Amos the prophet continued
to share about the judgment that was pending for Israel. He saw the
LORD as He stood “upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a
plumbline in his hand” and heard the LORD say he would “set
a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel” and not “pass
by them any more”. In chapter seven and verse nine of his
prophesy, Amos shared concerning the desolate and wasted “high
places” and “sanctuaries” where we read:
And the high places of
Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid
waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
The
verse begins, “And the high places of Isaac shall be
desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste;”
Amos began with the words, “And the high places” which
refers to “the ridges, heights, bamahs and mountain places of
worship” “of Isaac” whose name means “laughter”
and was “the son of Abraham by Sarah his wife and father of
Jacob and Esau” “shall be desolate” or “appalled,
stunned, stupefied, deflowered, deserted and awestruck”, “and
the sanctuaries” which mean “the sacred and holy places”
“of Israel” which means “God prevails” and was
“the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of
Jacob” “shall be laid waste” or “made desolate, dried
up and in ruins”. When the LORD comes on the scene the “high
places” and “sanctuaries” will be “made desolate and
ruinous”.
The verse goes on to say,
“and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos continued, “and I will rise” which means “arise and
stand to become powerful and come on the scene” “against the
house” or “in opposition to the shelter, dwelling, habitation
and abode” “of Jeroboam” whose name means “the people
will contend” and was “the eighth king of the northern kingdom of
Israel, son of Joash, and fourth in the dynasty of Jehu” “with
the sword” or “knife, axe, dagger or mattock used for
cutting”. God promised to “be in opposition to” “Jeroboam”
the king of Israel with a sharp cutting “sword” of offense.
When we meditate upon these
words of Amos, we understand how angry and purposed the LORD was
against Israel. Not only would He destroy their normal living
quarters, but He would destroy their “worship” places as well.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man
comes to the father but by me” (John
14:6), and regardless of whether we have “places, acts or
demonstrations of worship”, they shall all fall when they do not
come under allegiance to Him. The people of Israel trusted in their
“high places” and “sanctuaries”, but their
trust was exercised in vain. When judgment came, every one of them
fell. What form or place of worship are we relying upon for our
salvation? Anything other than a relationship with God the Father
through Jesus Christ shall fall. Let all who read these words listen
to and obey Jesus.
Next
time we
see Amos write about how “Amaziah
the priest of Bethel” sends
a message to “Jeroboam
king of Israel” about
himself,
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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