PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me always to regard the poor as You do.
Read AMOS 4:1–13
Israel Has Not Returned to God
4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,
you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy
and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
“The time will surely come
when you will be taken away with hooks,
the last of you with fishhooks.
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years.
5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.
6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.
7 “I also withheld rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water
but did not get enough to drink,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.
9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.
Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.
10 “I sent plagues among you
as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.
11 “I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13 He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.
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.
Meditate
“Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6)—even terrorists! Lord, help me to comprehend something of the depth of Your love.
Think Further
Amos likens the wealthy women who oppress the poor to well-fed cows of Bashan (a region known for its lush pastures)—but they will soon be dragged away with hooks, like so much meat. They are devotees at the local shrines and bring regular (and expensive!) sacrifices and offerings—lots of them (4,5). Their lifestyle does not match up, however, and their elaborate worship rituals are a mere empty show. How can they continue to thrive when they are profaning God’s holy name by their actions and attitudes? The underlying motive for their lavish offerings is to gain status in the community, demonstrating their wealth.
Not far back in the history of many of us, some churchgoers had identical attitudes. In Regency Britain there was a vast gulf between the landed gentry and the poor. Even in the mid-twentieth century, the maids knew their place; rich churchgoers could reserve the best pews and woe be to anyone else who tried sitting in them! Substantial giving by Christians was publicly trumpeted. Is there anything like that still lurking in your own church today?
Before we condemn others, though, we need to see into our own hearts. Jesus warned against those who made a show of their piety: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt. 6:1–3).
God has repeatedly warned Israel through hardships (6–11). Seen as covenant curses, they can also be seen as showing the grace of God, who yearns for restored fellowship with his people. As I write, London has just suffered a horrific terrorist attack and Archbishop Justin Welby has highlighted the caring medical attention shown to the undeserving attacker. Does that help us to understand God’s love for sinners?
Apply
Lord, forgive me—and thank You!
Closing prayer
Lord, thank You for bearing long with our society in light of the provocations it issues toward heaven.
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