November 3 | Amos 9:7-15

---

DAILY READING

Amos 9:7-15

---

REFLECTION

Not Your Great-Grandma’s Cross-stitch

by Kristin Schoeff

How many people do you know who say that Amos is their favorite book of the Bible? I’m pretty sure that no one ever wrote Amos 9:7-10 on a greeting card to encourage a friend! And all those little girls who faithfully cross-stitched Bible promises on samplers a century or more ago – I am certain that not one chose those verses from Amos as their text!

But I’m reminded of 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness." Let’s dig in and find what the Holy Spirit might say to us through this passage.

Amos tells us in Amos 1:1 and 7:14 that he was a simple shepherd and farmer from the southern kingdom of Judah whom God called to go and prophesy to His people in the northern kingdom of Israel. Times were good both in Judah and Israel. It was a time of political peace, prosperity, and the outward appearance of faithful practice of the worship of God. But inwardly, there was idolatry, indulgence, hypocrisy, and oppression of the poor and needy.

Reading through the entire prophetic book of Amos, one hears again, as in so many of the other books of prophecy, God’s efforts to reach the people of Israel and bring them to repentance. Amos 5:4 says, “This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live.’” Chapter 9 is the culmination of His frustration and, yes, anger with His people who again and again refuse to turn to Him, yet maintain their religious observance of sacrifices, offerings and tithes, and acts of “worship.” God is outraged at the treatment of the poor and downtrodden among the people while the religious folks continue to perform their “duty” to Him.

In verses 8-10, God’s righteous judgment is predicted towards those who continue in sin with smug confidence that disaster won’t come to them. But God continues to be faithful to His promise to His people. He leaves them with words of HOPE in the final five verses. He speaks in Amos 9:11-12:

“ ‘On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old. That they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,’ says the Lord who does this thing.” (NKJV)

Not only does He promise to restore true worship and their homeland to Israel, but He also promises to include those from every nation who have received His salvation. In Acts 15:12-18, the apostle James used this very passage to confirm what the Lord was doing in the early church as He added those from outside of the people of Israel - those who feared Him and received the gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus. Just think: in the middle of the 8th century B.C., God looked ahead to the time when He would rebuild what had been destroyed by neglect and rebellion towards His Kingdom rule and He would add to His own people “a great multitude…from every nation, tribe, people and language.” (Revelation 7:9)

PRAYER

Lord, we rejoice that You have included us in that number, and we pray that our hearts would be always humble before You, listening for Your correction when needed, and always praying for the expansion of Your Kingdom. Amen!