Another look at these verses from Amos: “…I will not turn back My wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah…” (Amos 2:4b-5a).
We’ve seen why the Lord is angry with His people. They (1) “…rejected the law of the Lord.” (2) They didn’t keep “…His decrees.” (3) They allowed themselves to be “…led astray by false gods.” (4) And they followed the “…the gods their ancestors followed.”
What “gods” have our ancestors followed? The same ones many of us are following today. For the vast majority, the god of America is not Jesus Christ – it’s stuff. Materialism. We want a better job so that we can make more money. We need a better job to pay for the stuff we’ve already acquired. And when we get a better job or an increase in pay at our current one, we want to use it to acquire more stuff so we can owe more money. We’re so used to the rhythm of indebtedness that it never occurs to us to stop the cycle.
After the Depression, when people began to get back on their feet, everyone wanted “to give my kids better than I had growing up.” It was a great sentiment at the time. Today, for most of us, it means shoveling nonstop money into insatiable appetites. We’ve conditioned our kids – and ourselves – to believe that we not only should have what we want, but that we deserve what we want. Truth is, we’re getting what we deserve when we overextend ourselves and find ourselves chained to the debt monster. Money is a tool, not a god; and it’s a monstrous master when it has you in its power.
But note the end of our verses for today: “I will send fire upon Judah.” Six judgments had already been issued by God to the surrounding nations: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab – see Amos 1:3-2:3. Now the Lord is dealing with His own people. And because they sinned just like the people around them, they’ll be judged just like the nations around them.
First Corinthians 3:11-15 tells us: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: God don’t play. (Bad English; good theology.) Unless we get serious about our walk with the Lord, we’re headed for a fiery judgment.
Get real or get left. That’s what it boils down to.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is from the New International Version (NIV).
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