Amos 5 – 9
Verse 5:4 shows God’s mercy:
4 So says the Eternal to Israel:
Eternal One: Turn back to Me and you will live. There is still time.
God is not some maniacal old guy waiting for the first flub up to torture us. No God shows and has shown His grace time and time again. All they had to do was turn back to God and all would be forgiven. It’s really that simple …
Verse 5:15 struck a chord with me:
Hate what is evil, and love all that is good;
apply His laws justly in the courts at the city gates,
And it may be that the Eternal God, the Commander of heavenly armies,
will have mercy on those descendants of Joseph who survived.
We just need to know what is evil! Today there are so many mixed messages that we get confused on what is right and what is wrong. Society has gone into more of a relativistic view of morality versus a set standard for all. Verse 5:18 is a warning to those who think they are on the right track:
How horrible for you who look forward to the day of the Eternal One!
Why do you want it to come?
For you, its arrival will mean darkness, not light.
There will be a time everyone will be judged. I know today that many churches are being led astray by leaders who do not interpret scripture as they are written. Many even make stuff up to forward their message of prosperity. I pray that only those leaders are punished and the followers are spared. At the same time we do have the guide book AKA the Bible, which all the false doctrines are rooted.
As with most prophecies against Israel, the next few chapters go into detail on how they will be punished. But verse 9:14 once again gives the people hope that Israel will survive:
I will restore the captives of My people, Israel.
They will rebuild their ruined cities and return to them.
They will plant new vineyards and drink wine from them,
and they will plant new gardens and eat the food they grow.
I don’t see God destroying mankind but finishing evil. With that said I often wonder how man can ever be free. Sure we can have paradise, but see how we messed that up before. Israel was given a land flowing with milk and honey, yet they again blew it. Have we already gone through the prophecies given in Revelations and paradise was lost once again? With free will I can never see this cycle ending. What I can say is stay rooted in Jesus and focus your attentions on doing His will … not yours … and all will be will with the world.