Praise the Lord! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week and we rested well under the shadow of His wings as He covers us with His feathers (Psalm 91:1-4). In our life, we need God’s comforting touch (presence) at all times without which it is impossible to manage our spiritual life on earth because most of us live our life with a heart full of worries and concerns regarding ourselves, such as the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of this world, and many foolish and harmful desires of the heart, lack of financial stability, and so on (refer to Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; 1 John 2:15-16). When we converse with people who are in our known circle, we can understand that it is not only our hearts which are troubled but also almost everyone goes through similar situations. Who knows, right now, some of our parents or children or relatives or friends or colleagues or people who are close to our heart or anyone in our known circle or the strangers who pass-by us may be going through similar situations and worried about so many things in their lives. The Scripture points out that God’s heart was troubled (worried) when He saw the wickedness of the people whom He created in His own image and likeness (Genesis 6:5-6; 1 Samuel 15:11; Psalm 78:40; Isaiah 63:10). We read in the Scripture that Jesus’ heart was troubled when He saw the people who were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34). Jesus’ heart was troubled again thinking about the agony He was about to go through in connection with His atoning sacrifice (from His arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane [Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:40-53, John 18:1-11] and to His death on the cross at the place called Golgotha/Calvary [Matthew 27:33, 50; Mark 15:22, 37; Luke 23:33, 46; John 19:17, 30]) for our sins and for the sins of the whole world (Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34; Luke 22:44; John 12:27; also refer to John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2). Also, the apostles’ hearts were troubled when they heard Jesus saying, “I am going away.” However, Jesus comforted them saying: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1). Jesus said this to encourage them because their hearts were troubled thinking He is leaving them and going away but He comforted them and assured them that He is coming back to them again to be with them for ever and ever (John 14:2-3, 28). Jesus assured them, saying: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18) and He gave them His peace, as He said: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27). In short, we can understand that almost every person who come across our life [irrespective of one’s social or religious or political or cultural status or one’s personal status like – they are rich or poor, literate or illiterate, healthy or unhealthy, familiar or unfamiliar, native born or foreign born, local or global and so on] worries about something or other in life in connection with their personal or family or community or any matters as such. This is the way life in this world and no one can help anyone regarding this, except the Lord God Almighty who created us in His image and likeness. It doesn’t matter who you are and how wearisome or burdensome you are, the Lord God Almighty who took the form of a human being and came down into this world under the name Jesus Christ can help you and me to lighten our burden or taken away our burden from us, if we submit to Him. The reason we are sure that Jesus can help anyone who is going through such life-situation because He, being in very nature of God, came down into this world, lived among them, suffered for them, died for them, buried like any other human beings were buried, but unlike any other human being He resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven and now seated/standing at the right hand of God and is interceding for us (Matthew 22:44; Acts 2:33; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 2:5-11; 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 7:25; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). Remember, Jesus said: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30; also refer to 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7). Jesus is ready to help you and lighten your burden [or take away your burden from you]. Are you ready for it? Are you willing to submit your life to His will? We don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity because Jesus is ready to go to any extent to help you and all those who belongs to you! Therefore, don’t ignore the God-given privilege, rather take it; for He who promised is faithful and He will fulfill it (1 Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 10:23; 1 John 1:9).

The Lord has blessed us with a very compelling and instructive Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which states: Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph (Amos 5:14-15). Amos, who wrote the prophetic book of Amos (Amos 1:1), himself testified that he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet (Amos 7:14a) but, originally, he was a shepherd from the town called Tekoa, a town situated south of Jerusalem, and a tender of sycamore-fig trees (Amos 7:14b). However, God took him from tending the flock and taking care of the sycamore-fig trees and sent him to prophesy to His people in Israel (Amos 7:15). In addition to be a shepherd and a tender of Sycamore-fig trees, God might have used Him widely as a prophet both in the Southern Kingdom called Judah during the reign of king Uzziah (Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5); as well as in the Northern Kingdom called Israel during the reign of king Jeroboam son of Jehoash (Amos 1:1), since he was from Tekoa (Amos 1:1), which is part of the Southern Kingdom, and as the LORD took him from tending the flock and sending him to Israel to prophecy in Israel (Amos 7:15), which is the Northern Kingdom. Amos also prophesied against several of the neighboring nations of Israel like Damascus, Gaza, Ashdod, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and so on (Amos 1:3-2:3). The example of taking Amos, a mere shepherd and a tender of sycamore-fig trees, to be one of the prophets of the Most High God, points out that God can use even an ordinary person to carry out His ministry, which means, God can use anyone for His purpose. The main focus of the book includes the importance of practicing social justice and righteousness. The book also brings warning against those who oppress the poor, the fatherless, and widow, and focusing on self-centered life and having greed of wealth. The book also highlights on the importance of practicing true worship of Yahweh instead of observing mere religious rituals.

