THE ROARING LION
Opening Prayer
Lord, thank You for not categorizing us with the evildoers of the world.
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.
Meditate
Thank God for his great mercy towards you—and remember what it cost him.
Think Further
Lions at the zoo in my childhood never appeared fierce—and they were fed butcher’s meat. How very different from hungry lions in the wild; how terrifying for their prey to hear the roar, to sense the pounce of rippling muscles and to feel the tearing claws! This is how Amos pictures God (2). Can he really be like that?
Amos’s first speeches must have had Israel chortling with glee. These neighboring nations had done terrible things; it was time they felt God’s fiery anger. Damascus had practiced excessive cruelty in war. The Philistines had engaged in a lucrative slave-trading business, the helpless being abused in the pursuit of material wealth. Tyre was also involved in slave trading, but its crime was even worse because it acted in breach of a “treaty of brotherhood” (9). The punishments would fit the crimes, leaving the perpetrators vulnerable themselves. None of these nations had received any special revelation of the one true God or his law, so idolatry is not mentioned. These nations are under judgment for their inhumanity. Accountability to God has always been proportional to the knowledge of his will granted to a people. As we shall see, Israel itself was judged much more harshly, because she had been given God’s law. From everyone to whom much is given, much will be required.
Similar horrendous cruelty still goes on in many parts of the world today. In our desire to share God’s love, it is easy to forget how angry God is over such behavior. Yes, God will one day judge evil as a roaring lion tears its prey, but the Lion of Judah is also the Lamb who was slain. At the cross, where wrath and mercy meet, there is opportunity for even the worst perpetrator to repent and find forgiveness.
Apply
When you hear of terrorist atrocities, how do you pray?
Closing prayer
Lord, Your people stand in awe of Your righteous judgments upon evil nations and the evil people who rule them.
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