–Deuteronomy 16:19(NKJV)
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          “For three transgressions…and for four, I will not turn away its punishment.”  (Amos 1:11,13; 2:1)

     The dire prophecy now turns to Edom, the descendant of Esau.  Though distant relatives there was no love lost between the people.  Edom was east of Jordan and south of the Dead Sea.  They were a people known for their cruelty. (For more information regarding Edom read Obadiah).  From the time of Jacob and Esau there had been trouble.  Edom refused Moses passage through the land (Numbers 20:14-21), they were hostile and fought against Israel.  Esau may have forgiven Jacob but it is evident that Edom did not accept that forgiveness and continually expressed their wrath against Israel.  Lloyd Ogilvie states, “The problem with the rough-hewn, fierce, combative Edomites was not that they had other gods, but that they had no god at all.  Without God and any moral accountability, they ‘cast off all pity.'”  God didn’t mean anything to them as Esau’s birthright meant little to him.
     Amos condemns the Edomites for hating their brother, “because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked” (1:11, NIV).  Instead of helping their brother, “they acted like beasts instead of humans.” (Warren Wiersbe)  Known for their dehumanizing cruelty they also committed fratricide; the RSV translates it this way, “his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever” (1:11).  Anger and hatred and bitterness toward his brother–the result, fire would destroy the two major cities:  Teman and Bozrah.  “It was to become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse.” (Albert Garner)
     Then Amos turns his gaze to other distant relatives, the Ammonites and Moabites, the descendants of Lot through his incestuous union with his daughters.  They were ruthless people who were avowed enemies of the Jews (Wiersbe).  Ammon, under the justification that the land belonged to them, would raid the lands of Gilead committing atrocities.  They “ripped open the bellies of pregnant women slaughtering both mother and unborn child and thus eliminating part of the next generation. (Craigie)  Their deeds were vile and Peter Craigie writes, “They employed their violence against the defenceless and the unborn.  And for all the macho bragging with which they must have celebrated their violent deeds, those Ammonites have survived in history as the exemplars of cowardice.  Upon those without defence, they raised their bloodthirsty swords.”  Amos declares their future would be destroyed for God will judge their atrocities.  Their god, Moleck, will be unable to save them.
     The prophet now speaks to Moab.  A people of implacable hatred toward Israel.  We read in Numbers that the king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel.  They practiced human sacrifice and desecrated that which had been sacred.  The crime of Moab would be what we would call sacrilege.  There is “total lack of any respect for the lives, feelings and faith of others” (Craigie).
     Edom is no more, Ammon is no more, and Moab became the home of nomadic tribes, the nation gone.  Even though these people were not part of the covenant of Moses, they were responsible to God for their actions as are all people.  “God sees what the nations do, and He judges them accordingly” (Wiersbe).  Do not be under the illusion that God is not watching or that He is not involved.  It is God who controls the rise and fall of nations.  Paul tells us, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27, NKJV)
     The eye of the Lord is upon all.  Nothing escapes His notice.  The Chaldeans and Romans both brought destruction to these people who lost their identities as a separate group.  Notice also that these nations were judged by fire.  God’s justice is patient, but without repentance there comes a day of reckoning.  “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29, NKJV)

                    –John Deacon  (A Man Called Justice)

       “O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?”

                    –Deuteronomy 3:24(NKJV)
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          6 — Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
          7 — Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
          8 — Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  (NKJV)

