Amos 5-9

September 29

Amos 5-9

Empty worship does not meet fool God. We can put on a show, but God knows our hearts. God is not interested in songs that do not come from our hearts, He is not interested in our sacrifices, He wants obedience. He wants us to worship Him with our lives not just with our words. Israel had made worship a show. They went through the motions, but lived lives of rebelling against God. When God checked Israel with His plumb line, she did not measure up.

When Amos, from the nation of Judah, prophesied in Israel, the prophet of Israel became jealous. He did not care that God was speaking; he was worried about his personal benefits. But God did not speak to him or through him, God brought in a shepherd and farmer who was willing to share the message God gave him to share. Israel was a mess, and God had enough. Judgment was coming and it was not going to be pretty. God was going to send Israel into exile, but the worse punishment was that He was going to be silent. "Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it." (Amos 8:12, NIV)

Israel is going to pay for her rebellion, but God does not leave her without hope. He promises to save a remnant. He promises to restore Israel. "“In that day I will restore David’s fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be," (Amos 9:11, NIV)

Our world is still broken. But God is still calling us to follow Him. He still wants a relationship with us. There are still consequences for sin, but there is also Good News. Jesus came to restore us. He came to set us free from sin and death and to give us eternal life. He came to lift us up when we are down. No matter where we have been or what we have done, God wants to restore us as He originally intended us to be.