Amos the
prophet continued to share how Israel was to be judged by the LORD,
and their punishment would cause “wailing in the streets,
highways and vineyards”. In chapter five and verse eighteen of
his prophesy, Amos declared a “woe” upon those who “desire
the day of the LORD” where we read:
Woe unto
you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is
it for you?
the day
of the LORD is
darkness, and not light.
The
verse begins, “Woe unto you that
desire the day of the LORD! to what end is
it for you?” Amos
began with the word, “Woe”
which means “Alas, ha, ho and O” “unto
you that desire”
which means “the people of Israel who are incline to, covet, wait
longingly, wish, are greedy for and prefer” “the
day” or
“division of time or period” “of
the LORD”
which refers to “ Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and
the proper name for the one true God” “to
what end”
or “for what reason and how long” “is
it for you”
which means “the day of the LORD
for the people of Israel”. Amos questioned as to what benefit the
“time of the LORD” would be to those who sought it so
passionately.
The
verse continues, “the day of the LORD
is darkness,
and not light.” Amos
added, “the day”
or “division of time or period” “of
the LORD”
which refers to “Yehovah or Jehovah who is the existing One and the
proper name for the one true God” “is
darkness”
which means “obscurity, secret”, “and
not light”
or “illumination of prosperity, instruction and day-break”.
Rather than being a good thing for the people of Israel who desired
“the day of the LORD”,
“the day of the LORD”
would be a time horrific “obscurity”.
When
we consider these words of Amos, we understand the confusion of mind
within the people of Israel. Whereas they thought “the
day of the LORD” would be good
for them, it would actually bring greater “darkness”
upon them than they ever knew before. Many people expect there to be
no judgment or punishment for their forsaking God's plan of Salvation
through Jesus Christ. They believe somehow the day they stand before
the LORD will be “good” for them rather than horrific. Jesus
said, “Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast
out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work
iniquity.” May all who read
take heed not only to the words of Amos, but particularly to the
words of Jesus.
Next
time Amos shares what happens when “a
man did flee from a lion”,
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment