Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical dot net.

Amos chapter 1 verse 3 thus says the Lord for three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke the punishment because they have

threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.

It's interesting this language is poetic. It starts here in verse 3 and then you see the same thing in verse 6 and the same thing in

verse 9 verse 11 verse 13 and then in chapter 2 what you're reading what we have in the book of Amos starting out here are pronouncements of

judgment from God through Amos on neighboring nations around Israel and then on God's people

Israel and each one starts with this language for three transgressions of Damascus or Gaza or the

Ammonites for Edum for three transgressions of whatever nation and for four I will not revoke the punishment and the whole

picture as we see that so just maybe to help you understand what this poetic expression in Amos means.

Basically, the picture of three symbolizes the plural in Hebrew

and the language that the Old Testament was written in and then kind of by raising it to four

the idea is for more than just many it's basically a picture of multiplicity of transgressions among each and all of these

nations God says I will not revoke the punishment. So the picture is clear. God in his holy judgment will

punish sin.

And this is good.

This is very good.

You think about a judge on a bench in a court if people who had committed vile crimes came

before that judge and time and time again there was no punishment handed down.

He just overlooked vile crimes.

No big deal, kind of move on.

We would have that judge off the bench in a heartbeat.

Why? Because that judge is not just.

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