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Day 2 Amos 2 Amos 2:1 Thus says the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime: 2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet: 3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, says the LORD. 4 Thus says the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked: 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. 6 Thus says 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; 7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: 8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. 9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? says the LORD. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. 14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: 15 Neither shall he stand that handles the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rides the horse deliver himself. 16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the LORD. When you do something wrong, either as a child or an adult, you can expect punishment. You know what the punishment is going to be before you do what you’re not supposed to. The rules and laws are laid out for you, so you know what to expect if you go ahead with your actions. God told Amos the punishment he laid out for Moab, Judah, and Israel. He had told his prophets the punishment they could expect from the beginning when he gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. He told his prophets what the people could expect from their continued disobedience. However, the people didn’t pay attention to what the prophets said, expecting God to be like parents who promise punishment, but don’t follow through. They had done what they pleased for many generations before God pulled the plug and said, enough is enough, and kept his promise to send them from their homeland into captivity. His people do what people do today, saw his delay in punishment as complacency instead of mercy, and didn’t believe God would follow through on his promises. As Christians, you know God kept every promise he made, whether it was for punishment or blessing. God said it and he followed through. It might not have been right away, because mercy stayed his hand until he had no choice but to bring about the punishment he prescribed for his people and the nations of the earth. Right now, we live in a time when people act as though God doesn’t exist and they are free to act in any way they please. They believe there won’t be any consequences for their actions. Yet, there will always be consequences for our actions. If we break the law, we can expect to be caught and pay the price for our disobedience to man’s laws. If we break God’s law, we can expect God to punish us. Before Jesus was born, people would need to go to the priest for confession and burn a sacrifice for their sin, and they would be forgiven. Since Jesus was born, you don’t need to go to the priest for confession or burn a sacrifice for your sin. You can confess your sin directly to Jesus, and he will forgive you and cleanse you from every sin you committed. He paid the price for your sin with his sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. His blood wipes away your sin, so the Father cannot see it, and you have full reconciliation and restoration with the body of Christ. 1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV) God’s punishment is meant to bring us closer to him, to see and feel his love for us. God’s punishment of Moab, Judah, and Israel was not meant to destroy them forever, but to show them his love and mercy, and bring them closer to him. Isn’t having a right relationship with Jesus better than having sin come between you separating you from God and eternity with him? Confess your sin today, and you will feel the weight of sin leave and the blessings of God fall on your life. Let’s pray: Father, I know I am a sinner. I know I need whatever punishment your law prescribes. Thank you for your mercy, and the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, for my sin, so I only need to confess my sin and you will forgive and cleanse me. Help me walk this journey of my life, confessing my sin to you, and feeling the weight of sin leave as your forgiveness flows. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 5 March 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay