Prayers from Amos

Amos 5:14-17

Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
    maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
    on the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing in all the streets
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.

Amos 14-16 is an interjection between the calling out of Israel’s sin and what they will experience in v17. When God comes to unrepentant lives there will be weeping and wailing. V14-16 offers hope, offers wisdom. Change our ways, seek good, love good, and maintain justice. We say with our words God is with us; would our actions indicate that also? God weaves mercy and goodness together throughout His word. It’s not saying we need to be good like people tell children to be good, to earn God’s love, but that we are to seek it and love it, suggesting that the ‘good’ being referred to isn’t about behaviour but something richer, deeper and bigger, from/of God. We are called to ensure justice is carried out in the courts. Again, justice is something greater than our behaviour, it is outside of us. We don’t create it but maintain it as with Genesis and the call to care for creation which God brought into being. Goodness, mercy, justice don’t start with us, they start with God but we are to pursue them and uphold them and live by them.

Father give us the courage to seek the good, to slow down and lay down our goals and ambitions. Give us the courage to see the works You have prepared for us to do, let us partner You rather than consistently asking You to bless our plans and works. In Jesus name we pray.

Psalm 3: Sustaining God

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 LORD, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.” – Selah

3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain. – Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

7 Arise, LORD!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people. – Selah

Psalm 3

This Psalm is the first to have a title: A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. Some English bibles print this differently to the rest of the Psalm, and some ignore them altogether. This is a mistake, because in the Hebrew the title is the first verse of the Psalm. It gives valuable information about the context. Many begin “A Psalm of David”. Traditionally this has been taken to mean that David is the writer – after all we know from 1 Samuel that he could play the harp well. The Hebrew though could also mean “about David” or “concerning David” – so perhaps some of the Psalms at least were written by others, but as if from David’s perspective. Either way they are often also, as here, linked to an event in David’s life – and so give us a vital context to read the Psalm from. We shouldn’t ignore that context.

Here it should cause us to think. The Psalms of David are not arranged in chronological order through David’s life. This Psalm is set amongst events that happen towards the end of the account of David’s reign in 2 Samuel. David’s life in the books of Samuel does not follow a smooth upward trajectory.

In the first section of his life, after being anointed God’s chosen king, he spends much of the time on the run from Saul, the king at the time – many Psalms date from that period. After Saul is defeated in battle, and commits suicide David becomes king, and eventually establishes control over all Israel. But at this seeming high point things go badly wrong – David sees a beautiful married woman bathing, commits adultery with her and has her husband killed in battle.

After this David’s family falls apart. One of David’s sons, Amon, rapes one of David’s daughters, Tamar, and David does nothing. Two years later another of David’s sons, Absalom takes his revenge on Amon and kills him. Absalom flees and David mourns Amon, and longs to receive Absalom back. David allows Absalom’s return, but doesn’t fully restore the relationship and Absalom wins the hearts of the people way from David, and eventually David flees for his life – see 2 Samuel 15 to get a flavour for how it was.

It is at his point that we hear this song. These words from David, from a man on the run from his enemies, from a man whose kingdom is falling apart.

The Psalm divides into three sections, each marked at the end by the Hebrew word “Selah”.

We have no idea what this means with any certainty – so uncertain is the meaning of the word that the latest edition of the NIV relegates it to a footnote. I think that is a mistake. The word is in the Hebrew text, so we need to include it – even if we don’t know what it means. It is a reminder that our knowledge is limited. Perhaps the best guess is that it is some kind of musical notation meaning “to pause” or similar. It gives us a chance to stop and ponder what we know, and also what we don’t understand. And so to v1-2

1 LORD, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.” – Selah

Psalm 3:1-2

It isn’t possible to be miss how David feels. Three times we see that “many” are against him. He has many enemies – v1, and many who say – v2 – this is the end – God will not deliver. It is a Psalm for God’s people in the midst of distress. David was surrounded, he did have to flee. It looked like the end. God’s people have often seen such times. There are no guarantees when we follow God that life will ‘work’ in the short term. This then is a Psalm for when we feel outnumbered. For when we feel life has gone wrong. For when we hear negative words around us. For when we sense that no one really believes God will pull through for us.

It can give us words to use at such times. And at such times it is the first word that matters most: “LORD” – Yahweh. The personal name for God. At such times David goes back to God. He knows God. By this point we know that David is no innocent. He isn’t even very good at times. He’s an adulterer, and a murderer, and one who lets a rapist get off free from charge. He doesn’t deserve rescue. And yet he’s here. Crying out to God. Because not only is David all those things, he is also someone who turns back to God. Who admits his guilt. Who admits he falls short. David knows his God. And so he cries out to God. And we see why in the next verses.

3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain. – Selah

Psalm 3:3-4

There may be many foes. There may be many against David. But God is not against him. Yahweh is his shield. Yahweh is his glory. Yahweh is the one who lifts his head high.

Yahweh is his shield – God is the one who protects him. He keeps him safe in the midst of turmoil. In the midst of enemies all around Yahweh is with him.

Yahweh is his glory – perhaps for glory here we could think of honour. God is the one who gives him honour. David is a king on the run, whose kingdom is falling apart. It looks like everything is over. He is on the verge of total disgrace by human standards – complete shame. But it is God who gives him honour. In David’s world having honour and not being ashamed were vital – a king on the run has precious little honour. But David knows his honour comes from God. His worth is from God – not in what the “many” around are saying.

And so Yahweh is the one who lifts his head – the one who enables him to look others in the eye and carry on. His situation is dire – but because he knows this God he is able to carry on.

He can cry out to God, and God answers from his holy mountain. God answers from where God lives. Again, see the encouragement for us. Maybe we are in a difficult situation. Perhaps, like David, it is a situation we have contributed to, a situation we made worse by either our sinfulness, or by foolishness. In such times it is hard to lift our heads. We feel worthless. We feel broken. We feel vulnerable.

But, like David, we can say “You, O LORD, are my shield” – you are the one protecting me. You are the one who gives me honour. You are the one who lifts my head and helps me stand up again. And then we come to this last part of the Psalm:

5 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.7 Arise, LORD!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people. – Selah

Psalm 3:5-8

Verses 5-6 are more wonderful encouragement. David, in the midst of fleeing his city and kingdom can lie down and sleep. He can do that because God sustains him. Even attacked by thousands he can lie down and sleep, because he is protected by God. In the midst of chaos and problems, in the midst of shame and disgrace we can know God is with us, and we can even sleep – because we know he will uphold us.

v6 to our minds would likely make a great end to the Psalm. But we still have verse 7 to contend with. The first half is a prayer for deliverance, a prayer for God to “get up” and do something. “Arise” is a term we don’t usually use any more. We don’t walk into the room of a sleeping child who needs to wake up and say “arise”. We’re more likely to say “Get up!” That is what David is saying to God. He is saying that it is time for God to take action.

The action he wants God to take is to strike his enemies on the jaw. To break the teeth of the wicked. He wants God to punch their faces. It is brutal language. It is not surprising from someone on the run. But to us who have heard Jesus say “love your enemies”, and heard his prayer from the cross “father, forgive” it seems jarring. And if we are jarred here, there is a lot more of this to come in the Psalms. A lot more enemy cursing. Is this a prayer the Christian can pray, or have we moved beyond this in Christ?

The first thing to say is that there is still judgement on enemies in the New Testament. It is something we are encouraged to leave to God, but there is still judgement to come. The wicked will finally perish. God will not allow dictators and tyrants and leaders who fire missiles against civilian targets to go unpunished. Everyone gives account of their lives to God.

The second thing is that we still feel anger. We still feel fear. We still feel surrounded. We need to do something with those feelings. And a safe place to take that anger is to God. He can handle it. He knows how we feel. So we can call on him to judge our enemies. For to call on him to punch their faces is a definite improvement on doing it ourselves. These Psalms can give us the words to bring our anger into God’s presence and invite him to deal with it.

Of course, we are called in Christ to get the point where we can forgive the person who has hurt us. When they turn and say sorry for what they have done and ask our forgiveness we need to be prepared for that. We need to not hold grudges. And yet so often we can live in times where the hurt continues. Where no one apologizes. Where many seem against us.

We should note that in this Psalm David is not dealing personally with these people. He is standing before God, calling on God to act. If we look at David’s life, judged by the standard of many kings before and after, we find someone who is astonishingly patient with people. And in the first place that is because David calls on God to act.

