The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Amos 2:4-7, “Thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the law of the LORD And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked.
5 “So I will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’
6 Thus says the LORD, “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 “These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless also turn aside the way of the humble; and a man and his father resort to the same girl In order to profane My holy name”

Do you remember the times when you were warned against doing something, but went ahead and did it? The end result was not as attractive as the “doing” of it, was it? Oh, believe me! I remember such times! For a time, it seemed as if you were getting away without punishment. Then the warning arose like a sudden storm and you learned what it meant to take heed, lest you fell into doing it again.

Amos became a prophet later in life. Prior to that, he cared for trees and the fruit they produced. But the call of God came to him, and the greater part of his life thereafter consisted in the proclamation of God’s punishment upon the nations who failed to obey Him.

The LORD’s indignation was proclaimed against nations that were occupying land the LORD has previously given to Israel. Other indignation concerned Israel’s own godless behavior. The simple truth of the message to us is that God does not forget what He has promised –be it a blessing or a curse. And the prophet was not permitted to alter what the LORD had proclaimed.

This book of Amos speaks loudly to our current generation. We are guilty of the same ungodliness that was being practiced in Amos’ day. The guilt of a nation’s people reaches into the nation’s government. We like to blame others for sinning, when they are but a shadow of the rest of us who elected them. As with Amos, Hosea also speaks to us with unmistakable clarity:

“Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break
up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain
righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom