Sermon Tone Analysis

The Town Called Nothingville

Amos

2 Samuel 7

A man that probably will never be forgotten in history until the Lord comes back is Elvis Presley, Elvis has been dead for over 40 yrs yet his estate is still coming out with records and he is one of the top grossing artists in the world.

He sang many famous songs but one that is not as famous called “Nothingville”

It’s a very short song and it was first heard in 1968 on a Elvis NBC television special.

Nothingville

Only just a two-bit town

Where nothing's real

They treat me like a country clown

Nothingville

I ain't gonna keep-a-hangin' round'

The doors keep slammin' in my face

People keep puttin' me in my place

It's a rat's race at a snail's pace

Nothingville...Nothingville

Nothingville.....

Lo Debar (or Lo-debar) is a town only mentioned a few times in Scripture.

If it is, as many scholars assume, the same town as Debir, mentioned several times in the book of Joshua, we find that it was one of the cities of Canaan that Joshua destroyed ().

Debir, whose name means “pasture” or “sheepfold,” was located near the Valley of Achor () on the northern boundary of Judah, somewhere between Jerusalem and Jericho.

The exact location of the town is impossible to ascertain.

If Lo Debar is the same town as Debir, somewhere in its history the name was changed to Lo Debar.

Debar normally means “word” or “thing.”

The prefix lo is a negator; thus, the term Lo Debar would mean “no word” or “no thing.”

The town’s name is not complimentary.

The name may or may not have been an apt description of the town.

If it was an apt description, it may have been lacking good pasture, or it may have been an insignificant, “nothing town.”

In English we might say that it was “in the middle of nowhere.”

Lo Debar is first mentioned in connection with Mephibosheth, the only surviving son of Jonathan, son of King Saul.

David wanted to show kindness to Jonathan’s family, and he was told that Mephibosheth was living in Lo Debar.

The story is found in .

Mephibosheth leaves “Nothingville” (Lo Debar) and moves into the king’s residence in Jerusalem—from Podunk to palace.

The town of Lo Debar is next mentioned in as the home of Ammiel, one of several men who provided David with provisions as he was fleeing from Absalom.

The final mention of Lo Debar in Scripture is in .

Amos, a prophet from Judah, confronts the sin and pride of the northern kingdom of Israel.

He condemns their boasting in their conquest of Lo Debar, which would have been in the territory of Judah.

The fact that Israel would conquer a city of Judah was certainly worth addressing in its own right, as Israel and Judah should have been brothers living in peace.

But, beyond the mere fact of the treacherous conquest, Amos may also have been making a rhetorical point through a play on words.

The men of Israel were boasting that they conquered “Nothing” or “Nothing Town.”

Amos may have highlighted this town specifically because of the town’s name, in order to stress the emptiness of their boasting before God.

“You are so proud

This town is known by a few names the Prophet called it what I believe it really was but Israel came back and said wait a minute don’t you mean “Karnaim” “Horns” or “Stronghold” They were trying to say we captured something with strength and power.

Don’t you see we did this on our own.

Oh how that is prevalent in today’s society.

Don’t you see we did this on our own.

They were boasting and saying look at we did, look at how good we are!

We are awesome and the prophet said let me put you in your place really you captured something that means nothing.

Israelites boasting was futile