Monday, June 27, 2016

Amos 2: 6-10, 13-16

Thus says the LORD:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.

Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.

Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.

Israel was God’s chosen people. When times were hard they were righteous. They worshiped the Lord and followed his commands. When the times were good they forgot the Lord and turned from his ways. Every time they did that they were led back into chaos and punished by God. The Prophet Amos tells us about such a time when Israel turned from God to evil ways. Through the prophet God delivered his message that he would punish Israel if they did not repent. Israel was eventually led back to captivity, their temple destroyed and they were plunged back into servitude.

We were once a nation under God. We recognized God as the creator and giver of human dignity. Our laws were based in Judeo-Christian ideals. We suffered through difficult times and came out the other side. We prospered and became the nation that could find a way to do anything. Like Israel before us we have turned from God and returned to pagan worship. No, we aren’t worshiping Ba’al or kneeling before Moloch, at least by those names. Instead we worship pleasure, money, power, and personal desire. We sacrifice to these gods. We sacrifice our children to these gods as the pagans of old sacrificed their children to Ba’al. We no longer have large families because it is easier to acquire more stuff if we don’t have the added expense of a third child. We directly sacrifice our children to abortion and contraceptive abortifacients.

We have lost the understanding of covenant. Everything has become a contract now. Everything is temporary as long as we both receive what we want. At the first sign of difficulty we make the contract null and move on. We are in a throw away culture where everyone can have everything and nothing has value. We live during an age where everything is permissible but nothing is forgivable.

God is done sending us prophets to tell us of the impending doom. He himself showed us the way to live and now it is our choice to follow him or not. Mercy will be shown to those who follow and justice will be shown to those who won’t. The choice is ours.

God has destroyed every culture that sacrificed to Ba’al. Only the current culture remains. Our day of judgment is drawing near.