14 day plan

The Lion Roars

Day 6 of 14

CSB

Amos 3:1-2

God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel

1Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:

2I have known only you

out of all the clans of the earth;

therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.

A Dangerous Calling

Being Christian, belonging to Jesus, is a serious business. We are saved by God’s grace, completely forgiven by Christ, when we put our trust in him. But God also calls us to be holy as he is holy – to conform our life, our values, our priorities, to the values and priorities of his divine life. Christ called his church the light of the world. We are meant to show the world how and why belonging to Jesus is good and wholesome and irresistible.

Question: How is living for Jesus good for you? How can you show others its goodness?

Prayer: Thank you, heavenly Father, for making me holy, bringing me to yourself through your Son and Spirit. Holy Spirit, continue to bring forth the fruit of Christlikeness in me. Make my life a shining beacon of the goodness, love, mercy, and beauty of Christ, for the honour of his name. Amen.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

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Amos 3:1-15

God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel

1Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:

2I have known only you

out of all the clans of the earth;

therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3Can two walk together

without agreeing to meet?

4Does a lion roar in the forest

when it has no prey?

Does a young lion growl from its lair

unless it has captured something?

5Does a bird land in a trap on the ground

if there is no bait for it?

Does a trap spring from the ground

when it has caught nothing?

6If a ram’s horn is blown in a city,

aren’t people afraid?

If a disaster occurs in a city,

hasn’t the Lord done it?

7Indeed, the Lord God does nothing

without revealing his counsel

to his servants the prophets.

8A lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;

who will not prophesy?

9Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod

and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:

Assemble on the mountains of Samaria,

and see the great turmoil in the city

and the acts of oppression within it.

10The people are incapable of doing right —

this is the Lord’s declaration —

those who store up violence and destruction

in their citadels.

11Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemy will surround the land;

he will destroy your strongholds

and plunder your citadels.

12The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs

or a piece of an ear

from the lion’s mouth,

so the Israelites who live in Samaria

will be rescued

with only the corner of a bed

or the cushion of a couch.

13Listen and testify against the house of Jacob —

this is the declaration of the Lord God,

the God of Armies.

14I will punish the altars of Bethel

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar will be cut off

and fall to the ground.

15I will demolish the winter house

and the summer house;

the houses inlaid with ivory will be destroyed,

and the great houses will come to an end.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers