God Raising Up the Tabernacle of David Amos 9:11

Amos the LORD's “herdsman fig-picking” prophet shared how God would “sift the house of Israel among the nation”, and He promised “all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword”. Though Israel believed, “the evil” would not “overtake nor prevent” them, the LORD's judgment would still fall upon them. In chapter nine and verse eleven of his prophesy, Amos shared how God would “raise up the tabernacle of David” where we read:

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

The verse begins, “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof;” Amos began with the words, “In that day” which refers to “the period or division of time” “will I raise up” or “establish, confirm, endure and fix” “the tabernacle” which means “the booth, thicket or temporary shelter” “of David” whose name means “beloved” and was “youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel ” “that is fallen” or “cast down, settled, knocked out and caused to fail”, “and close up” which means “wall up, shut off, enclose, hedge and inclose” “the breaches thereof” or “breaking forth, gap, outburst and breach”. The LORD promised to “establish” David's “tabernacle” and “hedge” the “gaps” that were made within it.

The verse goes on to say, “and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:” Amos continued, “and I will raise up” or “establish, confirm, endure and fix” “his ruins” which means “demolish, destroy and ruin”, “and I will build it” or “rebuild, establish and cause to continue” “as in the days” which refers to “the period or division of time” “of old” or “of a long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual and ancient world ”. God promised to “rebuild and establish” the “tabernacle ruins” and “rebuild” them as it was in the past.

When we consider these words of Amos, we realize though the LORD was going to judge Israel, His mercy would be extended to a remnant of people in Judah which would include God “reestablishing” the “tabernacle” of David. The LORD promised to rebuild the gaps, fix the “ruins” and complete it in a fashion like it was in the past. Jesus Christ is able to “repair” breeches, fix ruins, and reestablish everyone who turns to Him as LORD and Savior. No matter how “destroyed” or “devastated” a life may be, Jesus Christ is able to “rebuild” them as new. As Paul the apostle wrote in Second Corinthians chapter five and verse seventeen - “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”.

Next time Amos shares how God will “possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen”, 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.

Sinners Shall Die by the Sword Amos 9:10

The time for the LORD's judgment was imminent upon the people of Israel. Amos the “herdsman fig-picking” prophet declared how God would “sift the house of Israel among all nations”, and in chapter nine and verse ten of his prophesy, Amos declared how “all the sinners” of God's “people shall die by the sword” where we read:

All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say,

The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

The verse begins, “All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,...” Amos began with the words, “All the sinners” which refers to “the criminals and those accounted guilty who are exposed to condemnation” “of my people” which means “God's nation, compatriots, countrymen, kinsmen and kindred” “shall die” or “be put to death and perish” “by the sword” which refers to “a knife, dagger, ax, mattocks or tool for cutting”. The “sword” would be the instrument by which “the guilty people of Israel” would die.

The verse continues, “...which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.” Amos added, “which say” or “utter, proclaim and declare”, “The evil” or “the bad, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant and displeasing kind” “shall not overtake” which means “approach or draw near to” “nor prevent us” which means “will not confront, go before, come to meet, receive, forestall or anticipate the people”. Though the LORD told them people through His prophets they would be defeated by their enemies, the people didn't believe they would be overtaken by them.

When we meditate upon these words of Amos, we see how thorough the LORD was in His judgment against the people in Israel. Even as they were in unbelief that any “evil” would “overtake or prevent them”, their judgment was close at hand. Many today do not believe there will ever be a day when God's hand shall come against them, but as these people in Israel were mistaken, so are they. Jesus Christ came to “save” people from the future pending judgment that awaits all of us - “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27). Those who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and LORD shall find mercy and grace from God extended toward them. Those who do not receive Him shall be condemned. Oh that we might understand the gravity of the imminent judgment of the LORD and turn to Him in repentance before it is too late.

Next time Amos shares how God “will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen”, 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.

God Will Sift the House of Israel Amos 9:9

Amos the prophet told the people of Israel “the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom”, and the LORD was to “destroy it from off the face of the earth”. God did, however, say he would “not utterly destroy the house of Jacob”, and in chapter nine and verse of his prophesy, Amos shared how God will “sift the house of Israel among the nations” where we read:

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations,

like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

The verse begins, “For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations,...” Amos began with the word, “For lo” which means “because, on account of and since”, “I will command” which means “God will give orders, charge, and order”, “and I will sift” or “quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, make and tremble” “the house” which refers to “the dwelling, habitation, shelter and abode” “of Israel” which means “God prevails” and was “the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “among all nations” which refers to “the people, usually non-Hebrew who were heathen and known as Gentiles”. The LORD promised to “shake and move” the nation of Israel in the midst of all the other nations in the world.

The verse goes on to say, “... like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” Amos continued, “like as corn is sifted” which means “like grain is quivered, tottered, shaken, reeled, staggered, wandered, moved, made and trembled” “in a sieve” or “in a netted screen or strainer”, “yet shall not the least grain” or “the smallest bundle, parcel, pouch or bag” “fall” which means “lie down, be cast down, fail, fall away, prostrate oneself and be knocked out” “upon the earth” or “the land, territory, district or region”. When God's judgment falls, the nation of Israel would be “sifted” even as grain of wheat is “sifted” in a “netted screen or strainer”.

When we meditate upon these words of Amos, we see a new example of what God would do to the nation of Israel. He was to “sift” them like “grains of wheat” which would separate the “wheat from the chaff” among them. Israel was God's chosen nation among the nations in the world, and they rebelled against Him. Now they were to be judged by the LORD. God desires for people to receive His salvation through Jesus Christ His only begotten son. If they comply, they shall live with Him eternally, but if they do not, woe be to those who become the “sifted” ones of God.

Next time Amos shares how “All the sinners of” God's “people shall die by the sword”, 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.

Timing

What meanest thou one that perfect time

when stars align and moments combine

Where waiting halts and endurance stalls

to bring to pass what shall not last

When chances meet and glances greet

and modes persist ageless resist

the anguished care and fearful wear

of mind and soul thou cans't not bear

Where accident releases faith

and happenstance doth be thy state

avoided path of hurried wrath

that brings in force the instant path

And speeding forth the dismal force

while passing days doth bring delay

till timing's fate thy moment's mate

the averted hours that spirit sour

Thus hours, decades weeks and years

force waiting lines with forceful tears

inclined to be more stress to see

and bring to thee thy destiny

God's Eyes on the Sinful Kingdom Amos 9:8

When Amos the prophet proclaimed the judgment of God upon the people of Israel, he shared how the LORD would not allow anyone to escape. God is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present, and there was nothing He could not do or know, and no one He could not find who attempted to flee from Him. The LORD asked whether Israel was “as the children of the Ethiopians unto” Him, and He reminded them of how he rescued them out of “Egypt, Philistia and Syria”. In chapter nine and verse eight of his prophesy, Amos shared how “the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom” where we read:

Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD.

The verse begins, “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth;” Amos began with the word, “Behold” which means “look, observe and take note”, “the eyes of the Lord” or “the face, countenance and sight of the title spoken in place of
Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence” “GOD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing and becoming One and the proper name for the one true God” “are upon the sinful” or “the offensive habitual sinfulness” “kingdom” which means “dominion, reign, sovereignty or realm”, “and I will destroy” or “exterminate, annihilate and devastate” “it from off the face” which means “the sinful kingdom from the surface, appearance and presence” “of the earth” or “of the land, ground, territory, country, district and region”. God saw the “sinful kingdom” of Israel and promised to “exterminate” it from the “earth's” surface.

The verse goes on to say, “saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD.” Amos continued, “saving” or “ceasing or ending with finality” “that I will not utterly” which is the Hebrew word “shamad” or “exterminate, annihilate and devastate” “destroy” which again is the Hebrew word “shamad” and means “exterminate, annihilate and devastate” “the house” which refers to “dwelling, habitation, shelter and abode” “of Jacob” which means “heel holder or supplanter” and was “the son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham and father of the twelve patriarchs of the tribes of Israel”, “says” which means “utters, proclaims and declares” “the LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing and becoming One and the proper name for the one true God”. In the midst of God's destruction of Israel, we see that He will save a “remnant” who “dwell” in “Jacob”.

When we think through these words of Amos, we see how the LORD in the midst of His judgment was merciful and gracious. There was to be a “remnant” of people whom God would save, and though He was purposed to destroy Israel, he would not “utterly destroy the house of Jacob”. God is a merciful and gracious God, and He extended His evidence of this through His Son Jesus Christ. God's arms are open wide, and He is ready to receive all who will turn from their wicked ways and repent. Lest we be among those who are “destroyed”, let us receive Jesus as our Savior and LORD today.

