Today’s Reading: Amos 8-9; Psalm 73

Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.
I replied, “A basket full of ripe fruit.”
Then the Lord said, “Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. In that day the singing in the temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” – Amos 8:1-3

As we read through the books of the prophets, we hear God consistently referred to as the Sovereign Lord. Judgment is being declared as the prophets recognize that the Lord has supremacy. He holds the power and is the ultimate authority over all of creation. It is time for all people to humble themselves and recognize that God is the Sovereign Lord, and we are unworthy of the mercy and grace He bestows on us.

“I will never forget the wicked thing you have done!
The earth will tremble for your deeds, and everyone will mourn…” – Amos 8:7b-8a

This was God’s response to a nation that continued to rebel against him generation after generation. Their sinful idolatry and religious complacency demonstrated their arrogance towards all of the Lord’s instructions.

THEY WERE LIVING AS IF GOD WERE SMALL RATHER THAN SOVEREIGN.

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“When I will send a famine on the land —
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border
Searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it…” – Amos 8:11-12

God was sending a message through the prophet of Amos, but He was about to go silent for a time. They would not hear from Him during this coming season of punishment. Though they hungered for a word from Him, they would not receive it; though they searched for the voice of God in the midst of their suffering, they would not find it. Their irreverence towards the Lord had brought about a spiritual famine. But the God of mercy gave them a message to hold on to through the difficult days ahead.

I WILL RESTORE. I WILL REPAIR. I WILL REBUILD.

“I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands,
And they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
They will eat their crops and drink their wine.
I will firmly plant them there in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord. – Amos 9:14-15

We serve a God of restoration and redemption. Yes, He is a just God who punishes wickedness and withholds His blessings on nations who have abandoned Him, but the heart of God is still longing for His people to return to them so that He can restore, repair, and rebuild.

LORD, FORGIVE US FOR IGNORING YOUR SOVEREIGNTY BY DEMANDING OUR OWN WAY.

May our prayer this morning reflect the heart of Asaph as he repented of his foolishness, taking his eyes off people and focusing his heart on God. He turned his complaining and whining to praise, recognizing that the Lord is sovereign! Let’s give the Lord ultimate power and authority in our lives as we stop resisting the Lord who has done wonderful things for us. Let’s show our gratitude for the gift of His presence in our lives, recognizing the impact we experience when He speaks over our lives.

Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. – Psalm 73:21-28