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10 September 2007
Amos 5 v 18-20
How terrible it will be for you who want the LORD's day of judging to come.
Why do you want that day to come?
It will bring darkness for you, not light.
It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear, or like someone who goes into his house and puts his hand on the wall, and then is bitten by a snake.
So the LORD's day of judging will bring darkness, not light; it will be very dark, not light at all.
An old friend of mind could never understand it when Christians wanted or prayed for Christ's return.
"How could anyone who believed in Jesus want judgement to come when the world is in the state it is, and so many people feel distanced from God."
I can remember his response really clearly because it seemed so different from what I had heard other Christians say about it at the time.
When Amos spoke these words, he spoke out against the general opinion. Israel was experiencing a time of prosperity. Society was indulgent and extravagant, over confident and smug. But alongside this the poor were oppressed, and the justice system corrupt.
The two images Amos describes emphasise how impossible it is to escape God's judgement. The image of the lion and the bear act as a warning up to Israel to face up to what meets them on the way and stop running away. It is a warning to us to take responsibility for our own lions, to face up to ourselves and the consequences of our actions. In the second image Amos warns caution. All is not as they believed, judgement will not bring what they expect. They are in danger in the very place they feel safe. There is a snake within the house.
How do you respond to the two images? Take a few moments for imagine them.
What was Amos meaning in giving these pictures?
Are there ways you can apply the images to your situation?
Written by Beth Keith & Dan Cooper
Amos 5 v 18-20
How terrible it will be for you who want the LORD's day of judging to come.
Why do you want that day to come?
It will bring darkness for you, not light.
It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear, or like someone who goes into his house and puts his hand on the wall, and then is bitten by a snake.
So the LORD's day of judging will bring darkness, not light; it will be very dark, not light at all.
An old friend of mind could never understand it when Christians wanted or prayed for Christ's return.
"How could anyone who believed in Jesus want judgement to come when the world is in the state it is, and so many people feel distanced from God."
I can remember his response really clearly because it seemed so different from what I had heard other Christians say about it at the time.
When Amos spoke these words, he spoke out against the general opinion. Israel was experiencing a time of prosperity. Society was indulgent and extravagant, over confident and smug. But alongside this the poor were oppressed, and the justice system corrupt.
The two images Amos describes emphasise how impossible it is to escape God's judgement. The image of the lion and the bear act as a warning up to Israel to face up to what meets them on the way and stop running away. It is a warning to us to take responsibility for our own lions, to face up to ourselves and the consequences of our actions. In the second image Amos warns caution. All is not as they believed, judgement will not bring what they expect. They are in danger in the very place they feel safe. There is a snake within the house.
How do you respond to the two images? Take a few moments for imagine them.
What was Amos meaning in giving these pictures?
Are there ways you can apply the images to your situation?
Written by Beth Keith & Dan Cooper
