The Heaton File

 Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

He sent a man before them– Joseph–who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, (Psalm 105:17-21)

Joseph Overcame

The life of Joseph was a remarkable example of resilient faith. Doted over by his father he enjoyed a privileged life unlike his brothers. The son of Rachel Joseph would have a special kinship with Benjamin whose birth took their mother’s life after a hard labor. At the age of seventeen Joseph went to find his brothers at his father’s request and would not see Israel again for over twenty years. Hated by his older brothers Joseph was stripped of his colorful coat and sold to slave traders heading to Egypt. His life would never be the same. The world would await his leadership to save it.

It would be hard to describe those first few days of slavery for Joseph. The Midianite traders would have treated this bright young man with disdain. As a slave he would be marketed as a piece of meat with the sole purpose of a price on his head. The long journey to Egypt was treacherous with each passing day and fearful solitude of the night not knowing why this was happening. What was going through the mind of Joseph? How could a seventeen-year-old survive this grueling test?

The day came when they arrived at the slave market in Egypt. A shameful exercise of bidding began as Joseph was put before a raucous crowd of buyers. Sold to an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard Joseph was taken away to do the menial horrible work of slaves in a rich man’s home. He longed for the face of his father and the comfort of his home. His first night in Egypt was a restless night of fear and uncertainty.

The days went by as he was put through the paces of slave labor. Somewhere in the heart of this young man resided a deeply devoted heart in the providence and care of Jehovah God. He worked hard and the Lord blessed him. In time he was granted greater freedoms working himself to a position of leadership within the home of Potiphar as overseer. With success came temptation – not from Joseph but from Potiphar’s wife. In a failed attempt at seduction the officer’s wife charged the Hebrew with attempted rape. Enraged Potiphar threw Joseph into prison. Once again the life of Joseph turns dark and the disquieting spirit of despair stands at the door. But Joseph has a resolve in his heart to overcome. Spending many years in prison he is finally released gaining the favor of Pharaoh and placed second in leadership of the greatest nation on earth. God has brought him through.

From chains to glory Joseph never lost hope in his Lord. We are bound under the trials of sin but through a resolution of hope and trust we can overcome. The life of Jacob’s son is a testimony to the victory found in trusting in the Lord. Trials are tests like fire against metal further strengthening our faith in the will of God. Joseph endured and overcame never accusing God or failing Him. Fetters and iron were tools of salvation for Joseph. Be faithful. We will overcome if we trust in God.

Wherever souls are being tried and ripened, in whatever commonplace and homely ways; there God is hewing out the pillars for His temple. (Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893, Perennials)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)

It’s Old And It’s Unchanging

Life is short. Some folk live to be 100 plus a few years but most die much earlier. The life span of man is limited to less than a century. Not a lot of time in the scheme of things. You can travel the world and find buildings that have been standing for hundreds of years with a few structures more than a thousand. The pyramids of Egypt have been around for a very long time. Consider a message that has been around since the beginning of time and it has remained unchanged! That is a powerful testimony. Nothing in the annals of man can match the impact of the word of God throughout the centuries of man.

The Bible as a whole has not existed but for less than two thousand years. Moses penned the first five books of Holy Writ during the wilderness wanderings of the Jews. He was writing about events centuries before his birth as given to him by the Holy Spirit. As the New Testament books were finalized and the Bible as a unit was preserved by God it was clear the word of God has not changed. One of the great testimonies of the Bible is its unchanging message passed from generation to generation. Critics seek to find discrepancies but what we read today is the same message preached in 1492 or the year 942. David king of Israel read from the same pages of the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) that is printed today in our Bibles. Jesus read from the same volume of the Old Testament (what we refer to as the 39 books) as we have. Consider that for a moment. Jesus read from the same pages we read from.

Life is short and the grass will wither with the changing seasons of time but God’s word does not change. Let that sink in to understand what we hold in our hand is as old as the mind of God. He revealed His message of hope and salvation through every generation of man preserving it in complete form today so that you and I can KNOW what His will for man is. This is a very old book printed on modern paper. And it has not changed. What kind of God would we be serving if He was not powerful enough to maintain the purity of His word? The God I serve has made certain what I have today is the pure revelation of His will for me. It’s a message of timeless grace for modern man.