Next time Amos shares how God will “sift the house of Israel”, 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.

Random Mushrooms

'Pon ambling down one certain trail

mine eyes caught by random sight

a ghastly mushroom protruding from arbor hilt

and darkening it's effervescent bark

Thus ergodic spectacle out of place

and diverting mine attention toward

the abnormal rather than medial path

and bringing my thoughts toward agaric fungus

Twas then my cognitive content was drawn

toward the stochastic placement of mushrooms

and the fairy rings upon rotten branches

from which they rise and shine

Whether on lush green grasses

or upon weathered rotted branches

and linear gutters above and roadside venues below

where life rises from dying debris

From whited bulbs to tan peppered umbrellas

these basidiomycete spectacles unusually odd

bring surprise emergence and decorative beauty

for temporal observance for witted onlookers

And serve as reminders that all life and living

is not in one's specific regulated order

but rather imposes random funguses

that bring surprise to observers and participants

These strange functional oddities

seem out of place and haphazard

while ascending out of nowhere

do bring forth becoming examples

For as quickly as they rise

and begin their descent

they decrease to minuscule refuse

and pass like fleeting breeze

And thus be those random mushrooms

that darken our regimented trails

and remind us that our control

of events is limited to One much greater than we

Ethiopians, Israel, Egypt, Philistines and Syrians Amos 9:7

As Amos the prophet continued to share the judgment that was come upon Israel, he told how God would pursue those who attempted to escape Him. He shared how the LORD was omnipresent and omnipotent by declaring, “it is he that builds his stories in the heaven and hath founded his troop in the earth”. He also declared that God calls “for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth”. “The LORD is his name” was Amos' statement, and in chapter nine and verse seven of his prophesy, Amos referred to “the Ethiopians, Israel, Egypt, the Philistines and the Syrians” in his message where we read:

Are you not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? says the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

The verse begins, “Are you not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? says the LORD. ” Amos began with the words, “Are you not as children” which means “descendants, sons and grandsons” “of the Ethiopians” which means “their blackness” and was “one of the descendants of Cush the grandson of Noah through Ham and a member of that nation or people” “unto me” which refers to “the LORD”, “O children” which means “descendants, sons and grandsons” “of Israel” which means “God prevails” and was “the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”? “says” or “utters, declares and proclaims” “the LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing or becoming One and is the proper name for the one true God”. God questioned whether the “children of Israel” were like the pagan people who resided in “Ethiopia”.

The verse goes on to say, “Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?” Amos continued, “have not I brought up” or “ascended, climbed and shot forth” “Israel” which refers to “the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “out of the land” which means “the territory, district and region” “of Egypt” which means “land of the Copts” and was “a country at the northeastern section of Africa which is adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows”? “and the Philistines” which means “immigrants” and refers to “an inhabitant of Philistia who were the descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan ” “from Caphtor” which means “a crown” and was “the original home of the Philistines perhaps on the southwest coast of Asia Minor and maybe in Egypt or close by or more probably on the island of Crete ”, “and the Syrians” which means “exalted” and was “the Syrian or Aramean people” “from Kir” which means “wall” and was “a place in Mesopotamia”. The LORD rescued or “brought up” Israel from Egypt, Philistia and Syria and yet they still rejected Him and His ways.

When we think through these words of Amos, we can only imagine God comparing His own “children” in Israel to the pagan “Ethiopians”, and we should keep in mind the fact that He rescued them from “the Egyptians, the Philistines and the Syrians”. God worked on Israel's behalf, and yet, they forsook Him and His ways. Jesus Christ came into the world to give His life for our sin, and should we reject Him, we are as the pagan nations in the day of Israel. Oh let us value the awesome gift that God has bestowed upon us, and may we repent and turn to Him before we are labeled like these apostate Israelites.

Next time Amos shares how “the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom”, 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.

