The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Amos 2:12,
"You made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy."
As the Lord brings his indictment against Israel he points out that he had sent Israel prophets and raised up men to be specifically devoted to him, those who took the Nazirite vow, and were to be set aside for himself. But Israel made the Nazirites break their vows to the Lord and Israel commanded God's prophets to stop prophesying.
Why would anyone want to shut up a person the Lord sent with a message? Jesus answers this in his conversation with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3:19-20, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." The reality is that Israel had turned from God and as God reached out to her, she spurned him. Much like people of our day.
Why is it God reaches out to people? In the same conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." God loves us and sets about his agenda to populate his kingdom with all who will embrace him in faith. In John's first letter he says, "God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:8-10.
Although the world rejects God just as Israel did, and refuses to listen to what he has to say, and even commands those who have a message from him to keep quiet, he continues to reach out to us. As I think of God's heart, it is an amazing thing. We deserve nothing but his judgment and yet, he reaches out to us in his love. What a heart our God has!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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