(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Amos 1:1-15)1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he saw in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 And he said,
“The Lord roars from Zion,
And from Jerusalem He utters His voice;
And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn,
And the summit of Carmel dries up.”
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Damascus, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,
And it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus,
And eliminate every inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden;
So the people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,”
Says the Lord.
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Gaza, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they led into exile an entire population
To turn them over to Edom.
7 So I will send fire on the wall of Gaza
And it will consume her citadels.
8 I will also eliminate every inhabitant from Ashdod,
As well as him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon;
And I will direct My power against Ekron,
And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”
Says the Lord God.
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Tyre, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they turned an entire population over to Edom
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send fire on the wall of Tyre,
And it will consume her citadels.”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Edom, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because he pursued his brother with the sword
And stifled his compassion;
His anger also tore continually,
And he maintained his fury forever.
12 So I will send fire upon Teman
And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of the sons of Ammon, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to enlarge their borders.
14 So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah,
And it will consume her citadels
Amid war cries on the day of battle,
And amid a storm on the day of tempest.
15 Their king will go into exile,
He and his princes together,” says the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
God will fight His own battles. And - God wants to fight our battles! Even when nations like the Philistines were attacking Israel, God wanted them to rely on Him and not their own strength. We do get into trouble when we think we know best. This can lead to people taking verses out of context, thinking that to do God's work they need to eliminate certain nations or cultures or people with a particular skin color... This is so very wrong!
We can see from verse 8, that God made sure the Philistines would become extinct, as they were part of the curse of Canaan, the son of Ham. It was NEVER the curse of Ham, who went on into Africa to become many nations! There are no longer "cursed" nations or people. And it is not our place to judge others. God, who is all-knowing, sovereign, righteous and just, is the judge, and He will determine who will be punished, and how they will be punished.
Regarding our "enemies" and our neighbors, we are told to love them, pray for them and share the gospel with them as God gives us opportunity. Regarding fellow believers, we are to love, encourage and equip one another. As parents, we are to love, equip, teach and discipline our children. And we are to do all these things in God's love, allowing Him to guide, strengthen, equip and help us in carrying out His will. We don't have to worry about the big picture. God's got this!!!
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