Self-Reliance or Rely on God
how is your situation working out…
'“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
“I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord .
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God.”
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.' Amos 4:6-8,12-13
'This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.' Amos 5:4-6,14-15
from chapter 1-4 it talks about the way God’s people turned away, did their own thing, forgot about who got them where they are and provided for what they needed. from Christianity.com regarding the book of amos:
During this time, Israel is prospering. After years of turmoil, the Israelites are enjoying good political standing and their relationship with the Phoenicians is proving successful. Along with wealth and luxury, the Israelites are turning their ways to the gods of the Canaanites. Moral standards are forgotten, and the commandments are being ignored.
same thing continues on in our world today. many seek only what’s good for themselves (pleasure and treasure (earthly)). we turn to idols and so-called, man-made gods, hoping to gain more of the world while losing our souls. i was there too and forgot what The Lord had done for my family and i, and what i/we had, or at least most of it, was taken away.
what i get from verses 1-4 is of one being arrogant or allowing pride to get the best of them. they either feel in control of their situation (lives) and ‘got this’, or they just can’t bring themselves to ask for help when needed. there is a saying, “too proud to beg” - what about when you having nothing (money, food, water), would you prefer to die because you can’t bring yourself to request for assistance of any kind? amos points out that The Lord says, “you have not returned to me.” this is the theme in these chapters - the people forgot about God.
chapter 5 is the opportunity for redemption. The Lord is calling His people back to Him.
stubborn as we can be, He still loves us; arrogant as we can be, He still loves us; sinful we can be, He still loves us. it is the Heart of The Father and His love for us that drives Him to come after us despite our lack of reciprocating. He doesn’t want us to die as He made us for Himself.
the lesson for me in these verses, even in the other chapters that follow, is that we can choose to run to The Lord, Our God, and be saved; or, try to control our destiny by walking away and doing things our way, ignoring the consequences of what is to come. the sad part is that time (judgment) will come for everyone and, i prefer perfect living in praise to Our God in Heaven than eternal torment in the lake of fire and death in hell.
dear Heavenly Father, thank you for pointing out that you continue to love me despite my faults and failure and keep coming for me. teach me always to heed your calls and not to be arrogant and ignorant for my need of a relationship with you and Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit fill me, fill my family, fill my friends with The Truth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus. fill our hearts, minds, and soul that we may not depart from you. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!