For it is from the LORD that rescue comes. It is by God’s work that we are saved. It is God’s hands that we leave judgement. And so the Psalm finishes with a prayer for God’s blessing to come on all his people. For God’s people to know the reality of a God who steps in to help his people – even if at times it feels like God is the one who is asleep, and that God is the one who needs to be raised.

Reading this Psalm gives us a taste of what is to come. Seeing the title reminds us that these are prayers prayed from crisis times, by people who have contributed to the crisis. This Psalm gives us words to cry out to God with when we feel surrounded and attacked. Most vitally this Psalm reminds of the identity of all who trust in this God. We are ones who are surrounded by him as a shield. We are those who know that our deepest worth is found in what God says about us. He is the one who gives us honour – because, as one modern song puts it “I am who you say I am”. He is the one who enables us to lift our heads and to live without shame.

And the only way to enter into such a life is to read these Psalms, these songs and prayers of God’s people and use these words to form our prayers and the way we think about this God.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 5:7-13.

There are those who turn justice into bitterness
    and cast righteousness to the ground.

8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
    who turns midnight into dawn
    and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
    and detest the one who tells the truth.

11 You levy a straw tax on the poor
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
    you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
    and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
    for the times are evil.

Strong words from the living Lord to His people, challenging them on the way they treat the poor and needy, on the way they view justice. The very things that matter to God, His people trample on. We need to ask honest questions of ourselves. Do we care about justice enough to speak up for it? Do we care enough to act righteously for the sake of others even if we don’t gain? Do we respect those who administer justice in court (trusting that they are)? Do we consider the poor in the chain supply in the bargain you bought at the shops, is it only our budget that counts? Where do we put our security/confidence? Let us not forget that the One who is creator of all, of constellations and time sees our heart and actions. He longs for us to turn to Him and pursue righteousness and mercy, to walk humbly and seek justice, to care for the poor and needy. We cannot whitewash these actions in our lives as God sees into our hearts, He sees our online actions, He knows us. Let us turn to Him and ask His Spirit to help and guide us in our actions and choices.

Father as we lift up Your name may be humble our hearts and not turn a blind eye to our thoughts, our actions and choices. May our words of praise be lived out realities in our days, in our families, communities and churches. In Jesus name we pray

Prayers from Amos

Amos 5:1-6.

Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

2 “Fallen is Virgin Israel,
    never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
    with no one to lift her up.”

3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
    will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
    will have only ten left.”

4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek me and live;
5     do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
    do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[a]”
6 Seek the Lord and live,
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
    and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

Amos laments for Israel in the first two verses. Then it is the words of the Lord again calling His people to repent, to return not to Bethel which is linked to Jacob, to Gilgal the place where they first camp in the promised land and to Beersheba which features in the accounts of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is to Himself, the Lord alone He wants them to return. The significance of these places had taken on more importance in their identity than God Himself. Though we have just heard in the proceeding passages God’s wrath, we see here His mercy and love. Return to Me and live. My people, He says you don’t need to suffer My wrath, there is another way but My holiness will not allow unrepentant sin to go unpunished. It has felt hard going reading God’s words of wrath, of His part in hard circumstances but that is not all He is. He is just, He is loving and merciful, He is holy and righteous. He is our God. Let it be Him we worship, not the mountain top memories and experience when we have felt close to God in the past. Let us keep our eyes on Him today and worship Him today for who He is. May our lips, our thoughts, our hearts worship You this day. May we lift our eyes from ourselves to You not in self martyrdom but in worship of You who is through, in, and around all the circumstances of our lives.

Father, hallowed be Your name. Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 4:9-13

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
    destroying them with blight and mildew.
Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plagues among you
    as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

11 “I overthrew some of you
    as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
    and because I will do this to you, Israel,
    prepare to meet your God.”

13 He who forms the mountains,
    who creates the wind,
    and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth—
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.