In Thy Hand

When life brings trouble far and wide

and painful hurt be deep inside

I know no better place to be

than in thy hand that comforts me

Where dulcet peace is felt within

my soul be still and rested then

For dare not none remove thee there

where God's right hand doth yield me care

No height nor depth nor power nor fear

can separate from thy great care

for in thy grip security

conveys me back lest I break free

And peaceful now my spirit inside

where in thy hand I now reside

and never more for me to roam

within thy palm I've made my home

God's Stories in Heaven and Troop in the Earth Amos 9:6

Amos the “herdsman fig-picking” prophet of the LORD, shared how the Lord GOD would “touch the land” of Israel, and it would “melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn”. He also declared it would “rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt”. In chapter nine and verse six of his prophesy, Amos told Israel how God “builds his stories in the heaven, and has founded his troop in the earth” where we read:

It is he that builds his stories in the heaven, and has founded his troop in the earth; he that calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.

The verse begins, “It is he that builds his stories in the heaven, and has founded his troop in the earth;” Amos began with the words, “It is he that builds” or “establishes, causes to continue, makes and sets up” “his stories” which literally means “a journey to a higher place” and figuratively means a thought arising” “in the heaven” or “the sky, abode of the stars, the atmosphere or Heaven as the abode of God”, “and has founded” which means “fixed, established, laid a foundation and began” “his troop” which refers to “the LORD's band, binding, bundle, knot or arch” “in the earth” or “the land, country, territory, district or region”. The LORD establishes his “higher place” in heaven and “causes” His “bands” to be formed on the “earth”.

The verse goes on to say, “he that calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.” Amos continued, “he that calls” or “recites, reads, proclaims and utters a loud sound” “for the waters” which refers to “the water-springs, watercourse and water-flood” “of the sea” which means “a large body of water such as a large river or artificial basin such as the Mediterranean Sea”, “and pours them out” which means “spills, sheds and mounds up” “upon the face” or “the presence, countenance or surface” “of the earth” which refers to “the land, country, territory, district and region”: “The LORD” which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing or becoming One and is the proper name for the one true God” “is his name” or “God's reputation, fame and glory”. The LORD has control of all the “waters of the sea”, and He is able to “shed” them anywhere on the “earth” He desires.

When we meditate upon these words of Amos, we see how God is able to rise to His position in heaven such as upon His throne while “fixing” a foundation upon the earth. He is omnipotent, and no one is able to escape His hand. He has control in heaven, control in the sea and control upon the earth. Shouldn't it behoove us to realize He is in control of our situations as well? Since He sent Jesus Christ to save us for all of eternity, we should trust He who controls heaven and earth for all the situations in our daily lives.

Next time the LORD asks Israel, “Are you not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me”, 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.

Portly Feline

Why layest thou there thou portly cat

with belly quite exposed

know not thy debonair display

doth leave thee discomposed

For grossly plump thy overweight

and stoutness be about

the calories thou must consume

and food cans't live without

Thy excess rot doth make thee large

and cover thee with shame

superfluous doth feed thy guilt

release thyself to blame

And roly-poly corpulent

thy chubby stomach lie

from overeating thy desserts

consuming too much pie

For hand in mouth and chunky meat

encompasses thy fat

expulsion from thy pudgy corpse

doth cause thy weight to splat

Thou well upholstered porky cat

with tubby beefy bones

cause meaty flab to lined thy ribs

doth make thy soul to groan

And heavyset thou thus shall be

with fleshly discontent

to find another meal or snack

addiction n'er relent

For eat shalt thou just one more meal

or three or four as hap

and take thy rest another place

in time to take a nap

Perpetual Suspect

What hast thou there who doth not trust

suspicious one and fearful must

For thou dost n'er e'er one believe

accuse of scandal demising thee

For thou dost always fear the worst

resisting trust it tis thy curse

for false deceit corruption lies

doth robe thy soul in blank disguise

And ending all relationships

thy reckless past it be thy script

untrusting souls have damaged thee

while anxious thoughts be all thou see

While absent calls texts emails too

suspicious ways that haunting you

thy paranoia flagrant be

while accusations flow from thee

Experience thy just filled way

while fear and worry pave thy fray

thy shelter shadow beaten mind

of worthiness thou left behind

Thy criminals wore smiles and grins

and falsified their thefts within

with information hid their schemes

and thou hast victim often been

And now attack before facts known

accusing loves of absent wrongs

debilitating suspicious cares

with no one marked with trust to bear

Trustworthiness be long forgot

deception be thy poignant thought

with anxious care and dreadful woe

be only message thou dost know

For suspects be both all the rest

who bring to thee their often best

condemned convicted all they be

before the facts be known by thee