Psalm 124 is portioned with the Psalms of Ascent, but many believe it was written by David and then used by pilgrims on their journey to Jerusalem.  David may have felt like he was trapped and was about to be torn apart.  It was an earnest plea from David for help, and he always knew where the help would come from.  Alexander Maclaren writes, “One thought runs through it all, that the sole actor in their deliverance has been Jehovah.  No human arm has been bared for them; no created might could have rescued them from the rush of the swelling deluge.”  G. Campbell Morgan adds to this, “Escape has always come by His action.”
     Here we see praise, “Blessed be the LORD…”.  Thanks be to God for He again has rescued us.  It would do us good to look back on our lives and see the many times that God has rescued us; the times He has intervened on our behalf.  As Francis Schaeffer says, “He is the God who is there!”  God is with us through the storms of life; He is with us in the thick and thin, in our going out and our coming in.  Someone has said that there are two pictures of what may trouble our soul:  Sometimes our troubles grind us to powder and sometimes our troubles capture us like a trap or snare.  But wait–God is there.  “Our help is in the name of the Lord!”
     We are not given as prey to the teeth of our enemy.  “God controls the jaws gripping you.  He won’t let them tear you apart.” (George Wood).  I remember long ago, I was riding my tricycle when I was attacked by a large german shepherd.  I was maybe four or a little younger.  I saw the dog run at me, but there was nothing I could do.  The dog tore up my face, and I have no recollection how I was rescued…that is, until I read this Psalm.  
     When studying for this psalm, I came across a story I would like to relate.  In 691 B.C., Sennacherib was in the process of capturing Judah and had trapped the king in the capital city “like a bird in a cage.”  The Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem, Hezekiah was caged, but then…Hezekiah prayed.  “The Bible says that the angel of the Lord came and decimated the Assyrian army.  The Greek historian Herodotus reports that a plague of field mice gnawed the bowstrings of the Assyrians soldiers.  Other historians say that the field mice may have started a bubonic plague among the soldiers…”  Whatever the actions, the Assyrian troops were gone by morning and the “caged bird” was released. (William J. Petersen)
     Why is it that people have so much trouble with the supernatural?  God delivered!  He is with His people, not only in the Old Testament times, not only in the time of the apostles, but right now–this very moment He is with us.  F.B. Meyer states, “All of the help of Omnipotence is pledged on the side of the weakest of the saints.  Lean back upon it and be strong.”  Our help is from the Lord–the God who is there!  I like the prayer of George Wood, “I am praying today that You will help me to realize I will not be gulped down, swept away, torn apart, or trapped by any of the dangers facing me.  You are stronger than all the terrors of the trail.  I’m going to make it because You’re not going to drop me”.

               “He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
               He sets the prisoner free;
               His blood can make the foulest clean;
               His blood availed for me.”
                        –Charles Wesley

                   –Revelation 21:4 (HCSB)
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I apologize right from the beginning for a longer devotion, but I want to look this morning at another one of those mysterious Scriptures.  Dr. Bernard Rossier states, “Theologically, this is probably the most difficult pass in Ephesians to interpret.”  That being said, let’s take a look and see if we cannot glean a few things.

          8 — Therefore He says:  “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
          9 — (Now this, “He ascended”–what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
        10 — He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)  (NKJV)

     One of the many views as to the interpretation of these verses is that Christ, as the conqueror, was leading those He conquered.  In ancient times it was customary to take foes conquered and make a public display of them while at the same time throwing gifts to the people.  He would ride in a chariot leading the conquered foes as captives.  (Lloyd-Jones)  There is much to discuss in this concept, but the short of it is that it would mean Jesus would be leading death, hell, and the grave.
     A second, major view is that Jesus “freed the multitudes of captives” (Rossier).  In this we have to be careful of not expounding, as some have, a “second chance theology” or an idea that there is salvation after death.  Jesus did not go and evangelize those in Hell (Gehenna).  This being said, the descent of Jesus was to Sheol, the place of the dead (Hades in the Greek).  We know that Jesus died, therefore we conclude that He went to Sheol.  This is not hell (Gehenna) the place of eternal punishment.

          “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”  –Psalm 16:10(NKJV)
          “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”  –Acts 2:27 (NKJV)

