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Wednesday
First Lesson
Amos 2:6-16
6
Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and
for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because
they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of
shoes;
7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,
and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father
will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by
every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the
house of their god.
9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like
the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet
I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you
forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the
Amorite.
11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young
men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel?
saith the LORD.
12 But
ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets,
saying, Prophesy not.
13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that
is full of sheaves.
14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the
strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty
deliver himself:
15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that
is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he
that rideth the horse deliver himself.
16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away
naked in that day, saith the LORD.
1st Lesson Questions -
Part of Amos' message was God's displeasure at how the poor were being treated. Are we doing any better today? Have I ever done something akin to selling the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes? (V. 6) Verse 12 says that they perverted those who were called by God for specific ministries, giving wine to the Nazarites and telling the prophets to "prophesy not." Are such things done today, in order to stop God's Word from being preached and lived? RESOLVE.
Second Lesson
Galatians 2:1-10
1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with
Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that
gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them
which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or
had run, in vain.
3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled
to be circumcised:
4 And
that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came
in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage:
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that
the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were,
it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for
they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to
me:
7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision
was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was
unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship
of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars,
perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and
Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto
the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same
which I also was forward to do.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Have I ever been exposed to "false brethren unawares" in my life? (V. 4) Is the Church still suffering because of such folk? RESOLVE.