Slices
Prepare
How would you define the ‘fear of the Lord’?
Bible passage
Israel to be destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
‘Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.
2 Though they dig down to the depths below,
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
from there I will bring them down.
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent to bite them.
4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword to slay them.
‘I will keep my eye on them
for harm and not for good.’
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty –
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;
6 he builds his lofty palace in the heavens
and sets its foundation on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land –
the Lord is his name.
7 ‘Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites?’
declares the Lord.
‘Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor
and the Arameans from Kir?
8 ‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,’
declares the Lord.
9 ‘For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
and not a pebble will reach the ground.
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,
all those who say,
“Disaster will not overtake or meet us.”
Explore
How is your eyesight? Do you need glasses? In today’s passage, Amos comments on God’s ability to see: ‘I will keep my eye on them’ (v 4). There are parts of the Bible where such words convey immense hope and encouragement. There was another shepherd who rejoiced in how God’s inescapable presence is a source of great comfort. David, a shepherd from Bethlehem – a few miles from Amos’ hometown, Tekoa – wondered at the fact that God knows ‘when I sit and when I rise’ (Psalm 139:2). What a comfort to know God’s eyes are on us and he cares enough to see each of us and be intimately involved in the details of our lives.
What a comfort and what a sobering thought, too. Amos continues his description of God’s perfect vision by saying that God’s eyes are on Israel ‘for harm and not for good’ (v 4). As much of the rest of Scripture affirms, God’s perfect holiness means he cannot accept such appalling sin as he sees in the Israelites. Rather than turning a blind eye, he sets his all-seeing eyes on Israel and judgement is the consequence. How does it feel to think of God seeing you?
Respond
Walking in a healthy fear of God is a hallmark of a mature disciple. Today, assess your own ‘fear of the Lord’ (see Proverbs 9:10). Do you easily overlook the awesome holiness of God? Do you sometimes drift into too casual a relationship with him?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 21,22; Titus 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for Jordan Cousins (Mission Enabler for Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex) as he gathers Faith Guides together next Thursday for a retreat day at the start of the new academic year. Pray that they will be refreshed, encouraged and will know God’s way forward.
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