Amos 2:9-10 - Thank the Lord

Scripture:

Amos 2:9-10
9 "Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.
10 "It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness forty years
That you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
NASU


Thoughts:

At the time of the judgments in Amos, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms:  Israel to the north, and Judah to the south, including Jerusalem.  Here Amos is addressing the northern kingdom of Israel.

The 1st king of the northern kingdom of Israel feared his people would reunite with Judah if they went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, and so he set up idols in Israel for them to worship, instead:

1 Kings 12:26-28
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." 28 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."
NASU

God here, is reminding them of the truth.  He was the one who brought them up out of Egypt, He gave them their land.

It is so good for us to remember the source of the good things in our life.  James tells us that all of them are from God:

James 1:17
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
NASU

What things should you and I be thanking the Lord for, today?  Friends and family, our church home, our jobs and education, our health?  The very fact that we have physical life we take for granted, but how much more do those of us who have received God's gift of salvation, need to thank Him again for giving us spiritual life!


Prayer:

Thank You, Lord.  You are always so good to me.  Thank You for the countless ways You have blessed me in life.  Help me to take on a daily attitude of thankfulness to You.

Amen

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.