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 4 talks about the disasters and events that have come and gone and affected Israel while they have been turned away from God. The passage highlights some of the Israelites' sins: oppressing the poor and crushing the needy, combined with boasting about their sacrifices. The effect of this is that they seem righteous and holy to their peers, but God sees through them to the way they really act.
The list of disasters that happen to Israel stand in contrast to the promises of God. God promised that if they obeyed his commandments and honoured the covenant, he would protect them from the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 6.8) and from their enemies (Exodus 23.22–23). However, this passage reveals that because the Israelites turned away from God, his protection over them was lifted and they suffered as a result. And yet, the passage laments that the Israelites still don’t turn back to God.
We could imagine God as a parent who has told his children not to touch open flames. When they get burned, and don’t learn their lesson but carry on acting in the same way, he gets frustrated – we hear this frustration in the repeated phrase, ‘yet you have not returned to me’.
We can be confident that, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God won’t ever leave us or take his protection away from us. However, we can also be aware when God is trying to warn us or send us signals.
Dear God, please help me to listen to your voice and recognise when you are trying to tell me something. Help me to keep your commandments and honour your word.
This reflection was written by Hannah Stevens who is part of Bible Society's Publishing team
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