No Gloom and Doom for Faithful Christians

Last Lord′s day I preached from the book of Amos and admittedly it has a "gloom and doom" theme. Warning after warning comes down from God′s prophet telling the wayward nation of Israel that judgment was coming. As the Holy Spirit moved this great man of God, he denounced their sins: their dishonesty, their mistreatment of the less fortunate, their corrupt religion, their luxurious lifestyles that had blinded them to their duty to God. Through various disasters, God had been shaking them up to wake them out of their spiritual stupor, but the Lord says, "You did not return to Me" (Chapter 4). Since they would not repent, God was forced to take action. Their nation would soon be invaded and destroyed. "Prepare to meet your God," he told the sinful nation, (Amos 4:12Amos 4:12
  12. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.).

At the end of Amos′ prophecy, God gives a contrasting picture of a better days ahead. "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name, declares the Lord who does this," (Amos 9:11–12Amos 9:11–12
  11. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
  12. That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.).

Amos had predicted that both the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel would face God′s judgment. Both would be taken away into captivity. Israel would never return as a nation. Only a remnant of Judah′s captives would be returned home after seventy years in Babylon. Yet they would never again be a thriving nation and they would be dominated by pagan nations. Still, Amos predicted that the tabernacle of David which was fallen down, would be raised up and rebuilt. Furthermore, the Lord said they would possess "the Gentiles who are called by My name." Modern Israel still wonders when that promise will be fulfilled. And premillenialists who believe that all Old Testament prophecy must be fulfilled in the most literal fashion, say this can only be fulfilled when Jesus returns. How would Amos′ words find fulfillment?

In the phrase "tabernacle of David", the word "tabernacle" is "sukkah" which actually describes a hut, a small house. That word is in contrast with bayith, which described the palace David built, (II Samuel 5:11II Samuel 5:11
  11. And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.). Using this terminology helps us see that once the house of David was grand, palace–like. Now it had degenerated into nothing more than a shack. And even worse, the shack had "fallen down."

David was the first truly great king over Israel. and God promised him, "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever,", (II Samuel 7) Part of that promise finds fulfillment in David′s son, Solomon, but the greater part finds fulfillment in Christ.

David himself spoke of the coming of One greater than Solomon. He told of God′s Son who would be installed a ruler of all nations, (Psalm 2). It was David who called his own descendant "My Lord" that the Lord God would sit at His right hand, (Psalms 110). Later prophets also noted (long after Solomon) that one of David′s descendants would sit on his throne. Isaiah prophecied, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder...Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever," (Isaiah 9:6–7Isaiah 9:6–7
  6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
  7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.).

When Judah was going into captivity, Jeremiah knew it would never be the same. There would never be another earthly king and yet the prophet boldly predicted, "David shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel," (Jeremiah 33:17Jeremiah 33:17
  17. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;). Israel waited for the "Son of David" to come (Matthew 12:23Matthew 12:23
  23. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?; John 7:42John 7:42
  42. Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?). Then one day an angel appeared to a young virgin and told her that she would bear a Son. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end," (Luke 1:32–33Luke 1:32–33
  32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
  33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.). As Jesus worked His Messianic signs believers called Him "the Son of David," (Luke 18:38Luke 18:38
  38. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.).

Christ died, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God to reign. At Pentecost Peter told the house of Israel how David "being a prophet knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on His throne," (Acts 2:30Acts 2:30
  30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;). The New Testament repeatedly speaks of Christ as the rightful descendant of David (Acts 13:34Acts 13:34
  34. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.; Romans 11:3Romans 11:3
  3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.; II Timothy 2:9II Timothy 2:9
  9. Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.). And in the Scripture′s closing remarks, Jesus states, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and the morning star," (Revelation 22:16Revelation 22:16
  16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.).

In Acts 15 we read how the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem met to talk about the obedience of Gentiles to Christ. After Peter told the story of the conversion of Cornelius′ Gentile household, and Paul and Barnabas related what God had done through them among the Gentiles, James spoke up: "And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, After these things I will return and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name..." (Acts 15:15–16Acts 15:15–16
  15. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
  16. After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
  17.That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.)

Not only had the house of David been rebuilt in the reign of Jesus Christ, but the Gentiles could also seek the Lord and be part of Christ′s reign. In the midst of "doom and gloom", Amos had pointed to the brighter day when Christ would reign. There can be some very discouraging moments as we watch nations decline morally and forsake the Lord. That terrible ending may one day happen to our own nation, but take heart faithful Christian: "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Philemon 3:20Philemon 3:20
  20. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.). The Lord may shake things up on this earth, but we are part of a "kingdom which cannot be shaken," (Hebrews 12:28Hebrews 12:28
  28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:).