This is Daniel Whyte III with The Scripture & The Sense Podcast #408, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.
Today we are reading Amos 1:4-5.
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.
5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord.
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That was Amos 1:4-5. Now here is the sense of it.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:
In the judgment on each of the first seven nations God is pictured as a suzerain Lord who has brought his armies to punish a vassal city for its revolt. The attack begins in each case with a fire that would eventually consume the walls and/or fortresses of the city and leave it a smoldering ruin. In punishing Damascus God declared He would smash the bar of the city gate and break down the gate, stripping the city of its defenses. He would destroy the rebel king who reigned over the wicked and proud nations. Valley of Aven and Beth Eden may refer to other regions of Aram, Baal-bek and Bit-A-di-ni. More likely, they are derogatory references to the area and palace of Damascus, meaning “Valley of Wickedness” and “House of Pleasure.” The house (dynasty) of Haz-a-el would be terminated, and the A-ra-me-ans would be exiled back to their place of origin, a Mesopotamian site called Kir. In essence, this punishment would be a complete reversal of Aram’s proud history. God, who had originally brought them out of Kir ), would send them back, after obliterating all they had achieved. This judgment was carried out by the Assyrians under Tig-lath-Pi-le-ser III in 732 b.c.
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Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.
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