Slices
Prepare
How do you respond to the notion of God’s anger? Do you find it natural to ‘fear’ the Lord?
Bible passage
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa – the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
2 He said:
‘The Lord roars from Zion
and thunders from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel withers.’
Judgment on Israel’s neighbours
3 This is what the Lord says:
‘For three sins of Damascus,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire on the house of Hazael
that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
5 I will break down the gate of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven
and the one who holds the sceptre in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,’
says the Lord.
6 This is what the Lord says:
‘For three sins of Gaza,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king of Ashdod
and the one who holds the sceptre in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines are dead,’
says the Sovereign Lord.
9 This is what the Lord says:
‘For three sins of Tyre,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.’
Explore
When you visit a zoo, lions are often a big draw. Their calm, lazy demeanour is often at odds with what we know they are capable of. We are grateful for the barriers that keep them at a safe distance. A lion in the wild, however, is quite a different prospect. They may run after their prey with lightning speed and, of course, there’s that spine-chilling roar. The awesome roar of a lion is enough to wake anyone from slumber.
As we begin our study of Amos, God is presented to us in the opening verses as a lion who ‘roars from Zion’ (v 2). How does that image speak to you? Through the shepherd Amos, God roars his disapproval of a series of nations, starting in today’s passage with three of Israel’s neighbours. Amos’ audience must have heartily agreed with Amos’ words – these neighbours were among Israel’s enemies and it appears God is far from happy with them.
In the coming days, however, we will see this roar was not restricted to Israel’s enemies.
The Scriptures speak of the importance of having a righteous ‘fear of the Lord’. Yes, our God is loving and gentle but he remains a God who should equally inspire awe and a healthy ‘fear’. What about the Lord inspires awe in you?
Respond
The wonder of the gospel is that God is close – we have joyful access to the Father. This ease of access is still to be balanced with a healthy awe and fear of God.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Song of Songs 3,4; 1 Timothy 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Mission Partner Future Vision in Sudbury – for the new chaplain, Sandy, joining Liz in schools and for Arabella leading Open the Book. Pray that their ministry will have an impact and for good relationships in every school community in which they serve.
Because a strong start begins with smart preparation
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