‘I have done…yet you have not returned to me.’ The refrain of yesterday and today. Despite God’s actions people have not turned back, have not humbled themselves. God is calling people to return to Him. Yes, He has acted because of sin on our part but He does not remove Himself from His part. Sometimes I think we leave God out of our repentance, we make it about our sin, our need to put things right, our responsibility as a Christian and we have the cross out in front of us to look toward. The image here is of God fully surrounding His people. His actions, because of our sin, should be calling us to return to Him. Maybe no one else struggles with this but I can find it easy to repent to a small god, an over there god and can leave out the Holiness of Him. Not intentionally but because I have a small picture of God and saying sorry can be done cheaply at times. Without deliberate thought it can be all too easy to repent to thin air rather than the living Holy God. May our lives, the good, the hard, the sin, the circumstances, may they all be a cause for us to humble ourselves, and return to God in repentance, with worship, with awe and wonder.

Father awaken in us an enlarged understanding of who You are and may we allow You to define that understanding so that when we say ‘Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, may You not be remote and out there but in all Your fullness dwelling with us . In Jesus name we pray.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 4:1-8.

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,
    you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy
    and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time will surely come
when you will be taken away with hooks,
    the last of you with fishhooks.[a]
3 You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[b]”
declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel and sin;
    go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
    your tithes every three years.[c]
5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city
    and lack of bread in every town,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

7 “I also withheld rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water
    but did not get enough to drink,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

The Lord God continues speaking to His people the Israelites. And He is far from polite about the wealthy Israelite ladies. God sees our hearts, our actions. What are we hoping He is not noticing in our lives. Where are we oppressing the poor, what about our choice of shopping? Ignoring the supply chain of people?

Again, God reveals that He gave them a lack of bread, withheld rain and yet His people did not return to Him. We often struggle to return to God, we carry on leaning on right behaviours and structures, we don’t want to connect God directly to events. It would not make great headlines to say God brought covid on us. To openly consider tying God to covid in the ways He ties Himself to events here in Amos would be a non-starter. We want God and His people to be the heroes in the story, the people who bring comfort and good news of a kind god. Passages like this can leave us with uncomfortable questions about God, His ways and how we respond. We need to consider God in all things and His active engagement. We need to enlarge our understanding of God and allow Him to truly be who He declares Himself in Exodus with Moses to be “I am who I am” or more closely translated “I will be who I will be”. Praying as we sit with this passage today that God will increase your vision for Himself. In Jesus name.

Father, how do You want us to handle such questions, how do we begin to see you in the events that at best easier to attribute to a broken sinful world rather than Your active allowance. Give us courage not shy away from Your word, let us not limit what it means for You to be ‘I will be who I will be’ to what we are comfortable with. In Jesus name.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 3:9-15

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    “who store up in their fortresses
    what they have plundered and looted.”

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.”

12 This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric[a] from a couch.[b]”

13 “Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

14 “On the day I punish Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house
    along with the summer house;
the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed
    and the mansions will be demolished,”
declares the Lord.

God’s first words in this section are to enemies of Israel to come and watch Israel’s destruction. This was not going to be done discreetly, but in full view. God was going to destroy the altars Israel had created, remove their place of sanctuary and refuge as they had gone after false gods and religious ways that were not of Him. He is our refuge alone. What structures, habits do we build in to our days, weeks that may start of well-intentioned that become our altars and refuge? For me creating order and healthy eating can become altars as can the discipline of Bible reading if I rush it to simply do it rather than anticipate meeting with the living God.

Father in Heaven, may Your name alone be hallowed in our days. May we meet with the living God today and not just touch in with the altars we have set up. Give us not just daily bread but courage to step away from those altars that we have come to depend on and allow You be Yourself in our lives. In Jesus name we pray.

Psalm 2: Refuge

In Psalm 2 the mood changes from Psalm 1. Psalm 2 is a Psalm of national and international uproar. The focus is not on the individual, but on God and the world, and God’s anointed King. I’m not going to comment verse by verse, but rather to focus in on a verse that caught my attention and explore the Psalm by that route.

1 Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss the son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2:1-12

My attention was drawn to a phrase in the final verse:

For his wrath can flare up in a moment

In context I think the “he” is the LORD, Yahweh, and so this is quite a stark phrase that seems in conflict with other statements about Yahweh’s anger. For example in Exodus 34, in a foundational verse revealing Yahweh’s character, Yahweh is described as being ‘slow to anger’. Yet here at the end of Psalm 2 we are reading of how he is here quick to anger, of how his anger can flare up in a moment.