The scriptural renascence is largely an effort to enable the Christian to hear the Word of God in the twentieth century as it was heard in the first – as salvation history, as the good news of God. (Philip Scharper, The Critic, August-September, 1962)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23)

God With Us

Matthew’s account of the announcement of Jesus birth is filled with wonder. Mary was pregnant with the Son of God and Joseph is concerned what to do. He obviously loves his wife very much refusing to make a public spectacle of her thinking of ways to put her away secretly. As this man of God ponders his life an angel of the Lord comes to him telling him news that would change his life and the world. This story is filled with one of the greatest measures of faith as Joseph immediately accepted the testimony of the angel, believing the impossible that his wife was with child as a virgin, following the will of God with a devoted heart. The gospel writer explains this event was a fulfillment of prophecy from of old using Isaiah’s passage in Isaiah 7:14 to show the message the Son of God would bring to not only the Jews but to the whole world.

God with us. John would later describe Jesus as the Word which became flesh and dwelt among them. We do not serve a God that is impersonal. The nature of God’s love for man is that He sent His only begotten Son into the world in the flesh to dwell with us and bear testimony of His humanity and His divinity. In the days of Jesus’ incarnation the message of “God with us” resounded by His presence, teaching, miracles and then His death. Jesus is a Savior who became like us. He bore the sorrows of flesh. Temptation battled against His will. His life was real. He felt all we feel. The idols of men have no feeling and are impersonal. Jesus is real.

God with us. It has been two thousand years since Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee and narrow streets of Jerusalem. He is still with us. His name bears testimony to every generation that God has not forsaken man. The life of Jesus bears the marks of God’s love for man to know we are not abandoned. When we begin to embrace the life of Jesus in our hearts there is a feeling of closeness that is found in knowing He walks with us, talks with us, helps us bear our infirmities and understands our sorrows. Like the men who walked the road to Emmaus our hearts can burn within us because we know that God is with us.

God with us. We have nothing to fear. Life is abundant with dark clouds of doubt and despair. The Light that came into the world in Jesus is the expression of ‘God with us’ and there is nothing to fear. We walk in a dark world but our path is illuminated with the light of His presence and wherever we go He is with us to dispel the darkness. I am not alone. When the days are weary and the long nights dreary I know my Savior cares. He is with me.

Today is Monday. There is much to do on this day with plans for the coming week. Yesterday we enjoyed an oasis of praise and worship to our Father. As the days unfold let us always begin with the joyful thought that God will be us. Jesus is the reason for the day not the season. He is with us now. He is with us now and forever. Take His hand today and walk with Him. Peace. Comfort. Joy. Hope. God is with us.

He bent over the corpse of the dead world, and whispered a word of faith … uttered words then unknown – love, sacrifice, a heavenly origin. And the dead arose. A new life circulated through the clay, which philosophy had tried in vain to reanimate. (Joseph Mazzini, Essays, 1887)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4)

The First Day Of Light

Worship on the first day is a day of LIGHT.

We worship God because He divided the LIGHT from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)

We worship God because He is our LIGHT in the darkness. (Nehemiah 9:12)

We worship God because He is our LIGHT and we trust Him. (Psalm 18:28-30)

We worship God because He is our LIGHT and salvation. (Psalm 27)

We worship God because He is LIGHT and our guide. (Psalm 90:8)

We worship God because He is the LIGHT to my path and a LAMP to my feet. (Psalm 119:105)

We worship God because His law is LIGHT. (Proverbs 6:23)

We worship God because we are His LIGHT. (Matthew 5:14)

We worship God because His Son is the LIGHT and the LIFE. (John 1:4)

We worship God because Jesus said; I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. (John 8:12)

Today is a day of LIGHT.

• Kent Heaton

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day. And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. (1 Samuel 31:1-13)

A Sad And Tragic End For A King

The story of Saul, son of Kish, is a tale of great opportunities squandered by arrogance and pride. Chosen first ruler of the united nation of Israel Saul was a choice handsome young man who stood taller than any of the people. Samuel anointed him as commander of the inheritance of God. As the anointed one Saul would rule God’s people for four decades. Sadly his reign would not be one of glory but of unlawful sacrifices, rebellion and madness. Rejected by the Lord because of his self-centered pride his life would become a mad folly of suspicion, hatred, and calamity. His death was of no less glory. Consulting the witch of En Dor Samuel had appeared to Saul foretelling of his death (1 Samuel 28). What a tragic end to a man who had so many opportunities to be great among the people of God.

