“On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, says the LORD who does this. The time is surely coming, says the LORD, when the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says the LORD your God.” Amos 9:11-15
Yes, the beautiful poetry of Amos promises a time of restoration for Israel. Yes, it says that the land will see peace, the walls will be rebuilt, and they will once again live in the promised land.
Such words were for those in Amos’s day…signs of a hope to a broken people.
Such words are for us today….reminders of the goodness of God, God’s willingness to remember his people, the hope that is ours in Christ.
But…
Amos wrote during a time of both peace and prosperity. The two kingdoms in Israel (Israel in the north, Judah in the south) were doing well. The Assyrians were busy with other battles and were leaving Israel alone. The people of Israel were living well, and forgetting about God. Good times can be as spiritually detrimental as bad times. We forget the One who gives us our daily bread…and we forget about those who still have no bread.
Within a generation of Amos’ writing, the Assyrians would attack, conquer and absorb the northern kingdom. Israel would be reduced to the small southern kingdom of Judah.
One day Alexander the Great’s army would come to town and they would be the big bully on the block for a season. Once again Israel would be ruled by a foreign power. Then the Greek empire would fall (as empires always do). But rather than ushering in a new era of peace, internal in-fighting would soil Israel. And then the Romans would come. Then the Muslims. And so it goes…
What do we do when times get hard? Look for a scapegoat? Blame God for failing to keep God’s promises? It is God’s fault that the land knows no peace? Or do we take a good hard look inside – what have we done with our hearts? In what have we trusted for status and security? Whose heads were we stepping on while climbing to the top?
Let us pray: Dear Lord, open our ears to the words of your prophets who warn us against the folly of finding our lives in material gain, in seeking peace by making war. Give us a vision of living in your loving will for all people, and then guide us as we walk down that path. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
October 4, 2011 at 12:45 pm |
The Holy Spirit works in you and through you. Welcome back to the path that you are following. God bless you and your family.
October 5, 2011 at 7:19 pm |
Thanks for taking His word and making it more obvious to us who still endeavor to understand and to serve. I pray that the Spirit will continue to work through you for those who are or will be reading your devotions. Blessings and God’s Peace to you!