What other scriptures highlight God's intolerance for repeated sin and injustice? The Pattern in Amos 1:3 “This is what the LORD says: ‘For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.’ ” (Amos 1:3) • The idiom “for three … and for four” pictures accumulated, habitual sin. • God’s patience has limits; persistent cruelty draws inevitable judgment. Echoes in Amos’ Oracles Amos repeats the same charge against other nations—and finally against Judah and Israel themselves: • Amos 1:11 – Edom “pursued his brother with the sword and stifled his compassion.” • Amos 1:13 – Ammon “ripped open pregnant women … in order to enlarge their territory.” • Amos 2:1 – Moab “burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.” • Amos 2:6 – Israel “sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.” Each oracle ends with “I will not revoke My judgment,” underscoring that repeated injustice meets divine resistance. Prophetic Warnings Across the Centuries • Micah 2:1-3 – Planners of oppression are told, “I am planning calamity against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves.” • Isaiah 5:18-23 – Those who “call evil good and good evil” face “woe” after “woe.” • Jeremiah 7:8-11 – Hypocrites who sin and then seek sanctuary hear, “Has this house … become a den of robbers to you?” • Hosea 4:1-3 – National violence brings ecological collapse: “Therefore the land mourns.” • Ezekiel 18:30-32 – “Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.” God’s intolerance is not capricious; it is grounded in His holiness and His care for the oppressed. Wisdom and Worship That Expose Hidden Sin • Psalm 7:11-12 – “God is a righteous judge … If one does not repent, God will sharpen His sword.” • Proverbs 28:13 – “Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” The wisdom literature personalizes Amos’s message: persistent, unconfessed sin blocks blessing. New Covenant Clarity on Willful Sin • Romans 1:18-32 – Ongoing rebellion leads God to “give them over” three times, echoing Amos’s formula of repeated sin. • Hebrews 10:26-31 – “If we deliberately go on sinning … no further sacrifice for sins remains … It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” • 1 John 3:4-10 – “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning … The one who practices sin is of the devil.” Grace never softens God’s view of habitual injustice; it magnifies the urgency of repentance. Takeaway Truths • God’s patience is long, but not limitless. • Repetition hardens sin, inviting proportionate judgment. • Whether nation or individual, unrepentant injustice meets the same holy opposition. • Confession and turning are always the offered escape—yet refusal leaves only the certainty of God’s righteous response. |
    |