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Day 7 Amos 7 Amos 7:1 Thus hath the Lord GOD showed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small. 3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, says the LORD. 4 Thus hath the Lord GOD showed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. 5 Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small. 6 The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, says the Lord GOD. 7 Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what see thou? And I said, A plumb line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: 9 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. 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos says, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land. 12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herd man, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou say, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. 17 Therefore thus says the LORD; Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land. What do you do when things are too hard for you to endure? Do you seek peace in the midst of your struggles? Do you hope all your troubles will cease and you will see the light at the end of a very long tunnel? God told Amos what he would do to Israel, but Amos sought God’s mercy, and God relented. However, God did not relent when he told Amos, Israel would go into captivity. He told them he would use a plumb line against his people. A plumb line is used in surveying the land to make certain you are getting a straight line. God’s plumb line is his Word. There are no shades of gray with God. It is either black or white. You are either following him, or you’re not. No in between. As Christians, you know when you deviate from God’s Word. You don’t have peace, and your struggles become burdensome. When you start putting your own interpretation on what God said, Satan comes in like a devouring prey, causing trouble for you. It is only when you confess your sin, returning to God that you will find peace once more in your life. Don’t allow Satan to take you captive, keep on the straight and narrow path God laid out for you, and you will never go astray. Let’s pray: Father, help me stay on the narrow path of your Word, never wavering, or going my own way. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 10 March 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay