In The Word
Read: Amos 8:4-9:15
4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the new moon be over,
So that we may sell grain;
And the Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market,
To make the ephah smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,
6 So as to buy the helpless for money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Because of this will the land not quake,
And everyone who lives in it mourn?
Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the sun go down at noon,
And make the earth dark in broad daylight.
10 Then I will turn your festivals into mourning,
And all your songs into songs of mourning;
And I will put sackcloth around everyone’s waist,
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will roam about to seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
13 On that day the beautiful virgins
And the young men will faint from thirst.
14 As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria,
And say, ‘As your god lives, Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and not rise again.”
God’s Judgment Unavoidable
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said,
“Strike the pillar capitals so that the thresholds will shake,
And break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will put to death the rest of them with the sword;
They will not have a fugitive who will flee,
Nor a survivor who will escape.
2 Though they dig into Sheol,
From there My hand will take them;
And though they ascend to heaven,
From there I will bring them down.
3 And though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will track them down and take them from there;
And though they hide themselves from My sight on the bottom of the sea,
I will command the serpent from there, and it will bite them.
4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword and it will kill them,
And I will set My eyes against them for harm and not for good.”
5 The Lord God of armies,
The One who touches the land so that it quakes,
And all those who live in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth,
The Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,
You sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will eliminate it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will not totally eliminate the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘The catastrophe will not overtake or confront us.’
The Restoration of Israel
11 “On that day I will raise up the fallen shelter of David,
And wall up its gaps;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 So that they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations who are called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the plowman will overtake the reaper,
And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed;
When the mountains will drip grape juice,
And all the hills will come apart.
14 I will also restore the fortunes of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will also plant them on their land,
And they will not be uprooted again from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The Israelites were pushing the needy aside. They couldn’t wait to take advantage of the helpless. It seemed like they were getting away with it, but they forgot that the Lord sees everything we do. At that time, the Israelites could still hear the Word of the Lord through His prophet, but a day was coming when they would hunger and thirst to hear His rhema Word. They would look for it, but they would not find it. The Lord warned the Israelites that a day was coming when their parties would turn to mourning.
In II Chronicles 16, another prophet named Hanani told King Asa about his sin. That king also responded by trying to silence the Word of the Lord, but the prophet told him, “…the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars” (II Chronicles 16:9). The Lord sees our actions and our hearts. He seeks the whole world for those whose hearts are completely His. What does He see when He looks at you and your heart? Does He see someone that acts foolishly like those we read about today? Do you want His strong support in your life? Don’t wait to seek Him until He has to shake you and correct you. Don’t wait until you no longer hear His voice. Seek Him today while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6). Your decision will determine what your days will be like.