PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Amos 1-2
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.” (Amos 2:9)
Amos brings words of warning to the nations and to God’s chosen people.
It sounds as if God is excessively violent, but consider the lists of crimes.
Taking captive whole communities to sell them as slaves (1:6).
Slaughtering men and women, ripping open the wombs of pregnant women (1:11,13).
Selling the innocent, trampling the poor, denying justice, abusing girls (2:6-8).
Is God’s anger excessive, or is God riding in like the calvary to save the victims?
Jesus says you know a tree by its fruit; the fruit reveals the root (Matthew 7:20).
When the fruit is rotten, the root is rotten; eventually it needs to be uprooted.
God is not quick to judge, but after repeated refusal to change, God will relent.
He will let to rot of evil run its course, and evil always leads to destruction.
Through Jesus God offers to change our root and produce better fruit.
He cares for and fertilizes us, with the goal of bringing out more goodness.
But will we cooperate, will we welcome his Spirit and allow his fruit to grow?
Not producing bad fruit is not enough, am I abounding in good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23)?
PRAYER
Lord, you have changed my root and planted me in you. Like you, I want my life to be known for its good fruit, a harvest of goodness that blesses others!
“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.” For me this passage connects with Jesus’ parable of the tenants – Luke 20: 11,12 “He (the owner) sent another servant but that also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty handed. He sent a third and they wounded him and threw him out.” Prophets were sent but no one listens. What about us – what are we not listening to? What are the signs the incidences today that should tell us something – the injustices, the excessive consumption, the obsession with fun and play and the immorality and substance abuse of our day. AS followers of Jesus, the needs are growing all around us – help us Lord to respond effectively – as you love all people – help us love them so that they may also seek to know you – the giver of life and contentment.