Short Reflection from Amos 1-9

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (OVU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟙:𝟛, 𝟞, 𝟡, 𝟙𝟙, 𝟙𝟛

"Thus says the LORD, 'For three transgressions of _ _ _ and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they _ _ _'"

The judgment formula in Amos Chapter 1, occurs 5 times.

Three things are observed:

1. God is a sovereign judge. He shall bring justice.

2. God is a just judge. He shall repay each one accordingly.

3. God is a patient judge. He waits for people to repent, not striking them at first, but giving them chances and opportunities to mend their way.

This is the same God we worship!

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟚:𝟜-𝟝

"Thus says the LORD, 'For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the law of the LORD And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked. So I will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.'"

The judgment formula continues in chapter 2. Now, upon God's chosen people. Indeed, God shall judge accordingly: each one shall give his account to Him!

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟛:𝟚

"You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities."

This sounds so scary when we read casually. But actually, what comforting words of punishment! Even in punishment, they can be comforted and be hopeful that God has chosen them to be His own. Punishments are to bring repentance unto God. Not to damn them.

This is true for Christians as well.

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟜:𝟙𝟚

"Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel."

It was told in Mount Sinai in a positive sense: Prepare to meet your God. It is told here in a negative sense. It is commanded to prepare for the coming of Christ, again in a positive sense. At the same time a negative one for those who wouldn't believe in Christ—face judgment!

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟝:𝟝-𝟞

"But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble. "𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕒𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,"

There's no salvation under heaven except in God (Acts 4:12). David abandoned Saul's armour and relied on God's protection.  Joshua abandoned all military strategies and sought to obey God in marching around Jericho 7 times.

Seek God's way, His will, His time!

 

[11:22 am, 27/07/2022] S.R: 𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟞:𝟙𝟜

"'For behold, I am going to raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,' declares the LORD God of hosts, 'And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath To the brook of the Arabah.'"

Sin in life (maybe disobedience, unbridled tongue, lust, envy, worry, and even laziness) is already hard but if we don't fight them, God would raise up a great adversary for us to realize and repent unto the Lord. God always did that in the Bible times.

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟟:𝟝-𝟞

"Then I said, "Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?" The LORD changed His mind about this. "This too shall not be," said the Lord GOD."

This is one of the reasons why I am happy to be a pastor. To intercede for my church members and be answered by God.

Guys, maybe, certain calamity would have happened to you, if not for somebody's prayer! Could be your parents, friends, pastors, etc...

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟠:𝟜

"Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land"

There are some people who are poorer than us, richer than us, and just like us. Let's be compassionate to the poor, not take advantage of them. Let's pity the rich, not curse them. Let's not be envious of anyone! Rather, let's imitate our Lord, to be humble, to be compassionate, and to be gracious!

 

𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕤 𝟡:𝟙𝟙

"In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old."

Our God is a God of Restoration. That's why every night we come before Him in confession, repentance, and confidence!

Bible Reading Reflection from Amos 5-9

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (JAC) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟝

v4. For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕜 𝕄𝕖 that you may live".

v6. "𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻 that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel."

v14. "𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕜 good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!"

3 times it is repeated with a command of Seeking God. 2 times it is reiterated about the vanity of Sacrifice before God.

Indeed, what is life without God? Where is the home without God? Where is salvation without God? God is the solution, the salvation, the solace. God is sufficient. He is the ultimate satisfaction!

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟞:𝟡-𝟙𝟙

“And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die. Then one's uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry out his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, "Is anyone else with you?" And that one will say, "No one." Then he will answer, "Keep quiet. For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned." For behold, the LORD is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.”

God's Judgment is so fierce that they will not only be afraid to mention the name of God. They will not like to mention His name. In the good days, they took pride, honor, and glory to have Yahweh as their God who chose them among all (3:1-2) Now they will feel terrible to have Yahweh as their God.

Has there been a time when you don't want to say you are a Christian because of your lifestyle? Has there been a time that you don't want to let people know such and such person is a professing Christian because of his sinful lifestyle?

In this context, it's a judgment of God for their sins that will make them feel embarrassed, fearful, and hopeless.

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊𝟟:𝟠

“The LORD said to me, "What do you see, Amos?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕟𝕠 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣."”

Before this verse, Amos pled God to spare His people, and God relented His 2 serious judgments about to inflict upon them. What a merciful God we have! What an important role a spiritual leader has for believers!

These people didn't know that if it wasn't for Amos' intercessory prayer, they would have been destroyed. And interestingly, these people spearheaded by King Jeroboam and Priest Amaziah wanted to banish Amos from the kingdom. Well, God was not going to spare them this time according to v8.

Have you ever taken time to think about how you have been delivered from such and such situations because your spiritual leaders are interceding for you? Do you know that? Spiritual leaders are doing something miraculous that members do not know, and how often are they underappreciated, criticized, and dishonored.

Moses interceded for the Israelites, and God spared them. The Israelites didn't know that. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, they didn't know that. But Lot and his daughters were saved. And Jesus interceded for us, that's how we are Christians now.

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟠:𝟚

“He said, ‘What do you see, Amos? And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.’”

This is the fourth vision. It is summer. It is the time of fruits, and they are ripened. The vision is not of delight, not of prosperity, but of the end. The end for God's people has come. As Keil and Delitzsch observed, this is not about the ripeness of the judgment, but of destruction. Judgment has been already on. It's the time for destruction now, complete destruction.

We read in Romans 1:18 that God's Judgment is already being revealed since long time ago, and the world is heading towards complete destruction someday. What manner of people ought we to be?

Evidently, v11 says that these people weren't attentive to the word of God, and by doing so, their worship was shallow and even contradictory, and their lifestyle was like that of unbelievers. They were greedy, and materialistic (business-minded); instead of being compassionate and helpful, they trampled the poor under their feet v3-6.

