Read | Amos 4:4–13
Come to Bethel and rebel;
rebel even more at Gilgal!
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tenths every three days.
Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,
and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings,
for that is what you Israelites love to do!This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities,
a shortage of food in all your communities,
yet you did not return to me.This is the LORD’s declaration.
I also withheld the rain from you
while there were still three months until harvest.
I sent rain on one city
but no rain on another.
One field received rain
while a field with no rain withered.
Two or three cities staggered
to another city to drink water
but were not satisfied,
yet you did not return to me.This is the LORD’s declaration.
I struck you with blight and mildew;
the locust devoured
your many gardens and vineyards,
your fig trees and olive trees,
yet you did not return to me.This is the LORD’s declaration.
I sent plagues like those of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I caused the stench of your camp
to fill your nostrils,
yet you did not return to me.This is the LORD’s declaration.
I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like a burning stick
snatched from a fire,
yet you did not return to me—This is the LORD’s declaration.
Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,
and since I will do that to you,
Israel, prepare to meet your God!
He is here:
the one who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals his thoughts to man,
the one who makes the dawn out of darkness
and strides on the heights of the earth.
The LORD, the God of Armies, is his name.
Click here to listen to the Scripture in ESV.
When facing recent trials, have your actions shown a humble turning toward God, or a stubborn hardening of your heart against him?
Are there areas where you try to “balance out” your sinful actions by simply doing religious deeds or attending church?
Focus
Reflect on your actions this week:
We often ignore God’s warnings because our lives are too loud to hear them. Go for a 15-minute walk today with no phone, no music, and no podcasts. Ask God out loud: “Lord, what warning am I ignoring?” Spend the rest of the walk in total silence, just listening. When he reveals it, explicitly confess your stubbornness and ask for the grace to obey.
Pray
Pray that God reveals the specific areas in your life where you are wandering in a spiritual wilderness. Ask him to expose the false hopes you are using to comfort yourself, and for the faith to trust his word and his righteousness.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.
