October 11, 2011

SIN: A DEADLY PROPOSITION

Amos 2

Angela Andrews
Tuesday's Devo

October 11, 2011

Tuesday's Devo

October 11, 2011

Central Truth

Each of us has sinned. God will not "revoke" His punishment. However, He has provided a solution in Jesus Christ! May we all depend on Christ's sacrifice for our lives!

Key Verse | Amos 2:16

"Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked in that day," declares the LORD.
(Amos 2:16)

Amos 2

Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, 1 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
because he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.
So I will send a fire upon Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
    and will kill all its princes 2 2:3 Or officials with him,”
    says the LORD.

Judgment on Judah

Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
    and have not kept his statutes,
but their lies have led them astray,
    those after which their fathers walked.
So I will send a fire upon Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
    and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.

Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
    whose height was like the height of the cedars
    and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.
10  Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    to possess the land of the Amorite.
11  And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
    and some of your young men for Nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
    declares the LORD.

12  “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’

13  Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14  Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    nor shall the mighty save his life;
15  he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
    nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16  and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
    declares the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
[2] 2:3 Or officials

Dive Deeper | Amos 2

As the prophet Amos begins, he describes Israel's enemies. But in chapter 2, Amos moves closer to home with a description of Israel's friends and even Israel herself. His message? All of you have sinned against Me, and I will not "revoke" My punishment (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6).

But the Israelites are God's people, so shouldn't they be exempt from His wrath? Well, not exactly. We hear the Lord go on and on about Israel's sins for most of chapter 2, and the chapter concludes by revealing that even the strongest warrior will not escape (Amos 2:16). To me, that message is not very encouraging for God's people to hear.

Does it really matter to me if God unleashes His wrath on the Middle East? Actually, it does. The countries listed in Amos 1 and 2 are examples of how He feels when we, as individuals and countries, violate the holiness of our Lord. God says in His Word, "[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). So, from what He says, we're all in deep trouble. But consider the second part of Romans 6:23: "[B]ut the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God provides a comforting solution. So, if you haven't settled your accounts with God, find a leader in your church or contact Watermark at 214.361.2275 or go to http://www.watermark.org/get-connected/how-can-we-serve-you/.

I'm amazed at the grace with which God deals with me, but often I don't completely trust Him. I desire to align my feelings more and more with the truth of His Word in verses such as Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 40:29-31, Psalm 27:13-14, and many others. May I rely on the truth of His Word more than on my notoriously unreliable feelings! I may not like my life and circumstances. But currently, I'm not home with my Lord in heaven, where our King will make all things well!

Discussion Questions

1. Have you dealt with your sin once and for all by recognizing your need for a Savior and asking Christ to forgive your sin? Find someone with whom to share your answer to this question.

2. For the sin that plagues you specifically, identify the lie in which you believe. How can you allow the Holy Spirit to change your thinking related to this lie?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

AMOS 1-5 (OCTOBER 10-14)

Read Amos 1.

Why do you think Amos uses the word roars when he talks about how God will speak (verse 2)? What message was Amos trying to send to the people of Israel?

Next, Amos says that God "thunders" from Jerusalem (verse 2, NIV).

Why do you think Amos chooses to use the word thunder? When you hear thunder, how do you feel?

Amos is trying to warn the people of Israel in this short book. He wants them to know that God is serious about sin and that their sin will not go unpunished.

How do you think God feels about sin today? What do you think God wants you to do with the sin (the things that are displeasing to God) in your life?

ACTIVITY: Amos depicts God as a roaring lion and a clap of thunder. When you think of God, what do you see? Using paper and markers, draw a picture of how you see God. On one side of the paper, draw God (or what you feel represents God) when He is pleased. On the other side of the paper, draw a picture of how you see God (or what you feel represents God) when He is angry about sin and injustice.

Discuss, as a family, how the book of Amos represents God's frustration with Israel's sin and His hope that Israel will repent and return to Him. Talk about things in your life that are pleasing to God . . . and things from which you need to repent.