Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning

May I Have Your Attention

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2026-01-11

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Jeremiah 22:21, where God laments that Israel refused to listen during prosperity. He argues that prosperity often leads to spiritual deafness and willful disobedience, and that God uses chastisement—increasing in severity—to get our attention. The sermon applies this to modern America, warning that national corruption and judgment call for repentance and attentive obedience.

[John Weaver] Okay, well, let's open our Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, and look, if you would, please, at verse 21. Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. This message actually came to me yesterday. I had really planned on preaching something else, and I was reading Scripture, and this jumped out at me, and I thought, well, I might have to just deal with that in light of the situation that's going on in our land today. So if you look at Jeremiah chapter 22, and let's just read verse 21 for right now.

[John Weaver] God said, I speak unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou sayest I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth that thou obeyest not my voice. The title of the message today is, May I have your attention? I hear that request quite often, may I have your attention, especially when I'm in an airport or when I am in meetings. Often the phrase is just shortened to attention please. And usually when I'm in an airport I just totally ignore all of those announcements because obviously they do not relate to me.

[John Weaver] However, on a recent trip I was in Chicago, Illinois And of course, I always refused to go through the scanner. And so, this was an unusual place. And so, I had to remove my shoes, my belt, and subject myself to this search. And I did so. And I told the young man, I said, you know, I just don't understand how you and all these people can be so afraid of an 81-year-old man. But I said, evidently, you are quite afraid. But anyhow.

[John Weaver] I gathered all my belongings, and I ran to the gate into which my airplane was waiting. And just as I got to the gate, which was a long, long way, I might add, I heard, attention please, will John Weaver report to the check station? And I thought, what? I looked at my briefcase, I looked at my little carry-on suitcase, I checked my money clip, I thought I had everything, but then I noticed My driver's license was missing. So now I had to turn around and run all the way back carrying my luggage, require and receive my driver's license, and then run all the way back just in time to board that plane.

[John Weaver] Well, let me tell you something about Chicago, especially the airport there. I've just determined if I'm ever homeless, Brother Jim, or if the cops are ever after me for some reason, I'm going to go to Chicago and I'm going to buy the cheapest ticket I can just to get a boarding pass and just to get through the checkpoint. No one will ever find you in that airport. In fact, there are so many different, you have to have transportation to get to several different wings. And people are there all the, no one would ever notice you. And you could just live there. And I think no one would probably ever find you. But I was thankful at least on that one day that I paid attention to, may I have your attention please. It's interesting though how often that we do not pay attention or the fact that we are inattentive most of the time. I read recently where one husband said, Jim listen up, the husband said, My wife said I hardly ever listen to her or something like that.

[John Weaver] So Brenda's shaking her head, yes. I think that could be said of all of us. But the truth of the matter is we don't normally pay attention to our surroundings. We're not attentive to danger or dangerous places, so obviously we do not engage in situational awareness too often, and consequently, At times we find ourselves in very troublesome and dangerous places because usually we're either engaged in conversation or we're daydreaming or looking at the cell phones, playing games and something like that. But here's something that really dawned on me as I read this passage.

[John Weaver] And I'm just wondering, have you ever noticed that we tend to think less about the Lord, about his worship, about his work, and even less about his grace and his mercy and his goodness when everything is going well and we have plenty and there are no problems whatsoever. And have you ever noticed this? That we usually reserve our God for times of emergency. We kind of, you know, use him as an emergency parachute or in case of emergency, break glass.

[John Weaver] In other words, we don't really seek him the way we should until and unless we're really genuinely in trouble. Now, this was the problem in Jeremiah's time. And I'm pointing out the fact it's also a problem in our time. So I want you to look at verse 21 again. I'm going to develop this for you just momentarily. But notice he said, I speak unto thee in thy prosperity. or in thy tranquility, or in thy peacefulness, when everything was going well.

[John Weaver] But thou sayest, I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note, first of all, in verse 21, God said, I speak unto thee. So put it down. God spoke. That is, God gave his word. God gave his commandments, God gave his statutes, God gave his orders. Many times in the Bible he sent his prophets and he would speak to the people through his prophets. So we understand now that God has spoken. So whatever transpires cannot be alluded to as ignorance and it certainly could not be from the Well, I just didn't hear. No, no, no. They heard, in one sense of the word, but they didn't hear.

[John Weaver] But this would be something that would be absolutely willful. So notice if you would, secondly, he said, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity. You know, it's interesting when we think about this. We never wonder where they derived their prosperity. Who gave them their prosperity? Who gave them their tranquility? Who gave them their peacefulness? And the truth of the matter is, everything that we are and everything that we have, God made us and God gave us. And so everything that these people had were derived just from the blessings of God himself. Now, there's certainly, he said, I've spoken to thee of thy prosperity, but thou saidest, I will not hear.

[John Weaver] We could put it like this. I don't want to hear. I will not hear. In fact, literally, what is being said here is, I will not obey. I may hear, but I'm not going to obey. I'm not going to do anything about it. So, we need to understand that in their prosperity, they were saying, at this point, we're set. We really don't need God, we really don't need anything from him, so we can safely ignore his word and ignore him for a little while. So, notice if you would, the fourth thing in this verse, he said, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst I will not hear. Then he said, this hath been my manner from my youth, that thou obeyest not my voice. Well, You have to understand that patterns become habits and habits become a lifestyle. So what you're reading about in Jeremiah 22 and verse 21 is not the sin of ignorance. Rather, it is a sin of willfulness. It is a sin of selfish rebellion. It is a sin of unthankfulness, unthoughtfulness and ungratefulness.

[John Weaver] So the people had been receiving everything that God had been giving them but now God speaks and they are not going to hear. Now let me point out that this sin that was prevalent in Jeremiah's time is very prevalent in our time as well. It does not have to be a spoken sin. It's not that someone's going to say to God, God, I'm not going to listen to you. I'm not going to hear you today. I'm not going to obey you.

[John Weaver] You don't have to use those words. All you have to do is simply ignore him. Go on with a improper, unbiblical attitude. And then the actions will demonstrate that the attitude is unbiblical and godly as well. So they're simply saying that in our tranquility, in our prosperity, We are set right now. We don't need you. And so therefore, we're not going to listen to what you are saying to us. Have you ever noticed this as well? It's easier to sin. When everything's going well. Think about this. It's easier to sin when everything is going well, because you're thinking now, Lord, you've blessed me, you've given me all this and I must be doing pretty good. And so, Lord, just this little tiny sin that I want and I'm going to engage in, surely you'll overlook that. And of course, one sin always leads to another sin.

[John Weaver] And I want you to note what happens when we get prosperous, normally speaking. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Jeremiah 22, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32, and look, if you would please, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 15. We're going to read it and then I'm going to give you a quote. Watch this. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 15.

[John Weaver] The Word of God says. Deuteronomy chapter 32, look at it, if you would please. Verse 15. The Word of God says. But Jerusalem or Jerusalem Jerusalem waxed fat and kicked, Darth waxed and fat, Darth groaned thick, Darth covered with fatness. Look what happened. Then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation. He forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed, that is, he thought nothing of it, lightly esteemed the God of his salvation. So Jerusalem then pursued God when they were covered with fatness, when they had prosperity, when they had everything. They pursued him and then lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation.

[John Weaver] Now, here's a quote from Calvin. Listen carefully. He says, It is indeed true what Moses says, that men are like meddlesome and wanton horses when they become fat. So fatness and tranquility have such an effect as to render us more refractory or disobedient, yet this cannot avail for an excuse when God kindly invites us and connects with his doctrine, kind and paternal benevolence, and confirms it by the effects when we are teachable and yield to him willing obedience.

[John Weaver] In other words, when we are willingly obedient, God blesses us, but then all of a sudden, We get all of these blessings, we get all of this prosperity, and we don't think that we need to hear him. So here's a good question, and I'm going to answer it from the Bible. What do you do with a refractory animal? I mean, think about a horse, think about a mule, think about a fool. What is the answer?

[John Weaver] Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs chapter 26 and look if you would please at verse 3. Proverbs 26 and verse 3. Look what God says. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you something about a fool. A fool in the Bible is not a mentally deficient person. A fool in the Bible is someone who will not listen, who will not hear, who will not be instructed. The Bible tells you that fools despise instruction. Fools despise wisdom. But note what he said when an animal is rebellious, a whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

[John Weaver] When I was a boy, I drove and I rode mules. When I was an adult, we raised and we rode horses. In fact, Dinah, I had 11 at one time. All my girls had to have horses and then the horses just kept reproducing. So, I know the strength of a horse. I know the stubbornness of a mule. I know what is needed. Usually we read about a whip for the horse. Most riders carry what is known as a riding crop, which is a short whip. And you just spur the horse. You make the horse do whatever you desire him to do. The same thing with the mule.

[John Weaver] You have to have the bit. You have to have the bridle. When you're driving a mule or plowing a mule, you have to have the traces. You have to have the collar. You have to have the singletree. You have to have all of those things in order to control that mule. It's the same thing with an ox. When you get a 3,000 pound ox, you need to have a yoke and you need to have everything on him in order to control him.

[John Weaver] So this is what God is saying. We use a whip for the horse. We use a bent bridle for the mule and a rod for the fool's back.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Since you're in the book of Proverbs, you will turn right back to the book of Psalms. And if you look at Psalm 32, look at the counsel that God gives you. Psalm 32 and verse 9. Look at this. So I understand now a whip for the horse, a bit and bridle for the mule, and a rod for the fool's back. So now look at Psalm 32 and verse 9. God says, Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Wow. So God says don't be like a horse and don't be like a mule. Don't be stubborn. Don't make me put a bitten bridle in your mouth.

[John Weaver] If I have to, I will. But don't make me. So that's good counsel from God himself. Notice if you would, be not as the horse or as the mule, which you have no understanding. So if God has to put a bed and bridle upon us, we will obey, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] Now, before I get to some scripture, I want to give you a story that I read many years ago. And the story has a point, that's why I'm telling it. I read about a man, a farmer, who was selling his mule, and he set a very high price upon that mule. Well, he had a neighbor, that was very interested in the mule, so the neighbor came over and asked him why the price of that mule was so high. And he said, because this mule is exceedingly obedient. This mule follows all the commands that I give mule. The man said, okay. He said, I'll buy the mule and I'll give you the price. And so the neighbor bought the mule, took the mule home, and gave the mule a command and the mule just stood there. Finally, he gave several commands and the mule just would not even move. So, he called the neighbor and said, look, something is wrong. I can't get this mule to obey me. The farmer said, I'll be over just momentarily and I'll take care of the situation.

[John Weaver] So, when the neighbor came over to take care of the situation, he brought a two by four six feet long and he walked up to the mule and hit the mule up beside the head and said go get installed and the mule walked and got installed and he looked at his neighbor he said I just forgot to tell you that that mule will obey but you just have to get his attention first now here's the point what does God do to get our attention? What happens when we will not listen and when we will not hear? Do you think that somehow God has a way of getting our attention? We won't listen to the announcement of attention, please. Sometimes we just have to get hit upside, beside the head. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. I think you can understand the point that I'm getting to. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 9. Actually, this section begins in verse 5, but we're not going to go all the way back to verse 5 because God is talking about chastisement. God is talking about punishment. Look what he said in verse 9.

[John Weaver] Furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father's Spirit and live? So, here's my question. When you were a child, did your parents have a way of getting your attention? I've told you this before, and it's the absolute truth. When I was a teenager, I talked back to my father. One time. Just once, Brother Jim. Just once. And after that, he got my attention to the point that I never ever did it again. And so when you were a child and your parents spoke to you and you disobeyed, they would make sure probably that you heard.

[John Weaver] And then after a while, you were still disobedient. Then you got the rod. You got chastised. That's all there is to it.

[John Weaver] Now, look at what he said. He said in verse nine, furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the father spirits and live now? for they verily for a few days chasten us after their own pleasure." That is, sometimes we made our parents mad and they just whipped us because they were mad, which was not right, but that's exactly what happens.

[John Weaver] But He, that is God, when He chastens us, it's for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now, here's an extra thought here. He says in verse 11, Now let me ask you a question. Did any of you, when you were children, ever rejoice in the fact that you got whippings? And the answer is no, because it was very grievous. You did not like that at all. But notice, if you would, what our Lord says here. In other words, I did not enjoy the whippings I got when I was a boy, but now that I'm grown, I'm thankful that God allowed me to be chastised so that I could learn. And here's the point that God is making. When God chastens us, it is always for our profit, and we're always going to be more holy, more obedient, and more godly, because we will end up being a partaker, he says, of his righteousness.

[John Weaver] Our earthly parents loved us, that is for sure. But no matter how much earthly parents can love, no one can love more than our gracious Heavenly Father. So I want you to listen to this verse. I'll quote it. It's Isaiah 55 and verse 3. Here's what he said. Incline your ear. Come unto me here and your soul shall live. Incline your ear. Everyone in this room knows I'm hard of hear. So if you're speaking to me and you are speaking in a lower tone or softer tone of voice, I can't hear that well. And so I have to lean my ear in closer to your mouth so I can hear what you're saying. This is what God is saying, incline your ear. In other words, come a little bit closer. You make sure that you hear everything that I'm saying. So he said, incline your ear, listen, and come unto me here and your soul shall live.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, because I want you to see this in its context, OK? I want you to pay attention, if you would, please. to what is happening. So let's begin reading, if you would, in verse 20, and we will read through verse 30. So look in verse 20. He said, Go up to Lebanon and cry, and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages, for all thy lovers are destroyed. This is those individuals, those nations in which they committed adultery, spiritual adultery, idolatry with, all the lovers are gone, they're destroyed. He said in verse 21, I've spoken to thee in thy prosperity, but thou says I will not hear. This has been thy manner from thy youth that thou obeyest not my voice. Now watch, the wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity. Surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that maketh thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pains come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail.

[John Weaver] As thou livest, saith the Lord, though Caniah, who was a king, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet upon my right hand, yet will I pluck thee hence. I will take it off, throw it away. And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life. and at the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and at the hand of the Chaldeans, and I will cast thee out of thy mother that beared thee, the nation, into another country where you were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land whereunto thou desirest to return, thither shalt thou not return.

[John Weaver] Is this man Canaia, a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast to the land which they know not.

[John Weaver] Now look at this, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, write ye this man Childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days. For no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. So here's what God is saying, you wouldn't listen to me. So now I'm going to destroy all your lovers, all those people that you engaged in spiritual adultery and idolatry with, and I'm going to take you and throw you into a strange land. You're going into captivity. You're going to be suffering. You're going to die there. You're never coming back home. And as far as Kaniah, none of his seed will ever, ever prosper. No. None whatsoever.

