Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
Amos 3 appeals again to the special covenant Israel has with God. Israel has been chosen specially to represent God among the nations, and therefore it is important for them to enact justice on the earth.
Because God relates to Israel as a father, this means that he needs to punish them for their sins so that they will change their ways. It is better for Israel to receive judgement so that they can correct their ways, than for God to allow injustice to continue unchecked.
In verses 3–6 a series of rhetorical questions is asked. The answer to all of the questions is ‘no,’ and this implies that the answer to the last question – ‘Does disaster come to a city , unless the LORD has done it?' (verse 6b) – is no. This may sound concerning, as it implies that God causes all bad things that happen. However, the context of the surrounding passage is about disaster as a particular form of judgement. So what this verse is saying is that when God sends disaster as judgement to the city, it is done with a purpose – so that the people can amend their ways. The verse is quickly followed by the reminder that God will send his prophets to prophesy the punishment, so that fair warning is given for the people to repent – think of what happened when Jonah prophesied to Nineveh.
Dear Lord, thank you that we always have a chance to repent and make positive changes in our lives. Please help us to listen to others when they speak into our lives and to hear your voice.
This reflection was written by Hannah Stevens who is part of Bible Society's Publishing team
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