Amos the
prophet warned Israel about the LORD knowing their “manifold
transgressions” and “mighty sins”. He shared how
they afflicted “the just”, took “a bribe” and
“turned aside the poor in the gate from their right”. This
caused “the prudent” to “keep silence in that time”,
and in chapter five and verse fourteen of his prophesy, this cause
Amos to exhort the people to “Seek good, and not evil”
where we read:
Seek good,
and not evil, that you may live: and so the LORD,
the God
of hosts, shall be with you, as you have spoken.
The
verse begins, “Seek good, and not evil, that you may
live:” Amos began with the
word, “Seek” or
“resort to, enquire, frequent, consult, investigate and demand”
“good” which means
“pleasant, excellent, rich, valuable, appropriate and prosperous
ways”, “and not evil”
or “bad, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant and wicked things”,
“that you may live”
which means “have life, remain alive, live prosperously and
revived”. The people of Israel were to “investigate and demand”
that which was “pleasant and prosperous” and not that which was
“malignant and wicked”.
The
verse goes on to say, “and so the LORD, the God of hosts,
shall be with you, as you have spoken.” Amos
continued, “and so the LORD”
which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the
proper name for the one true God”, “the God”
or “the divine ruler and judge” “of hosts”
which refers to “the army, company and soldiers of angels”,
“shall be with you as you have spoken”
which means “the LORD would accompany the people of Israel as they
had uttered, said and boasted”. If the people of Israel would
simply “seek good, and not evil”
the LORD promised to “be with”
them in the same manner they shared in the past.
When
we think through these words of Amos, we see the LORD's exhortation
to Israel to “pursue” things that are “good”
and flee things which are “evil”
because it was to their advantage to do so. The LORD desires
blessings for us and not curses. He desires to be “with”
us, and when we “seek”
that which is “good”
according to Him, He promises to be “with”
us. Jesus Christ came to be “with”
us as Savior and LORD, and one of His final promises was “I
am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world”
(Matthew 28:20). Those who are wise will “seek
good, and not evil”,
and the LORD shall remain “with”
them
forever.
Next
time Amos tells Israel to “hate
the evil” and
“love
the good”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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