[John Weaver] So let me ask you a question. Do you think that was enough to get their attention? I mean, God is talking about absolute destruction, not just of individuals, but also as a nation. And then if you look in verse 29, here's a very important verse. Note what is said, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Anytime you see a word that is repeated three times, it is extremely important. Even a word repeated twice. You remember in the New Testament, our Lord would say it like this. Verily, verily, I say to you. It's not just verily I say to you. The word verily means so be it. So be it. Truly, truly. Amen. Amen. So our Lord is saying truly, truly, I'm saying this to you. Now, God is saying, oh, Earth, Earth, Earth, hear the word of the Lord. It's important, he said, that we hear the word of the Lord. So you would think now that all of the suffering that is being afflicted upon this people would get their attention.

[John Weaver] So here's my question. What do you think it's going to take to get the attention of Christians in America? What do you think it's going to take to wake us up? What would it even take to startle the unsaved, so to speak? I know, and you know exactly the trouble we're in in this nation. You know that. And I know that the squeeze is upon most folks financially. And I know, and I'm sure that you know, that our economic system is theft and fraud and deceit. And I'm sure that you know, as well as I do, that our nation as a whole ignores God, ignores His Word, ignores His worship, and refuses to listen to Him. Period. And I know, and you know, that there are laws passed in this country that are absolutely contrary to God and contrary to His Word. And you should know, as well as I, That in this nation and in our government.

[John Weaver] We help people that should not be helped. And we love people that should not be loved.

[John Weaver] Now you're going to tell me, but Brother Weaver, I think we're supposed to love everyone. No, no, that's not true. That's not true. Even God doesn't love everyone.

[John Weaver] Now you have to understand there's a special love and there's a benevolent love. I could say. I could say, I love every woman in this room. And by that I would mean, I don't want to see any of you suffer. I don't want to see any of you hurt. I don't want to see any of you sick. I don't want to see any of you afflicted. I love you. I want you to be in health. I want you to be prospering. But I could look at Alice and say, Alice, I love you. And I love her a whole lot differently than I love the ladies in this room. You see what I'm saying? There is a benevolent love, but there is that special love as well. Now let me show you what I'm talking about. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Chronicles, Chapter 19. 2 Chronicles, Chapter 19. And you have to understand what has happened now in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 19.

[John Weaver] Jehoshaphat has teamed up with, and joined affinity with, and helped Ahab, King Ahab. Ahab was the king of the Northern Kingdom. He was the most wicked, the most vile king in the Northern Kingdom. He was a Baalite. He was a worshipper of Baal. He hated God. He persecuted God's preachers. He despised God. So Jehoshaphat had gone with him to help him. So look, if you would, in 2 Chronicles chapter 19 in verse 1, And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. and Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to king Jehoshaphat shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord wow he said you shouldn't have helped Ahab When you read it in the context, he told Ahab, I am as thou art and my people as thy people. That's not true. Jehoshaphat was a godly man when Ahab was a wicked man. And the people of Judah were not like the people of Israel.

[John Weaver] Because they were worshipping the golden calves. And he says, look, wrath of God is upon you now. because you've helped someone that should not have been helped and you love someone that should not have been loved. If you look back in your Bibles just a few books back to 2nd Kings chapter 3 I'll show you this again. Look in 2nd Kings chapter 3 if you would please. 2nd Kings chapter 3 and here we have Jehoshaphat we have the king of of Israel, Ahab, and we have also the king of Moab, Mesha.

[John Weaver] So they're going to fight against Edom. So what happens is this, they run out of food, they run out of water, and they're going to die. Okay? So look at this, if you would please, in verse 12. And Jehoshaphat said the word of the Lord is with him, talking about Elisha. So the king of Israel and the king of Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

[John Weaver] So they were after Moab. Now watch. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, look what he said. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, what have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay, for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them to the hand of Moab. Now watch.

[John Weaver] He said, What have I got to do with you? Go back to your prophets of Baal. I don't have anything to do with you. And the king says, No, no, no, no. God brought us here to deliver us to the hand of Moab. And look what Elisha said to the king of Israel. Verse 14. And Elisha said, as the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee nor see thee.

[John Weaver] May I spell this out for you? Here's what he told him. I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. I'd just let you burn. When you stop and think about what is going on in this country, we're headed for more trouble than you can shake a stick at. Look at the pagan invasion that our government has allowed for their own benefit. You're seeing this in Minnesota. You're seeing it in Texas. You're seeing it in Michigan. And by the way, you're now seeing it in Florida. Did you know one of the largest Muslim edifices Edifice is now being built in Tampa, Florida. Tampa, Florida. Look at the Somalis.

[John Weaver] All of these people are welfare recipients. They do not work. They will not work. They never will work. And all the fraud that you see is going on in this country, most of it is from these immigrants and or our politicians. and cahoots with the immigrants. Look at the governor of Minnesota, Tim Waltz. I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Look at this. So here's my question.

[John Weaver] By the way, I hope you saw the news, at least a little footage of what is going on now in Minneapolis, especially since this lady had been shot by the ICE agent. Now they're in riots. And now I saw the footage last night where the police were driven off the streets by the protesters, the police just simply retreated. And the protesters had the streets and then they went into the motel or the hotel where the ICE agents were staying and destroyed the lobby, just everything. My question is this, what in the world is it going to take to get our attention?

[John Weaver] We look at a corruption everywhere. We look at deceit and fraud everywhere. This is not the country that I was raised in, not the country you were raised in. It seems as if the whole world is going absolutely crazy. I have had a pastor friend, Bob McCurry. He's been dead a number of years. I buried him a year, several years back. But I used to call him up and I'd say, Pastor McCurry, He'd say, yes John. I said, I think the whole world is going crazy except you and me and sometimes I'm concerned about you. He'd say, you know, I believe the same thing. But think about this. So what is it going to take to get our attention?

[John Weaver] I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 107. I'm not going to tell you that this is what God is going to use, but I'm going to show you what he has used in time past. So look if you would please, Psalm 107, and the first thing I want to do is read the first three verses. Look at this, Psalm 107, beginning there in verse 1.

[John Weaver] He said, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. and gather them out of the lands from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south. Now, the first thing you should notice in verse one is this, O give thanks unto the Lord. So we are to be giving thanks to the Lord. We are commanded to give thanks to the Lord. And of course, here he gives you two reasons as to why we're to give thanks to the Lord. Number one, for he is good. And number two, for his mercy endures forever. And then when you look at verse two, he says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

[John Weaver] So to make an application of that versus this, whatever God has done for you in delivering you from financial problems, physical problems, family problems, emotional, whatever, whatever he has done for you, say so. In other words, give him the honor, give him the glory, give him the praise. and let everybody else know what God has done for you. Just say so. And then, of course, verse 3 says He's redeemed them from all corners, east, west, north, and south. And so, yeah, this is exactly what He's saying that we should give Him thanks for.

[John Weaver] For He is good, is mercy, endureth forever. And He's redeemed us out of the hand of the enemy many times and many, many different ways.

[John Weaver] Now, so there are sufficient reasons then why we should be constantly and continually giving the Lord praise and thanks as well. Now, when you stop and think about this, I do not suppose that anyone in this room is wealthy. What the world would call wealthy. But on the other hand, we're not poor. We haven't gone hungry. We haven't missed a house in which to sleep. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that we're not destitute, we're not deprived. We have been blessed and we have been blessed exceedingly, listen to me now, not just as individuals, not just as families, but as a nation. As corrupt as we are as a nation and as far as we are from God and his word, we've still been blessed. I don't think anybody could doubt that whatsoever.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you something about Psalm 107. Four times in this psalm, you have the same verse repeated over and over. You will read this verse four times. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Look in verse eight. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Look in verse 15. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Look in verse 21. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Now look in verse 31. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Four times. He tells us that in this one psalm. Now there's another. Verse. That's repeated four times in this song. Here it is. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

[John Weaver] Look, if you would please, at verse 6. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. Verse 13. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. Now look at verse 19. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. Now verse 28, then they cry unto the Lord in their troubles, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. So the question that has to be asked as you look at Psalm 107 is this, what did it take to make these people cry unto the Lord? What did it take to make them cry unto the Lord? Here's the answer. trouble, different kinds of trouble, but it was trouble. In this psalm, the psalmist speaks of what you and I would refer as the most common trials, calamities, and afflictions of life, and he demonstrates what we go through, why we go through them, and enable us enables us to cry to the Lord and then the Lord delivers us.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something. You will never cry to the Lord to be delivered from trouble until, first of all, you realize you're in trouble. You'll never cry to the Lord to get you out of a distressful situation unless you realize you're in a distressful situation. What did our Lord say in Matthew chapter 9? They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

[John Weaver] And then he said, go ye and learn what that means. I'll have mercy, not sacrifice. No well person just goes to a doctor. You have to be sick. You have to, you have to try all your home remedies and nothing works. Then finally you give up and go to a doctor. No.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at this song. Actually, This psalm is basically divided into four parts. So, we're not going to read verses 2 through 9, but I do want you to look, beginning there with verse 4, and I want you to look at this first one. So, we're going to go 4 through 9. He says, They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in.

[John Weaver] So, they were helpless, they were hopeless, they were lost. Look at verse 5. hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. So when they got hungry and thirsty, when they were lost, when they found no way, look in verse six. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them out of their distress. What did he do? How did he deliver them? And he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation. And he led them. Then he says, oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men.

[John Weaver] For what does God do? He satisfied the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Yeah, that's exactly what God does, but notice he would they were in distress.

[John Weaver] Now, the second section begins with verse 10. Look at it. Then he says such as sit in darkness.

[John Weaver] Now we're talking about different people. such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. Why were they bound? Because they rebelled against the words of God and condemned the counsel of the Most High. They wouldn't listen. What happened? Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there was none to help. In other words, they got to the end of their rope. They were worn out.

[John Weaver] They could not accomplish anything. Verse 13, then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. Then he saved them out of their distress. What did he do? He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and break their bands and thunder. And then he says this. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Look, verse 16, for he's broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron and thunder.

[John Weaver] So God has delivered them. But notice, if you would, how they had to be brought low before they cried.

[John Weaver] Now, look in verse 17. Here's the third one. He said fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities are afflicted. Yeah, the rod for the back of the fool, their soul abhoreth all manner of meat, and they draw near to the gates of death, though it's almost dying. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destruction. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men and let them sacrifice sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoicing.

[John Weaver] And then the last fourth part you have right here. If you look, beginning there, verse 23, they that go down to the sea in ships, sailors, mercantile ships that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For he commanded and raised up the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves thereof. So there's a storm. Watch this. They mount up as the heaven.

[John Weaver] They go down into the depths. Their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man. And then within, they can't save themselves. They can't control the ship. They can't do anything. Verse 28. Then they cry to the Lord in trouble and he brings them out of their distresses. What does he do? How does he do it? He make it a storm of calm so that the waves there are still.

[John Weaver] Then Are they glad because they be quiet? So we bring them into their desired haven. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Then he says, let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders. Lord's give public. Give public praise and public worship for what God has done for you is what it is referring to.

[John Weaver] So the point I'm trying to make in this psalm is this. God had to do something to get their attention to make them cry. Then they cried to the Lord. Then they cried to the Lord. And he delivered them. By the way, if you look back at verse one again, O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Have you ever stopped to think about this? How many times have you and I abused the grace and the mercy of God? How many times have we presumed upon God? How many times have we been ungrateful and unthankful, and yet God is still merciful and still gracious and so kind to us? Wow. Yeah. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. So it took trouble. It took pain. It took distress. It took agony. It took these things to awaken people and to make them see their need for their Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] Too often he is ignored and even forgotten during times of prosperity and plenty, peacefulness and tranquility. John Trapp was an old Puritan and he made this statement. He said, men are their best when in their worst and worst when in their best.

[John Weaver] Now, what he meant by that was this. Men are at their best spiritually when they are in worst and lowest position. And they are worse spiritually when they're in their best circumstance and position. And that's certainly true.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you another principle. I want you to put this thing together, especially in light of Jeremiah 22 and verse 21, okay? God has this design where if he speaks and we hear, there is no problem, there is no chastisement, there is nothing. Okay? But here's another principle. If God speaks and we refuse to hear, there's going to be chastisement. There's no two ways about that because we're disobedient. Okay? If he chastens us and we refuse to hear there will be additional chastisement but it will increase in its intensity and severity.

[John Weaver] So it's kind of like you have a child and the child is disobedient or does something wrong, and you come along and you just swat it on the bottom with your hand and get the child's attention. Don't do that. And the child says, okay, fine. But three minutes later, the child's doing it again. This time you come by and swat the child twice on the rough. And what? Don't do that. I've asked you now, don't do that again. Okay, yes. And the next thing you know, 15 minutes later he's doing the same thing. Now you go out and get a switch and you come in and wear his little hiney out. You've gotten his attention.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you this from the Bible. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Amos, chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. And I want you to listen to these verses. I want you to follow me. I think this is a very important point. Look if you would, Amos chapter 4, verse 1. We're going to read through verse 12.

[John Weaver] Hear this word, ye kind of Bashan. By the way, let me stop there. You know what kind are? K-I-N-E? They're cows. And God's talking to the ladies here. I'm serious. He calls them cows. Well, wait a minute. Hang on. Hear this word, ye kind of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, they were wicked women, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, bring and let us drink. Wow!

[John Weaver] The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, lo, the day shall come upon you that he will take you away with the hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks, and you shall go out as the preaches every cow at that which is before her, and you shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord." In other words, all your prosperity, nothing's going to save you when God comes to judge.

[John Weaver] Now, he says in verse 4, come to Bethel and transgress, and Gilgal multiply transgression. You remember now, Gilgal and Bethel was where Jeroboam put the two golden calves. Okay, that's why he's saying there, if you're going to transgress, you go to those golden calves. You're an idolater, you're worshiping there. Now look at it. He said, and bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years and offer sacrifice of Thanksgiving with leaven and proclaim and publish the free offerings for this like of you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God. So he's getting on the children of Israel, the entire northern kingdom. He said, you love worshiping these idols. Now, look at this. Verse six. Hmm.

[John Weaver] And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and one of bread in all your places. Yet have you not returned unto me, said the Lord. So God said, I sent famine among you. It did not get your attention. Because you did not return unto me. Now, what's verse seven? And I also have withholden the rain from you. when there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One peace was rained upon, and the peace whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet had you not returned unto me, saith the Lord. So now God said, Look, you didn't listen to famine, so I sent drought." Wow. It didn't pay any attention to the drought.

