In Full View
God invited the world to see the sin of Israel. In this way, He used them as an example of the price of sin. We may think that our mistakes and our sins are private matters, but nothing stays hidden. Luke 8:17 clearly tells us, “For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.” Also, 1 Corinthians 4:5 tells us that when the Lord comes, He will “bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”
Every thought, every action, and every word we have uttered will be answered for. All will be revealed. Some things will remain hidden until we stand before the thrown of God while other will be exposed to our very enemies. In today’s reading, God tells Amos to proclaim the sins of Israel to Assyria and to Egypt. For the Israelite, this would have been most grievous. These nations were more than simply their enemy. The Israelite felt themselves far more sophisticated and morally superior to these ‘barbarian’ nations. Yet, God called those whom the Israelites would have looked down their noses at to stand in judgment of Israel’s sin.
I am often reminded that God desires our hearts, our obedience, and our righteousness far more than He cares about our comfort. If it takes having our enemies gloat over the remains of our glory, so be it. Because God’s love for us is so great, He will not allow us to remain lost in our sins. How much better for us to confess and repent of those things that taint our relationship with God? Let us pay attention to this judgement against the nation of Israel in the days of Amos. To fall is painful enough. To fall in view of our enemies and be utterly decimated is another things entirely. Before our lives get too far off track, let us examine them and pour our lives out to God.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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