Friday, September 16, 2022

Walking with God - Amos 1-4

Amos 3:3-8 (ESV)
“Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the LORD has done it?
“For the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”

In the first two verses of this chapter God lays out for Judah, through Amos, God’s plan of choosing the nation over every other nation.   But, being elected by God carries a large amount of responsibility and commitment.  This is why God was able to say to them, “You shall have no other Gods before you.”  He was to be their ONLY God.  To make his point about His being LORD over them, God asks the nation several questions (above) that all have the same answer, “NO!”  He is wanting them to see that His claim on them as the LORD of LORDS is valid and they, out of love and obligation for His caring for them, ought to be responding differently.   He asks:

1. Can two people walk together if they don’t first come to agreement of where to meet? NO! You have to agree where and when to walk to walk together. 

2. Does a lion roar if he has no food? NO!  He is quiet while he hunts and roars in victory.  

3. Does a bird get caught in a snare when there is no snare? NO!  Or, does the trap spring shut if not bird is there? NO!  If you want to catch a bird you have to have a trap to trap it and the trap will not go off until the bird is in the trap. 

4. Does a warning trumpet sound in the town and people not panic? NO!  If the trumpet sounds they town knows to be prepared for something.  

5.  Is not disaster come unto a city and God not know it? NO!  God controls all.  God does all this and sends a warning.   That is what God is doing through the prophets and this prophet in particular, Amos.    Notice what Isaiah said about this same thought:

Isaiah 45:7 (ESV)
I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the LORD, who does all these things.

God is sending Amos to give the nation of Israel a warning about their impending doom for failing to honor Him as the LORD of their nation and lives.   God is not to be trifled with.   He is Lord over everything or He is Lord over nothing.  He does not take pieces and let us have the rest.   If we want to walk with Him we have to agree to meet Him where He is and walk where He walks.  There is not bargaining in that thought.  

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