[John Weaver] Verse 9, I've smitten you with blasting and mildew when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased. The palmer worm devoured them, yet you don't return unto me, saith the Lord. God said, I destroyed your harvest. I mean, I sent the insects, I sent the worms, I sent everything to eat it up. You had blasting, you had drought, you had dry wind, you had mildew. Yet you've not returned unto me," said the Lord.

[John Weaver] I want you to watch now. There's a progression. There's an intensity. There's a severity. Watch in verse 10. I've sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt, that is, sickness, plagues, diseases. That's not all. Your young men have I slain with the sword and have taken away your horses. And I've made the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils. Yet you've not returned to me, said the Lord. Now he said, I've given you sickness. I've given you plague.

[John Weaver] I didn't get your attention. There was war. I slew your young men with a sword. I took away your horses. The stink is in your camps of dead bodies. And still you've not returned to me, said the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now look in verse 11. I've overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. that is a supernatural catastrophic judgment and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning yet you've not returned to me saith the Lord God said I sent it in such a way you knew that I had done this it was like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah a few of you were saved you were plucked out of the fire but yet you've not returned unto me So every time you see this, there is an intensity, there is an increase in severity of these judgments. No one listened. Look in verse 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. Wow. God said, I will just get you out of the way.

[John Weaver] I want you to note something. Please understand that Hosea chapter four, I mean, Amos chapter four. Is dealing with a nation. Not just individuals, not just families, not just churches, not just tribes, but with an entire nation. God does judge nations. The Bible tells us in Psalm 9 in verse 8, He's the judge of the world. In Psalm 22 in verse 8, He is the governor of the nations. In Psalm 94 and verse 2, He's the judge of all the earth. God does judge nations. The scripture teaches that God is immutable. That is, God is not changeable. God is immutable in His person. God is immutable in His attributes. God cannot change for the better, because He's already perfect, and He cannot change for the worse, because if He did, He would no longer be perfect. God is unchangeable, listen to me, and so are His judgments. What God has judged as sin in times past, He also judges as sin in the present, and He will also judge as sin in the future.

[John Weaver] So my question is this, does he have your attention? Look at Amos chapter four and look at what has been happening in this country. Look at what is going on in this country. What will it take for God to get our attention?

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications. The first one is this. God desires not only our attention, but our obedience. I quoted Isaiah 55 verse 3 earlier when God said, inclined by the ear, come unto me here and your soul shall live. I have taught. For 60 years. Actually going on 61 now. I preached for 60 years. I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. Here is a principle, and I've always said this to these young people.

[John Weaver] There are two ways to learn. The first way is by listening and obeying. That is the simplest way you hear and you act, you hear and you obey. The second way is you hear and disobey and then you get the rod. You know what the Bible says in Micah chapter 6 and verse 9 God is speaking and it says hear ye the rod and him who hath appointed it and the man of understanding will hear So the simple way to learn is just simply to hear God's word and obey God's word. And if we don't, then the rod is going to come.

[John Weaver] Now, please, I want you to remember something. Do not think, do not even let it enter into your mind that somehow that God is some old meanie up in heaven just waiting to smite and just willing to strike at any moment. Any of you that had children, you know as well as I do, anytime you had to discipline your child, it was grievous. I never enjoyed whipping a child. I never enjoyed doing something like that.

[John Weaver] I'd much rather it not be done. You know what the Bible says in Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33? Listen to this. God does not afflict willingly. He only does it when it's absolutely necessary. If He does not have our attention, if we're not listening, if we're not paying attention, if we're not obeying, He will get our attention. You only chastise your children when it's necessary. God loves us far more than we could ever, ever love our children. That is for sure. And God desires our obedience just like we desire the obedience of our children.

[John Weaver] We've had, we have four daughters. Two of our daughters are identical twins. Oh, I had to whip those girls. Because they would egg each other on. But my baby, I don't know. I probably have never whipped her over two or three times in her entire life. You know why? Because she could do something wrong and I could look at her and I could say, Becca? And she would just fall to pieces. Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry. Daddy, please forgive me.

[John Weaver] I won't do this again. Yes, dear, I accept that. I never had to whip her. You know why? Because she was so willing to listen and obey. And that's all that God wants for us. He wants us willing to listen and obey. But when you and I look around and we see the deceit and the fraud and the corruption and the depth of depravity in this country, and people murdering for fun?

[John Weaver] It boggles my mind how you can just walk up to an old man at a train station and push him in front of a train. It boggles my mind how you can just drive by a house and start shooting into the house when you don't even know who lives in there. Look where we are, what we're doing, and it's not just individual sins. It's corporate sins, it's societal sins, it's governmental sins.

[John Weaver] We should already be crying for deliverance. Lord, help us. So the question has to be asked like this. How far will God allow us to go in our rebellion before he judges us? What will it take to get our attention? I can assure you that God knows exactly what it will take to get our attention. He knows. Whenever he afflicts that, I don't know. Whenever he inflicts it, I don't know.

[John Weaver] But I'm just saying he is going to use the rod unless we repent. It's just that simple. So the wise thing to do is even begin now to seek him and to cry to him and to pay attention to his judgments. Hurricanes and tornadoes are under his control. Droughts and famine are under his control. Plagues, pestilence, sickness under his control. Crop failures under his control. Everything is under his control.

[John Weaver] If we are willing to listen and willing to hear and obey, we will not be judged so strenuously. but we're unwilling to hear and unwilling to repent. Go back and read Amos chapter four. He said, all these things yet you've not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And because of that. This will I do to thee, O Israel, prepare to meet thy God. God is the strengthener and the destroyer of nations. We're already broken as a people economically. We're broken as a people societally. We're broken as a people governmentally, politically. We're right now in life support. I'm just simply saying God wants our attention. And I'd much rather say, yes, Lord, I'm listening. I want to hear you. I want to obey you. Rather than be smitten with a rod and then say, oh, Lord, was that you?

[John Weaver] The wise thing to do. Is to seek him now. Don't let him. Have to get your attention. He can. And he will. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth and ask, Lord, that you would grant us repentance. Open our eyes. May we pay attention, Lord, especially to thee and thy word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

May I Have Your Attention

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	127261845263488
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	98

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Call for Attention

Weaver introduces the theme of paying attention, using a personal airport story to illustrate how we often ignore announcements until they directly affect us.

Okay, well, let's open our Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, and look, if you would, please, at verse 21. Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. This message actually came to me yesterday. I had really planned on preaching something else, and I was reading Scripture, and this jumped out at me, and I thought, well, I might have to just deal with that in light of the situation that's going on in our land today. So if you look at Jeremiah chapter 22, and let's just read verse 21 for right now. God said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 22:21

"I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice."

The title of the message today is, "May I Have Your Attention?" I hear that request quite often, "May I have your attention," especially when I'm in an airport or when I am in meetings. Often the phrase is just shortened to "Attention, please." And usually when I'm in an airport I just totally ignore all of those announcements because obviously they do not relate to me.

However, on a recent trip I was in Chicago, Illinois. And of course, I always refuse to go through the scanner. And so, this was an unusual place. And so, I had to remove my shoes, my belt, and subject myself to this search. And I did so. And I told the young man, I said, "You know, I just don't understand how you and all these people can be so afraid of an 81-year-old man." But I said, "Evidently, you are quite afraid." But anyhow. I gathered all my belongings, and I ran to the gate at which my airplane was waiting. And just as I got to the gate, which was a long, long way, I might add, I heard, "Attention please, will John Weaver report to the check station?" And I thought, "What?" I looked at my briefcase, I looked at my little carry-on suitcase, I checked my money clip, I thought I had everything, but then I noticed my driver's license was missing. So now I had to turn around and run all the way back carrying my luggage, require and receive my driver's license, and then run all the way back just in time to board that plane.

The Problem in Jeremiah's Time

God spoke to Israel in their prosperity, but they willfully refused to hear and obey, a pattern of rebellion from their youth.

And I'm just wondering, have you ever noticed that we tend to think less about the Lord, about His worship, about His work, and even less about His grace and His mercy and His goodness when everything is going well and we have plenty and there are no problems whatsoever? And have you ever noticed this? That we usually reserve our God for times of emergency. We kind of, you know, use Him as an emergency parachute or "in case of emergency, break glass." In other words, we don't really seek Him the way we should until and unless we're really genuinely in trouble. Now, this was the problem in Jeremiah's time. And I'm pointing out the fact it's also a problem in our time. So I want you to look at verse 21 again. I'm going to develop this for you just momentarily. But notice he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity," or in thy tranquility, or in thy peacefulness, when everything was going well.

"But thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Now, I want you to note, first of all, in verse 21, God said, "I spake unto thee." So put it down. God spoke. That is, God gave His word. God gave His commandments, God gave His statutes, God gave His orders. Many times in the Bible He sent His prophets and He would speak to the people through His prophets. So we understand now that God has spoken. So whatever transpires cannot be alluded to as ignorance and it certainly could not be from the, "Well, I just didn't hear." No, no, no. They heard, in one sense of the word, but they didn't hear.

But this would be something that would be absolutely willful. So notice if you would, secondly, he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity." You know, it's interesting when we think about this. We never wonder where they derived their prosperity. Who gave them their prosperity? Who gave them their tranquility? Who gave them their peacefulness? And the truth of the matter is, everything that we are and everything that we have, God made us and God gave us. And so everything that these people had were derived just from the blessings of God himself. Now, there's certainly—he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear."

We could put it like this: "I don't want to hear. I will not hear." In fact, literally, what is being said here is, "I will not obey." I may hear, but I'm not going to obey. I'm not going to do anything about it. So, we need to understand that in their prosperity, they were saying, "At this point, we're set. We really don't need God, we really don't need anything from Him, so we can safely ignore His word and ignore Him for a little while." So, notice if you would, the fourth thing in this verse, he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear." Then he said, "This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Well, you have to understand that patterns become habits and habits become a lifestyle. So what you're reading about in Jeremiah 22 and verse 21 is not the sin of ignorance. Rather, it is a sin of willfulness. It is a sin of selfish rebellion. It is a sin of unthankfulness, unthoughtfulness, and ungratefulness.

So the people had been receiving everything that God had been giving them but now God speaks and they are not going to hear. Now let me point out that this sin that was prevalent in Jeremiah's time is very prevalent in our time as well. It does not have to be a spoken sin. It's not that someone's going to say to God, "God, I'm not going to listen to you. I'm not going to hear you today. I'm not going to obey you."

Prosperity Breeds Disobedience

Using Deuteronomy 32:15 and a quote from Calvin, Weaver shows that fatness and tranquility make people refractory, leading them to forsake God.

You don't have to use those words. All you have to do is simply ignore Him. Go on with an improper, unbiblical attitude. And then the actions will demonstrate that the attitude is unbiblical and ungodly as well. So they're simply saying that in our tranquility, in our prosperity, we are set right now. We don't need you. And so therefore, we're not going to listen to what you are saying to us. Have you ever noticed this as well? It's easier to sin when everything's going well. Think about this. It's easier to sin when everything is going well, because you're thinking now, "Lord, you've blessed me, you've given me all this and I must be doing pretty good. And so, Lord, just this little tiny sin that I want and I'm going to engage in, surely you'll overlook that." And of course, one sin always leads to another sin.

And I want you to note what happens when we get prosperous, normally speaking. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Jeremiah 22, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32, and look, if you would please, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 15. We're going to read it and then I'm going to give you a quote. Watch this. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 15. The Word of God says, Deuteronomy chapter 32, look at it, if you would please. Verse 15. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:15

"But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

He forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed—that is, he thought nothing of it—lightly esteemed the God of his salvation. So Jeshurun then forsook God when they were covered with fatness, when they had prosperity, when they had everything. They forsook him and then lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation.

Now, here's a quote from Calvin. Listen carefully. He says, "It is indeed true what Moses says, that men are like meddlesome and wanton horses when they become fat. So fatness and tranquility have such an effect as to render us more refractory or disobedient, yet this cannot avail for an excuse when God kindly invites us and connects with his doctrine, kind and paternal benevolence, and confirms it by the effects when we are teachable and yield to him willing obedience." In other words, when we are willingly obedient, God blesses us, but then all of a sudden, we get all of these blessings, we get all of this prosperity, and we don't think that we need to hear him. So here's a good question, and I'm going to answer it from the Bible. What do you do with a refractory animal? I mean, think about a horse, think about a mule, think about a fool. What is the answer?

God's Methods for Getting Attention

Proverbs 26:3 and Psalm 32:9 illustrate that God uses a whip, bridle, and rod to correct stubbornness, like a farmer getting a mule's attention with a two-by-four.

Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs chapter 26 and look if you would please at verse 3. Proverbs 26 and verse 3. Look what God says:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:3

"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."

Now let me tell you something about a fool. A fool in the Bible is not a mentally deficient person. A fool in the Bible is someone who will not listen, who will not hear, who will not be instructed. The Bible tells you that fools despise instruction. Fools despise wisdom. But note what he said: when an animal is rebellious, a whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

When I was a boy, I drove and I rode mules. When I was an adult, we raised and we rode horses. In fact, Dinah, I had 11 at one time. All my girls had to have horses and then the horses just kept reproducing. So, I know the strength of a horse. I know the stubbornness of a mule. I know what is needed. Usually we read about a whip for the horse. Most riders carry what is known as a riding crop, which is a short whip. And you just spur the horse. You make the horse do whatever you desire him to do. The same thing with the mule.

You have to have the bit. You have to have the bridle. When you're driving a mule or plowing a mule, you have to have the traces. You have to have the collar. You have to have the singletree. You have to have all of those things in order to control that mule. It's the same thing with an ox. When you get a 3,000 pound ox, you need to have a yoke and you need to have everything on him in order to control him.

So this is what God is saying. We use a whip for the horse. We use a bit and bridle for the mule and a rod for the fool's back. Now, let me show you. Since you're in the book of Proverbs, turn right back to the book of Psalms. And if you look at Psalm 32, look at the counsel that God gives you. Psalm 32 and verse 9. Look at this. So I understand now a whip for the horse, a bit and bridle for the mule, and a rod for the fool's back. So now look at Psalm 32 and verse 9. God says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:9

"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee."

Wow. So God says don't be like a horse and don't be like a mule. Don't be stubborn. Don't make me put a bit and bridle in your mouth.

If I have to, I will. But don't make me. So that's good counsel from God himself. Notice if you would, "Be not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding." So if God has to put a bit and bridle upon us, we will obey, that is for sure.

