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,
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.
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