Friday, July 17, 2009

Day 198 Amos the Thoughful man from Tekoa

I am intrigued at how YHWH uses people with simple everyday professions. Amos was one of many shepherds in Tekoa and yet he was the one who gave thought to the social, cultural and political structures of the day - and formed firm opinions about them in the context of what God thought about them.

He knew 2 years before hand what was going to happen, but people did not use that time to repent, or take the words seriously enough to make changes. If Nineveh could "turn on a dime" in their speed to repent and YHWH relented from sending calamity, why didn't his people do this also? They were no less honorable or dispicable.

This calling "to account" covers areas like: political oppression, slavery, disregarding agreements made between tribes "treaty of brotherhood", unleasing fury by stifling all compassion,
performing genocide by killing the unborn generation in the womb. Even in death, the memory of the deceased is burnt to ashes and is called to account.

As YHWH draws the circles closer to home to his own people Israel, they rejected God's law and so allowed themselves to be led astray. Bartering in people for goods, denying justice, indulging in religious prostitution. I wonder if the "religious" environment gave them a false sense of security in their acts?

I take great comfort knowing that God prepares us for the way ahead.
Amos 3:7 "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets". Ch 4:13"He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name".
These insights into the character of YHWH should encourages us as we plan ahead for our future and our families. God talked His plans through with Abraham, Moses, kings of Israel and even non-Israelite nations (Cyrus in Isaiah).

Chapter 4 talks through all the ways that God tried to get his people's attention, but "yet you have not returned to me" is repeated at least 5 times. Chapter 5 is all about "Seek me and live" "Seek good not evil".

Again obedience, not sacrifice is the focus of God's heart. V24"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"This is echoed in Isaiah 48:17-19 from yesterdays comment.
As The Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness, may our eyesight have clarity, our footsteps sure and our hearts be true. Amen.

2 comments:

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  2. Like Pharaoh people's hearts become hardened by repeated disobedience. When there are no immediate consequences, we convince ourselves that no harmful consequences exist. Our disobedience becomes rooted in our thoughts and actions until we can no longer hear the voice of the Holy Spirit convicting us. Like Hebrews says, we become hardened by the decieptfulness of sin.

    May we keep short accounts with God.

    This morning I was reading in the book of Joshua. Scripture says It was God who hardened the hearts of Israel's enemies to come against them so that he could destroy them completely (Joshua 11:20). Sometimes God makes people our enemy because he wants to force the issue.

    He sometimes uses his children to revenge the one who is in rebellion against him. It creates another opportunity for the enemy to recognize God's hand and repent.

    shirley fay

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