Now, before I get to some scripture, I want to give you a story that I read many years ago. And the story has a point, that's why I'm telling it. I read about a man, a farmer, who was selling his mule, and he set a very high price upon that mule. Well, he had a neighbor that was very interested in the mule, so the neighbor came over and asked him why the price of that mule was so high. And he said, "Because this mule is exceedingly obedient. This mule follows all the commands that I give the mule." The man said, "Okay." He said, "I'll buy the mule and I'll give you the price." And so the neighbor bought the mule, took the mule home, and gave the mule a command and the mule just stood there. Finally, he gave several commands and the mule just would not even move. So, he called the neighbor and said, "Look, something is wrong. I can't get this mule to obey me." The farmer said, "I'll be over just momentarily and I'll take care of the situation."

So, when the neighbor came over to take care of the situation, he brought a two by four six feet long and he walked up to the mule and hit the mule up beside the head and said, "Go get in the stall," and the mule walked and got in the stall. And he looked at his neighbor, he said, "I just forgot to tell you that that mule will obey, but you just have to get his attention first." Now here's the point: what does God do to get our attention? What happens when we will not listen and when we will not hear? Do you think that somehow God has a way of getting our attention? We won't listen to the announcement of "Attention, please." Sometimes we just have to get hit upside beside the head. Let me show you.

Chastisement as a Father's Love

Hebrews 12:9-11 teaches that God chastens us for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness, just as earthly fathers correct their children.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. I think you can understand the point that I'm getting to. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 9. Actually, this section begins in verse 5, but we're not going to go all the way back to verse 5 because God is talking about chastisement. God is talking about punishment. Look what he said in verse 9.

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" So, here's my question. When you were a child, did your parents have a way of getting your attention? I've told you this before, and it's the absolute truth. When I was a teenager, I talked back to my father. One time. Just once, Brother Jim. Just once. And after that, he got my attention to the point that I never ever did it again. And so when you were a child and your parents spoke to you and you disobeyed, they would make sure probably that you heard.

And then after a while, you were still disobedient. Then you got the rod. You got chastised. That's all there is to it.

Now, look at what he said. He said in verse 9, "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" Now, "For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure." That is, sometimes we made our parents mad and they just whipped us because they were mad, which was not right, but that's exactly what happens. But He, that is God, when He chastens us, it's for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now, here's an extra thought here. He says in verse 11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Now let me ask you a question. Did any of you, when you were children, ever rejoice in the fact that you got whippings? And the answer is no, because it was very grievous. You did not like that at all. But notice, if you would, what our Lord says here. In other words, I did not enjoy the whippings I got when I was a boy, but now that I'm grown, I'm thankful that God allowed me to be chastised so that I could learn. And here's the point that God is making. When God chastens us, it is always for our profit, and we're always going to be more holy, more obedient, and more godly, because we will end up being a partaker, he says, of his righteousness.

Our earthly parents loved us, that is for sure. But no matter how much earthly parents can love, no one can love more than our gracious Heavenly Father. So I want you to listen to this verse. I'll quote it. It's Isaiah 55 and verse 3. Here's what he said: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live." Incline your ear. Everyone in this room knows I'm hard of hearing. So if you're speaking to me and you are speaking in a lower tone or softer tone of voice, I can't hear that well. And so I have to lean my ear in closer to your mouth so I can hear what you're saying. This is what God is saying, "Incline your ear." In other words, come a little bit closer. You make sure that you hear everything that I'm saying. So he said, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live."

The Context of Jeremiah 22: Judgment on Judah

Reading Jeremiah 22:20-30, Weaver shows that because Judah refused to hear, God promised destruction, captivity, and the end of Coniah's royal line.

Now, I want you to go back to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, because I want you to see this in its context, OK? I want you to pay attention, if you would, please, to what is happening. So let's begin reading, if you would, in verse 20, and we will read through verse 30. So look in verse 20. He said, "Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed." This is those individuals, those nations in which they committed adultery, spiritual adultery, idolatry with—all the lovers are gone, they're destroyed. He said in verse 21, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Now watch, "The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!"

"As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; I will take it off, throw it away. And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return." "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?"

Now look at this, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." So here's what God is saying: you wouldn't listen to me. So now I'm going to destroy all your lovers, all those people that you engaged in spiritual adultery and idolatry with, and I'm going to take you and throw you into a strange land. You're going into captivity. You're going to be suffering. You're going to die there. You're never coming back home. And as far as Coniah, none of his seed will ever, ever prosper. No. None whatsoever.

So let me ask you a question. Do you think that was enough to get their attention? I mean, God is talking about absolute destruction, not just of individuals, but also as a nation. And then if you look in verse 29, here's a very important verse. Note what is said, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." Anytime you see a word that is repeated three times, it is extremely important. Even a word repeated twice. You remember in the New Testament, our Lord would say it like this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you." It's not just "verily I say unto you." The word "verily" means "so be it, so be it." "Truly, truly." "Amen, amen." So our Lord is saying, "Truly, truly, I'm saying this to you." Now, God is saying, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." It's important, he said, that we hear the word of the Lord. So you would think now that all of the suffering that is being afflicted upon this people would get their attention.

America's Parallel Rebellion

Weaver draws parallels between ancient Judah and modern America, citing corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay as evidence of national refusal to hear God.

So here's my question. What do you think it's going to take to get the attention of Christians in America? What do you think it's going to take to wake us up? What would it even take to startle the unsaved, so to speak? I know, and you know exactly the trouble we're in in this nation. You know that. And I know that the squeeze is upon most folks financially. And I know, and I'm sure that you know, that our economic system is theft and fraud and deceit. And I'm sure that you know, as well as I do, that our nation as a whole ignores God, ignores His Word, ignores His worship, and refuses to listen to Him. Period. And I know, and you know, that there are laws passed in this country that are absolutely contrary to God and contrary to His Word. And you should know, as well as I, that in this nation and in our government—

We help people that should not be helped. And we love people that should not be loved. Now you're going to tell me, "But Brother Weaver, I think we're supposed to love everyone." No, no, that's not true. That's not true. Even God doesn't love everyone.

Now you have to understand there's a special love and there's a benevolent love. I could say, I could say, "I love every woman in this room." And by that I would mean, I don't want to see any of you suffer. I don't want to see any of you hurt. I don't want to see any of you sick. I don't want to see any of you afflicted. I love you. I want you to be in health. I want you to be prospering. But I could look at Alice and say, "Alice, I love you." And I love her a whole lot differently than I love the ladies in this room. You see what I'm saying? There is a benevolent love, but there is that special love as well. Now let me show you what I'm talking about. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Chronicles, chapter 19. 2 Chronicles, chapter 19. And you have to understand what has happened now in 2 Chronicles, chapter 19.

Jehoshaphat has teamed up with, and joined affinity with, and helped Ahab, King Ahab. Ahab was the king of the Northern Kingdom. He was the most wicked, the most vile king in the Northern Kingdom. He was a Baalite. He was a worshipper of Baal. He hated God. He persecuted God's preachers. He despised God. So Jehoshaphat had gone with him to help him. So look, if you would, in 2 Chronicles chapter 19 in verse 1,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:1-2

"And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."

Wow. He said you shouldn't have helped Ahab. When you read it in the context, he told Ahab, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people." That's not true. Jehoshaphat was a godly man when Ahab was a wicked man. And the people of Judah were not like the people of Israel.

Because they were worshipping the golden calves. And he says, "Look, wrath of God is upon you now because you've helped someone that should not have been helped and you love someone that should not have been loved." If you look back in your Bibles just a few books back to 2 Kings chapter 3 I'll show you this again. Look in 2 Kings chapter 3 if you would please. 2 Kings chapter 3 and here we have Jehoshaphat, we have the king of Israel, Ahab, and we have also the king of Moab, Mesha.

So they're going to fight against Edom. So what happens is this, they run out of food, they run out of water, and they're going to die. Okay? So look at this, if you would please, in verse 12. "And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him," talking about Elisha. "So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him."

So they were after Moab. Now watch. "And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab." Now watch. He said, "What have I got to do with you? Go back to your prophets of Baal. I don't have anything to do with you." And the king says, "No, no, no, no. God brought us here to deliver us to the hand of Moab." And look what Elisha said to the king of Israel. Verse 14. "And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee."

May I spell this out for you? Here's what he told him: "I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. I'd just let you burn." When you stop and think about what is going on in this country, we're headed for more trouble than you can shake a stick at. Look at the pagan invasion that our government has allowed for their own benefit. You're seeing this in Minnesota. You're seeing it in Texas. You're seeing it in Michigan. And by the way, you're now seeing it in Florida. Did you know one of the largest Muslim edifices is now being built in Tampa, Florida? Tampa, Florida. Look at the Somalis.

All of these people are welfare recipients. They do not work. They will not work. They never will work. And all the fraud that you see is going on in this country, most of it is from these immigrants and or our politicians in cahoots with the immigrants. Look at the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Look at this. So here's my question.

By the way, I hope you saw the news, at least a little footage of what is going on now in Minneapolis, especially since this lady had been shot by the ICE agent. Now they're in riots. And now I saw the footage last night where the police were driven off the streets by the protesters, the police just simply retreated. And the protesters had the streets and then they went into the motel or the hotel where the ICE agents were staying and destroyed the lobby, just everything. My question is this: what in the world is it going to take to get our attention? We look at corruption everywhere. We look at deceit and fraud everywhere. This is not the country that I was raised in, not the country you were raised in. It seems as if the whole world is going absolutely crazy. I have had a pastor friend, Bob McCurry. He's been dead a number of years. I buried him a year, several years back. But I used to call him up and I'd say, "Pastor McCurry," he'd say, "Yes, John." I said, "I think the whole world is going crazy except you and me and sometimes I'm concerned about you." He'd say, "You know, I believe the same thing." But think about this. So what is it going to take to get our attention?

I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 107. I'm not going to tell you that this is what God is going to use, but I'm going to show you what He has used in time past. So look if you would please, Psalm 107, and the first thing I want to do is read the first three verses. Look at this, Psalm 107, beginning there in verse 1. He said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south."

Now, the first thing you should notice in verse 1 is this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord."

So we are to be giving thanks to the Lord. We are commanded to give thanks to the Lord. And of course, here he gives you two reasons as to why we're to give thanks to the Lord. Number one, "for he is good." And number two,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"for his mercy endureth for ever."

And then when you look at verse 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

Psalm 107: Trouble as a Wake-Up Call

Four times in Psalm 107, people cry to the Lord in trouble and He delivers them; distress is what it takes to make them seek God.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south."

Now, the first thing you should notice in verse 1 is this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"for his mercy endureth for ever."

And then when you look at verse 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

So to make an application of that versus this, whatever God has done for you in delivering you from financial problems, physical problems, family problems, emotional, whatever, whatever He has done for you, say so. In other words, give Him the honor, give Him the glory, give Him the praise. And let everybody else know what God has done for you. Just say so. And then, of course, verse 3 says He's redeemed them from all corners, east, west, north, and south. And so, yeah, this is exactly what He's saying that we should give Him thanks for. For He is good, His mercy endureth forever. And He's redeemed us out of the hand of the enemy many times and many, many different ways.

Now, so there are sufficient reasons then why we should be constantly and continually giving the Lord praise and thanks as well. Now, when you stop and think about this, I do not suppose that anyone in this room is wealthy—what the world would call wealthy. But on the other hand, we're not poor. We haven't gone hungry. We haven't missed a house in which to sleep. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that we're not destitute, we're not deprived. We have been blessed and we have been blessed exceedingly, listen to me now, not just as individuals, not just as families, but as a nation. As corrupt as we are as a nation and as far as we are from God and His word, we've still been blessed. I don't think anybody could doubt that whatsoever.

Now, I want to show you something about Psalm 107. Four times in this psalm, you have the same verse repeated over and over. You will read this verse four times:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 8:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 21:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Now look in verse 31:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Four times. He tells us that in this one psalm. Now there's another verse that's repeated four times in this psalm. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Look, if you would please, at verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses."

Verse 13:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Now look at verse 19:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Now verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses."

So the question that has to be asked as you look at Psalm 107 is this: what did it take to make these people cry unto the Lord? What did it take to make them cry unto the Lord? Here's the answer: trouble, different kinds of trouble, but it was trouble. In this psalm, the psalmist speaks of what you and I would refer as the most common trials, calamities, and afflictions of life, and he demonstrates what we go through, why we go through them, and enables us to cry to the Lord and then the Lord delivers us.

Now, let me tell you something. You will never cry to the Lord to be delivered from trouble until, first of all, you realize you're in trouble. You'll never cry to the Lord to get you out of a distressful situation unless you realize you're in a distressful situation. What did our Lord say in Matthew chapter 9? "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." And then he said, "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." No well person just goes to a doctor. You have to be sick. You have to try all your home remedies and nothing works. Then finally you give up and go to a doctor. No.

Now, I want you to look at this psalm. Actually, this psalm is basically divided into four parts. So, we're not going to read verses 2 through 9, but I do want you to look, beginning there with verse 4, and I want you to look at this first one. So, we're going to go 4 through 9. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in."

So, they were helpless, they were hopeless, they were lost. Look at verse 5: "Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them." So when they got hungry and thirsty, when they were lost, when they found no way, look in verse 6: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." What did he do? How did he deliver them? "And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation." And he led them. Then he says, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" For what does God do? "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Yeah, that's exactly what God does, but notice they were in distress.

Now, the second section begins with verse 10. Look at it. Then he says, "Such as sit in darkness." Now we're talking about different people. "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High." They wouldn't listen. What happened? "Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help." In other words, they got to the end of their rope. They were worn out.

They could not accomplish anything. Verse 13, "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses." What did he do? "He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder." And then he says this: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Look, verse 16, "For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder." So God has delivered them. But notice, if you would, how they had to be brought low before they cried.

Now, look in verse 17. Here's the third one. He said, "Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted." Yeah, the rod for the back of the fool. "Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death." They're almost dying. "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing."

And then the last fourth part you have right here. If you look, beginning there, verse 23, "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof." So there's a storm. Watch this. "They mount up to the heaven." "They go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end." They can't save themselves. They can't control the ship. They can't do anything. Verse 28, "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses." What does he do? How does he do it? "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."

"Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Then he says, "Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." Let's give public praise and public worship for what God has done for you is what it is referring to. So the point I'm trying to make in this psalm is this: God had to do something to get their attention to make them cry. "Then they cried unto the Lord. Then they cried unto the Lord." And he delivered them. By the way, if you look back at verse 1 again, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Have you ever stopped to think about this? How many times have you and I abused the grace and the mercy of God? How many times have we presumed upon God? How many times have we been ungrateful and unthankful, and yet God is still merciful and still gracious and so kind to us? Wow. Yeah. "Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." So it took trouble. It took pain. It took distress. It took agony. It took these things to awaken people and to make them see their need for their Heavenly Father.

