Saturday, January 19: Amos 3- Reduced to humble praise.

Terrible, terrible is the Word of the Lord. Terrible, terrible is the Word of the Lord.

Amos is sent to the Israel, the northern kingdom, with a word of doom and destruction. The time for God’s judgment has come. This is what the LORD says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch” (12).

What a gruesome picture. The sheep is not saved; it is torn to bits. What is ‘rescued’ is of no use. Only bits and pieces of a mauled animal remain.

God is forecasting destruction of Samaria. And this forecast came to be when Samaria was overrun by the Assyrians.

I tremble inside... Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, as we say in the Apostle’s creed. Judgement for those outside of Christ will be devastating... the lake of fire, eternal punishment, thrown where there will be gnashing of teeth. These are only three of the pictures given in the New Testament for the judgment of God.

The words of Amos fulfilled stand as testimony that what God has said, God will do.

I tremble again.  Were it not for Jesus, my Lord, my fate would be the lake of fire, eternal punishment, thrown where there will be gnashing of teeth.

Again, I am reduced to humble praise...

Oh God, tears well in my eyes. Your grace has saved me. I deserve nothing but wrath and yet I have received mercy and grace. I will bless You with my mouth. I will bless You with my life. I will bless You, God, my Redeemer. Through Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.