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟡:𝟚

"Though they dig into Sheol,

From there will My hand take them;

And though they ascend to heaven,

From there will I bring them down."

I've been reading the Bible consciously and consistently for over 16 years of my Christian life. And I've written even a seminary-level paper on the book of Amos, but I feel like I've never seen this verse before! Well, that's because the later part of this 5th vision of Amos is about restoration, salvation, and prosperity (11-15). So, obviously, focussing and remembering the sweeter parts. However, v1-10 is equally important to be remembered and studied well, because as much as the promise is sure, punishment is and was sure!

This verse says the Inescapability of God's Judgement. Even if one flees to hell, God will bring them up. Even if one flees to heaven, God will cast them down. No excuse. No refuge. No salvation. No escape. Neither in death nor in life. Nothing!

This is a direct contrast to Psalm 139, where David mentioned the inescapability of God’s love, neither by fleeing to hell nor to heaven. We, believers rejoice with Ps. 139, while Amos 9:2 is for the wicked!

And the book of Amos ended with a vision of judgment and restoration!

Bible Reading Reflection from Amos 1-4

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (JAC) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟙:𝟙

"The words of Amos, who was among the 𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕤 of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake”

𝙰𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜:

There are literary giants like Isaiah the prophet; the Psalmist the poet; Solomon, the philosopher; Daniel, the prime minister; etc.

There is also a room for ordinary people like Amos the shepherd. This guy is a farmer (Amos 7:14).

Shepherds are the lowest job in biblical times. They are considered sinners because of their lack of 'church attendance' (Temple), tending their sheep. [However, I am sure Amos was a committed and faithful 'church member'.]

The point is God chose a man from such a profession to be His mouthpiece! Indeed, God has the habit of choosing the lowest things of this world to show the greatness of His mercy and grace, and to shame the vainglory of the world. He even chose a prostitute Rahab to be the ancestress of Jesus. No matter where we are, God can work wonders in our life.

BTW, it does not mean that all professions are pleasing to God: clearly, prostitution is not; skipping the temple is not; it just means God's grace is vast. It reaches even the lowest hell. It reaches even the greatest sinner (Saul the persecutor). It reaches even the greatest sin!

As we read the book of Amos, may Amos the farmer, Amos the animal-man gives us hope even in his proclamation of judgment!

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟚:𝟜

"Thus says the LORD: ‘For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.’"

In chapter 1, we see God's judgment about to come to the neighboring nations of Judah and Israel. In chapter 2, Judah and Israel were not spared either.

In fact, the indictment against Judah was not about wickedness as described against other nations. The problem with Judah was that they had forsaken the law of God and had walked away.

Sin is not only doing "bad things,” but it's also not cherishing God. In fact, all sins can trace back to not cherishing God. We love our sins more than God. For example, we love to sleep more in the morning than to study God's word. 😬

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟛:𝟚

"You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."

Wow! What a contrast!

If God loves only the Israelites, it will be very appropriate to say, "I will forgive all your sins and punish others." However, because of love, God will punish His love. True love corrects people, disciplines people, and exhorts people. It's because of this love, God punishes! And of course, His punishment is not to damn us, but to save us.

 

𝔸𝕄𝕆𝕊 𝟜:𝟙

"Hear this word, you 𝕔𝕠𝕨𝕤 of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, ‘Bring now, that we may drink!’"

I have a friend who had a grudge against his pastor because one day the pastor visited his hostel and rebuked them for unhygienic and disorderly living. Hmm! Boys' Hostel!! He compared their hostel to a pigsty and their living to pigs. My friend thought the pastor should not use such words or make such comparisons.

This world is interesting. Even Christians are interesting. They know exactly what the pastors should do and shouldn't do, but they don't know even how to make their beds properly.

Two-thirds of my life I've lived so far has been as a church member. I have heard and seen all kinds of criticisms, accusations, and slander against pastors. Evidently, they haven't read their Bible.

Amos is calling these women, cows. Hmm! Feminists won't be happy! Paul called those Christian who insisted on circumcision, dogs. John the Baptist called those who seek to know his theology, Vipers. Jesus went further and called those religious leaders, snakes, brood of Vipers, children of Satan, Blind, etc. Maybe, I should also start enriching my vocabulary! Just kidding. 😂

Another anecdote:

A few years ago, while I happened to be in my village going to church for the Sunday Evening service, we heard the news that 2 ZUF cadres (underground) had molested 2 girls from a distant village. My village pastor was furious and said that such people should be apprehended and chopped into pieces.

Wow! Such a violent word. I thought it was very unbecoming of a pastor. I was offended. I don't even remember what he preached that evening. Then a few years later, I read from 1 Samuel 15, that the prophet Samuel chopped Agag into pieces. Hmm! My pastor was definitely biblical in his thought. Definitely, he wasn't saying they should be butchered into pieces.  I am sure he was connecting the banality of sin and evil to that of Agag. Was he wrong to say that? I thought so. I was very offended. But now, I think he wasn't wrong. Actually, he was being biblical.

What about a person like me who got offended and didn't remember the rest of his sermon? Well, that's not his fault. Even Jesus had offended a lot of people. In fact, sometimes, Jesus refused to simplify His teachings. In John 6, He was telling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Many (not some) went away from Jesus. Jesus didn't back down. He even offered to His 12 chosen people to go away if they wanted.

But the 12 did the right thing. They asked what Jesus meant. I should have gone to my village pastor and asked him what he meant instead of getting offended and walking away like those many disciples of John 6.

In this world, we can't live to please everyone. We won't be pleased with everyone either.