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 3:7,
"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets."
After asking a series of questions that provoke the notion that there are things in this world that should be commonly understood, the Lord declares "Surely", the Lord reveals his plans to his people through prophets he has raised up.
It will always remain a startling fascination for me that our Creator, God Almighty, the One who has formed the galaxies, placing them in the vastness of unending space, the One who designed the molecular structure of all things - that One - he speaks to us through his own hand-selected prophets! Certainly this has to be one of the greatest of astonishments I have been impacted by!
I do note that the deceptive heart of man seeks its own and there are many who have claimed to speak for God. But the prophets that the Lord speaks to us through are "his servants". Not those who have thrust themselves forward, claiming to speak on God's behalf, but those whose will, whose volition had nothing in their becoming spokespersons of the Lord. Peter tells us, "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 1 Peter 1:21.
Over the years it has become apparent to me the books of the Bible that have been most neglected by so many are the prophets in the Old Testament. Particularly those we call the "Minor Prophets", Hosea through Malachi. Yet, together with what we call the "Major Prophets", Isaiah through Daniel, so much of the heart of our God is on display. I am confident that all of the Scriptures have their purpose and play an important role in equipping us through teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness that we might all be prepared for use by God and to know him well.
In these Old Testament prophets, the intensity of God's love, as portrayed in Hosea and Isaiah, as examples, is on display. The passion of God's servant in Isaiah speaks to the selfless suffering our Lord has taken on himself in order to bring us into his family. The intensity of God's love and mercy is vividly on display. Likewise the horrific nature of the Lord's wrath is manifested as well in these books. The terrible "day of the Lord" is foretold in Joel and Amos, the shocking nature of God's judgments, his righteous indignation and the disposition of the wicked are all on display in such a dramatic fashion, it takes one's breath away, as in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Much of what was foretold to happen is found in these books as well. Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, Malachi and many others have much in them that provide for the veracity of what was told, by events that have transpired in the meantime, as well as giving us confidence with what they tell us of days to come.
Surely, the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to us and along with this revelation is so much about his own heart, his desires, his love, his righteousness and his judgment. These are books not to be overlooked!
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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