Escalating Judgments in Amos 4

Amos 4:6-12 shows God sending famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and overthrow, yet Israel did not return; therefore they must prepare to meet God.

So it's kind of like you have a child and the child is disobedient or does something wrong, and you come along and you just swat it on the bottom with your hand and get the child's attention. "Don't do that." And the child says, "Okay, fine." But three minutes later, the child's doing it again. This time you come by and swat the child twice on the rear. And what? "Don't do that. I've asked you now, don't do that again." "Okay, yes." And the next thing you know, 15 minutes later he's doing the same thing. Now you go out and get a switch and you come in and wear his little hiney out. You've gotten his attention.

Now, I want to show you this from the Bible. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Amos, chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. And I want you to listen to these verses. I want you to follow me. I think this is a very important point. Look if you would, Amos chapter 4, verse 1. We're going to read through verse 12.

"Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan." By the way, let me stop there. You know what kine are? K-I-N-E? They're cows. And God's talking to the ladies here. I'm serious. He calls them cows. Well, wait a minute. Hang on. "Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor," they were wicked women, "which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink." Wow!

"The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord." In other words, all your prosperity, nothing's going to save you when God comes to judge. Now, he says in verse 4, "Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression." You remember now, Gilgal and Bethel was where Jeroboam put the two golden calves. Okay, that's why he's saying there, if you're going to transgress, you go to those golden calves. You're an idolater, you're worshiping there. Now look at it. He said, "And bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God." So he's getting on the children of Israel, the entire northern kingdom. He said, "You love worshiping these idols." Now, look at this. Verse 6. Hmm.

"And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So God said, "I sent famine among you. It did not get your attention. Because you did not return unto me." Now, what's verse 7? "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So now God said, "Look, you didn't listen to famine, so I sent drought." Wow. It didn't pay any attention to the drought.

Verse 9, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." God said, "I destroyed your harvest. I mean, I sent the insects, I sent the worms, I sent everything to eat it up. You had blasting, you had drought, you had dry wind, you had mildew. Yet you've not returned unto me," said the Lord. I want you to watch now. There's a progression. There's an intensity. There's a severity. Watch in verse 10. "I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now he said, "I've given you sickness. I've given you plague."

I didn't get your attention. There was war. I slew your young men with a sword. I took away your horses. The stink is in your camps of dead bodies. And still you've not returned to me, said the Lord.

Now look in verse 11. "I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." God said, "I sent it in such a way you knew that I had done this. It was like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. A few of you were saved, you were plucked out of the fire, but yet you've not returned unto me." So every time you see this, there is an intensity, there is an increase in severity of these judgments. No one listened. Look in verse 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." Wow. God said, "I will just get you out of the way."

I want you to note something. Please understand that Amos chapter 4 is dealing with a nation. Not just individuals, not just families, not just churches, not just tribes, but with an entire nation. God does judge nations. The Bible tells us in Psalm 9 and verse 8, He's the judge of the world. In Psalm 22 and verse 8, He is the governor of the nations. In Psalm 94 and verse 2, He's the judge of all the earth. God does judge nations. The scripture teaches that God is immutable. That is, God is not changeable. God is immutable in His person. God is immutable in His attributes. God cannot change for the better, because He's already perfect, and He cannot change for the worse, because if He did, He would no longer be perfect. God is unchangeable, listen to me, and so are His judgments. What God has judged as sin in times past, He also judges as sin in the present, and He will also judge as sin in the future.

Applications: Hear and Obey

Weaver urges immediate repentance and attentive obedience, warning that God will use the rod if necessary, but He desires willing listening and obedience.

Now, let me make some applications. The first one is this: God desires not only our attention, but our obedience. I quoted Isaiah 55 verse 3 earlier when God said, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live." I have taught for 60 years. Actually going on 61 now. I preached for 60 years. I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. Here is a principle, and I've always said this to these young people.

There are two ways to learn. The first way is by listening and obeying. That is the simplest way: you hear and you act, you hear and you obey. The second way is you hear and disobey and then you get the rod. You know what the Bible says in Micah chapter 6 and verse 9? God is speaking and it says,

Scripture Reading — Micah 6:9

"Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it."

And the man of understanding will hear. So the simple way to learn is just simply to hear God's word and obey God's word. And if we don't, then the rod is going to come.

Now, please, I want you to remember something. Do not think, do not even let it enter into your mind that somehow that God is some old meanie up in heaven just waiting to smite and just willing to strike at any moment. Any of you that had children, you know as well as I do, anytime you had to discipline your child, it was grievous. I never enjoyed whipping a child. I never enjoyed doing something like that. I'd much rather it not be done. You know what the Bible says in Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33? Listen to this:

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:33

"For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."

God does not afflict willingly. He only does it when it's absolutely necessary. If He does not have our attention, if we're not listening, if we're not paying attention, if we're not obeying, He will get our attention. You only chastise your children when it's necessary. God loves us far more than we could ever, ever love our children. That is for sure. And God desires our obedience just like we desire the obedience of our children.

We've had—we have four daughters. Two of our daughters are identical twins. Oh, I had to whip those girls. Because they would egg each other on. But my baby, I don't know. I probably have never whipped her over two or three times in her entire life. You know why? Because she could do something wrong and I could look at her and I could say, "Becca?" And she would just fall to pieces. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry. Daddy, please forgive me."

"I won't do this again." "Yes, dear, I accept that." I never had to whip her. You know why? Because she was so willing to listen and obey. And that's all that God wants for us. He wants us willing to listen and obey. But when you and I look around and we see the deceit and the fraud and the corruption and the depth of depravity in this country, and people murdering for fun? It boggles my mind how you can just walk up to an old man at a train station and push him in front of a train. It boggles my mind how you can just drive by a house and start shooting into the house when you don't even know who lives in there. Look where we are, what we're doing, and it's not just individual sins. It's corporate sins, it's societal sins, it's governmental sins.

We should already be crying for deliverance. "Lord, help us." So the question has to be asked like this: How far will God allow us to go in our rebellion before He judges us? What will it take to get our attention? I can assure you that God knows exactly what it will take to get our attention. He knows. Whenever He afflicts that, I don't know. Whenever He inflicts it, I don't know.

But I'm just saying He is going to use the rod unless we repent. It's just that simple. So the wise thing to do is even begin now to seek Him and to cry to Him and to pay attention to His judgments. Hurricanes and tornadoes are under His control. Droughts and famine are under His control. Plagues, pestilence, sickness under His control. Crop failures under His control. Everything is under His control.

If we are willing to listen and willing to hear and obey, we will not be judged so strenuously. But we're unwilling to hear and unwilling to repent. Go back and read Amos chapter 4. He said, "All these things, yet you've not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And because of that, this will I do unto thee, O Israel: prepare to meet thy God." God is the strengthener and the destroyer of nations. We're already broken as a people economically. We're broken as a people societally. We're broken as a people governmentally, politically. We're right now on life support. I'm just simply saying God wants our attention. And I'd much rather say, "Yes, Lord, I'm listening. I want to hear you. I want to obey you." Rather than be smitten with a rod and then say, "Oh, Lord, was that you?"

The wise thing to do is to seek Him now. Don't let Him have to get your attention. He can. And He will. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for Your truth and ask, Lord, that You would grant us repentance. Open our eyes. May we pay attention, Lord, especially to Thee and Thy word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Spiritual Deafness in Prosperity

Summary: People tend to ignore God when life is comfortable, reserving Him only for emergencies.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'have you ever noticed that we tend to think less about the Lord...when everything is going well' and cites Jeremiah 22:21.

Willful Disobedience as a Pattern

Summary: Refusing to hear God is not ignorance but a willful, habitual rebellion.

Evidence: Jeremiah 22:21: 'This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice.'

Chastisement as Divine Attention-Getter

Summary: God uses increasing severity of judgment to correct His people and bring them back.

Evidence: Amos 4:6-12 shows escalating judgments; Hebrews 12:9-11 explains chastening for our profit.

National Judgment for National Sin

Summary: God judges nations for corporate rebellion, not just individuals.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Amos chapter 4 is dealing with a nation...God does judge nations' and cites Psalm 9:8, 22:8, 94:2.

The Necessity of Repentance and Obedience

Summary: The wise response is to seek God now, listen, and obey, rather than force His hand.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'The wise thing to do is to seek Him now. Don't let Him have to get your attention.'

Key Arguments

Prosperity leads to spiritual complacency and rebellion.

Summary: When people are prosperous, they feel self-sufficient and ignore God, as seen in Jeremiah's day and in modern America.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It's easier to sin when everything's going well' and cites Deuteronomy 32:15.

God's chastisement is an act of love, not cruelty.

Summary: Like a father disciplines a child, God chastens for our profit, to make us holy.

Evidence: Hebrews 12:9-11; Lamentations 3:33: 'he doth not afflict willingly.'

Refusal to hear brings escalating judgment.

Summary: Amos 4 demonstrates that ignored warnings lead to increasingly severe consequences until destruction.

Evidence: Amos 4:6-12 lists famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and overthrow, each followed by 'yet have ye not returned unto me.'

America is following the same pattern as ancient Israel.

Summary: National corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay mirror the rebellion that brought judgment on Judah.

Evidence: Weaver cites current events: Muslim edifice in Tampa, Somali welfare fraud, Minneapolis riots, and general corruption.

Trouble is often necessary to drive people to God.

Summary: Psalm 107 shows that people only cry to the Lord when they are in distress; prosperity dulls spiritual need.

Evidence: Four times in Psalm 107: 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 22:21

Context: God speaks to Judah in prosperity, but they refuse to hear; this has been their manner from youth.

Deuteronomy 32:15

Context: Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked, forsook God, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Proverbs 26:3

Context: A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.

Psalm 32:9

Context: Be not as the horse or mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held with bit and bridle.

Hebrews 12:9-11

Context: Earthly fathers chastened us; God chastens for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.

Isaiah 55:3

Context: Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.

Jeremiah 22:20-30

Context: Judgment on Judah: lovers destroyed, pastors eaten by wind, Coniah cast out, none of his seed to prosper on David's throne.

2 Chronicles 19:1-2

Context: Jehu rebukes Jehoshaphat for helping the ungodly and loving them that hate the Lord.

2 Kings 3:12-14

Context: Elisha refuses to regard the king of Israel except for the presence of Jehoshaphat.

Psalm 107:1-31

Context: Four times: 'Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness' and 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.'

Amos 4:1-12

Context: Escalating judgments on Israel: famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, overthrow; yet they did not return; prepare to meet thy God.

Micah 6:9

Context: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

Lamentations 3:33

Context: He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Psalm 9:8

Context: He is the judge of the world.

Psalm 22:8

Context: He is the governor of the nations.

Psalm 94:2

Context: He is the judge of all the earth.

Historical References

John Calvin

Context: Calvin is quoted on Deuteronomy 32:15: men are like wanton horses when they become fat; fatness and tranquility render us more disobedient.

John Trapp (Puritan)

Context: Trapp said, 'Men are at their best when in their worst and worst when in their best.'

Bob McCurry (pastor friend)

Context: Weaver recounts calling Pastor McCurry and joking that the whole world is going crazy except them.

Tim Walz (governor of Minnesota)

Context: Mentioned in context of immigrant-related issues and fraud.

Minneapolis riots (recent)

Context: Riots after an ICE agent shot a woman; police retreated, protesters destroyed a hotel lobby.

Muslim edifice in Tampa, Florida

Context: One of the largest Muslim buildings being constructed, cited as evidence of pagan invasion.

Important Quotes

I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice.

Significance: The central text of the sermon, showing God's lament over Israel's willful deafness during good times.

It is indeed true what Moses says, that men are like meddlesome and wanton horses when they become fat.

Significance: Calvin's quote reinforces the theme that prosperity leads to stubborn disobedience.

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

Significance: Psalm 32:9 warns against stubbornness that requires forceful correction.

O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.

Significance: The triple repetition emphasizes the urgency of heeding God's word in the context of judgment.

Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

Significance: Repeated four times in Psalm 107, showing that trouble drives people to God.

Men are at their best when in their worst and worst when in their best.

Significance: John Trapp's paradox captures the spiritual danger of prosperity.

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Significance: Lamentations 3:33 assures that God's chastisement is reluctant and purposeful.

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

Significance: The climax of Amos 4, warning of inevitable judgment after repeated refusals to repent.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think prosperity often leads to spiritual complacency? Can you identify times in your life when ease made you less attentive to God?

Context: Weaver argues that we tend to think less about the Lord when everything is going well.

How does the image of the horse and mule needing bit and bridle apply to our relationship with God? In what areas might you be stubborn?

Context: Psalm 32:9 and Proverbs 26:3 are used to illustrate the need for correction.

What does Hebrews 12:9-11 teach us about the purpose of God's chastening? How can we view hardships as expressions of His love?

Context: Weaver explains that chastening is for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness.

In Amos 4, God sent multiple judgments, yet Israel did not return. What does this reveal about human hardness of heart? How can we guard against it?

Context: The escalating judgments in Amos 4 show persistent rebellion despite warnings.

Weaver draws parallels between ancient Judah and modern America. Do you agree with his assessment? What specific national sins do you see that parallel those in Jeremiah's time?

Context: Weaver cites corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay as evidence of national rebellion.

Psalm 107 repeats 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.' Why do you think God often allows trouble before we cry out to Him?

Context: The psalm shows that distress is what drives people to seek deliverance.

What does it mean to 'hear the rod' (Micah 6:9)? How can we learn from discipline without experiencing the full force of judgment?

Context: Weaver mentions two ways to learn: by listening and obeying, or by disobedience and the rod.

How can we cultivate a heart that is quick to listen and obey, rather than forcing God to get our attention through chastisement?

Context: The sermon concludes with an appeal to seek God now and not wait for the rod.

Applications

Examine your attentiveness to God in times of prosperity.

Summary: Recognize the danger of spiritual deafness when life is comfortable, and intentionally seek God daily.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'have you ever noticed that we tend to think less about the Lord...when everything is going well?'

Respond to God's Word with immediate obedience.

Summary: Choose to hear and obey rather than forcing God to use chastisement; incline your ear to His voice.

Evidence: Isaiah 55:3: 'Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.'

View hardships as loving correction.

Summary: When facing trials, consider that God may be getting your attention for your profit and holiness.

Evidence: Hebrews 12:10-11: He chastens us 'for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.'

Repent of national and personal sins.

Summary: Acknowledge corporate rebellion and turn back to God before judgment intensifies.

Evidence: Amos 4:12: 'Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel' after repeated refusals to return.

Cry out to God in times of trouble.

Summary: Follow the pattern of Psalm 107: when in distress, cry to the Lord, and He will deliver.

Evidence: Psalm 107:6,13,19,28: 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them.'

