, for his words might hurt the rich oppressors. And on another aspect, instead of raising the poor from the trash, they tread him down under their feet, and seek a bribe from him; And in case he has no money, he was committed to give up his grain, and stay hungry together with his household. Even though the law prohibited paying interest on food (Deuteronomy 23: 19), they robbed the food of the poor to build for themselves houses of hewn stones, that would never provide them with security; and to plant for themselves pleasant vineyards, 54 that would never provide them with wine to drink. … They afflicted the just and took bribes, prohibited by the law (Exodus 21: 30; Numbers 35: 31). And as oppression increased beyond limits in the courts of justice, it was said: “Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time” (Amos 5: 13) Realizing that nothing would be of benefit to defend the poor, man would keep silent; not out of cowardice or fear of the oppressors, but for the sake of wisdom, so as not to waste his time or energy in vain. St. Basil the Great, in his work on the Holy Spirit wrote: [Because the evangelic ordinances have been utterly mixed over, because of the chaos prevailing in those days; that the rush toward leadership positions became unimaginably great, by those who love appearances, and giving orders; I chose to keep silent rather than to talk; because no human voice could be loud enough to be heard in such big noise1. The prudent should keep silent in such evil times; and only talks what would be of benefit; following the lead of God Himself, who presents of His divine secrets, only what we can endure to hear or to comprehend; Who keeps His secrets concealed, until we acquire the spiritual ear that is able to listen and to comprehend His secrets in an edifying way. Of the words of St. Clement of Alexandria: [By saying: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11: 15), the Lord proclaims that hearing and comprehending are not for everyone. To demonstrate that the holy words are concealed, the prophet David writes: “He made darkness His secret place. His canopy around Him was dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire” (Psalm 18: 11, 12)2. Although the silence of the prudent in the evil time, is in itself, a testimony of truth against oppression and tyranny; Yet the Lord demands the return to Him, through the return of those unjust judges or elders from their oppression in their court of justice at the gates; saying: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken” (Amos 5: 14) It is as though He says to them: [If you boast that the Lord God of hosts is with you and in your midst; the sign of this would be the practical behavior through seeking the good and rejecting the evil; By that you may live by the Lord who dwells in your midst! Because Israel assumed that having been elected as His people, God would spare them any punishment, and would dwell in their midst, whatever their behavior may be! God corrects their wrong concepts, by proclaiming that choosing them from among all the peoples of the earth, increases their responsibility, and makes their falling under punishment in case they err, more probable (Amos 3: 2). Here He confirms that His dwelling in their midst will not happen, except through seeking good and not evil in their life and in their judgment. Finally He proclaims that choosing them makes them like grain in a sieve in the hands of God; He would treat them elaborately, and punish them harshly, yet “Not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground” (Amos 9: 7-10). At the beginning of the sermon He said to them: “Seek the Lord”. Here, He declare their commitment to seek Him through their practical behavior: “Hate evil , Love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5: 15) 1 On the Spirit 77, 78. 2 Strom. 6: 15. 55 Israel will be subjected to bitter chastisements; Some of them will die, some will be killed by the sword, and some will be captivated; But God will not forget the remnant who stay faithful to Him; If they hold fast to the truth, love good, and hate evil, He will have compassion on them, and will proclaim His dwelling in their midst. 4- WAILING AND MOURNING: He ends the lamentation by proclaiming that God will pass through in their midst; Yet, not as the Secret of their life, but to punish and chastise them. The entire nation of Israel will turn into a place for wailing and mourning; As everyone will become in a state of death; And the presence of God will be for sorrow and not for joy. Here, he presents an actual portrait of the ancient oriental customs of grief, where they used to hire professional lamenters to wail during the procedures of funerals. 5- THE FIRST GROUP OF WOES: As actually a part of the third sermon, God proclaims woe to people because of three things: (1) Desiring the day of the Lord: “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord? It will be darkness and not light! It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him. Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light?”(Amos 5: 18-20) Although God is Light, and His day is light in itself; Yet, to the spiritually blind, who is not able to behold the light, It would be darkness! And as said by St. Basil: [The day of the Lord is darkness to those who deserve the darkness1]. As the day of the Lord, in the mind of the Jews, meant God’s proclamation of His power, and His conquest in His people against their enemies; It was a day of joy and celebration of victory, a day of boasting over the Gentiles. Yet, as the people got confused by their multitude of iniquities, and their transgressions without repentance, it turned into a Day of Judgment and bitterness. Nobody can escape judgment; As he who does, would be like a man fleeing from a lion, to encounter a bear. Or like one who took refuge in his house, leaned his hand on the wall, and got bit by a serpent. (2) The formal worship: That was a clear line, common to most of the writings of the prophets; As while committing evil, Israel went to the holy places for collective worship, to present sacrifices and offerings, and to celebrate feasts. God is not deceived by the outer appearances of worship, but seeks the heart first (See Mark 12: 33). … In bitterness He rebukes them saying: “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream”(Amos 5: 21-24) He rejects the superficial worship, not mixed with inner love. He referred all their worship to them, and not to Himself; calling them, “Your feast, Your burnt offerings’, Although, in case He finds pleasure in them, He would call them ‘His feasts, His Sabbaths, and His burnt offerings!’ He does not endure their praises and songs, calling 1 Hexameron 2. 56 them “the noise of your songs”; And according to the words of the apostle Paul: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13: 1). In order for their worship to be well received, He says: “Let truth (justice) run down like water, and righteous (alms) like a mighty stream”… Namely, let your life be mixed with justice and the love of giving, instead of cruelty and oppression. (3) Mixing the worship of the Lord with idol worship: “Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried Sikkuth your king, and Chiun your idols, The star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. Therefore, I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus’, says the Lord whose name is the God of hosts”(Amos 5: 25-27) The prophets used to consider the period of wandering in the wilderness as the best period lived by Israel, as far as their relationship with God is concerned (Hosea 2: 26; Jeremiah 2: 1-3); having been an ideal period, during which God sustained Israel in a unique and an exalted way. During that period, as it was difficult for them to offer sacrifices in the wilderness, God did not put as much weight on offering sacrifices, as on keeping the divine commandments; they actually did not make the Passover until they crossed over into Canaan. Yet they mixed the worship of God with idol worship; They carried with them the tent of Molok or Malkom, the god of the Ammonites, as though their own god; They used to heat its arms red hot, then put their children on them amid the beats of drums; And they also worshipped a group of stars. Thus, the way they had themselves captivated to idol worship, God humiliated them by getting captivated under the authority of idol worshippers; to Assyria, far beyond Damascus (Aram); … Having carried idolatry in their hearts, God allowed them to be carried captives by the idol worshippers.
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