SWHW Two Year Bible Reading Plan: February, Year 2预览

Top Takeaway from Malinda Fuller:

Amos is not the easiest book to read. Chapter five opens with lines that mimic a funeral song; Amos doesn't hold back. He tells the people of Israel: 

"This is what the Lord says, 

'Seek me and live;

but do not seek Bethel,

and do not enter into Gilgal

or cross over to Beersheba;

for Gilgal shall surely go into exile,

 and Bethel shall come to nothing.'" (Amos 5:4-5)

While these places are not significant to us today, they were places of worship for the Israelites. They were cities full of history where their ancestors had encountered God, and they had seen His mighty hand at work. These destinations were more than just nostalgia; they became caught up in the worship of worship.

Amos goes on:

"There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground (5:7). You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain (5:11). You oppress the righteous and take bribes, and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts (5:12). Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts (5:15). 

I despise your religious festivals;

your assemblies are a stench to me.

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them.

Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,

 I will have no regard for them.

Away with the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps" (5:21-23 NIV).

Amos is essentially telling them that the things that they assume God enjoys, He doesn't. God is sad that they spend so much time focused on their religious ceremonies instead of administering justice. Their way of thinking was upside down.

Is it possible that the words of Amos are valid for us today?

We don't flock to Gilgal or Beersheba, but there is a tendency to worship pastors, worship bands, or church brands. There is much emphasis placed on our worship experiences inside the church walls; is the same true for our outreach and justice programs? Perhaps we need a perspective shift.

The good news from Amos: this isn't the end of the story. The doom and gloom that goes on for several chapters ends abruptly with the words, "I will restore" (Amos 9:11 NIV). 

This is always God's plan: complete restoration. He isn't about partial repairs but total rebuilds (Amos 9:11 ESV).

Amos says, "'Behold, the days are coming,'" declares the Lord, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it" (Amos 9:13 ESV).

The promise is that God will restore the people, not just the land. The Israelites will work hard towards their goals with joy and renewed purpose and see a harvest. This is a declaration that they will reap what God has made abundant.

Father, thank You for Your warnings, for reminding us that often what we think is the most important, isn't. Give us eyes to see from Your perspective and humility to shift our priorities where You're calling us to move. Thank You for promising to restore us, not leave us as we are, but to change our hearts, attitudes, and minds. As we seek You and pursue the things that matter most to You, we ask for Your blessing and abundance.  Amen.