Read Amos 4.
Israel lived in prosperity. They offered sacrifices every day, tithed
every three days, and beyond that practiced generosity giving. But their
behavior was arrogant and demanding. They oppressed the poor and
exploited those in need.
God responded to their sin in five ways in order to gain their attention and
lead them to repent.
1. Famine (v.6)
2. Drought (v.7-8)
3. Blight (v.9)
4. Pestilence (v.10)
5. Destruction (v.11)
And, five times God repeated the phrase, "yet you did not return to
me."
"Therefore...prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" (v.12)
They forgot that God was in charge and ignored His interventions to gain their
attention. Who is this One who commands such obedience? Here are
His claims (v.13):
1. He forms the mountains. The God of the Bible claims credit for shaping
and fashioning the earth.
2. He creates the wind. The God of the Bible takes credit for selecting
and dispatching wind currents.
3. He declares His thoughts to humans. The God of the Bible has made
Himself and His word known so mankind is without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).
4. He makes light and darkness. The God of the Bible commanded light in
the beginning "and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). He can move
the clouds and the storms to darken a day.
5. He treads above the earth. The God of the Bible oversees all that is
happening in His world and is ready to respond.
Who is He? "The LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!"
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