Prophet Amos began his prophetic career with the statement that The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers (Amos 1:2). Although prophet Amos briefly prophesied against the neighboring nations of Israel, including Judah, his main prophetic messages were against the nation of Israel because of their numerous sins and their unfaithfulness towards the Lord God who have chosen them from all the families of the earth and redeemed them (Amos 2:6; 3:2, 13-15; 5:12). Before God send calamity upon the wicked nations or peoples, God usually speaks through His servants [in this context through prophet Amos] in advance to let the nations (or peoples) know that He is intending to punish them for their sins and wickedness. For instance: God let the people of Nineveh know in advance that He is about to bring disaster upon them because of their increasing wickedness (Jonah 1:1-2). However, before sending calamity, He sent prophet Jonah to the city of Nineveh to let the king and the people know that the city will be overthrown in forty days due to their wickedness (Jonah 1:2; 3:1-4). When the people of Nineveh heard the message from the Lord through His prophet Jonah, they turned from their evil ways and turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him for His mercy, which resulted God relenting from sending calamity upon them (Jonah 3:5-10). In this context, God called Amos from tending the sheep and sycamore-fig trees and sent Him as a prophet to the nation of Israel and its neighboring nations to let the kings and their people know in advance that the Lord intending to bring judgement upon them because of their wicked deeds (Amos 1:3-2:16; 3:7; 5:12). Some of the specific sins of Israel we can identify from the prophetic messages of Amos are mentioned below for our reference:

• • The people of Israel sinned against the Lord God who created and redeemed them (2:6a; also refer to Isaiah 43:1-7)
  • The Lord will not turn back His wrath against His people Israel because of their numerous sins against Him (2:6b)
  • They sell the righteous / innocent for silver (2:6c)
  • They sell the needy for a pair of sandals (2:6d)
  • They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground (2:7a)
  • They deny justice to the oppressed (2:7b)
  • They desecrate the holy name of God (2:7c)
  • They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge (2:8a)
  • They drink wine taken as fines in the house of their God (2:8b)
  • They made the Nazirites whom the Lord raised from among their youths drink wine (2:11a)
  • They commanded the prophets whom the Lord raised from among their children not to prophesy (2:11b)
  • They oppress and exploit the poor (4:1a)
  • They crush and suppress the needy (4:1b)
  • They [especially the women] ask their husbands to bring wine for them (4:1c)
  • They worship idols at Bethel and sin against the God of their fathers (4:4a; also refer to 1 Kings 12:28-33)
  • They worship idols at Gilgal and sin against the God of their fathers (4:4b; also refer to Judges 3:19; Hosea 9:15)
  • They worship the God of Israel and, at the same time, offer sacrifice and burn incense before the idols every morning (4:4c; also refer to Leviticus 26:30; Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Kings 16:4; Hosea 4:15)
  • They bring tithes and seasonal offerings to the God of Israel as well as for the idols at the same time every three years (4:4d)
  • They burn leavened bread as a thank offering (4:5a)
  • They brag about their freewill offerings (4:5b)
  • They love to do boasting and bragging about the things they do (4:5c)
  • They trying to be righteous while they sin against the God of their fathers (4:5d)
  • They trample on the poor of the land (5:11a)
  • They levy a straw tax on the poor (5:11b)
  • They impose a tax on their grain (5:11c)
  • They demand grain by force from the poor (5:11d)
  • They take oppress the innocent (5:12a)
  • They take bribe to distort the truth (5:12b)
  • They deprive the poor of justice in the courts (5:12c)
  • They turned justice into poison (6:12a)
  • They turned the fruit of righteousness into bitterness (6:12b)
  • They rejoice in the conquest of others’ land and belongings (6:13a)
  • They boast about their own strength as they conquer the territories of others (6:13b)
  • They wait for the New Moon festival to be over to sell the grain (8:5a; also refer to Isaiah 1:14)
  • They wait for the Sabbath day to be over to cheat the helpless (8:5b)
  • They skimp on the measure (8:5c)
  • They boost the price of the goods they sell (8:5d)
  • They cheat the buyer with dishonest scales (8:5e)
  • They buy the poor with silver (8:6a)
  • They buy the needy for a pair of sandals (8:6b)
  • They buy the poor and the needy among them as a slave (8:6c)
  • They sell the wheat/grain mixed with chaff/husks (8:6d)