The end of life is often a telling of the kind of life one has lived. As king of the powerful nation of Israel Saul knew the history of the conquering Israelites. The nation of Egypt had been defeated by the hand of God and nature itself bowed to the glory of the Lord as the Red Sea parted allowing His people to be saved. Flowing from the Law of Moses were the stories of the power of the Lord in the wilderness and conquering of the land of Canaan. History was rich with the testimony of the goodness and severity of God. Saul should have ruled with these stories vividly placed within his mind. Sadly he failed to seize the opportunity to be a hero of scripture and trusted in himself rather than God. His death was one of shame. A life wasted. A life lost.

This is a great story because of what it tells us today. Saul was the king, the anointed one of Israel yet he allowed Satan to mar his life to end in shame. He lost his sons, his army, his respect and his God. Why? Pride. How great the fall. When he should have waited and trusted in the Lord he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice. Commanded by the Lord to utterly destroy his enemies he decided he knew more than God. As madness descended upon him he spent much of his life chasing a flea in the desert (David). Saul’s life ended because he had left his Lord.

Save the coming of the Lord death will take us all. Our story will be written upon the pages of God’s book of memory in either words of glory or shame. We have more today than Saul in the testimony of God’s power. How are we using His word to guide our lives? It is easy to trust in ourselves rather than the Lord but it is the most tragic mistake we will make in life. When we live our lives apart from the word of God our death will be heartbreaking. Death may take us peacefully unlike Saul and his army but the end will be the same if we do not follow the will of God. We live in a day of opportunity. Seize this time to be a person of righteousness to live for the glory of God’s faithful. Let us all die as faithful and diligent soldiers of Christ fighting for truth. Live for the glory of God.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because … it is the quality which guarantees all others. (Winston S. Churchill, Great Contemporaries, 1937)

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power? Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull breeds without failure; their cow calves without miscarriage. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice to the sound of the flute. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’ (Job 21:7-15)

The Folly Of The Wicked

In every generation of man there is a belief that living righteous will bring prosperity and following after evil will always bring destruction. This is considered in the present world that those who follow after wickedness will find a self-made judgment because of their actions. In contrast living a righteous life will bring all the blessings of this world to enjoy. The plight of Job was highlighted by his friends as a judgment of God for the wickedness in his life. In answer of Zophar’s charge Job reminds his friends that in fact wicked people can live to a ripe old age with little penalty for their sin. Their children prosper and their fortunes continue for generations with no sense of doom. The knowledge of God is scorned as they fill their lives with an abundance of evil. There are many righteous people who are cut down in the bloom of youth. How can we justify the wicked living so long and the righteous suffering in this life?

There is a penalty of sin found in the actions of life. Many people die early because they follow a path of reckless abandon in wicked pursuits. Drugs, alcohol, crime, sexual immorality will bring about consequences in life that cause disease or death. However many people enjoy a life of extreme immorality and still live to ripe old ages. Nations are ruled by tyrants for many, many years and there seems to be an injustice to it all. The wicked have a lot of fun and suffer little consequence. But that is the lie of Satan deceiving the righteous that wickedness is without penalty.

It can be easy to look at the pleasures of the world and see little or no consequence. Many of God’s people have been turned aside to the appeal of the pursuits of passion because there are no consequences. The wicked live to become old and die happy with the fulfillment of the pleasures of the flesh. What is lost in translation is the reality of what happens after death. The reality of life is not about whether there are consequences on this side of death but what awaits the soul after death. There is the siren song of sin’s deception to believe there is no consequence to sin. God’s judgment will come at death with the certainty of His word.

Look around and see how the wicked prosper. The world is filled with the fun and frolic of sin’s deceptive nature that life can be a robust pursuit of incredible fun. Then look at the word of God and see what lies beneath the surface of sin’s ruse. It is death. Happiness is not found in this life. True contentment is found in a relationship with God in eternity. This life will end with all its pleasures. Eternity will never end. Where do you want to find joy?

Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices. (C. S. Lewis, Christian Behavior, 1943)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

I cried out to God with my voice – to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. Psalm 77)

God Will Not Forget Me

Asaph was a psalmist like Jeremiah was a prophet. There is a lamentation in his writings as he reflects upon the challenges he faced in life and the Lord’s response. He was overwhelmed in some distress and cried out to the Lord. What is clear in his writing is his continued faith in God. That is not an easy thing to do when the whole world is coming down on you. Whatever calamity he suffered was tempered by the knowledge his Lord would never forsake him.

