Amos 4:11-12 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet ye have not returned unto me saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
What a frightening thought Friends! ‘Prepare to meet thy God,’ who’s in an angry mood. But it didn’t seem to bother the Israelites much. I know I keep harping on them, but the Bible is basically their history. They were supposed to be God’s chosen people, but somehow kept falling by the wayside. They provide the perfect example of how not to live in God’s sight. Today’s Bit is the end of a litany of punishment the Lord meted out to them over the years. He concludes with, ‘yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He wrecked their high life for oppressing the poor and needy, destroyed their dwellings and their animals. He watched them go a whoring after other Gods up to Bethel and Gilgal, while offering sacrifices every morning and tithes every three years. ‘I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet ye have not returned unto me…’ T&T people will know about ‘clean teeth’, the branch of a particular tree used for cleaning teeth, forgot it’s name now. However, continuing with the woes of Israel: He withheld rain for three months before the harvest, from some cities, while allowing it to fall in others. The crops that had no rain, withered from the drought, while those with rain prospered. Even when the drought stricken people went to the prosperous cities for water, they weren’t satisfied, they couldn’t get enough, ‘yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He smote them with blasting and mildew, and when their fruit trees and vineyards were laden, He caused the palmerworm to devour them. ‘Yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He sent pestilence amongst them, like He’d done in Egypt. Their young men were slain, their horses taken away, the stench in their camps was disgusting. He overthrew some of them like He’d done with Sodom and Gomorrah, with fire and brimstone, then plucked them out of the disastrous situation.’Ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet ye have not returned unto me.’ What a stubborn and hard hearted people! To suffer such misfortune and continue their disobedience. Hn! Unfortunately though, our lives seem to be following a similar pattern. All sorts of disasters are happening in our world, both natural and man made, but are we trying to figure out why? Is it the hand of God? The hand of the enemy? Who knows? But when there’s so much drought and famine in the midst of plenty; so much strife and turmoil when so many are crying out for peace; widespread poverty and destitution in the midst of so much wealth; so much wickedness and evil in a world that’s reputedly calling for loving kindness, Friends, something must be wrong somewhere. No one has the definitive answer to our problems, but for us, believers, in times of trials and tribulation, there’s only one place to find an answer, one deity to turn to, our God, the Most High Jehovah. He knows all and controls all. So Friends, today, I’m imploring us not to follow the Israelites example. Instead, let’s learn from their mistakes, so that down the road, our children would be proud to acknowledge, that when adversity overtook us, without hesitation, we turned unto the Lord. Much LOVE!…even blind men see the light…whilst fools refuse to…
What a frightening thought Friends! ‘Prepare to meet thy God,’ who’s in an angry mood. But it didn’t seem to bother the Israelites much. I know I keep harping on them, but the Bible is basically their history. They were supposed to be God’s chosen people, but somehow kept falling by the wayside. They provide the perfect example of how not to live in God’s sight. Today’s Bit is the end of a litany of punishment the Lord meted out to them over the years. He concludes with, ‘yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He wrecked their high life for oppressing the poor and needy, destroyed their dwellings and their animals. He watched them go a whoring after other Gods up to Bethel and Gilgal, while offering sacrifices every morning and tithes every three years. ‘I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet ye have not returned unto me…’ T&T people will know about ‘clean teeth’, the branch of a particular tree used for cleaning teeth, forgot it’s name now. However, continuing with the woes of Israel: He withheld rain for three months before the harvest, from some cities, while allowing it to fall in others. The crops that had no rain, withered from the drought, while those with rain prospered. Even when the drought stricken people went to the prosperous cities for water, they weren’t satisfied, they couldn’t get enough, ‘yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He smote them with blasting and mildew, and when their fruit trees and vineyards were laden, He caused the palmerworm to devour them. ‘Yet ye have not returned unto me.’ He sent pestilence amongst them, like He’d done in Egypt. Their young men were slain, their horses taken away, the stench in their camps was disgusting. He overthrew some of them like He’d done with Sodom and Gomorrah, with fire and brimstone, then plucked them out of the disastrous situation.’Ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet ye have not returned unto me.’ What a stubborn and hard hearted people! To suffer such misfortune and continue their disobedience. Hn! Unfortunately though, our lives seem to be following a similar pattern. All sorts of disasters are happening in our world, both natural and man made, but are we trying to figure out why? Is it the hand of God? The hand of the enemy? Who knows? But when there’s so much drought and famine in the midst of plenty; so much strife and turmoil when so many are crying out for peace; widespread poverty and destitution in the midst of so much wealth; so much wickedness and evil in a world that’s reputedly calling for loving kindness, Friends, something must be wrong somewhere. No one has the definitive answer to our problems, but for us, believers, in times of trials and tribulation, there’s only one place to find an answer, one deity to turn to, our God, the Most High Jehovah. He knows all and controls all. So Friends, today, I’m imploring us not to follow the Israelites example. Instead, let’s learn from their mistakes, so that down the road, our children would be proud to acknowledge, that when adversity overtook us, without hesitation, we turned unto the Lord. Much LOVE!…even blind men see the light…whilst fools refuse to…
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