Amos 2:1-8
This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Moab,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes
the bones of Edom’s king,
2 I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[a]
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet.
3 I will destroy her ruler
and kill all her officials with him,”
says the Lord.
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,
because they have been led astray by false gods,[b]
the gods[c] their ancestors followed,
5 I will send fire on Judah
that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
they drink wine taken as fines.
Amos continues in the same vein to speak God’s word of wrath. While we begin with the enemies of Moab, the focus comes closer to home with Judah and then Israel. Neither escape. God does not only see the wrongs of our enemies; He sees our own sinful ways and His wrath is not going to be lessened. The words directed to Israel do not make comfortable reading. Their behaviour is not what one would expect from God’s chosen people. We need to remember that being regarded as Christian is not enough to keep us from sin or God’s wrath. They are committing sinful acts against their own people who have less than them. They are twisting their own faith practices for their pleasure and benefit.
While it can hard to trust God to bring about vengeance as He is slow to anger, it’s easier to think of Him doing so to our enemies. Having to consider our own actions is not easy reading. For many of us the battle can be hard because for the majority of us our biggest sinful ways our those of our heart and thoughts rather than being people who are blatantly committing sinful acts against others. It’s in the things we leave undone or unspoken as much as in the wrongs we do or say.
We don’t openly talk about those things. We may mention that we are sinful, we may talk on topics and reassure people we are not pure in an area but it all stays behind a cloud and we are left thinking ‘ but no-one thinks the thoughts I do etc’. Our sin stays in the dark, at times tormenting us and we miss the wonder of the cross which keeps us from God’s wrath. It is the cross and resurrection that keeps us from God’s wrath, not the fact that we go to church and say we are Christian. There is much at an institutional level that the church has done that is horrific; which as part of the church we need collectively to be repentant of but as the church is made up of the people, we as individuals need to be spurring each other on in the faith to live God honouring lives externally and internally.
Father who dives the depths of the world and our hearts, may we lift our eyes to You. As we ask for daily bread, as we ask not to be led into temptation, may we be willing to let You illuminate our own hearts and minds that we may seek Your forgiveness. From the overflow of Your forgiveness and mercy may we extend the same to others near and far. In Jesus name we pray.
Joshua's Tree Rooted 