Editorial - Yet You Have Not Returned to Me

Punishments often have the desired effect – the recipient 'gets the message.' And so often punishment has been preceded by teaching of standards, education, then pleading or remonstrance, and finally threat or promise of dire consequences if unheeded. So punishment hopefully has been the last resort.

When we come to consider the people of Israel, we read in the Word that they were a special people, a people who had experienced the powerful acts and comforting Presence of the Lord; they were a people to whom He had given His teaching and promises through Moses, and the prophets who followed him.

They were blessed beyond measure, and they were quite ready to confess this and acknowledge it, especially if they had acted to warrant God's displeasure and chastisement, as we may read in Judges 10:10 and Daniel 9:4-5 for example.

But the prophet Amos had a Word from the Lord in his day, in which he was to challenge the people, and remind them of five occasions when God's chastisements had been ineffective. We read about the occasion in chapter 4:6-12.

The Lord said, "I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; yet you have not returned to me . . .

"I withheld rain from you . . . I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city . . . two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to me . . .

"I blasted you with blight and mildew, and when your gardens increased, your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to me . . .

"I sent among you a plague . . . your young men I killed with a sword . . . I made the stench of your camps come up in your nostrils; yet you have not returned to me . . .

"I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to me, says the LORD."

O dear – so much for their experience in Amos's day. The next step in the Lord's agenda followed on from the lack of positive response from His people:.."Perepare to meet your God, O Israel!" The above judgements were relatively gentle compared with what the Lord could administer if He had to, so here was the warning: "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!"

How wonderful that the Lord urged His people: "Seek me and live . . . seek good and not evil, that you may live, so the LORD of hosts will be with you." (Amos 5:4,14)

• < Prev
• Next >