Give thanks and praise for God's deliverance.

Summary: Publicly declare what God has done, offering sacrifices of thanksgiving.

Evidence: Psalm 107:1-2, 8, 15, 21, 31: 'Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.'

Seek God now, don't wait for the rod.

Summary: Proactively pursue a listening, obedient relationship with God to avoid severe chastisement.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'The wise thing to do is to seek Him now. Don't let Him have to get your attention.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:33:48Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:21:02Z

Clean Transcript

May I Have Your Attention

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Okay, well, let's open our Bibles, if you would, please, to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, and look, if you would, please, at verse 21. Jeremiah 22 and verse 21. This message actually came to me yesterday. I had really planned on preaching something else, and I was reading Scripture, and this jumped out at me, and I thought, well, I might have to just deal with that in light of the situation that's going on in our land today. So if you look at Jeremiah chapter 22, and let's just read verse 21 for right now.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:37 | cleaned
God said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." The title of the message today is, "May I Have Your Attention?" I hear that request quite often, "May I have your attention," especially when I'm in an airport or when I am in meetings. Often the phrase is just shortened to "Attention, please." And usually when I'm in an airport I just totally ignore all of those announcements because obviously they do not relate to me.
#2 | 0:38 to 1:17 | cleaned
However, on a recent trip I was in Chicago, Illinois. And of course, I always refuse to go through the scanner. And so, this was an unusual place. And so, I had to remove my shoes, my belt, and subject myself to this search. And I did so. And I told the young man, I said, "You know, I just don't understand how you and all these people can be so afraid of an 81-year-old man." But I said, "Evidently, you are quite afraid." But anyhow.
#3 | 1:18 to 1:51 | cleaned
I gathered all my belongings, and I ran to the gate at which my airplane was waiting. And just as I got to the gate, which was a long, long way, I might add, I heard, "Attention please, will John Weaver report to the check station?" And I thought, "What?" I looked at my briefcase, I looked at my little carry-on suitcase, I checked my money clip, I thought I had everything, but then I noticed my driver's license was missing. So now I had to turn around and run all the way back carrying my luggage, require and receive my driver's license, and then run all the way back just in time to board that plane.
#4 | 1:52 to 2:37 | cleaned
Well, let me tell you something about Chicago, especially the airport there. I've just determined if I'm ever homeless, Brother Jim, or if the cops are ever after me for some reason, I'm going to go to Chicago and I'm going to buy the cheapest ticket I can just to get a boarding pass and just to get through the checkpoint. No one will ever find you in that airport. In fact, there are so many different—you have to have transportation to get to several different wings. And people are there all the—no one would ever notice you. And you could just live there. And I think no one would probably ever find you. But I was thankful at least on that one day that I paid attention to, "May I have your attention please." It's interesting though how often that we do not pay attention or the fact that we are inattentive most of the time. I read recently where one husband said—Jim, listen up—the husband said, "My wife said I hardly ever listen to her," or something like that.
#5 | 2:38 to 3:50 | cleaned
So Brenda's shaking her head, yes. I think that could be said of all of us. But the truth of the matter is we don't normally pay attention to our surroundings. We're not attentive to danger or dangerous places, so obviously we do not engage in situational awareness too often, and consequently, at times we find ourselves in very troublesome and dangerous places because usually we're either engaged in conversation or we're daydreaming or looking at the cell phones, playing games and something like that. But here's something that really dawned on me as I read this passage.
#6 | 3:51 to 4:30 | cleaned
And I'm just wondering, have you ever noticed that we tend to think less about the Lord, about His worship, about His work, and even less about His grace and His mercy and His goodness when everything is going well and we have plenty and there are no problems whatsoever? And have you ever noticed this? That we usually reserve our God for times of emergency. We kind of, you know, use Him as an emergency parachute or "in case of emergency, break glass."
#7 | 4:32 to 5:12 | cleaned
In other words, we don't really seek Him the way we should until and unless we're really genuinely in trouble. Now, this was the problem in Jeremiah's time. And I'm pointing out the fact it's also a problem in our time. So I want you to look at verse 21 again. I'm going to develop this for you just momentarily. But notice he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity," or in thy tranquility, or in thy peacefulness, when everything was going well.
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"But thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice."
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Now, I want you to note, first of all, in verse 21, God said, "I spake unto thee." So put it down. God spoke. That is, God gave His word. God gave His commandments, God gave His statutes, God gave His orders. Many times in the Bible He sent His prophets and He would speak to the people through His prophets. So we understand now that God has spoken. So whatever transpires cannot be alluded to as ignorance and it certainly could not be from the, "Well, I just didn't hear." No, no, no. They heard, in one sense of the word, but they didn't hear.
#10 | 5:52 to 6:38 | cleaned
But this would be something that would be absolutely willful. So notice if you would, secondly, he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity." You know, it's interesting when we think about this. We never wonder where they derived their prosperity. Who gave them their prosperity? Who gave them their tranquility? Who gave them their peacefulness? And the truth of the matter is, everything that we are and everything that we have, God made us and God gave us. And so everything that these people had were derived just from the blessings of God himself. Now, there's certainly—he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear."
#11 | 6:38 to 7:30 | cleaned
We could put it like this: "I don't want to hear. I will not hear." In fact, literally, what is being said here is, "I will not obey." I may hear, but I'm not going to obey. I'm not going to do anything about it. So, we need to understand that in their prosperity, they were saying, "At this point, we're set. We really don't need God, we really don't need anything from Him, so we can safely ignore His word and ignore Him for a little while." So, notice if you would, the fourth thing in this verse, he said, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear." Then he said, "This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Well, you have to understand that patterns become habits and habits become a lifestyle. So what you're reading about in Jeremiah 22 and verse 21 is not the sin of ignorance. Rather, it is a sin of willfulness. It is a sin of selfish rebellion. It is a sin of unthankfulness, unthoughtfulness, and ungratefulness.
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So the people had been receiving everything that God had been giving them but now God speaks and they are not going to hear. Now let me point out that this sin that was prevalent in Jeremiah's time is very prevalent in our time as well. It does not have to be a spoken sin. It's not that someone's going to say to God, "God, I'm not going to listen to you. I'm not going to hear you today. I'm not going to obey you."
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You don't have to use those words. All you have to do is simply ignore Him. Go on with an improper, unbiblical attitude. And then the actions will demonstrate that the attitude is unbiblical and ungodly as well. So they're simply saying that in our tranquility, in our prosperity, we are set right now. We don't need you. And so therefore, we're not going to listen to what you are saying to us. Have you ever noticed this as well? It's easier to sin when everything's going well. Think about this. It's easier to sin when everything is going well, because you're thinking now, "Lord, you've blessed me, you've given me all this and I must be doing pretty good. And so, Lord, just this little tiny sin that I want and I'm going to engage in, surely you'll overlook that." And of course, one sin always leads to another sin.
#14 | 9:33 to 10:30 | cleaned
And I want you to note what happens when we get prosperous, normally speaking. I want you to turn in your Bibles, hold Jeremiah 22, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32, and look, if you would please, at verse 15. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 15. We're going to read it and then I'm going to give you a quote. Watch this. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 15.
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The Word of God says, Deuteronomy chapter 32, look at it, if you would please. Verse 15. The Word of God says, "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." He forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed—that is, he thought nothing of it—lightly esteemed the God of his salvation. So Jeshurun then forsook God when they were covered with fatness, when they had prosperity, when they had everything. They forsook him and then lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation.
#16 | 11:03 to 12:02 | cleaned
Now, here's a quote from Calvin. Listen carefully. He says, "It is indeed true what Moses says, that men are like meddlesome and wanton horses when they become fat. So fatness and tranquility have such an effect as to render us more refractory or disobedient, yet this cannot avail for an excuse when God kindly invites us and connects with his doctrine, kind and paternal benevolence, and confirms it by the effects when we are teachable and yield to him willing obedience."
#17 | 12:02 to 12:39 | cleaned
In other words, when we are willingly obedient, God blesses us, but then all of a sudden, we get all of these blessings, we get all of this prosperity, and we don't think that we need to hear him. So here's a good question, and I'm going to answer it from the Bible. What do you do with a refractory animal? I mean, think about a horse, think about a mule, think about a fool. What is the answer?
#18 | 12:39 to 13:08 | cleaned
Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs chapter 26 and look if you would please at verse 3. Proverbs 26 and verse 3. Look what God says: "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."
#19 | 13:09 to 13:33 | cleaned
Now let me tell you something about a fool. A fool in the Bible is not a mentally deficient person. A fool in the Bible is someone who will not listen, who will not hear, who will not be instructed. The Bible tells you that fools despise instruction. Fools despise wisdom. But note what he said: when an animal is rebellious, a whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
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When I was a boy, I drove and I rode mules. When I was an adult, we raised and we rode horses. In fact, Dinah, I had 11 at one time. All my girls had to have horses and then the horses just kept reproducing. So, I know the strength of a horse. I know the stubbornness of a mule. I know what is needed. Usually we read about a whip for the horse. Most riders carry what is known as a riding crop, which is a short whip. And you just spur the horse. You make the horse do whatever you desire him to do. The same thing with the mule.
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You have to have the bit. You have to have the bridle. When you're driving a mule or plowing a mule, you have to have the traces. You have to have the collar. You have to have the singletree. You have to have all of those things in order to control that mule. It's the same thing with an ox. When you get a 3,000 pound ox, you need to have a yoke and you need to have everything on him in order to control him.
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So this is what God is saying. We use a whip for the horse. We use a bit and bridle for the mule and a rod for the fool's back.
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Now, let me show you. Since you're in the book of Proverbs, turn right back to the book of Psalms. And if you look at Psalm 32, look at the counsel that God gives you. Psalm 32 and verse 9. Look at this. So I understand now a whip for the horse, a bit and bridle for the mule, and a rod for the fool's back. So now look at Psalm 32 and verse 9. God says, "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Wow. So God says don't be like a horse and don't be like a mule. Don't be stubborn. Don't make me put a bit and bridle in your mouth.
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If I have to, I will. But don't make me. So that's good counsel from God himself. Notice if you would, "Be not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding." So if God has to put a bit and bridle upon us, we will obey, that is for sure.
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Now, before I get to some scripture, I want to give you a story that I read many years ago. And the story has a point, that's why I'm telling it. I read about a man, a farmer, who was selling his mule, and he set a very high price upon that mule. Well, he had a neighbor that was very interested in the mule, so the neighbor came over and asked him why the price of that mule was so high. And he said, "Because this mule is exceedingly obedient. This mule follows all the commands that I give the mule." The man said, "Okay." He said, "I'll buy the mule and I'll give you the price." And so the neighbor bought the mule, took the mule home, and gave the mule a command and the mule just stood there. Finally, he gave several commands and the mule just would not even move. So, he called the neighbor and said, "Look, something is wrong. I can't get this mule to obey me." The farmer said, "I'll be over just momentarily and I'll take care of the situation."
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So, when the neighbor came over to take care of the situation, he brought a two by four six feet long and he walked up to the mule and hit the mule up beside the head and said, "Go get in the stall," and the mule walked and got in the stall. And he looked at his neighbor, he said, "I just forgot to tell you that that mule will obey, but you just have to get his attention first." Now here's the point: what does God do to get our attention? What happens when we will not listen and when we will not hear? Do you think that somehow God has a way of getting our attention? We won't listen to the announcement of "Attention, please." Sometimes we just have to get hit upside beside the head. Let me show you.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. I think you can understand the point that I'm getting to. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 9. Actually, this section begins in verse 5, but we're not going to go all the way back to verse 5 because God is talking about chastisement. God is talking about punishment. Look what he said in verse 9.
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"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" So, here's my question. When you were a child, did your parents have a way of getting your attention? I've told you this before, and it's the absolute truth. When I was a teenager, I talked back to my father. One time. Just once, Brother Jim. Just once. And after that, he got my attention to the point that I never ever did it again. And so when you were a child and your parents spoke to you and you disobeyed, they would make sure probably that you heard.
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And then after a while, you were still disobedient. Then you got the rod. You got chastised. That's all there is to it.
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Now, look at what he said. He said in verse 9, "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" Now, "For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure." That is, sometimes we made our parents mad and they just whipped us because they were mad, which was not right, but that's exactly what happens.
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But He, that is God, when He chastens us, it's for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now, here's an extra thought here. He says in verse 11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Now let me ask you a question. Did any of you, when you were children, ever rejoice in the fact that you got whippings? And the answer is no, because it was very grievous. You did not like that at all. But notice, if you would, what our Lord says here. In other words, I did not enjoy the whippings I got when I was a boy, but now that I'm grown, I'm thankful that God allowed me to be chastised so that I could learn. And here's the point that God is making. When God chastens us, it is always for our profit, and we're always going to be more holy, more obedient, and more godly, because we will end up being a partaker, he says, of his righteousness.
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Our earthly parents loved us, that is for sure. But no matter how much earthly parents can love, no one can love more than our gracious Heavenly Father. So I want you to listen to this verse. I'll quote it. It's Isaiah 55 and verse 3. Here's what he said: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live." Incline your ear. Everyone in this room knows I'm hard of hearing. So if you're speaking to me and you are speaking in a lower tone or softer tone of voice, I can't hear that well. And so I have to lean my ear in closer to your mouth so I can hear what you're saying. This is what God is saying, "Incline your ear." In other words, come a little bit closer. You make sure that you hear everything that I'm saying. So he said, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live."
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Now, I want you to go back to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 22, because I want you to see this in its context, OK? I want you to pay attention, if you would, please, to what is happening. So let's begin reading, if you would, in verse 20, and we will read through verse 30. So look in verse 20. He said, "Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed." This is those individuals, those nations in which they committed adultery, spiritual adultery, idolatry with—all the lovers are gone, they're destroyed. He said in verse 21, "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice." Now watch, "The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!"
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"As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; I will take it off, throw it away. And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return."
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"Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?"
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Now look at this, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." So here's what God is saying: you wouldn't listen to me. So now I'm going to destroy all your lovers, all those people that you engaged in spiritual adultery and idolatry with, and I'm going to take you and throw you into a strange land. You're going into captivity. You're going to be suffering. You're going to die there. You're never coming back home. And as far as Coniah, none of his seed will ever, ever prosper. No. None whatsoever.
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So let me ask you a question. Do you think that was enough to get their attention? I mean, God is talking about absolute destruction, not just of individuals, but also as a nation. And then if you look in verse 29, here's a very important verse. Note what is said, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." Anytime you see a word that is repeated three times, it is extremely important. Even a word repeated twice. You remember in the New Testament, our Lord would say it like this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you." It's not just "verily I say unto you." The word "verily" means "so be it, so be it." "Truly, truly." "Amen, amen." So our Lord is saying, "Truly, truly, I'm saying this to you." Now, God is saying, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord." It's important, he said, that we hear the word of the Lord. So you would think now that all of the suffering that is being afflicted upon this people would get their attention.
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So here's my question. What do you think it's going to take to get the attention of Christians in America? What do you think it's going to take to wake us up? What would it even take to startle the unsaved, so to speak? I know, and you know exactly the trouble we're in in this nation. You know that. And I know that the squeeze is upon most folks financially. And I know, and I'm sure that you know, that our economic system is theft and fraud and deceit. And I'm sure that you know, as well as I do, that our nation as a whole ignores God, ignores His Word, ignores His worship, and refuses to listen to Him. Period. And I know, and you know, that there are laws passed in this country that are absolutely contrary to God and contrary to His Word. And you should know, as well as I, that in this nation and in our government—
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We help people that should not be helped. And we love people that should not be loved.
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Now you're going to tell me, "But Brother Weaver, I think we're supposed to love everyone." No, no, that's not true. That's not true. Even God doesn't love everyone.
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Now you have to understand there's a special love and there's a benevolent love. I could say, I could say, "I love every woman in this room." And by that I would mean, I don't want to see any of you suffer. I don't want to see any of you hurt. I don't want to see any of you sick. I don't want to see any of you afflicted. I love you. I want you to be in health. I want you to be prospering. But I could look at Alice and say, "Alice, I love you." And I love her a whole lot differently than I love the ladies in this room. You see what I'm saying? There is a benevolent love, but there is that special love as well. Now let me show you what I'm talking about. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Chronicles, chapter 19. 2 Chronicles, chapter 19. And you have to understand what has happened now in 2 Chronicles, chapter 19.
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Jehoshaphat has teamed up with, and joined affinity with, and helped Ahab, King Ahab. Ahab was the king of the Northern Kingdom. He was the most wicked, the most vile king in the Northern Kingdom. He was a Baalite. He was a worshipper of Baal. He hated God. He persecuted God's preachers. He despised God. So Jehoshaphat had gone with him to help him. So look, if you would, in 2 Chronicles chapter 19 in verse 1, "And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord." Wow. He said you shouldn't have helped Ahab. When you read it in the context, he told Ahab, "I am as thou art, and my people as thy people." That's not true. Jehoshaphat was a godly man when Ahab was a wicked man. And the people of Judah were not like the people of Israel.
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Because they were worshipping the golden calves. And he says, "Look, wrath of God is upon you now because you've helped someone that should not have been helped and you love someone that should not have been loved." If you look back in your Bibles just a few books back to 2 Kings chapter 3 I'll show you this again. Look in 2 Kings chapter 3 if you would please. 2 Kings chapter 3 and here we have Jehoshaphat, we have the king of Israel, Ahab, and we have also the king of Moab, Mesha.