From the prophecies of Amos, we can understand that Israel did not leave their wicked ways or stop sinning against the God of their fathers despite several of God’s warnings to them (Amos 4:6-11). The Lord’s demands [expectations] from His people Israel are very simple, which include:

• • earnestly [genuinely] seek the Lord and live (5:4)
  • do not seek the places where God is mocked (Amos 5:5)
  • seek the Lord, so that they can live in the land peacefully (Amos 5:6)
  • In order to live a righteous [fruitful] life seek good not evil (Amos 5:14)
  • hate evil and love good (Amos 5:15a)
  • establish justice in your courts and within the city gates (Amos 5:15b)
  • stop performing meaningless [false/disloyal] worship before the Lord because their praise and worship are detestable to the Lord, as God spoke through prophet Amos:

I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps (Amos 5:21-23).

As a nation, Israel failed the Lord God Almighty who redeemed and brought them out of Egypt (Amos 3:1). They failed to obey the righteous laws and commands and decrees He gave to them through His servant Moses to abide with and live (Ezekiel 18:9; 20:11). They failed to love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30: Luke 10:27), as they followed the gods of the nations (Judges 2:12-13; 2 Kings 17:33, 41; Psalm 106:35-39; Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 20:39). They mistreated their own people within their boundaries, especially the poor and needy (Amos 2:6-7a; 5:11-12; 8:4-6; also refer to Leviticus 19:13), about whom the Lord said: Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will exact life for life (Proverbs 22:22-23). James the brother of Jesus stated that Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27; also refer to Micah 6:8). Leviticus 19:15-18 states:

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “’Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD. Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

We can see that:

• • The worship the Lord accepts when His people worship Him is when they worship Him in the Spirit and in truth, as Apostle John quoted Jesus: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
  • The community the Lord loves is where justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream, as prophet Amos stated: let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24).
  • The people the Lord God honors are the people who honor His Son Jesus Christ and follow His commands and do what it says, especially give [or bring to the storehouse of God – Malachi 3:10] a tenth of everything they have/own and faithfully practice the matters of law, as Jesus sated: … You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former (Matthew 23:23; also refer to Psalm 119:1-3).

From all these prophetic utterances of Amos, what we can understand is that if the people whom the Lord God chose for Himself do not abide with the righteous laws and decrees and commands He has given them to follow and if they do not practice what the righteous laws and decrees and commands say, the Lord will take away His righteous laws and decrees and commands from them and even if they look for it, they will not find it, as it is mentioned: The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it (Amos 8:11-12).

As part of his call, Amos traveled to the Northern Kingdom [Israel] and prophesied against it the message the Lord God has spoken through him. Although, prophet Amos preached against king Jeroboam and the people of Israel regarding the wickedness that was going on in Israel (Amos 7:1-9), neither the king nor the people accepted his message; rather his messages were taken as conspiracy [plot against Israel and its people] and they threatened him to go back to his place by the way he came (Amos 7:10-13). The reasons they acted negligently and did not accept the warning from the Lord that came through prophet Amos and ignored God’s threat of judgement upon them was because they thought that they were prosperous, they didn’t lack anything for their survival, there was no imminent threat from any of the neighboring nations, religious festivals were observed without failing, and people were complacent with what they were doing, and they were living the way they liked, and so on. However, God’s judgement upon them was a sure thing, as it is mentioned in Amos 9:1-10. Yet, God being gracious and compassionate, promised that He will bring them back from exile and will restore His people Israel (Amos 9:11-15). We can understand God’s restoration upon them [the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel] is not because of their righteous life-style but because He is merciful and compassionate.

Dear friends in the Lord, as we conclude our meditation this week, let us know that God can use anybody [including you and me] to carry out His purpose, as God chose Amos, a shepherd and tender of sycamore-fig trees, to be His prophet. Let us try our best to follow the righteous laws and decrees and commands the Lord God Almighty gave His people to follow, so that we will be called His faithful followers. Trust that the Lord God Almighty whom we serve is Sovereign in everything He says and does and He is the only One who can help us in the days of our trouble. Placing our complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross on our behalf for our sake is the only hope we have. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the right path, the way of God, so that our spiritual life will be meaningful and fruitful. Let us try to worship the Lord God the way He desires it, which is according to the pattern He set in the Holy Scriptures. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!