Like the title of this one? It is more than appropriate. God calls Israel the Fallen Virgin in verse 2. He says she will never rise again and no one will be able to lift her up. Those are very strong words against a nation God loves. So why would He say them?
Israel was God’s creation. With all of God’s creation, God says it is good. God made the covenant. God set up the rules for holy living. God established the law to remind the people how guilty they were and of their need for Him. Israel was a virgin creation but Israel was led away from God by the pull of sin. Sin led them to false gods that gave them permission to sin.
Pure virginity only comes about once in a lifetime. After virginity is gone, only God can establish and restore purity. Israel’s falling away from God could only be restored by God. They could not depend on outside help. They could not depend on fake gods. Let’s be honest – fake gods are really personal choices to be involved with things that displease the one, true God. They are personal choices to ignore God! Sin is a personal choice to ignore the spirit within us that tells us we are wrong.
Israel wanted to depend on their allies for help. They wanted to depend on each other for assistance in war. But to help Israel as God’s punishment was unleashed was to walk into disaster. This is similar to guaranteeing someone else’s debt. If they stop paying, you are left with the bill. The United States may get to a point when it can no longer pay for its debts, and all our debt holders will be left with paying the bills. Not very godly is it?
To help Israel would come at a greater cost than helping. There are times we want to help others but doing so will come at a greater cost than we are able to pay. This doesn’t mean we do not help those around us. It means that some people will refuse God’s love regardless of our efforts, and there may come a time when that person has to face life with only our prayers.
“Seek me and live” Amos 5:4 (NIV)
Verses 4-6 give us a little hope. No matter how close Israel was to judgment, God kept giving them a way out. God is hope and the only hope of any nation. God restores purity but only if we choose to seek Him and live. God restores life to those who seek Him. To continue seeking sinful pleasures in life steals life! God already warned Israel about how going to Bethel and Gilgal were false acts of worship. They could fake it or they could be transformed and have life. Fakers are easy to spot.
In verses 7 through 12, God revisits the sins of Israel. They championed bitter justice, lambasted those in the right, trampled the poor, and took bribes. Did they hear that? I don’t know but God repeats it in verse 12 to make sure they were listening:
For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Amos 5:12 (NIV)
God knows the number of our offenses and how deep our sin runs. There is not anywhere we can escape. Then we read verse 13 and God says that the times are evil. He says the prudent should keep quiet; in other words, don’t make it worse than it already is. A sinner can plead with God about injustice all they want but God is the sole judge of true justice. Pleading one’s case will only dig the hole deeper. He knows your sin and He knows how strongly you hold on to them. The time for arguing was over.
God says, “Be silent”. Only in silence can we really hear God. The psalmist gives us the words of God, “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still – turn off the television, turn off the computer, turn off the radio, and be still. Just to concentrate on this study I have to turn off all distractions, write down any last minute thoughts and turn on some classical music (no words to distract me or sing-a-long with). We as a nation, as a church, as individuals do not spend enough time being still. Only in stillness can we turn to the whisper of God’s love.
Verses 14-15 show us how to return to God and live: we must seek and love good. Both of these are actions, and as we know, actions speak louder than words. “Seek good” means to seek out the things that honor God and keep seeking out ways to honor God. Seeking is a constant action. “Love good” means we have to accept it and live in it. We can say we love something, but until we show love, our words are meaningless.
God would pass through the midst of the people of Israel. Would He find them gathered in His name after this warning? From the way this plays out, the wailing would not be in repentance. The wailing would be in sorrow for not repenting.
- If God was to pass through your household, would He find you gathered in His name?
- How do you seek and love good?
- Is silence difficult for you? Is being still difficult?
- Are you actively seeking God?
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