I found this rather jarring, perhaps because I’ve spent quite a while studying Exodus 34, and finding great comfort in the idea that Yahweh is slow to anger. So I thought about the Psalm to see why it might be that in the context of Psalm 2 Yahweh is described as being quick to anger.

The first thing to do is to look at the immediate context, and see who is being addressed. If we look back at v10 we see that it is the kings of the earth, the rulers of the nations. In the context of ancient Israel this would be the Egyptian Pharaoh, the Assyrian Emperor, and then the myriad of kings of smaller kingdoms that surrounded Israel. These were the powers of their day.

In our modern world their equivalents are the leaders of nations, and the leaders of the large multinational corporations and their advisors who wield immense power over the lives of so many.

This Psalm closes with a direct appeal to these people. To the kings and the rulers. They are to serve Yahweh with fear – and celebrate his rule with trembling. Yahweh is stronger than any earthly ruler, and the demand is that earthly rulers acknowledge his power and strength.

They need to kiss the Son, in this context an act of homage to Yahweh’s son. To understand the demand we need to read back in the Psalm further. The Psalm proclaims that Yahweh has installed his anointed one as King in Zion, declaring that this King is Yahweh’s son, and that the rulers of the world have opposed this.

In the OT the Israelite nation as a whole could be described as Yahweh’s son (Exodus 4), and individual kings (as here) could also be described as his son. These kings were Yahweh’s sons in the sense that they ruled as Yahweh’s representatives, and in the way that Yahweh would want them to rule – and when they departed from this way they were disciplined.

These kings and rulers described in Psalm 2 were seeking to oppose Yahweh’s rule by Yahweh’s representative – and so Yahweh wants to make it clear that they need to bow the knee and acknowledge Yahweh’s rule – even the non-Israelite rulers need to acknowledge that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of heaven (as Nebuchadnezzar will learn in Daniel 4).

In the NT Jesus takes on this title “Son of God”, and he is both the “Son of God” in the sense of the Israelite Kings – God’s anointed one, who comes to bring God’s rule, and in the sense that he himself is one with God, in a unique relationship with God. In the NT when the early church faces persecution in Acts 4 they turn to God in prayer, and have the words of Psalm 2 about the rulers gathering together to oppose God on their lips.

It is Yahweh’s son who is given the right to rule the nations in Yahweh’s way (Ps 2:8-9) – and therefore those who oppose his rule are placing themselves on the wrong side of God. This is why Yahweh’s wrath might flare up in a moment – and then those rulers might well come face to face with their destruction. In v12 the original says “you (plural) perish on the way” – in other words, this is still addressed to the kings and the rulers of the nations who oppose God, and oppose God’s rule through his Son.

It is a sobering warning – but it comes with a wonderful assurance – while powerful rulers and mighty kings who oppose God’s counsel can be brought down at any moment, those who run to Yahweh and his King will be safe. If we hide in him for refuge we are utterly secure. God is the most powerful being – the only safe place is hidden in him. It is those who are hidden in him who come to know that for those who run to him, he is the God who is slow to anger. Slow to anger – yet the God who will one day respond in righteous anger against all who try to ruin and spoil his world.

As we look at our world right now we see powerful people ruling nations, we see rich people getting ever richer, while the poor are ever more exploited. We see Christians under pressure, and persecuted by nations who fear anyone who will not give ultimate loyalty to the supreme leader, and it seems that the way to safety and security is to play by the world’s rules.

As we look at this Psalm and read of an God whose wrath can flare up in a moment it can seem that it might be safer to put such tales on the shelf. Perhaps it is better to join those who have abandoned a God who has such terrifying anger.

The truth is the opposite. Security is found in abandoning the security of this world, security is found in running towards this God – because he is the source of true security and safety in a world that can deliver neither.

In CS Lewis’ Prince Caspian we read of a dwarf who doesn’t believe in lions coming face to face with the Lion, Aslan himself:

“And now, where is this little Dwarf, this famous swordsman and archer, who doesn’t believe in lions? Come here, son of Earth, come HERE!” – and the last word was no longer the hint of a roar but almost the real thing.

“Wraiths and wreckage!” gasped Trumpkin in the ghost of a voice. The children, who knew Aslan well enough to see that he liked the Dwarf very much, were not disturbed; but it was quite another thing for Trumpkin, who had never seen a lion before, let alone this Lion. He did the only sensible thing he could have done; that is, instead of bolting, he tottered towards Aslan.

Prince Caspian

Read the last line again. At the start of a new year it is time to commit afresh to running towards Jesus rather than away. If we are involved in any kind of leadership this is especially vital. We need to run to Jesus rather than away from him.

The question this Psalm leaves me with is: what am I tempted to find my security in?

Is it in a particular image of who I am?
Is it in what I have?
Is it in what I do?
Is it in the impression I want others to have of me?
Am I seeking their approval, or their admiration?
And if it is in these things how much am I prepared to manipulate others, and even to end up taking counsel with others against the way God has said he does things and wants things done?

We need to commit to his way of doing things. To remembering that his goodness and faithfulness will outlast any amount of plotting and scheming from humans. He is the one who is good and faithful – I love the words of this wonderfully simple but profound song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Y8s-Sz_ac

Trust this God and find the blessing offered to all who hide in him.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 3:1-8

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

2 “You only have I chosen
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your sins.”

3 Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar in the thicket
    when it has no prey?
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
6 When a trumpet sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?

7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan
    to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared—
    who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    who can but prophesy?

Through Amos God continues to speak to His chosen people. Just because Israel was His chosen people, that did not mean their sins went unpunished. God is not undoing the covenant relationship between Himself and His people just as a parent today disciplines their child but still loves them and acts out of love toward them. Here Amos, in verse 6, describes God as being the One who brings disaster through events, enemies. It is tempting today to avoid such thinking and keep God just for the good times and events. We don’t want others to think our God is harsh, unloving. We blame enemies and nature, and keep God and sin out of the whole picture and look for the comforting stories of how God is working despite the horrific situations. I am not claiming I fully get my head around all of this but I wonder if part of that frame of mind is from allowing worldviews and not Scripture to have authority in how we make sense of the world. That is not to say we bend scripture to suit our views and then justify them by saying they are scriptural.

The cross had not happened in Amos’s time, as it has for us, where God’s wrath has been poured out, but we must keep it before us so we don’t detach it from our sin. When we keep the cross and our sin connected, we can celebrate the resurrection in confidence. God is sovereign over all. All sin needs addressing but for those of us as God’s people there is a higher calling and a greater sorrow to our sin the more we walk with the Holy One. It is why the enemies get warned but there is not a conversation, a reminder of how God loves them, as there is with Israel.

This is a passage that is hard to hear with modern ears, what do we do with God being behind disasters? Don’t be afraid to ask the question, read, talk with others, be conscious of how our present cultural mindsets impact our thinking.

Father in Heaven, over all and in these words Amos spoke. Give us the courage to sit with them, to stay close to You, that we may see as You see, to love as You love, to be slow to anger. Grow in us a confidence that You are sovereign over all and in all for Your glory and in that glory may we know our place and peace. In Jesus name we pray.

Prayers from Amos

Amos 2:9-16

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them,
    though they were tall as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness
    to give you the land of the Amorites.

11 “I also raised up prophets from among your children
    and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

13 “Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
14 The swift will not escape,
    the strong will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman will not save his life.
16 Even the bravest warriors
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Further words of God for Israel. Any smugness and cheering they were doing as God’s word was spoken against their enemies is gone. Not only does God say He will punish them, He reminds them of all that He has done for them. How He has rescued and provided for them. There is nothing within themselves that will be a source of rescue from God’s wrath.  I am reminded of the verses in Deuteronomy to tell your children and your children’s children all that God has done. It’s not just for the benefit of future generations, but so they themselves do not forget. We need to do the same, we need to share the way God has worked through the Bible, to read and listen to biographies of Christians past and present, to be open to talking of how God is working in our own lives. God didn’t simply work in history but is active today.

Father in Heaven, may we not forget that you are Father over all. Father may we not simply ask for daily bread and help to avoid temptation but may we ask for hearts that seek Your kingdom through Your word, Your people and in the places we dwell today. May we not depend upon ourselves but rely on You in and for all things, both for mercy and daily bread. In Jesus name we pray.