Saturday 15 Nov 2014

November 15: Amos 5:18-20

Key Verse: Amos 5:18
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

Devotion:
Whether this is talking about the coming of Christ or the judgment of God on Israel make little difference to the way God is talking here. If it was the coming of Christ then they should be very worried that Christ was on the way and that they had not continued to keep God’s commandments in readiness for His return. If it was the judgment of God on them, they should be very worried that God could wipe them out for not following His laws; He had showed the people of Israel on many occasions that going against God was about the worst thing you could do!

So whichever way they looked at it, this was going to be a dark day if they truly believed in God and all His power. Instead the people had become fairly lax in all their dealings with God and His laws, almost being in contempt of God and His return in whatever form!

The prophet then goes on to show that if we think what was happening to the people at this time was bad, then they should wait a short while until the day of the Lord when they would find out just how bad things could get! What they had to remember, and what we have to remember, is that God’s promises are there for keeps. If we think that God is going to change His mind just because we don’t like the outcome, then we have another things coming. God is not one to change at the drop of a hat like we do!

No longer were the ways of the people any good for God. They had not kept up with the laws and the rules as they should have and God was now telling them that they would have to face up to the facts. God does want each one of us to be saved, but if we are going to reject Him, then we will get nowhere fast. God continues to show us His love and His ways; we have to listen to those instructions and keep them to the letter, just as the people of Israel had initially been told. Listen to God and do what He asks!

Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to God?

Are you doing what God asks?