“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live.” (v.4)
Today’s reading is Amos’s lament for the devastation resulting from God’s coming judgment on Israel. A lament is a literary form expressing grief over a death or tragedy, in this case, a future tragedy (Amos 5:1). The anticipated disaster was the fall of Israel. The nation was represented as a virgin bride, a picture of purity and commitment to the covenant. As a result, she will be left deserted and helpless.
As part of this lament poem, God made two pronouncements concerning Israel (vv.3-6). The first emphasized the completeness of the nation’s coming defeat. A thousand soldiers might march out to war, but only a hundred would come home. The military conquest by Assyria would be a crushing defeat, total annihilation.
The second was another call to repentance. God urged the people, “Seek me and live.” Do not go to Bethel and other sites of idolatry and hypocrisy, He said, for there’s no hope there. The gods they followed would be powerless to help them.
One option was repentance and a restored relationship with the Lord. The other option was defeat, exile, and God as a devouring fire. They were going to meet God, either as a loving Forgiver or as a holy Judge. The choice was theirs.
The same holds true today, you will one day meet God, either as your Savior or a consuming fire, nothing has changed from Amos’s day.
The Truth: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
