Let us turn to God's Word and
we turn again to the chapter we read in the prophecy of Amos. Amos chapter 7 and reading verses
5 and 6. Amos 7, 5 and 6, Then said I,
O LORD God, Cease, I beseech Thee, by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small, The Lord repented
for this. This also shall not be, saith
the Lord God. And then again, of course, previously
in verse 2, we have that prayer of the prophets. In the verse
2 then, I said, O Lord God, forgive I beseech Thee, by whom shall
Jacob arise for he is small. The Lord repented for this. It
shall not be, saith the Lord. And it's what is said here at
the end of verse 2 and then again at the end of verse 5 that I
really want to centre our attention on for a while this evening.
The question by whom shall Jacob arise, for he is small. To say something with regards
to Jacob's smallness. It's a double text of course,
the verse, all the words are repeated and we know that God
never makes any vain repetitions. The Lord Jesus himself tells
us that all men have to give account for every idle word we
often speak many idle foolish words but there's no idle words
there's no unnecessary word to be found anywhere in God's book
and how good God is he's given us of course a fourfold gospel
and that needs to be taken account of that we should have such faithful
records concerning the coming of Christ, His birth, His life,
His ministry, His death, His resurrection, His ascension.
There's emphasis when God ever repeats Himself. And here, as
I said, we have words being repeated at the beginning of this seventh
chapter. By whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small The chapter
really concerns a number of visions concerning the judgments of God. In the opening two verses we
read of a plague, a plague of grasshoppers. Thus hath the Lord
God showed unto me and behold he formed grasshoppers in the
beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth and though
it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. And it came
to pass that when they had made an end of eating the grass of
the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee. The Prophet recognizes that this
is a judgment and he pleads with God that he would stay his hand.
And the Lord is pleased to hear the prayer to repent and to forgive. But then we have mention of of
another plague that comes by fire. In verse 4, the Lord God
showed unto me, and behold, the Lord God called to contend by
fire, and it devoured the great deep, and it did eat up a part. Again, we find the prophet pleading
with the Lord. And then, We have mention of
God's coming as it were with a plumb line in verses 7, 8 and
9. He showed me and behold the Lord
stood upon a wall made by a plumb line with a plumb line in his
hand and the Lord said unto me Amos, what seest thou? And I
said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I
will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel, and
I will not again pass by them any more. And the high places
of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall
be laid waste. And I will rise against the house
of Jeroboam with the swords. God will yet come and judge them. He'll measure them with the plumb-line.
and he'll work his destructions throughout the land. But here
we see how that the Prophet is one who time and again will pray
and plead for the people. And his plea really is based
upon the fact that Jacob is small. By whom shall Jacob arise for
he is small we have to remember that Amos
is ministering after the time of the division of the nation
so here really is speaking principally of the northern kingdom where
Jeroboam is king of Israel but there's also the southern kingdom
the kingdom of Judah and in the chapter that we've read he's
principally concerned with the northern kingdom, Israel and
the judgment that is going to fall upon them. If we go back
to the opening verse of the prophecy we read of what this prophet
saw concerning Israel it says in the days of Uzziah the king
of Judah that's Judah with its capital at Jerusalem and in the
days of Jeroboam the son of Joash that's Jeroboam the second in
the northern kingdom with his capital at Samaria so we have
to remember the the prophet is ministering to two separate kingdoms
and as I said here he is speaking in chapter 7 of what God is going
to do with Israel as we have at the end of verse 9 I will
rise against the house of Jeroboam says God with the swords all
God's judgments then and God's judgments are abroad and we see
how God works in all his creation when he will come and visit his
people with judgments. This plague of grasshoppers that's
mentioned in the opening two verses. Does it not remind us
of events that are recorded in the book of the Prophet Joel? Remember what we are told there
familiar passage in the opening chapter of Joel where we read
of pestilence throughout the nation that which the palmer worm hath
left hath the locust eaten and that which the locust hath left
hath the canker worm eaten and that which the canker worm hath
left hath the caterpillar eaten there in the opening chapter
of Joel and verse 4. And God speaks about all this
as a nation. A nation is come up upon my land
strong and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and yet the cheek teeth of a great lion hath laid my vine waste. and barked my fig tree hath made
