One Sunday morning, an instructor in a theological
school was sharing a seat with a small boy on a
shuttle train, says the Philadelphia Bulletin. The boy
was holding a Sunday-school lesson leaflet. “Do you
go to Sunday school, my boy?” asked the man in a
friendly way. & … More
Judgment
In today’s passage, Amos has a vision of the Lord standing next to the alter. This is either the alter in Jerusalem or more likely, the alter in Bethel (Amos 7:12). The Lord makes a proclamation of top to bottom destruction upon the religion and the people of Israel (v. 1). The top of the temple (the capital) will be struck, and the thresholds (the foundations) will shake. It will all come crashing down upon the people below. A nation’s false religions and departures from the truth will always result in widespread suffering. Those not killed in the temple collapse will be killed by the sword. None shall escape. Amos 9:2-4 is reminiscent of Psalm 139:7-10. No matter where the people of Israel go, the Lord will find them. It is up to them whether He will find them in Love or in Judgment.
The Lord God of armies is high above our understanding. The earth melts at His touch (v.5). The heavens are his attic, and the seas are his basement (v. 6a). He controls the rivers and the oceans the same way we can pour ourselves a glass of water (vv. 5-6). The Lord is aware of and is in control over all the nations of the world. The Cushites (v. 7) were from Ethiopia, the edge of the known world at that time. The Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt (Exodus), but the Lord had also moved other nations around according to his will (v. 7). The Philistines were originally from Crete (Caphtor), and the Syrians were from Mesopotamia (Kir). The Lord’s eyes were focused on His people for calamity and not for good (vv. 4, 8). But He would not destroy Israel completely. Instead, He would shake them out among the nations, like a man shaking soil through a sieve (v. 9). Only the righteous (the good dirt) make it through the sieve. The unrighteous (the pebbles) are trapped in the sieve and disposed of. The Lord promises that only the righteous will be spared to make new lives for themselves among the nations. The unrighteous will die by the sword just when they think they are safe (v. 10).
Application
Thank the Lord today for his justice and mercy. In His great mercy He poured out His justice upon Jesus, so that we could receive merciful forgiveness and the righteousness of God attributed to us.
Amos 9:1-10 (English Standard Version)
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Destruction of Israel
Amos 9:1–10
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
One Sunday morning, an instructor in a theological school was sharing a seat with a small boy on a shuttle train, says the Philadelphia Bulletin. The boy was holding a Sunday-school lesson leaflet. “Do you go to Sunday school, my boy?” asked the man in a friendly way. & … More
In today’s passage, Amos has a vision of the Lord standing next to the alter. This is either the alter in Jerusalem or more likely, the alter in Bethel (Amos 7:12). The Lord makes a proclamation of top to bottom destruction upon the religion and the people of Israel (v. 1). The top of the temple (the capital) will be struck, and the thresholds (the foundations) will shake. It will all come crashing down upon the people below. A nation’s false religions and departures from the truth will always result in widespread suffering. Those not killed in the temple collapse will be killed by the sword. None shall escape. Amos 9:2-4 is reminiscent of Psalm 139:7-10. No matter where the people of Israel go, the Lord will find them. It is up to them whether He will find them in Love or in Judgment.
The Lord God of armies is high above our understanding. The earth melts at His touch (v.5). The heavens are his attic, and the seas are his basement (v. 6a). He controls the rivers and the oceans the same way we can pour ourselves a glass of water (vv. 5-6). The Lord is aware of and is in control over all the nations of the world. The Cushites (v. 7) were from Ethiopia, the edge of the known world at that time. The Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt (Exodus), but the Lord had also moved other nations around according to his will (v. 7). The Philistines were originally from Crete (Caphtor), and the Syrians were from Mesopotamia (Kir). The Lord’s eyes were focused on His people for calamity and not for good (vv. 4, 8). But He would not destroy Israel completely. Instead, He would shake them out among the nations, like a man shaking soil through a sieve (v. 9). Only the righteous (the good dirt) make it through the sieve. The unrighteous (the pebbles) are trapped in the sieve and disposed of. The Lord promises that only the righteous will be spared to make new lives for themselves among the nations. The unrighteous will die by the sword just when they think they are safe (v. 10).
Application
Thank the Lord today for his justice and mercy. In His great mercy He poured out His justice upon Jesus, so that we could receive merciful forgiveness and the righteousness of God attributed to us.
Amos 9:1-10 (English Standard Version)
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View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »