READING: Amos 1-5
“ . . . yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration.”
Amos 4:6
One would hope that if we experience the judgment of God, we would turn from our wrong, thank God for His forgiveness, and follow Him more faithfully. That’s the point of godly discipline, in fact: to turn us back to Him and to purify us. God disciplines us because He loves us—and our trust in that love should change us.
It doesn’t always happen that way, however. The prophet Amos recorded times when God disciplined His people through famine, drought, blight, plague, locusts, and war – all surely sufficient to bring the Hebrews to repentance – but the text records, “yet you did not return to me” (Amos 4:6). Indeed, that phrase echoes through this chapter five times! God had patiently but persistently brought difficulty on His people, but they would not listen. Any further judgment would not be the capricious, unexpected act of an angry God; it would be the result of an obstinate people not listening to Him. Hence, God’s command to them was, “Israel, prepare to meet your God!” (Amos 4:12).
One challenge of this text is to consider how often God might have said to me, “yet you did not return to me” or “yet you did not listen to me.” Perhaps I have not always recognized God’s hand of judgment on my bad choices, or I didn’t respond in repentance as quickly as I should have. I must remember that He is the great and awesome Creator who is not interested in our religious activities if our hearts are not genuinely connected to Him.
ACTION STEPS:
- Evaluate how you most often respond to the discipline of God in your life. Is He disciplining you today?
- Turn to Him in repentance “so that you may live” (Amos 5:14).
PRAYER: “Father, too often I pay little attention to Your discipline. Forgive me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Amos 6-9