it clean bare and casted away the branches thereof are made
white these pestilences they're like a great army that's come
up and they liken to lions and to the strength of the lion and
yet this is this is God's doing this is God's army That's how
he speaks of the plagues in the second chapter of Joel, and there
at verse 11, Joel speaks of them. When God visits a people with
such pestilence, as we read of there,
and again here where we read of these grasshoppers coming
upon the land. But ultimately, in God's dealings
with the northern kingdom of Israel, He will judge them with
the Assyrians under Sennacherib. In verse 9, where God speaks
of the high places of Isaac being desolate and the sanctuaries
of Israel being laid waste and the whole house of Jeroboam given
over to the sword. So it came to pass. It was when
the Assyrians came upon the land and the northern tribes, the
kingdom of Israel were scattered abroad. Verse 11, Thus Amos saith,
Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led
away captive out of their own land. And so it's recorded. We have it there in the historic
books, of course. We can read them, the books of
Kings and of Chronicles. In 2 Kings chapter 17, at verse
5, Then the king of Assyria came
up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged
it three years. The king of Assyria took Samaria
and carried Israel away into Assyria. Now that was the judgment
on the northern kingdom, not to be confused with the judgment
that would later come upon the southern kingdom of Judah. Although
Sennacherib, having taken all the ten tribes and scattered
them, taken them into captivity, then he does advance upon the
southern kingdom of Judah. But of course we see how in the
days of good king Hezekiah, his assaults against Jerusalem were
thwarted. God delivered the southern kingdom.
It was not the Assyrians who were going to be God's instruments
in judgment it would be another great kingdom that would arise
after the Assyrian that of the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
but here in this seventh chapter we're reading of God's judgments
that God is sovereign over all his creatures he can use insects
He can use great empires led by ungodly men, even God denying
men. But His eye is always upon those
who are His people and He will judge them. He will deal with
them because of their sins. We see then something here of
the judgment of God but in the midst of it we have the remarkable
prayers of Amos. He's not just a prophet, but
he's a man who's burdened for those people that he is God's
minister to, be it Israel in the north, be it Judah in the
south. And this is a wonderful petition,
by whom shall Jacob arise, he asks. Or the margin. The margin gives us an alternative.
Who shall stand for Jacob? Who shall stand for Jacob? When God's judgments are abroad,
who is going to plead the cause of his people? Think of the language
again of the Psalmist there in the opening words of Psalm 12.
Help, Lord, for the godly man Caesar. for the faithful fail
from among the children of men. Or when God judges a people and
takes away those who would be burdened for the nation and pray
for the nation. Now this man prays and what does
he pray? He pleads with God that the Lord
will yet have mercy, that the Lord will deal graciously, that
there might be forgiveness for sin Then at the end of verse
2, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech Thee. By whom shall Jacob arise,
for he is small? And then again in verse 5 then
said, O Lord God, cease, I beseech Thee. By whom shall Jacob arise,
for he is small? And he doesn't pray in vain.
Oh, that's a wonderful thing. God was pleased to hear the prayer
of His servant, the Prophet. The Lord repented. You have it
twice, in verse 3 again, in verse 5, or rather verse 6, the Lord
repented for this. He shall not be, He says. And all at the request of the
Prophet, You see, God's people do not seek his face in vain
when they come and plead with him. As I said, he's a prophet
to both of the kingdoms, as we see in the opening verse of the
book. Not only is he a prophet to Israel,
he's one to Judah, but it's interesting how there is discrimination Although
there was forgiveness at times and ultimately God's judgment
would come upon that northern kingdom of Israel and yet at that time the
Lord God did in his goodness and his mercy spare the southern
kingdom. And I said it was, of course,
in the days of that gracious man, that good king, King Hezekiah. And we have some detail in the
prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah and Amos are contemporary
in their prophetic ministry. And remember what we're told
concerning the Lord's dealings with Sennacherib
when he comes up against Judah. There is another man to pray
for God's cause, this man King Ezekiah. And his prayer is heard and answered. We read of him taking the matter
and going into the temple of the Lord and spreading the matter
before the Lord is God. There in chapter 37 verse 14,
this letter is sent by the Assyrians as Ikai receives the letter.
at the hand of the messengers, read it. And then he goes up
into the house of the Lord and spreads it before the Lord. We
have the record of his prayer. O Lord God of hosts, God of Israel,
that dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone,
of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth.
Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear. Open Thine eyes, O Lord,
and see. And hear all the words of Sennacherib
which has sent a reproach to the Living God, of a truth, Lord,
the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their
countries." And here they are now at the very gates of Jerusalem. The Lord God hears that prayer
and whereas Israel in the north had fallen, not so for Judah
at this time and we see it at the end of that chapter Our Sennacherib king of Assyria
departed and went and returned and dwelt at Nineveh. And we're
told he came to pass as he was worshipping in the house of Nisrog
his god Adrammelech. And Chariazer, his son, smote
him with the sword. And they escaped into the land
of Armenia and Esau had on his son reigned in his stead. all gods so discriminatingly
in his dealings with these two nations of course subsequently
the matter hasn't yet come to an end because if we go over
to that 38th chapter we read of Ezekiel being sick And still
there are threatenings coming from the Assyrians. But God is ready to hear his
prayer again. Now he's sick. He cannot do as
he had done previously and take the matter into the temple and
spread it before the Lord. But now he turns his face to
the wall. and the Lord is pleased to hear
his prayer again and he's recovered of his sickness and still the
Assyrians cannot take the city, they never will take the city
that was not according to the will of God he is of one mind
and no man can turn him of course he will deal with Judah but he
will deal with Judah differently to his dealings with Israel they'll
go into Babylon they'll be restored after 70 years in exile but of
course the 10 tribes were lost really after they were overrun
by the Assyrians how discriminating are the ways of God no man can
frustrate his purpose I know what we read here in the
seventh chapter concerning the prayer of Amos and the answer
that the Lord gives it says the Lord repented for this this also shall not be the question
might be asked well is it true does the Lord really repent if
he is in one mind and no man can turn him God is not a man
that he should repent. He's not the son of man that
he should ever change his mind. He's that one who knows the end
from the beginning. How are we to understand the
language? Well, it's as we perceive it. It might appear to us that there
is a change in the mind of God. I know some
people like to trot out that little dictum and say that prayer
changes things. Well, prayer may change things
from our perspective, but never from God's. He knows the end
from the beginning. He knew exactly what he was doing
when the Babylonians took Judah into captivity. I know the thoughts
that I think towards you, he says. Thoughts of peace and not
of evil to give you unexpected ends. God would ever fulfill
his purpose in answer to the prayers of his people. And so
surely here we see the necessity of prayer in what's recorded
concerning Amos and the prayers that he prays. and this petition
that he repeats by whom shall Jacob arise for he is small is this not in a sense a prophetic
word? he said that it's a word of prayer
but is it not also prophetic? why is it recorded in scripture?
we know that whatever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning says Paul that we, through patience or endurance
and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. All these things
that happened to God's ancient people, Israel, they are written
for our admonition, Paul says, upon whom the ends of the world
are come. The ends of the world, this Gospel
day where God, as a spiritual Israel that he is citing you
know that they're not all Israel that are of Israel that's true
in the in the Old Testament there was always that that spiritual
Israel in the midst of ethnic Israel they were the true people
of God And of course in this day of grace we know exactly
the same. He's not a Jew which is one outwardly.