There is a personal relationship Asaph has with God. This psalm speaks of a deeply devoted man enjoying the calming hand of comfort in times of trouble. A striking prose in this psalm is when he speaks of the right hand of the Most High. He remembered that of the Lord. In his own trouble he knew he served a God who was bigger than anything in this world. When he needed help Asaph went to the word of God and remembered the mighty works of old. The deeds of the Lord, the presence of the Lord, the wonders of the Lord, the strength of the Lord, the arm of the Lord – the power of the Lord.

Today is the middle of the week. How is it going? If there are troubles in life remember Psalm 77. When the storms of life rage about us God will calm the storm. Sometimes He will allow the storm to rage and calm the child. We can trust in Him because of His mighty hand and powerful arm. He will not forget us. He will not forsake us. In times of trouble let the word of God calm your spirit. If there is anguish spend time in the Psalms. If you need hope read the gospels about Jesus. When faith begins to waver meditate on the Hebrews. Joy is found in Philippians. Read the books of Genesis and Exodus and witness the power of God. Spend time in the Book. Allow the mind of God to flow in your veins bringing comfort and peace. He has not forgotten you.

Happy is the soul that heareth the Lord speaking within her; and receiveth from His mouth the word of comfort. (Thomas A. Kempis, Imitation of Christ, 1441)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says the Lord: behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. (Jeremiah 18:1-11)

Finding America At The Potter’s House

Israel was a superpower of its day. They conquered the land of Canaan and withstood their enemies on all sides. It was a land that flowed with milk and honey with prosperity making it one of the richest nations in the world. The Queen of Sheba visited the land during the reign of Solomon to see the magnificence of Israel for herself. She discovered the stories of the king and Israel were only half told. For more than one hundred years the nation was an incredible picture of wealth and power.

Jeremiah saw a much different picture than the Queen of Sheba. He witnessed the decline of the nation into sin and the final judgment of the Lord upon Jerusalem as they were carried away to a captive land. The man of God’s mission was to turn the hearts of the people to the Lord of which they largely ignored. Israel had become so wicked they believed they could never be destroyed. Their confidence in being the people of God gave them a false sense of security they were safe from their enemies. They were under the mistaken idea that God would never punish them. The Lord told Jeremiah to visit the potter’s home.

Men forget that nations rise and fall by the hand of God. As Creator not only does God ordain the pattern of the world but He also declares His glory in the workings of the nations. It only takes an instant for the Lord to speak and a nation will crumble. It only takes an instant for the God of all nations to raise up a people for His purpose. The political wrangling of nations is comical at best because regardless of how men plan the success or failures of nations it remains in the hand of God to determine the outcome. As clay in the potter’s hand every nation on earth is subject to the will of the potter. Read the history of man and it will be clearly evident no nation will survive who deny God.

America has become a nation much like the people of Israel in the days of the prophets. Wickedness abounds and evil hearts fill the landscape of morality. The people of God know what will become of this land of red, white and blue. It will follow the path of ancient Israel into a moral captivity that will destroy it from within. There is a need to visit the potter’s house in America. As the clay in the hand of the potter so goes the United States of America. Lord Jesus come quickly.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon. (Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation, March 30, 1863)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)

The Hour Of Jesus

There are at least thirteen times in the Gospels a reference to the “hour” of Jesus is recorded. Matthew and Mark mention the hour of Jesus once; Luke twice and the final nine references contained in John’s gospel. At the marriage feast of Cana Mary implores her son to help in preparing more drink for the guest. Jesus replies that His hour had not yet come. This would be a common theme in the short life of the man from Nazareth who lived each day walking towards a certain hour.

John tells his readers on a few occasions that Jesus was not taken by the Jewish leaders because “His hour had not yet come” (John 7:30; 8:20). The meticulous plan of the Father was for the fullness of time to find its fullness in the plan of God’s wisdom. Jesus lived each day knowing where He was going and what would happen to Him. His understanding of His death was clear in His mind. He knew how He would suffer. The hour of His suffering was carefully orchestrated by the Finger of God to fulfill the plan of redeeming man. As a lamb being lead to the slaughter Jesus walked each day moving closer to that hour. When the disciples feared returning to Judea because of the Jews wanted to stone Him, the Lord reminded them His Father would not allow His death to happen until He decided it was time (John 11:7-10). Jesus knew His hour.

