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The Scriptorium

The Sovereignty of God

Always has been, always will be.

Amos Review (1)

Pray Psalm 33.1-5.
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

Sing Psalm 33.1-5.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
Sing with rejoicing in the LORD, for praise becomes His righteous ones!
With harps and songs raise grateful words, and let new songs of praise be sung!

Joyfully shout! His Word is true; He does His work in faithfulness.
His love prevails the whole world through; the LORD loves truth and righteousness.

Read Amos 1.1-2.3; meditate on Amos 1.2

Preparation
1. How many nations did God threaten with judgment?

2. What were the primary sins of which they were guilty?

Meditation
The Scriptures are the revelation of God, and especially of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 5.39). We can study the Scriptures diligently, discovering many insights and truths. But our study is not complete until we understand what God is saying to us about Himself and His will, and especially how these are displayed in Jesus.

Our review of the book of Amos will focus on God and what we learn about him from the prophet. First in the attributes of God revealed is His sovereignty. In Amos 1 and 2 six Gentile nations are condemned to wrath and destruction. No pagan priest or worshiper would consider their god capable of such a feat. They certainly would call on their false deities to help them in some situation, and they made offerings to stay in good stead with their gods (cf. 1 Kgs. 18.20-29; 2 Kgs. 5.17, 18). But the thought that any of their false deities could deliver on such threats as God made here simply would not have crossed their minds. They may have considered their deities strong, but not sovereign.

God rules the nations—all the nations. The hearts of rulers are in His hand, and He turns them whichever way conforms to His purpose (Prov. 21.1). This is as true now as it was in Amos’ day, for our God is the Lord, and He does not change (Mal. 3.6). The rebellious world has already begun to know the wrath of God (Rom. 1.18-32), but there is more yet to come for those who continue in their sin (cf. Rev. 19).

Jesus has absorbed the blow of God’s wrath for all who know Him. As a result (Phil. 2.5-11), He rules at the Father’s right hand to administer His sovereign good pleasure according to all His Word (Ps. 110). We who believe in Jesus rest in that sovereignty, and we do not fear the wrath of God (Rom. 8.1). Jesus offers the rebellious world a way out from God’s judgment (Jn. 14.6). As Amos called the nations to repent, so we call the world to repent and believe the Gospel. For then they will know the sovereign God as Father through the revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ (Heb. 1.3).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1.1).
Then He created His people and gave them this incredible and glorious creation to live in and care for, with only one caveat: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2.16, 17).

Now, one would consider that, when living in complete perfection, it would not be hard to keep that one command. But it proved to be impossible. God didn’t require much from Adam and Eve. He started small.

But then life continued, His people were in bondage, He rescued them from themselves and their enemies, and gave them new commands (Ex. 20.1-17) to live by. Surely by now, they had learned their lesson and would heed His commands. Well, no they didn’t.

But He had put in place a Promise, back in the time of Abraham, that would be brought forward to once again make a way for all His people to be saved: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’” (Gal. 3.8).

And He sent us Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (Jn. 1.1-4).

This Word He gave so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3.16).

This Word, Jesus, died for our sins, was raised to life, ascended to heaven, and will one day return to take us all home to be with Him forever.

Until then, as in Amos’ day, where the pastures mourned and mountaintops withered (Amos 1.2), the creation “will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Rom. 8.21, 22).

God continues to roar and utter His voice: “Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation:
For law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples.
My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment,
and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever;
and My righteousness will not be abolished…
My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation” (Is. 51.4-6, 8).

“The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem;
the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people,
and the strength of the children of Israel.
So you shall know that I AM the LORD your God…” (Joel 3.16, 17). Forever Sovereign.

Will we do better at following God’s commands than Adam, Eve, and the rest of our predecessors?
Have we learned to heed His commands?
Do we hear Him roar and utter His voice through His Word?
Is there anything that we are doing that makes the Holy Spirit, like the creation, groan?

Can we say with Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2.20)?

Living fully in the knowledge of His Sovereignty.

Reflection
1. What does it mean to “rest” in the sovereignty of God?

2. How does knowing God is sovereign encourage your work in your Personal Mission Field?

3. Whom will you encourage today with a reminder that our loving heavenly Father is sovereign over all things?

When men reject God’s word, adding obstinacy to sin, and this becomes the general character of a people, they will be given up to misery, notwithstanding all their boasted power and resources. May we then humble ourselves before the Lord, for all our ingratitude and unfaithfulness. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Amos 2.9-16

Pray Psalm 33.8-17.
Praise God for His sovereignty. Rest in His strength, knowing that He cares for you moment by moment. Give Him thanks for the day ahead, and rejoice in the promise of His grace and power.

Sing Psalm 33.8-17.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
Let all below now fear the LORD; let all in awe of Him abide!
The worlds exist by His own Word; let all on earth in Him confide.

He nullifies the nations’ plans; forever stands His sov’reign Word.
All they are blessed who with Him stand—the chosen people of the LORD.

God from His throne looks down on men; He knows our works and made our hearts.
Let not Your Church, let none depend on strength or skill or human arts.

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

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

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