Amos 2:4-5 Judah’s Turn
God has just shared Israel’s neighbors’ judgments. Now He turns to His attention to her sister kingdom of Judah. It’s Judah’s turn for judgment by fire.
Amos is a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. I’m sure they were very pleased to hear God’s judgment on their neighbors. I bet there were even some ‘happy hearts’ when God also passed judgment on Judah.
Judah’s judgment starts out exactly as the other nations did and also ended the same way; with fire. God’s case against them was different through. They were not being punished for their treatment of others but for their treatment of Him and His Laws. God was especially angry because they had turned to other gods; the ones their fathers had gone after.
I’m wondering if Amos’ words sparked a chord in his listeners from Israel. Did they see their own sin when they heard of Judah’s? Did the people look over at the golden calf standing in their midst? Judah was at least still going to the Temple. Israel wasn’t even attempting to worship God as He commanded. Did this thought pop into their minds?
All of the cases against Israel’s neighbors were for a future time and so was their judgment. Tyre, Damascus, Moab, Ammon, Edom and Gaza had not yet taken captive the nations of Israel and Judah. They had not yet sold them as slaves. At least not as a whole people. But God knew it was coming. He had set this path out as correction for His people. But, in His pronouncement of judgment before it even happened, He was telling His people that He would STILL have His eyes on them.
Did his listeners recognize this? Did they see themselves as the ones being taken captive? The ones whom God was going to punish their neighbors for abusing? THAT ALONE should have been a wake-up call!
Judah’s judgment was for present AND future sins. It would be quite some time before Judah’s judgment of Jerusalem being burned would happen. Did the people of Israel start watching for it?
Israel would not have long to wait for their own pronouncement of judgment from God through Amos. His next words would address them. Were they expecting it? Were their hearts beating harder with fear as God approached their turn? Were they cowering or were they standing defiant? Did they even recognize where God was going with this message? Did they see their own sin; their own reflection in God’s words against Judah? Or were their eyes and ears shut to their own state of affairs? We have to wait and see.
Father God, PLEASE don’t let me be blind to my own sin. Open my eyes to all that Your word holds. Thank You for speaking to me through Your word each day. NEVER let me come out of habit but out of love!
Thank You for allowing me more sleep this morning and for keeping the guilt of doing so away from my heart.
