Tag: Amos 5:1-18
Prepare to meet your God!
Scripture reading for September 12: Amos 3-5
Amos, a country preacher, used plain language that cuts to the chase! This is a good trait, but sometimes lacks tact in the eyes of those who are more refined! I imagine that Amos offended many among God’s people! For instance, in Amos 4:1 he called the women of Samaria “cows”. These women were likened to the well-fed cattle of Bashan, a farming area east of the Sea of Galilee. These women were demanding drinks from their husbands and were oppressing the poor and needy while they enjoyed an abundance. Amos promised them that God’s punishment was on the way.
Amos told the people to go up to Bethel and sin. God had tried to correct them and get their attention, but to no avail! They would not return to God with humble and contrite hearts! (Amos 4:6, 9, 11) God had sent famines, plagues, war and trouble to wake them up but they failed to respond. The final call was for them to prepare to meet their God! (Amos 4:12) Amos then took up a funeral lament for Israel as if she had died and met God! (Amos 5:1-3)
Amos told them to seek the Lord and live! They needed to honor God Who made the stars, Who speaks to the waters of the sea and pours them out on the land! (Amos 5:8-9) They were to seek good and not evil and they would live. Standing for what the Lord is for prepares us to meet God. (Amos 5:14-15)
Amos reproved God’s people again for saying that they longed for the day of the Lord! He told them that it would be a day of darkness, not light for them! (Amos 5:18) It would be like a man fleeing from a lion, only to meet a bear. These people were going through the motions and God hated their songs, festivals, feasts and offerings! Their hearts were not right! He wanted justice and righteousness that resulted from His people living by faith in the fear of the Lord! (Amos 5:24)
As we listen to this farmer/preacher, we hear truth spoken in plain language. The times he lived in were a lot like ours. Are we seeking the Lord with our hearts, and not just words and ritual? Do we hate evil and love good! Are we working in our day and time for justice and help for the poor. The day of the Lord is near! We must be prepared to meet our God!
“. . . prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” Amos 4:12b