Scripture
1 Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. 2 "What do you see, Amos?" he asked.
I replied, "A basket full of ripe fruit."
Then the Lord said, "Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. 3 In that day the singing in the Temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"
4 Listen to this, you who rob the poor
and trample down the needy!
5 You can't wait for the Sabbath day to be over
and the religious festivals to end
so you can get back to cheating the helpless.
You measure out grain with dishonest measures
and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.
6 And you mix the grain you sell
with chaff swept from the floor.
Then you enslave poor people
for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.
7 Now the Lord has sworn this oath
by his own name, the Pride of Israel:
"I will never forget
the wicked things you have done!
Observations
- We can't say what people want to hear but what God has revealed to us by His Word
- Sovereign Lord
- Ripe fruit shows the planting and patience of the Lord
- They were planted in treating the poor with injustice
- They were planted in the world not God presence
- A Sovereign God cannot sweep injustice under the rug
Applications
- Preach God's Word not what people want to hear
- God is patient so I need to inspect the root of my fruit
- I'm I prospering at the expenses of someone else's peace
- What do I focus on in my Sabbath?
- Be constantly and consistently prepared for God's justice
Prayer
God please help me look deeper than the superficial fruit of my life. I need to do a soil analysis. Please empower me to plant my motives and ambitions in You and only You.
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