Our shepherd-prophet Amos is a great example of God equipping the called rather than calling the equipped. Before we get into our verses for today, let me just say that if the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart about a ministry or mission, be obedient. Follow His leading. If He’s calling you, He’s equipping you to do whatever He wants you to do.
Meanwhile, back at Chapter 1 of Amos. The Lord has spoken a series of judgments against Israel’s neighbors, so far covering Damascus (verses 3-5); Gaza (verses 6-8); and Tyre (verses 9-10). And then He moves a little closer to home, to Edom, the descendants of Esau:
“I will not turn back My wrath, because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed unchecked” (Amos 1:11-12).
In verse 9, one of the condemnations addressed to Tyre, a prosperous city of Lebanon (north of Israel), is this: “They broke their treaty with their brother, Israel; they attacked and conquered him, and led him into slavery to Edom (the descendants of Esau)” (Amos 1:9, Living Bible).
Who was Esau? The twin brother of Jacob and son of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau dishonored his parents by marrying two Canaanite women (see Genesis 26:34) and later, in a badly misplaced effort to get back into their good graces, added Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael (Abram’s son by Hagar – see Genesis 16:15), as another wife (see Genesis 28:8-9).
Who was Jacob? Twin brother of Esau; son of Isaac; grandson of Abraham. After a divine struggle (see Genesis 32:28), Jacob was given a new name, Israel (“wrestler with God”), and became the father of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. Note that God didn’t give Abram his new name of Abraham (“father of a multitude”) until years after the birth of Ishmael but before the birth of Isaac – see Genesis 17.
But what I want us to focus on for today are the words spoken to the people of Edom: “I will not turn back My wrath, because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed unchecked” (Amos 1:11-12).
The enmity (hatred; ill will; feeling of hostility) Edom felt for Israel was long-standing. They had even taken Israelites “into slavery to Edom” (Amos 1:9). How did that come about? Through bitterness. Envy. Refusing to let go of past hurts, “he pursued his brother,” Israel.
Are you pursuing past hurts? Are you refusing to let go of the negative feelings brought about by a negative experience? If you’re to live for Jesus, you don’t have an option – your one right choice is to let it go. Otherwise, you open yourself and your friends and family to the horrible legacy of bitterness.
“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15).
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is from the New International Version (NIV).
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