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So they're going to fight against Edom. So what happens is this, they run out of food, they run out of water, and they're going to die. Okay? So look at this, if you would please, in verse 12. "And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him," talking about Elisha. "So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him."
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So they were after Moab. Now watch. "And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab." Now watch.
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He said, "What have I got to do with you? Go back to your prophets of Baal. I don't have anything to do with you." And the king says, "No, no, no, no. God brought us here to deliver us to the hand of Moab." And look what Elisha said to the king of Israel. Verse 14. "And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee."
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May I spell this out for you? Here's what he told him: "I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. I'd just let you burn." When you stop and think about what is going on in this country, we're headed for more trouble than you can shake a stick at. Look at the pagan invasion that our government has allowed for their own benefit. You're seeing this in Minnesota. You're seeing it in Texas. You're seeing it in Michigan. And by the way, you're now seeing it in Florida. Did you know one of the largest Muslim edifices is now being built in Tampa, Florida? Tampa, Florida. Look at the Somalis.
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All of these people are welfare recipients. They do not work. They will not work. They never will work. And all the fraud that you see is going on in this country, most of it is from these immigrants and or our politicians in cahoots with the immigrants. Look at the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Look at this. So here's my question.
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By the way, I hope you saw the news, at least a little footage of what is going on now in Minneapolis, especially since this lady had been shot by the ICE agent. Now they're in riots. And now I saw the footage last night where the police were driven off the streets by the protesters, the police just simply retreated. And the protesters had the streets and then they went into the motel or the hotel where the ICE agents were staying and destroyed the lobby, just everything. My question is this: what in the world is it going to take to get our attention?
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We look at corruption everywhere. We look at deceit and fraud everywhere. This is not the country that I was raised in, not the country you were raised in. It seems as if the whole world is going absolutely crazy. I have had a pastor friend, Bob McCurry. He's been dead a number of years. I buried him a year, several years back. But I used to call him up and I'd say, "Pastor McCurry," he'd say, "Yes, John." I said, "I think the whole world is going crazy except you and me and sometimes I'm concerned about you." He'd say, "You know, I believe the same thing." But think about this. So what is it going to take to get our attention?
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I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 107. I'm not going to tell you that this is what God is going to use, but I'm going to show you what He has used in time past. So look if you would please, Psalm 107, and the first thing I want to do is read the first three verses. Look at this, Psalm 107, beginning there in verse 1.
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He said, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south." Now, the first thing you should notice in verse 1 is this: "O give thanks unto the Lord." So we are to be giving thanks to the Lord. We are commanded to give thanks to the Lord. And of course, here he gives you two reasons as to why we're to give thanks to the Lord. Number one, "for he is good." And number two, "for his mercy endureth for ever." And then when you look at verse 2, he says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
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So to make an application of that versus this, whatever God has done for you in delivering you from financial problems, physical problems, family problems, emotional, whatever, whatever He has done for you, say so. In other words, give Him the honor, give Him the glory, give Him the praise. And let everybody else know what God has done for you. Just say so. And then, of course, verse 3 says He's redeemed them from all corners, east, west, north, and south. And so, yeah, this is exactly what He's saying that we should give Him thanks for.
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For He is good, His mercy endureth forever. And He's redeemed us out of the hand of the enemy many times and many, many different ways.
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Now, so there are sufficient reasons then why we should be constantly and continually giving the Lord praise and thanks as well. Now, when you stop and think about this, I do not suppose that anyone in this room is wealthy—what the world would call wealthy. But on the other hand, we're not poor. We haven't gone hungry. We haven't missed a house in which to sleep. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that we're not destitute, we're not deprived. We have been blessed and we have been blessed exceedingly, listen to me now, not just as individuals, not just as families, but as a nation. As corrupt as we are as a nation and as far as we are from God and His word, we've still been blessed. I don't think anybody could doubt that whatsoever.
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Now, I want to show you something about Psalm 107. Four times in this psalm, you have the same verse repeated over and over. You will read this verse four times: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Look in verse 8: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Look in verse 15: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Look in verse 21: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Now look in verse 31: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Four times. He tells us that in this one psalm. Now there's another verse that's repeated four times in this psalm. Here it is: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."
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Look, if you would please, at verse 6: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." Verse 13: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses." Now look at verse 19: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses." Now verse 28: "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses." So the question that has to be asked as you look at Psalm 107 is this: what did it take to make these people cry unto the Lord? What did it take to make them cry unto the Lord? Here's the answer: trouble, different kinds of trouble, but it was trouble. In this psalm, the psalmist speaks of what you and I would refer as the most common trials, calamities, and afflictions of life, and he demonstrates what we go through, why we go through them, and enables us to cry to the Lord and then the Lord delivers us.
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Now, let me tell you something. You will never cry to the Lord to be delivered from trouble until, first of all, you realize you're in trouble. You'll never cry to the Lord to get you out of a distressful situation unless you realize you're in a distressful situation. What did our Lord say in Matthew chapter 9? "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."
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And then he said, "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." No well person just goes to a doctor. You have to be sick. You have to try all your home remedies and nothing works. Then finally you give up and go to a doctor. No.
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Now, I want you to look at this psalm. Actually, this psalm is basically divided into four parts. So, we're not going to read verses 2 through 9, but I do want you to look, beginning there with verse 4, and I want you to look at this first one. So, we're going to go 4 through 9. He says, "They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in."
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So, they were helpless, they were hopeless, they were lost. Look at verse 5: "Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them." So when they got hungry and thirsty, when they were lost, when they found no way, look in verse 6: "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." What did he do? How did he deliver them? "And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation." And he led them. Then he says, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
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For what does God do? "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Yeah, that's exactly what God does, but notice they were in distress.
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Now, the second section begins with verse 10. Look at it. Then he says, "Such as sit in darkness."
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Now we're talking about different people. "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High." They wouldn't listen. What happened? "Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help." In other words, they got to the end of their rope. They were worn out.
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They could not accomplish anything. Verse 13, "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses." What did he do? "He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder." And then he says this: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Look, verse 16, "For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder."
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So God has delivered them. But notice, if you would, how they had to be brought low before they cried.
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Now, look in verse 17. Here's the third one. He said, "Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted." Yeah, the rod for the back of the fool. "Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death." They're almost dying. "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing."
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And then the last fourth part you have right here. If you look, beginning there, verse 23, "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof." So there's a storm. Watch this. "They mount up to the heaven."
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"They go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end." They can't save themselves. They can't control the ship. They can't do anything. Verse 28, "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses." What does he do? How does he do it? "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."
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"Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Then he says, "Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders." Let's give public praise and public worship for what God has done for you is what it is referring to.
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So the point I'm trying to make in this psalm is this: God had to do something to get their attention to make them cry. "Then they cried unto the Lord. Then they cried unto the Lord." And he delivered them. By the way, if you look back at verse 1 again, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Have you ever stopped to think about this? How many times have you and I abused the grace and the mercy of God? How many times have we presumed upon God? How many times have we been ungrateful and unthankful, and yet God is still merciful and still gracious and so kind to us? Wow. Yeah. "Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." So it took trouble. It took pain. It took distress. It took agony. It took these things to awaken people and to make them see their need for their Heavenly Father.
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Too often he is ignored and even forgotten during times of prosperity and plenty, peacefulness and tranquility. John Trapp was an old Puritan and he made this statement. He said, "Men are at their best when in their worst and worst when in their best."
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Now, what he meant by that was this: men are at their best spiritually when they are in their worst and lowest position. And they are worse spiritually when they're in their best circumstance and position. And that's certainly true.
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Now, let me give you another principle. I want you to put this thing together, especially in light of Jeremiah 22 and verse 21, okay? God has this design where if he speaks and we hear, there is no problem, there is no chastisement, there is nothing. Okay? But here's another principle. If God speaks and we refuse to hear, there's going to be chastisement. There's no two ways about that because we're disobedient. Okay? If he chastens us and we refuse to hear, there will be additional chastisement but it will increase in its intensity and severity.
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So it's kind of like you have a child and the child is disobedient or does something wrong, and you come along and you just swat it on the bottom with your hand and get the child's attention. "Don't do that." And the child says, "Okay, fine." But three minutes later, the child's doing it again. This time you come by and swat the child twice on the rear. And what? "Don't do that. I've asked you now, don't do that again." "Okay, yes." And the next thing you know, 15 minutes later he's doing the same thing. Now you go out and get a switch and you come in and wear his little hiney out. You've gotten his attention.
#76 | 51:09 to 51:52 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you this from the Bible. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Amos, chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. And I want you to listen to these verses. I want you to follow me. I think this is a very important point. Look if you would, Amos chapter 4, verse 1. We're going to read through verse 12.
#77 | 51:53 to 52:24 | cleaned
"Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan." By the way, let me stop there. You know what kine are? K-I-N-E? They're cows. And God's talking to the ladies here. I'm serious. He calls them cows. Well, wait a minute. Hang on. "Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor," they were wicked women, "which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink." Wow!
#78 | 52:24 to 52:55 | cleaned
"The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord." In other words, all your prosperity, nothing's going to save you when God comes to judge.
#79 | 52:55 to 53:18 | cleaned
Now, he says in verse 4, "Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression." You remember now, Gilgal and Bethel was where Jeroboam put the two golden calves. Okay, that's why he's saying there, if you're going to transgress, you go to those golden calves. You're an idolater, you're worshiping there. Now look at it. He said, "And bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God." So he's getting on the children of Israel, the entire northern kingdom. He said, "You love worshiping these idols." Now, look at this. Verse 6. Hmm.
#80 | 53:18 to 54:10 | cleaned
"And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So God said, "I sent famine among you. It did not get your attention. Because you did not return unto me." Now, what's verse 7? "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So now God said, "Look, you didn't listen to famine, so I sent drought." Wow. It didn't pay any attention to the drought.
#81 | 54:11 to 55:07 | cleaned
Verse 9, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." God said, "I destroyed your harvest. I mean, I sent the insects, I sent the worms, I sent everything to eat it up. You had blasting, you had drought, you had dry wind, you had mildew. Yet you've not returned unto me," said the Lord.
#82 | 55:08 to 55:33 | cleaned
I want you to watch now. There's a progression. There's an intensity. There's a severity. Watch in verse 10. "I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now he said, "I've given you sickness. I've given you plague."
#83 | 55:34 to 56:04 | cleaned
I didn't get your attention. There was war. I slew your young men with a sword. I took away your horses. The stink is in your camps of dead bodies. And still you've not returned to me, said the Lord.
#84 | 56:05 to 56:19 | cleaned
Now look in verse 11. "I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." God said, "I sent it in such a way you knew that I had done this. It was like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. A few of you were saved, you were plucked out of the fire, but yet you've not returned unto me." So every time you see this, there is an intensity, there is an increase in severity of these judgments. No one listened. Look in verse 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." Wow. God said, "I will just get you out of the way."
#85 | 56:19 to 57:27 | cleaned
I want you to note something. Please understand that Amos chapter 4 is dealing with a nation. Not just individuals, not just families, not just churches, not just tribes, but with an entire nation. God does judge nations. The Bible tells us in Psalm 9 and verse 8, He's the judge of the world. In Psalm 22 and verse 8, He is the governor of the nations. In Psalm 94 and verse 2, He's the judge of all the earth. God does judge nations. The scripture teaches that God is immutable. That is, God is not changeable. God is immutable in His person. God is immutable in His attributes. God cannot change for the better, because He's already perfect, and He cannot change for the worse, because if He did, He would no longer be perfect. God is unchangeable, listen to me, and so are His judgments. What God has judged as sin in times past, He also judges as sin in the present, and He will also judge as sin in the future.
#86 | 57:29 to 58:49 | cleaned
So my question is this: does He have your attention? Look at Amos chapter 4 and look at what has been happening in this country. Look at what is going on in this country. What will it take for God to get our attention?
#87 | 58:54 to 59:14 | cleaned
Now, let me make some applications. The first one is this: God desires not only our attention, but our obedience. I quoted Isaiah 55 verse 3 earlier when God said, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live." I have taught for 60 years. Actually going on 61 now. I preached for 60 years. I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. Here is a principle, and I've always said this to these young people.
#88 | 59:16 to 1:00:06 | cleaned
There are two ways to learn. The first way is by listening and obeying. That is the simplest way: you hear and you act, you hear and you obey. The second way is you hear and disobey and then you get the rod. You know what the Bible says in Micah chapter 6 and verse 9? God is speaking and it says, "Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." And the man of understanding will hear. So the simple way to learn is just simply to hear God's word and obey God's word. And if we don't, then the rod is going to come.
#89 | 1:00:08 to 1:00:55 | cleaned
Now, please, I want you to remember something. Do not think, do not even let it enter into your mind that somehow that God is some old meanie up in heaven just waiting to smite and just willing to strike at any moment. Any of you that had children, you know as well as I do, anytime you had to discipline your child, it was grievous. I never enjoyed whipping a child. I never enjoyed doing something like that.
#90 | 1:00:55 to 1:01:31 | cleaned
I'd much rather it not be done. You know what the Bible says in Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 33? Listen to this: "For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men." God does not afflict willingly. He only does it when it's absolutely necessary. If He does not have our attention, if we're not listening, if we're not paying attention, if we're not obeying, He will get our attention. You only chastise your children when it's necessary. God loves us far more than we could ever, ever love our children. That is for sure. And God desires our obedience just like we desire the obedience of our children.
#91 | 1:01:31 to 1:02:14 | cleaned
We've had—we have four daughters. Two of our daughters are identical twins. Oh, I had to whip those girls. Because they would egg each other on. But my baby, I don't know. I probably have never whipped her over two or three times in her entire life. You know why? Because she could do something wrong and I could look at her and I could say, "Becca?" And she would just fall to pieces. "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry. Daddy, please forgive me."
#92 | 1:02:18 to 1:03:02 | cleaned
"I won't do this again." "Yes, dear, I accept that." I never had to whip her. You know why? Because she was so willing to listen and obey. And that's all that God wants for us. He wants us willing to listen and obey. But when you and I look around and we see the deceit and the fraud and the corruption and the depth of depravity in this country, and people murdering for fun?
#93 | 1:03:03 to 1:03:35 | cleaned
It boggles my mind how you can just walk up to an old man at a train station and push him in front of a train. It boggles my mind how you can just drive by a house and start shooting into the house when you don't even know who lives in there. Look where we are, what we're doing, and it's not just individual sins. It's corporate sins, it's societal sins, it's governmental sins.
#94 | 1:03:39 to 1:04:07 | cleaned
We should already be crying for deliverance. "Lord, help us." So the question has to be asked like this: How far will God allow us to go in our rebellion before He judges us? What will it take to get our attention? I can assure you that God knows exactly what it will take to get our attention. He knows. Whenever He afflicts that, I don't know. Whenever He inflicts it, I don't know.
#95 | 1:04:08 to 1:04:41 | cleaned
But I'm just saying He is going to use the rod unless we repent. It's just that simple. So the wise thing to do is even begin now to seek Him and to cry to Him and to pay attention to His judgments. Hurricanes and tornadoes are under His control. Droughts and famine are under His control. Plagues, pestilence, sickness under His control. Crop failures under His control. Everything is under His control.
#96 | 1:04:42 to 1:05:16 | cleaned
If we are willing to listen and willing to hear and obey, we will not be judged so strenuously. But we're unwilling to hear and unwilling to repent. Go back and read Amos chapter 4. He said, "All these things, yet you've not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And because of that, this will I do unto thee, O Israel: prepare to meet thy God." God is the strengthener and the destroyer of nations. We're already broken as a people economically. We're broken as a people societally. We're broken as a people governmentally, politically. We're right now on life support. I'm just simply saying God wants our attention. And I'd much rather say, "Yes, Lord, I'm listening. I want to hear you. I want to obey you." Rather than be smitten with a rod and then say, "Oh, Lord, was that you?"
#97 | 1:05:18 to 1:06:48 | cleaned
The wise thing to do is to seek Him now. Don't let Him have to get your attention. He can. And He will. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your word. We thank You for Your truth and ask, Lord, that You would grant us repentance. Open our eyes. May we pay attention, Lord, especially to Thee and Thy word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#98 | 1:06:50 to 1:07:31 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:33:48Z

