Amos 9:8-10 - Hand of God
Scripture:
Amos 9:8-10
8 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,"
Declares the Lord.
9 "For behold, I am commanding,
And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a kernel will fall to the ground.
10 "All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, 'The calamity will not overtake or confront us.'
NASU
Thoughts:
God here is trumpeting His mighty, sovereign hand. He warned of a judgment, by which He would sift the nation like a sieve. The sinful like chaff would fall through that sieve to their destruction. Those who fear God, what is often referred to as "the remnant," like kernels of grain, would not slip through His sieve but be spared.
It is true that God does not always shield His followers from difficulty. The Bible is rife with examples of hardships for believers, as are our collective lives. But we are always spared His judgment. He does not punish the believer since Christ took our punishment, only those who reject Him.
What an amazing God who can work in such a way! If He so chooses, hand picking the recipients of even the physical consequences of His judgment in this life (verse 10). And eternally, the believer is completely secure as He is the one who will keep us, as Paul wrote:
2 Timothy 1:12
12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
NASU
Prayer:
I am comforted by Your powerful hand that will keep me until at last I come home to You. I have entrusted my very soul to You. I know with the apostle, that You can keep it safe. Hallelujah!
Amen
posted by Steve @ 8:32 PM
