ESOCS Devotional 21 January 2022
TEXT: AMOS 2:6-16
MEMORY VERSE:
“Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes.” Amos 2:6 KJV
6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. 7 They [a]pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble.
A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name.
8 They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of [b]the condemned in the house of their god.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Whose height was like the height of the cedars, And he was as strong as the oaks; Yet I destroyed his fruit above And his roots beneath. 10 Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And led you forty years through the wilderness, To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets, And some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel?” Says the Lord. 12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, And commanded the prophets saying, ‘Do not prophesy!’13 “Behold, I am [c]weighed down by you, As a cart full of sheaves [d]is weighed down. 14 Therefore [e]flight shall perish from the swift, The strong shall not strengthen his power,
Nor shall the mighty [f]deliver himself; 15 He shall not stand who handles the bow, The swift of foot shall not [g]escape, Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself. 16 The most [h]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,” Says the Lord.
When the Israelites were established as a nation in the Promised Land after coming from the wilderness wanderings, there were no poor in the land. God blessed them and the land He gave them. However, when they started to ignore the law of God and sank lower and lower into sin and depravity with all justice flying out of window, God became burdened and wearied with their sins (v 13). All of God’s privileges required them to be responsible to Him. They resorted to the following:
- Despised the law of the Lord
- Refused to keep the commandments
- Erred through lies
- Walked in the sins of their fathers
- Sold the righteous for silver
- Sold the poor for a pair of shoes
- Coveted even the dust of the earth thrown on the head of the poor
- Turned aside the way of the meek
- Father and son going in unto the same maid
- Using tokens of pledges made to them
- Drinking wine of the condemned in the house of their god
- Gave Nazarites wine to drink
- Forbade the prophets to prophesy
- Provoked God to anger.
God’s eyes are too pure to behold sin. He will always chastise those He loves; otherwise, they wouldn’t be part of Him (being pure and holy) – Heb. 12:8. Taking a critical analysis of all the sins enumerated above, as committed by the Israelites then, can we (the new Israelites) claim to be free from any of them now? God has not lowered the standard. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8).
As God’s people, lets avoid His judgment against us with all the blessings He has blessed us with. This will amount to Him cursing His blessings upon us (Mal. 2:2)
- God is carefully observing all you do. Avoid His judgment against you.
- Pray for God’s mercy and grace to please Him always.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 47:10-15; Luke 7:24-35; 1Corinthians 9:1-14.
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ESOCS Devotional 21 January 2022