The garden of Gethsemane is the setting for the realization of the hour of Jesus. Following the Passover feast the eleven disciples walked with Jesus to a familiar place of prayer for the Lord. They were unaware the hour was fast approaching when Jesus would be betrayed, tried and killed on a cross. Taking Peter, James and John the Lord goes a little further to pray to His Father about this “hour” that has now arrived. Jesus knew it was time. He knew what Judas was doing. He knew what was about to happen because it was His hour. In His prayer He begged His Father to save Him from that hour knowing it was for that hour He had purposed to come. The hour had come for Him to die for all men.

Examining the life of Jesus tells us many things. The mind of Jesus was focused on one thing: His hour. His teaching was focused on the meaning of that hour. The miracles He performed foreshadowed the miracle that would happen at that hour. Every fiber of His life was directed towards the hour when He would open wide His arms and die for all men. It was that hour the earth trembled and the sky turned dark. The veil in the Temple was torn because of that hour. Jesus lived for that hour to die at that hour so that all men could live for eternity. Thank God for that hour.

No cross. No crown. (Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth– the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name! (Amos 4:6-13)

Prepare To Meet Your God

The prophet Amos was a tough no-nonsense preacher from a small town in Judah named Tekoa. His message to Israel was a fierce defense of the sovereignty of Jehovah and a blistering rebuke to the rebellious lives of God’s people. He began his message with the Lord roaring from Zion. He never let up. The message of Amos is a clear demonstration of the severity of God upon those who refuse to obey Him. And there were plenty of opportunities to change.

The Lord loved Israel as the apple of His eye. When they began to follow after the gods of Baal, Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molech (to name a few) He brought judgment upon them with famine and drought but to no avail. Their crops died in the fields with blight and mildew. The plagues of Egypt descended upon the people and sons were slain with the sword and the people continued in their idolatrous worship. Stench filled the land with the rotting corpse of man and animal yet the people did not return. The Lord destroyed the people as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and they still refused to return to Him. Times up. Judgment day is here.

Israel had seen the hand of God and felt His punishment in a most severe manner. The incredible thing is that with all of this being brought down upon them they stubbornly refused to do His will. God’s righteousness is found in the mercy given by Him to the people seeking their return. He did this because of His name. The Lord is longsuffering and patient. His kindness is beyond understanding. But there comes a day when His name must be exalted according to His grace. The grace of God saves and the grace of God condemns. With all His works being done among the people they continued in their denial of His love. His grace would now be found in their destruction.

Noah was saved by grace and the world was condemned by grace. The message of salvation was also a message of doom. Noah believed and obeyed the grace of God in preparing the ark for the saving of his household. The rest of the world did not believe and refused to obey the grace of God and were destroyed. Amos shows the grace of God in the saving power of how often the Lord punished the people seeking to bring them back but they refused. Now the day of judgment had come and they would suffer for disobedience to God’s grace.

The message of Amos still rings clear today. Our God has sent His Son into the world to show the light of salvation. He even let man kill His Son on a cross. The mind of God is revealed to man through the pages of Holy writ. Most people today live with no interest in either the death of Jesus Christ or the message of the Bible. There will come a day when the name of the Lord must be exalted and man will be reminded of how he was shown the grace of God in so many ways. Sadly the majority of people will be cast into hell for ignoring the clear message of salvation in Jesus Christ. We need to listen to Amos. It is a great story.

Careless soul, why will you linger,

Wand’ring from the fold of God?

Hear you not the invitation?

Oh, prepare to meet thy God.

Refrain:

Careless soul, oh, heed the warning,

For your life will soon be gone;

Oh, how sad to face the judgment,

Unprepared to meet thy God.

Why so thoughtless are you standing,

While the fleeting years go by,

And your life is spent in folly?

Oh, prepare to meet thy God.

Hear you not the earnest pleadings

Of your friends that wish you well?

And perhaps before tomorrow

You’ll be called to meet your God.

If you spurn the invitation

Till the Spirit shall depart,

Then you’ll see your sad condition,

Unprepared to meet thy God.

(James H. Stanley, 1909)