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Pastor Nathaniel's Blog March 30, 2023
"God’s Care and Judgement II"
Last week we saw that God cares about human rights - that he wants humans to flourish, whether they have a relationship with him or not. This focus on "human rights" and human flourishing continues in Amos 1:6, which says, "Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they took captive the whole captivity to deliver them up to Edom'" (NKJV).
Gaza was the ancient capital of Philistia - the home of the Philistines - and the Philistines were longstanding enemies of the Israelites in both Judah and Israel. The words "took captive" and "the whole captivity" more literally mean "deported" and "the entire deported population," respectively. What is being described here is the moment when the Philistines invaded the Kingdom of Judah, captured almost the whole family of King Jehoram, and handed them over to Edom (1 Chronicles 21:16-17). But what God is pointing out is that the Philistines, represented in Amos 1:6 by their capital Gaza, captured most of the royal Judean family by rounding up and deporting a whole population center where they were staying. In order to get one family, the Philistines displaced hundreds of other families and handed them over to Edom! Even the words "deliver them up" refer to violently shutting someone in, not unlike what happens in a concentration camp.
Apparently, God has a problem with population centers being targeted for political purposes, and he especially seems to loathe displacing people from their homes, removing them from where they grew up, or taking away the place they considered their sanctuary and refuge. God speaks his "thus says the Lord" into these kinds of situations, making it clear to the oppressor and victim alike that this is a sin that will not go unaddressed by heaven.
Friends, God wants you, the people you like, and the people you don't like to have a place to call home, a place of their own - because "thus says the Lord."
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
