"The Lord says"

Amos 1:3 – 2:3

Amos was one of the first prophets in Israel to record the words of God spoken to him of things to come.  We should listen very closely when Amos makes the statement “The Lord says,” and in verses 3-6 Amos is sharing what God has said about Israel’s neighbors and the judgment that is coming on them.

In the first two chapters each prophesy begins with these words: “The Lord says,” and only a foolish person would not pay some attention to a prophet, a pastor, a teacher, who stood before them declaring, these words are not my own they come from the mouth of Creator God.  The judgment of Israel’s neighbors begins in the third verse of chapter one and goes through chapter 2:3.

Each nation is judged that has caused harm to Israel, look at the last of these judgments on Moab.  “The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.   Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult,
with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn.  I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him.  The Lord has spoken.” (Amos 2:1-3)

I have a habit of looking at things from a historical vantage point, and from that view we have a very clear understanding that mankind has not changed that much, no matter how advanced our technology.  When God is passing judgment on their neighbors they were very pleased with the prophet Amos, and all of the other prophets, but when they said, “The Lord says,” and it was no longer judgment on the neighbors but on Judah and Israel, they did much like many do when the priest or pastor stands and proclaims the written word of God, it brings compliance or rejection. 

History tells us that no matter how much we advance in our technology, mankind has a sin problem and is without hope of that changing without God’s intervention.  And history tells us that God’s plan was to become a man, yes, to send His Son to live among us in the form of a man, but to never use His powers of being God, but to look to His Father for all His needs.  And the prophets like Micah and Isaiah foretold it, and yet history tells us that many did not listen and others refused the message.  This is the apostle John sharing what happened; “He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him.  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.  But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.  The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, “This was the One of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’”) 

It has been said that insanity is the repeating of the same conduct but expecting a different outcome.  I’ve come to the conclusion that mankind is experiencing insanity in that they believe they can ignore “The Lord says” and live life on their terms, and get a different outcome.  It does not seem to be working and maybe we should listen to the apostle Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:10-12;  “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice