“The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.” (Amos 1:2).
Our reading in the minor prophets continues today with chapter one of Amos. If you have gotten off track in your daily reading, today is a good day to get back on track.
For historical context, Amos prophesies to the northern kingdom of Israel around 750 BC. This is a time of prosperity and power for Israel. They are feeling smug and secure and living in luxury. They have no concern for others and no real concern for God. Amos, a shepherd and farmer by trade, is sent by God to wake up His people to His coming judgment. As Amos says in 1:2, “The LORD roars from Zion.” His roar is a warning that judgment is coming. Indeed, in 722 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel would be totally destroyed by the Assyrians.
The LORD roars. God is pictured as a lion about to pounce on His prey. God is a God of mercy and grace but we can’t really understand these attributes unless we also understand that God is a God of holiness, power, sovereignty, and judgment. God hates sin with a holy passion! It is a cancer in His universe and He must judge and destroy it.
Amos reminds us that God sees the sins of all nations. He sees the cruelty of Damascus, the slavery and greed of Gaza, the treachery and slavery of Tyre, the anger and lack of compassion of Edom, and the total disregard for life and the desire for power and gain in Ammon. These sins do not escape His notice. Nations will be judged. This in itself reminds me that, though our citizenship is in heaven, we do have a responsibility in the nation in which we live to fight injustice, promote mercy, uphold truth, and seek God’s righteousness.
God is a lion and His roar should wake us up. I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. In these books, God is portrayed as a lion named Aslan. And we are reminded in the first book that “He is no tame lion.” God is loving and kind but He is not to be trifled with. He is not mocked. He cannot be ignored.
Amos reminds me that in my love of God’s grace, I should not ignore God’s pure holiness and powerful sovereignty. My tendency is to reduce God into something that I can handle, something I can grasp and understand. This is the “God” of my own mind, not the God of the universe, the King of Kings, the Lion of Judah. The “God” of my mind I can control. The God of the universe is beyond control. He reigns supreme and to Him I must submit.
Lord, expand my vision of You.