A. EVERYONE ANSWERS TO GOD
Amos was God’s chosen voice to pronounce judgment on all the nations that surrounded Israel, plus Israel and Judah as well. Their sin was continuous and unrepentant. There are consequences for every decision we make in life and the consequences of sin is judgment from the One we have sinned against. Someone told me one time that God was a tyrant because if you don’t do what He says you get punished. It not quite like that. God’s punishment is the same in many ways as a parents punishment to their child(ren) for disobeying one of their house rules. A simplistic example would be if I warned my son not to run into the street and he did it anyway, I may talk to him and give him a 2nd chance, or I might tell him he couldn’t leave his room for the remainder of the day. Some would say I was being cruel, but on the other hand, what would someone say if my son ran into the street and was hit by a car and died. While not always, depending on who is making the rules, the rule is for the benefit of the son. They may not understand or agree, but there is a specific reason for establishing the rule in the first place. God provides rules to follow for the very same reason. Israel thought they were above all that and did as they pleased feeling that they didn’t need to answer to God at all. So when Amos warned them they essentially blew him off.
Sin exists in the world today and judgment is coming. The timing is unknown, but scripture tells us God is not mocked, what you sew so shall you reap. Galatians 6:7 in the Amplified version states it this way: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.”
Israel sewed seeds of disobedience and reaped the wrath of God. God withholds His hand giving the target of His wrath every opportunity to repent, but when they ignore all the warnings God releases His wrath as a means of showing love. That sounds crazy, but justice must be served, though repentance is always available until the final trumpet sounds. Repentance and restoration can be achieved by anyone who seeks it.
Everyone is accountable to God for the life they live on this earth, whether they believe in God or not. God’s message of redemption is in the Bible and also is presented in a variety of ways thru today’s media. There is no excuse for not being aware of this whether you believe it or not.
Part 2 of the Mega-Themes from Hosea is next. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment