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In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.
The promises of God are sure. Amos 9
Amos 9 (7)
Pray Psalm 138.7, 8.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Sing Psalm 138.7, 8.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
Your Right Hand will save and keep me; all I need You will supply.
For Your love is everlasting reaching from beyond the sky.
You will not forsake or leave me; You will save me when I cry.
Read Amos 9.1-15; meditate on verses 9-12.
Preparation
1. How did God describe the coming judgment of Israel?
2. What did He promise?
Meditation
Where His people are concerned, God doesn’t pronounce judgment without also promising restoration. We see that in the book of Amos, which, while it threatens judgment and destruction throughout, ends on the high note of remembering the promises of God.
Verses 9 and 10 of Amos 9 are an apt summary of the previous eight chapters. God is sovereign and His Word is sure. He looked for righteousness in Israel, promising that all who obeyed His Word and kept His covenant would be preserved, even though their numbers were as small as a single grain of sifted wheat (v. 9). But those who would be spared had already fled to Judah; now all who remained—all of whom were inveterate sinners and mocked the LORD’s threat—would know His wrath and judgment (v. 10).
Yet this “calamity” (v. 10) is not the whole story. “On that day”, the day that judgment would fall, God would renew His promise to restore His dwelling place among His people (v. 11). As we have seen, the proximate fulfillment of this promise is in the return from Babylon and the rebuilding of the temple. But the long term—and thus the most complete—focus of this prophecy is on the coming of Christ, in Whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and Who is the High Priest and King of the promised Kingdom of God (vv. 11, 12; cf. Ps. 110; Gen. 49.8-11).
Amos pointed the faithful forward to the day when, His dwelling place fully restored, the promise of blessing to the nations, first enunciated to Abram (Gen. 12.1-3), would realize its fulfillment. God has promised, and God’s promises never fail.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God is always active in the lives of His people. He never takes a day off from watching, caring, guiding, judging, and restoring His beloved sheep. “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper…” (Ps. 121.3-5).
He told Amos:
I will command a reckoning, so
I will sift My children; but not the smallest grain will fall through the cracks.
I will raise up a Savior for My people; then
I will repair, raise, and rebuild them that they may possess eternal life with Me. (Amos 9.11, 12)
“‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ Says your God. ‘Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins’” (Is. 40.1, 2).
And the promise that not the smallest grain would fall unnoticed to the ground.
Jesus said much the same thing, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?
And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matt. 10.29).
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He made sure that they understood God’s power and control over all that happens on earth, and in heaven. His will and power rule over the full compendium of the happenings on earth and in heaven. Solomon described it as everything “under the sun” and “under the heavens” (Eccl. 1.13, 14). “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10) was not a teaching on intercessory prayer or the how-tos of making a request. No. That is a statement, an agreement and affirmation that what happens on earth is absolutely God’s will, because it is accomplished here, exactly as is done in heaven.
So, the smallest grain that didn’t get lost, and the sparrows that fall only by the will of God, are just two examples of God’s omnipotent reign over all creation. Everywhere, all the time. We can rest assured in His love, mercy, grace, and justice.
And His will is akin to His promises. He keeps them.
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you…” (Lk. 24.29) And He did.
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2.38, 39). And we received the Holy Spirit.
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Cor. 1.20). When we say “Yes” to the Holy Yes and Amen we give glory to God for His kept Promises.
Old Sarah, who gave birth to her child, way past the normal age for such things, “judged Him faithful who had promised” this miracle to her (Heb. 11.11). God is not thwarted by the seemingly impossible, as He surpasses all things to keep His promises (Lk. 1.37).
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you
in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,
that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Pet. 1.2-4). Gratefully received.
“God has promised, and God’s promises never fail.”
Let’s be sure we keep our promises to Him.
“I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments” (Ps. 119.106).
Reflection
1. What are some of God’s promises that are precious and very great to you?
2. Why does God make promises to us? Why must He keep His promises?
3. Whom will you encourage today by reminding them of the promises of God?
Verses 13-15 may refer to the early times of Christianity, but will receive a more glorious fulfillment in the events which all the prophets more or less foretold, and may be understood of the happy state when the fullness both of the Jews and the Gentiles come into the church. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Amos 8.1, 2
Pray Psalm 138.1-6.
Praise the Lord that His promises never fail. Claim the promise of His Presence to be with you throughout this day, and give Him thanks and praise accordingly.
Sing Psalm 138.1-6.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
I will give You thanks and praise You, God of gods, with all my heart.
I will bow before Your temple, grateful praise to You impart.
For Your Name and for Your glory, You have magnified Your Word!
On the day I called You answered, made me bold within my soul;
when I walk in troubled places, You revive and make me whole.
For Your hand will gently shield me, and my fearsome foes control.
All the kings of earth will praise You when Your words of truth they hear;
of Your ways, of Your great glory gladly they will shout and cheer.
For the proud shall not approach You, yet You hold the lowly dear.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore
In the face of this relentless information storm, this is no time for Christians to give up on reading. We need to equip ourselves to weather this information storm, and The Fellowship of Ailbe wants to help.