THE ROAR OF ONE WHO CARES
Opening Prayer
God, give me a clearer view of what You value—both how You value me and what You value in my life.
Read Amos 1:1–10
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
2 He said:
“The Lord roars from Zion
and thunders from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel withers.”
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire on the house of Hazael
that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
5 I will break down the gate of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,”
says the Lord.
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Gaza,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king of Ashdod
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines are dead,”
says the Sovereign Lord.
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Tyre,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do you treasure?Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa, a small village south of Bethlehem. He was called by God to speak to the Northern Kingdom of Israel sometime between 760 and 755 B.C. Specifically, it was two years before an earthquake rocked the area.
Amos begins his book like several prophets (also Micah and Zephaniah), with a theophany. That is, with God bursting forth from his throne into our world with such force that nature itself yields to his arrival. Amos wanted the attention of his hearers, so he wins it with a sequence of messages against their enemies.
Target 1 is Damascus (3–5). “For three sins, even for four…” This formula would more than pique their interest. Would he go on to list three or four sins of the people of Damascus? Actually no, he would only list one or two sins until he came to the end of the list. Target 2 is Gaza (6–8), and then target 3 is Tyre (9,10). In each case God’s concern relates to how these people had treated others.
The mighty God who sits on his throne cares deeply about how people treat one another. That should both comfort and challenge us. He cares how we are treated. And he cares how we treat others.
Apply
Does the way that you treat others show that you are a believer? How about at work? While driving or in your own family? How can you show Christ through your interactions?
Closing prayer
Lord of Heaven, may I be a shining example of who You are to all around me today.
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