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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
God charges Israel with four great crimjes. 1. Lovers of Sin. “ Cause the seat of violence to come near.” An invita tion to rampant sin; playing with sin; “ must have a’ good time” ; hating the Puritan principles of life as men do to day. They say: “ Put off the evil day. Close the eyes to facts. Be blind to conditions. Close the ear to the Word of God. Gave no heed to the de parture from the faith of the fathers. Voice a message of unbelief in the deity of our Lord. Make light of His aton ing blood. Pooh, pooh, at eternal pun ishment and a personal devil.” 2. Lovers of Self. A life of luxury. Ivory beds and couches of ease. Not beds for weary bodies, but to satisfy the eyes of pride. “ The lust of the eye.” The choicest of viands provided for peo ple who were too lazy to sit up and eat (Isa. 5:11, 12). “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.” 3. Lovers of Pleasure. 4‘Chant to the sound of the viol.” ^Ears attuned to jazz music. Invent new forms of gayety. “ The lust of the ear.” (1 Pet. 4:3.) “For the time past of our life may suf fice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lascivious ness, lusts, excess of wine, reveilings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.” 4. Lovers of wine. Wine-bibbers, playing to the palate, drinking no longer with wine glasses but with bowls — sacred bowls— forgetting God’s pro nouncement against wine. “ At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder” (Jer. 36:7) “Great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced ag&inst this people.” (3) PUNISHMENT FOR SIN, vs. 7, 8. Look again at two little words which are very significant in connection with the judgment God pronounced upon Is rael, “ at ease.”
material prosperity, advancement of industry, public works, arts, and sci ences, culture and wealth. Signs of peace were manifested. This background to the picture is essential if we are to understand the full import of this strange pronounce ment of judgment. (1) PRIDE OF LIFE, vs. 1, 2. Out of a clear sky comes the light ning of warning of woe. No man would choose to be a prophet of judgment, and God has always had difficulty in finding men for this work. No such prophet was ever popular, and men always covet popularity. God is short on prophets of woe. The schools do not furnish them. They must come from the open places, from the wilderness, the streams. View our land today— the leading na tion of the world. Who wants to proph esy a possible judgment for her sins? Look at the professing church with her great buildings, learned preachers and teachers, her great program of social service and world betterment; listen to her cheerful rally song of “ The World is Getting Better Every Day;” who would think of suggesting that God had declared in His Word that a day of awful declension and judgment awaited it? Three words describe the condition of Israel. Prosperity. Power. Pride. “ The mountains of Samaria” typified strategic strength. “Who’s afraid?” Had not the fame of Israel reached even unto the Queen of Sheba? Cities had risen to great pomp and power and had gone. Where were they? (2 Ki. 18: 34) “Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivah? have they delivered Sa maria out of mine hand?” Where are Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre, Sidon, Greece, Rome, Germany? There is no danger greater than that of glory ing in our power and prosperity, and persuading ourselves that judgment could never come in our day. (2) PLEASURES OF LIFE, vs. 2-5.
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