We've many a times quoted those words of the Apostle in Romans
2. Circumcision is that of the hearts. In the spirit, not in
the letter. These things are written, they're
recorded for God's spiritual people. And God's spiritual people are
always that remnant. Always that remnant. God leaves
in the midst of his world a very small remnant. Except the Lord had left unto
us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom and like unto
Gomorrah says Isaiah there in the opening chapter of his prophecy. but how God's words and God's
way always comes ultimately to centre in that people who are
the Lord's people and that people who are saved by the Lord Jesus
Christ all centres ultimately then in that sense in the Lord
Jesus Christ himself reading these words that I've announced
for our text, one couldn't but recall those other words that
we read, that short portion in Jeremiah chapter 30. In Jeremiah
chapter 30, remember we read just the opening 9 verses of
that chapter. And the end of the portion we
were reading, verse 7, alas! It says, For that day is great,
so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come
to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break
his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bungs, and strangers
shall no more serve themselves of him, but they shall serve
the Lord their God and David their King, whom I will raise
up unto them. Now here surely we have the prophetic
promise concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the words of
Jeremiah many, many years after the life and death of King David. Here is another David. This is
David's greater son. And it is here that Little Jacob
really finds his true comfort. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one who is always the saviour of his remnant. And how he tells
us plainly of the life that will be involved if we are those who
know the Lord and have to walk that life of faith in the world
ye shall have tribulation says Christ but be of good cheer I
have overcome the world he is the one who is the overcomer
we see him as such there in those opening chapters of the book
of the revelation in the letters to the seven churches he overcomes
and those who are trusting in him they also are the overcomers How plainly the Lord speaks concerning
that life of faith after his departure. There will come of
course that gracious ministry of the Spirit, that best of all
the donations that ever God has given his people. And this day
the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. But what trials, what
troubles? Remember how the Lord speaks
in the midst of those chapters where he's speaking principally
of that great promise of the coming of the spirits, those
chapters in John. And in chapter 16, the opening
verses, these things says Christ, have I spoken unto you that you
should not be offended. They shall put you out of the
synagogues, yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will
think that he doeth God's service. and these things will they do
unto you because they have not known the Father nor me but these
things have I told you that when the time shall come you may remember
that I told you of them. Oh how the Lord is so faithful
in all his works with regards to that life that his people
have to live in his fallen worlds or that will live godly in Christ
Jesus. Why they shall, they will suffer
persecutions one way or another. They're not all going to be martyrs. Not martyrs in that literal sense
of the word. They're going to be those who
know what it is to be engaged in a spiritual conflict. The time of Jacob's trouble Jacob,
or Jacob so small, so insignificant in God's people. It's the doctrine,
isn't it? It's the doctrine of the remnant and we see it time
and again throughout the scriptures and in this world's tribulation
and trouble. and how the Lord speaks of matters
in many ways growing ever worse and worse. Remember that passage
that we have in the second letter of Paul to Timothy and the opening
verses there in the third chapter. Perilous times. This know also that in the last
days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that
are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the
power thereof. Is it not a description so plain
of the day in which we live? These things are so. And the
Lord says from such turn away. Or by whom shall Jacob rise for
he is small who's going to stand for Jacob
in such days as these? it's the day of small things
and surely we increasingly feel that to be the case we seem to
see nothing but reducing on every hand the way is hard, trying, difficult
How can we survive? How can we ever manage to continue
in the midst of so much that seems to stand against us? We're
just a handful. But we're not to despise the
day, are we? We're told that quite plainly.