     To understand this better we need to look at Luke 16:19-26.  The rich man died and went to Hades (Sheol) as did the beggar Lazarus.  We see the rich man “tormented in this flame (16:24); while Lazarus was “carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom (16:22) which is often referred to as “Paradise.”  Recall also, the words Jesus spoke to the thief hanging on the cross next to Him, “…Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43, NKJV).  Somehow, some way–part of the mystery–there was a division in Hades (Sheol).  There was a place of comfort, and a place of torment.  There seems to be communication, both verbally and visually, between the souls that inhabit the two.  Abraham, though, informed the rich man, “…there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.”  (16:26, NKJV)  
     Who were these captives then?  One writer said it was those “who awaited Jesus’ (the Messiah) sacrifice now would have access to heaven.”  Rossier states, “At that time the Lord apparently transferred paradise, or Abraham’s bosom, into heaven itself, so this accounts for the freeing of multitudes of captives.”  This is the promise believed by Old Testament saints, and possibly others.
     Imagine the scene.  Jesus walking through the corridors into the great hall of the dead, stopping first to see His friend, Abraham, who declares, “You were the ram–the sacrifice.”  Turning, He sees Moses, perhaps winking at Him, “remember the I AM of the bush that burned, now you can see me face-to-face.”  Abel, Noah, Daniel, and a host of others gather around.  Jesus puts His hand on the shoulder of Jonah, “now you understand the ordeal of the great fish.”  Looking at the crowd, seemingly able to see all of them at once, Jesus declares, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.  Amen.  And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (Revelation 1:18, NKJV)  And I will note that here Hades is more literally rendered, the “unseen realm.”
     David, somehow reaches the forefront and bows before the Lord and proclaims, “you are my Shepherd, and my throne is Yours.”  Others, possibly Naaman, Darius, Xerxes who would have been influenced by Esther, and Nebuchadnezzar to whom Jesus says, “remember the fourth Man in the furnace.”  Go ahead, add others to the scenario, make it real in your mind what might have taken place.
     WOW!  What a scene that must have been!  Jesus–the promise given, now fulfilled.  He grabs Abraham by the arm, waves at the others, “Come on, let’s go to the city made by My Father.”  In closing this somewhat speculative and lengthy devotion, let me point out perhaps another mystery that took place.  “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-52, NKJV).

                    –Elmer Kelton  (The Far Canyon)

       “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

                    –2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV)
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Several weeks ago I discussed the concept of God’s omniscience–all-knowing.  God knows everything; everything past, present, and future; every thing that is or could be.  But knowing all, does that mean experiencing all?  Now, I don’t pretend to begin to know and understand the mysteries of God and the supernatural, but let’s look at a couple of things.
     Death, for example, that arch-enemy of man that came from the Fall.  Death, that mysterious departure from life into eternity.  Death was not created, but is the natural result of sin.  “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23).  In James we read, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (1:15, NKJV).
     Death is the opposite of life, therefore how can God know death?  One thing to remember, even though death is the opposite of life, it never denotes nonexistence (Vine).  On the scene:  Jesus, the God-man.  Fully God, fully man; it was Jesus who understood death.  It was Jesus who defeated death for Paul wrote, “O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55, NKJV).  
     Death–defeated by Jesus Christ, and thus when we come to the end of life and face that mystery, and to us it is still a mystery, we can face it with hope and trust.  “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, NKJV)  Death no longer is that enemy to be fear; it was defeated by Jesus Christ.
     Sin, God doesn’t know sin.  He is not the author or creator of sin for He will not, cannot, do anything contrary to His holy character.  James tells us that “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one” (1:13, NKJV)  Light cannot produce darkness.  Sin was found in Lucifer, “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:15, NKJV).  The conclusion I draw, feeble it may be, is that it is free-will that brought and continues to bring about sin.  Of course today, man is born with the sin nature thanks to Adam.  
     Sin, God does not know sin–on the scene, Jesus, the God-man.  Isaiah prophesied this about the Messiah from chapter 53:

          3 — He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
          4 — Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
          5 — But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His striped we are healed.
          6 — All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  (NKJV)

God’s justice and holiness demanded that sin, in all of its form, be punished.  Judgment must come.  Jesus took His wrath on the cross and bore the sins of the world.  Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV).  As Jesus hung on the cross the guilt of all was placed upon Him.  It forced the Father to send His wrath; it caused the Father to turn His back on His “only begotten Son.”  God knows sin, because Jesus became sin.
     I don’t know the deep things of God; I do know, however, that I have a free-will, the ability to sin or the choice to believe in Jesus and His supreme sacrifice.  The punishment for sin was dealt with at the cross.  Take advantage of that if you have not already done so.  Paul proclaims, “…Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NKJV)  Not tomorrow, for you might not see tomorrow’s sunrise, but today, now.