May I Have Your Attention

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Jeremiah 22:21, where God laments that Israel refused to listen during prosperity. He argues that prosperity often leads to spiritual deafness and willful disobedience, and that God uses chastisement—increasing in severity—to get our attention. The sermon applies this to modern America, warning that national corruption and judgment call for repentance and attentive obedience.

Introduction: The Call for Attention

Weaver introduces the theme of paying attention, using a personal airport story to illustrate how we often ignore announcements until they directly affect us.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 22:21

"I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice."

The Problem in Jeremiah's Time

God spoke to Israel in their prosperity, but they willfully refused to hear and obey, a pattern of rebellion from their youth.

Prosperity Breeds Disobedience

Using Deuteronomy 32:15 and a quote from Calvin, Weaver shows that fatness and tranquility make people refractory, leading them to forsake God.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 32:15

"But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

God's Methods for Getting Attention

Proverbs 26:3 and Psalm 32:9 illustrate that God uses a whip, bridle, and rod to correct stubbornness, like a farmer getting a mule's attention with a two-by-four.

Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, chapter 26. Proverbs chapter 26 and look if you would please at verse 3. Proverbs 26 and verse 3. Look what God says:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:3

"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:9

"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee."

Wow. So God says don't be like a horse and don't be like a mule. Don't be stubborn. Don't make me put a bit and bridle in your mouth.

Chastisement as a Father's Love

Hebrews 12:9-11 teaches that God chastens us for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness, just as earthly fathers correct their children.

And then after a while, you were still disobedient. Then you got the rod. You got chastised. That's all there is to it.

The Context of Jeremiah 22: Judgment on Judah

Reading Jeremiah 22:20-30, Weaver shows that because Judah refused to hear, God promised destruction, captivity, and the end of Coniah's royal line.

America's Parallel Rebellion

Weaver draws parallels between ancient Judah and modern America, citing corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay as evidence of national refusal to hear God.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 19:1-2

"And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south."

Now, the first thing you should notice in verse 1 is this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"for his mercy endureth for ever."

And then when you look at verse 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

Psalm 107: Trouble as a Wake-Up Call

Four times in Psalm 107, people cry to the Lord in trouble and He delivers them; distress is what it takes to make them seek God.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south."

Now, the first thing you should notice in verse 1 is this:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"O give thanks unto the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"for his mercy endureth for ever."

And then when you look at verse 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

Now, I want to show you something about Psalm 107. Four times in this psalm, you have the same verse repeated over and over. You will read this verse four times:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 8:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 15:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Look in verse 21:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Now look in verse 31:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Four times. He tells us that in this one psalm. Now there's another verse that's repeated four times in this psalm. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Look, if you would please, at verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses."

Verse 13:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Now look at verse 19:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."

Now verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 107:1-31

"They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in."

Escalating Judgments in Amos 4

Amos 4:6-12 shows God sending famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and overthrow, yet Israel did not return; therefore they must prepare to meet God.

I didn't get your attention. There was war. I slew your young men with a sword. I took away your horses. The stink is in your camps of dead bodies. And still you've not returned to me, said the Lord.

Applications: Hear and Obey

Weaver urges immediate repentance and attentive obedience, warning that God will use the rod if necessary, but He desires willing listening and obedience.

Scripture Reading — Micah 6:9

"Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it."

And the man of understanding will hear. So the simple way to learn is just simply to hear God's word and obey God's word. And if we don't, then the rod is going to come.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 3:33

"For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."

May I Have Your Attention

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	127261845263488
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	98

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Call for Attention: Weaver introduces the theme of paying attention, using a personal airport story to illustrate how we often ignore announcements until they directly affect us.
The Problem in Jeremiah's Time: God spoke to Israel in their prosperity, but they willfully refused to hear and obey, a pattern of rebellion from their youth.
Prosperity Breeds Disobedience: Using Deuteronomy 32:15 and a quote from Calvin, Weaver shows that fatness and tranquility make people refractory, leading them to forsake God.
God's Methods for Getting Attention: Proverbs 26:3 and Psalm 32:9 illustrate that God uses a whip, bridle, and rod to correct stubbornness, like a farmer getting a mule's attention with a two-by-four.
Chastisement as a Father's Love: Hebrews 12:9-11 teaches that God chastens us for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness, just as earthly fathers correct their children.
The Context of Jeremiah 22: Judgment on Judah: Reading Jeremiah 22:20-30, Weaver shows that because Judah refused to hear, God promised destruction, captivity, and the end of Coniah's royal line.
America's Parallel Rebellion: Weaver draws parallels between ancient Judah and modern America, citing corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay as evidence of national refusal to hear God.
Psalm 107: Trouble as a Wake-Up Call: Four times in Psalm 107, people cry to the Lord in trouble and He delivers them; distress is what it takes to make them seek God.
Escalating Judgments in Amos 4: Amos 4:6-12 shows God sending famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and overthrow, yet Israel did not return; therefore they must prepare to meet God.
Applications: Hear and Obey: Weaver urges immediate repentance and attentive obedience, warning that God will use the rod if necessary, but He desires willing listening and obedience.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Prosperity leads to spiritual complacency and rebellion.

When people are prosperous, they feel self-sufficient and ignore God, as seen in Jeremiah's day and in modern America.

Weaver says, 'It's easier to sin when everything's going well' and cites Deuteronomy 32:15.

God's chastisement is an act of love, not cruelty.

Like a father disciplines a child, God chastens for our profit, to make us holy.

Hebrews 12:9-11; Lamentations 3:33: 'he doth not afflict willingly.'

Refusal to hear brings escalating judgment.

Amos 4 demonstrates that ignored warnings lead to increasingly severe consequences until destruction.

Amos 4:6-12 lists famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and overthrow, each followed by 'yet have ye not returned unto me.'

America is following the same pattern as ancient Israel.

National corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay mirror the rebellion that brought judgment on Judah.

Weaver cites current events: Muslim edifice in Tampa, Somali welfare fraud, Minneapolis riots, and general corruption.

Trouble is often necessary to drive people to God.

Psalm 107 shows that people only cry to the Lord when they are in distress; prosperity dulls spiritual need.

Four times in Psalm 107: 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 22:21: God speaks to Judah in prosperity, but they refuse to hear; this has been their manner from youth.
Deuteronomy 32:15: Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked, forsook God, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Proverbs 26:3: A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
Psalm 32:9: Be not as the horse or mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held with bit and bridle.
Hebrews 12:9-11: Earthly fathers chastened us; God chastens for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.
Isaiah 55:3: Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.
Jeremiah 22:20-30: Judgment on Judah: lovers destroyed, pastors eaten by wind, Coniah cast out, none of his seed to prosper on David's throne.
2 Chronicles 19:1-2: Jehu rebukes Jehoshaphat for helping the ungodly and loving them that hate the Lord.
2 Kings 3:12-14: Elisha refuses to regard the king of Israel except for the presence of Jehoshaphat.
Psalm 107:1-31: Four times: 'Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness' and 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.'
Amos 4:1-12: Escalating judgments on Israel: famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, overthrow; yet they did not return; prepare to meet thy God.
Micah 6:9: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
Lamentations 3:33: He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
Psalm 9:8: He is the judge of the world.
Psalm 22:8: He is the governor of the nations.
Psalm 94:2: He is the judge of all the earth.

Historical References

John Calvin: Calvin is quoted on Deuteronomy 32:15: men are like wanton horses when they become fat; fatness and tranquility render us more disobedient.
John Trapp (Puritan): Trapp said, 'Men are at their best when in their worst and worst when in their best.'
Bob McCurry (pastor friend): Weaver recounts calling Pastor McCurry and joking that the whole world is going crazy except them.
Tim Walz (governor of Minnesota): Mentioned in context of immigrant-related issues and fraud.
Minneapolis riots (recent): Riots after an ICE agent shot a woman; police retreated, protesters destroyed a hotel lobby.
Muslim edifice in Tampa, Florida: One of the largest Muslim buildings being constructed, cited as evidence of pagan invasion.

Important Quotes

I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyest not my voice.

The central text of the sermon, showing God's lament over Israel's willful deafness during good times.

It is indeed true what Moses says, that men are like meddlesome and wanton horses when they become fat.

Calvin's quote reinforces the theme that prosperity leads to stubborn disobedience.

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

Psalm 32:9 warns against stubbornness that requires forceful correction.

O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.

The triple repetition emphasizes the urgency of heeding God's word in the context of judgment.

Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

Repeated four times in Psalm 107, showing that trouble drives people to God.

Men are at their best when in their worst and worst when in their best.

John Trapp's paradox captures the spiritual danger of prosperity.

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

Lamentations 3:33 assures that God's chastisement is reluctant and purposeful.

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

The climax of Amos 4, warning of inevitable judgment after repeated refusals to repent.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why do you think prosperity often leads to spiritual complacency? Can you identify times in your life when ease made you less attentive to God?

[Context]

Weaver argues that we tend to think less about the Lord when everything is going well.

[Question]

How does the image of the horse and mule needing bit and bridle apply to our relationship with God? In what areas might you be stubborn?

[Context]

Psalm 32:9 and Proverbs 26:3 are used to illustrate the need for correction.

[Question]

What does Hebrews 12:9-11 teach us about the purpose of God's chastening? How can we view hardships as expressions of His love?

[Context]

Weaver explains that chastening is for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness.

[Question]

In Amos 4, God sent multiple judgments, yet Israel did not return. What does this reveal about human hardness of heart? How can we guard against it?

[Context]

The escalating judgments in Amos 4 show persistent rebellion despite warnings.

[Question]

Weaver draws parallels between ancient Judah and modern America. Do you agree with his assessment? What specific national sins do you see that parallel those in Jeremiah's time?

[Context]

Weaver cites corruption, pagan invasion, and societal decay as evidence of national rebellion.

[Question]

Psalm 107 repeats 'Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.' Why do you think God often allows trouble before we cry out to Him?

[Context]

The psalm shows that distress is what drives people to seek deliverance.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'hear the rod' (Micah 6:9)? How can we learn from discipline without experiencing the full force of judgment?

[Context]

Weaver mentions two ways to learn: by listening and obeying, or by disobedience and the rod.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a heart that is quick to listen and obey, rather than forcing God to get our attention through chastisement?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with an appeal to seek God now and not wait for the rod.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:21:02Z