The words of Zechariah 4.10, who hath despised the day of
small things. The implication in that question,
surely, is we're not to despise the day. They shall rejoice. They shall
see the plummet in the hands of Zerubbabel. Of course, in
the historical context there, it's the days of the restoration
from the captivity. It's the days of Ezra and the
rebuilding of the temple of the Lord. And Zerubbabel engaged
in that wondrous task, the rebuilding of the temple. But it applies
to us and the work of the gospel and Christ gathering the people
to himself and building his church and the gates of hell not to
prevail against it. By whom shall Jacob stand? For
he is small. And yet this is our comfort,
it is still the day of grace. Or do we realize that every new
day that dawns to remember that God has granted to us yet another
day the acceptable time the day of salvation the day when God speaks to us
in his word and speaks such comforting words really remember what the
Lord Jesus Christ himself says in his own day to those who were
his flock. And you know, there in Acts chapter
1, after the death and the resurrection and the ascension of Christ,
the church numbered 120. That's what it says, there were
120 disciples. And of course, with the coming
of the Spirit, there was going to be such a remarkable awakening
and thousands being added to the church. That's the glory
of the coming of the Spirit of God. But you think after the
ministry of the Lord Jesus, the greatest preacher that ever lived,
and yet at the end, just 120, there were times when the people
were crowding and pressing upon him on every hand. But we have
that sixth chapter of John, don't we? Dear old Sidney Norton used
to call it the chapter of the great diminishings. The Lord's
preaching was so sifting and so separating. And many were
offended at his preaching. There were just a hundred and
twenty. But now he addresses them, fear not, he says, fear
not little flock. It is your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom. Oh, there's the comfort of the
people of God. The sovereignty of God is their
comfort. The little flock is not to be
fearful because of God's good pleasure. God's eternal decree, God will
accomplish all His goodwill and pleasure. And so we're not to
despise the day of small things. Even in this day, the Lord is
saving a people. as many as were ordained to eternal
life, He's still saving them in this day. That's not fatalism. That's our comfort, if we are
part of that little flock. Again, remember how we have so
many fear nots in the prophecy of Isaiah. And there in Isaiah
41, 14, fear not, says God, fear not thou Worm, Jacob, Angie,
men of Israel. It's always useful to look at
the margin because there the margin tells us literally, it
says, thou few men of Israel. Fear not, thou worm, Jacob, Angie,
few men of Israel. Or by whom shall Jacob arise?
For he is small. He is small. And he's a worm. They'll worm
Jacob. And yet, what a comfort because
do we not, in that name that's applied to Jacob, do we not see
Jacob's union with the Lord Jesus Christ? Because the Lord Jesus
himself in the prophetic 22nd Psalm says, I am a worm. I am
a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despise of the people. There's a union you see between
the Lord Jesus and Jacob. Fear not thou worm Jacob and
ye few men of Israel. And doesn't Jeremiah, in that portion that
we were reading in that 30th chapter, direct us to the Lord
Jesus Christ so clearly? Here is Jacob's time of trouble. It is Jacob's time of trouble,
but he shall be saved out of it, it says. For he shall come
to pass in that day, that day being the gospel day, that I
will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy
bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him,
but they shall serve the Lord their God, and Jacob their King. Oh, the Lord is ever mindful of His
little flock. He's ever mindful of Jacob. Jacob,
of course, one of twins. He was not the firstborn. Esau
was the firstborn, but he took hold of his brother's hill, didn't
he? That's why he was called Jacob,
the supplanter. But God says, Jacob have I loved,
and Esau have I hated. Jacob is that one who is the
chosen one. And those words, written of course
in in Malachi chapter 1 but repeated in the in the New Testament there
in Romans 9 verse 13 as it is written Jacob have I loved but
he sort of I hated again we have the repetition and remember God
doesn't repeat himself in vain here is Jacob's comfort then
it's a sovereignty of God again But how is Jacob going to arise? By whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small. Who shall stand for Jacob? Who's
going to pray for Jacob? Well, we see Jacob surely in
Scripture having to pray for himself. there in Genesis 32
at the brook and he wrestles he wrestles with
the angel or rather the angel is wrestling with Jacob and Jacob will not let the angel
go except he bless him or Jacob has power with the angel and
prevails. And surely, friends, that's all
that we can do is desire that we might have something of that
spirit of Jacob as we see him there at the brook Jabbok. He
called the name of it Peniel because he had seen the face
of God, he said. The angel was none other, of
course, than a pre-incarnate visit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jacob is wrestling with Christ.
And this is surely what we must learn from this prophetic book. We must be those who would pray,
Amos, Amos prays, Jacob prays. And surely this is all written
for our learning that we might be encouraged as they sought
to encourage themselves in the Lord their God by prayer. Then said I, O Lord God, Cease
I beseech thee. By whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small. And the prayer
was not in vain. The Lord repented for this. This
also shall not be, saith the Lord God. O God, help us then
that we might be those who would seek only to encourage ourselves
in the Lord our God. and be those who would lay hold
of the angel and know what it is to prevail in our prayers,
and yet to see those gracious works, to know them in our own
souls, and to see those gracious works in many souls. For the
Lord is able to say from the uttermost to the uttermost, while
the Lord be pleased to bless His Word to us. Amen.