Wednesday, June 13 2012
Amos 5
Verse of the Day: V4 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”
1. Survive (V1-3)
V2 “The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.”
Only a handful or ten of the thousands of people of the nation of Israel survived when God severely judged and punished them for their sins and wickedness. The nation of Israel was once a virgin separated for the glory of God, but subsequently she became a harlot as she strayed from the Lord, and worshipped their own handmade idols and gods.
V3 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.”
2. Seek (V4-20)
V4 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”
The holy God through Prophet Amos warned the people of Israel that they must seek God, and seek to do good if they desired to live on this earth, and forever with God in heaven. However, the people of Israel failed to seek God and to seek good, instead they sought to do evil and committed many evil deeds, and worshipped many kinds of idols and gods.
V14 “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.”
3. Suffer (V21-27)
V22 “Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.”
God rejected the burnt offerings, meat offerings as well as peace offerings of the people of Israel because outwardly they worshipped God, but inwardly their hearts were far away from Him. Subsequently, God allowed the Babylonians to attack and defeat them. The people of Israel suffered great losses as their cities were destroyed, their possessions were taken away from them, many of the people were killed, and the survivors were forced to be prisoners brought beyond Damascus to Babylon as slaves of the Babylonians.
V27 “Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to seek You, seek good and do good.
