Michelle
The parts that stand out to me are these: the beginning when it states, "the time is ripe for my people...I will spare them no longer", and "The days are coming when I will send famine through the land - not of food or water but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord", and the end when he says "The days are coming when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman". These all seem like very powerful passages to me. God is telling Amos that he won't spare his people for their sins any longer and that he will send famine through the land so that they will not hear his words, yet he is still planning to restore them and allow them to prosper and live in the land he promised. It goes through and tells of all the things the people do, hiding themselves and all the things that will happen to them and that he forgets nothing, yet he will continue to restore them. God always comes back to his people, calling to them and keeping his promises, even though they are constantly turning from him. He says all the sinners will die. The devotional focuses on the beginning that says the people were being judged for their treatment of the poor. They had trampled and cheated the poor in their communities. It references how Jesus often takes up the cause of the poor and how he was called to proclaim good news to the poor. It calls us to help the poor in other ways than just giving money. It references chapter 8 speaking of those that are trying to cheat with dishonest scales. I think we see some of that even today. How are we helping those that need assistance while making sure they are willing and able to help themselves? For some reason the part about not hearing the words of the Lord is really calling to me today. Maybe at times I feel like this, like I am not hearing God's words, even though I try to stay connected by reading something related every day. I know this isn't what he is talking about necessarily, as it's more about the people that are not following his commands and acting foolish. But I wonder too if this is something that we have seen for hundreds of years. We don't hear about prophets anymore or those that are really speaking for God. I understand we all pray and need to listen ourselves, but it's just so different from what we have read in the bible so far.
This psalm goes through a synopsis of all the people have gone through and what God has done to them because of their behaviors. It's kind of a quick retelling of every generation. At the end it says, "Save us Lord...Praise be to the Lord...Let all the people say, 'Amen!'". This last line reminds me of a song that I like with those words, All the people say, Amen.
Julie
It's interesting that you say that about the prophets. I wonder if we will see in the NT that we should be looking or listening for something different. Prophets are probably from the time before Jesus and after that we are given the Word in a different way?? This is powerful hearing that God is going to destroy them, but then promises to let them return and not let them lose this again.
I don't really have anything more to say than that.
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