Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Morning: Psalm 147:1-11 Amos 3:12-4:5 2 Peter 3:1-10 Matthew 21:23-32 Evening: Psalm 17:1-15
Scripture: 2 Peter 3: 1, 10
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Amos 4:4-5

⁴ “Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years. ^[c]

⁵ Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign LORD.
Observation:
Peter links and perhaps even equates the words of the prophets and the commands of Jesus.  He does this at the exact point I am most likely to want Jesus and the Old Testament Prophets NOT to be linked: cataclysm, world end, judgment.  But Peter insists they are held together.  Likely at the time of this letter, the challenge was for people to accept Jesus’ words with the same weight as the words of the prophets.  I don’t want to attend to the words of Amos, but they are bound to Jesus.

The Amos passage is hard to grasp because I have little context.  It just looks like the LORD is dropping a nuclear bomb on these women, and doing so for their worship, of all things.  But a little historical context pays off.  The worship at Bethel was break from worshiping in the temple in Jerusalem (I Kings 12:26ff).  The worship setup  in Bethel was set up to serve human purposes.

Application: The cross of Jesus insists that we rely on him for salvation and not on ourselves.  Though it may be hard for us to see in the Old Testament prophets, they rejected human attempts  to earn status with God instead of accepting it as given.  I am startled by the anger and violence of Amos, but that is because I cannot easily see the self-importance of the religion that he refutes.  How much of my own religious life and talk might be self-serving instead of God-honoring?

Prayer: LORD, open my heart to the whole span of your word.  Let me hear the gentle assurance of Jesus and the sharp call of the prophets to come back to you.  Let me hear your words of truth and grace and justice and love and mercy and righteousness and holiness and tenderness.

Der SHOWROOM OF LOVE eröffnet pünktlich zum Weihnachtsgeschäft für nur kurze Zeit seine Pforten im Hinterhof der Kölner Bismarckstraße 37, vom 07. – 19.12.09 könnt ihr dort direkt vom Vertreter Unikate, Samples und andere ausgewählte Stücke eurer Lieblingsmarken erstehen… Also hin da!

Monday, November 30

Morning: Psalm 145:1-21 Amos 2:6-16 2 Peter 1:1-11 Matthew 21:1-11 Evening: Psalm 67:1-7

Scripture: From Amos 2

They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.

¹⁰ “I brought you up out of Egypt,
and I led you forty years in the desert
to give you the land of the Amorites.

¹¹ I also raised up prophets from among your sons
and Nazirites from among your young men.

“Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

¹⁴ The swift will not escape,
the strong will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.

Observation:
The terrible threat of destruction is not at all whimsical.  The LORD points out that he saved his people in the past (I brought you up out of Egypt and I led you… refers to the story of Exodus).  He provided the guidance his people needed in the prophets and rigorous examples in the the Nazirites (they lived by weighty vows as part of their own piety).  Yet God’s people take advantage of others, particularly poor people.  Who else could you buy for a pair of sandals?  To sell a righteous person for silver, is a kind of trade.  Trading a good neighbor for some anonymous cash.  The red hot anger of the LORD burns because of injustice against other people, not against himself.

Application:  I certainly like to think that I don’t indulge in harming my neighbors in anything like the behavior that Amos cries out against.  Am I didligently pursuing a Godly care for my neighbors?  Perhaps my task is to be sure to teach my children to actively seek the care of neighbors.  Surely that is part of what 2 Peter means by “goodness,” “god-liness,” “mutual affection” and “love.”  I am writing this in the week before thanksgiving.  I need to take the kids on a trip to actually carry grocerries to our food pantry, so they can see that work first hand.  As a dad, I need to show them how they can act out the neighbor love that Jesus commands us to.

Prayer:  Father, help me always to remember your saving work on the cross of Jesus.  never let me take it for granted, and so take my neighbors for granted.  Help me to teach our children to follow Jesus, for their sake and for mine.  Help our whole family follow Jesus in his care for the world.

About: this paper was presented to Dr. John Goldingay at Fuller Theological Seminary during my second year for a class on the Prophets.

Amos and Micah share a great deal of similarities. Yet, they are different in several respects. Dealing with a small period of overlap within the 8^th Century B.C., both books address issues of judgment as a result of wickedness. We will examine how the two books are similar, then we will examine how the two books are similar though different, and finally we will examine how the books are different altogether. To the similarities of Amos and Micah we now turn.

Amos and Micah are similar in seven areas. First, both books focus on the wealthy people who were oppressing the poor. Second, both books understand that the Lord desires justice and not sacrificial offerings. Third, both Amos and Micah understand that desolation was going to come upon the land as a result of the wickedness. Fourth, both books understand that the people would be made desperate. Fifth, the Lord in both identifies the various wicked deeds of the people and then holds them responsible for them. Sixth, the time following the exodus from Egypt is seen in both as ideal for Israel. Finally, both books determine that Israel will come out of punishment on top of the nations.

Both books focus on the wealthy people who were oppressing the poor. In Amos, the Lord charges Israel for profaning his name by oppressing the poor (2:7-8). He identifies one of their major transgressions was that the rich were oppressing the poor and needy (4:1). The Lord identified that the rich were those who were at ease and secure in their lives (6:1), and they were those who lived in luxury, sleeping on ivory beds, lounging on couches, eating lambs of the flock, and singing idle songs (6:4-5). In Micah, the Lord saw the wicked—those who plotted evil deeds on their beds and did their plans since they had the power to do it, and they were also those who coveted fields, homes, and inheritances and took them from their rightful owners (2:1-2). These wicked ones described seem to be rich. If this reference is not clear enough, then this next one will be of help to us. The wicked were prosperous ones who obtained prosperity through dishonest means (6:9-11). These wealthy ones were full of violence (6:12). The idea is that the wealthy ones were oppressive through force. Both Amos and Micah focus on the wealthy people who were unjust, corrupt, and oppressive towards the poor.

Amos and Micah understand that the Lord desires justice and not sacrificial offerings. In Micah, someone wonders if they could approach the Lord with burnt offerings and if they could please the Lord with ram and oil offerings (6:6-7). They wonder if they could offer up their firstborn for appeasement (6:7). But Micah responds, saying that the Lord has already told them what he desires and requires—to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with him (6:8). In Amos, the Lord despises the sacrifices and offerings of the people (4:4-5), and he charges them to seek and love good, hate evil, and establish justice (5:14-15). Again, the Lord says that he will not accept their offerings (5:22), but instead he wants justice and righteousness (5:24). Both books understand that the Lord desires justice and not sacrificial offerings.

Both Amos and Micah understand that desolation was going to come upon the land as a result of the wickedness. In Amos, several visions show the desolation of the land. The first one was a vision of locusts eating up the grass (7:1). The second one was a vision of fire eating up the land (7:4). The third one was a vision of a plumb line, and the Lord said as he held a plumb line that he would make the high places desolate (7:7-9). In Micah, the Lord says that he will strike Jerusalem down and make them desolate (6:13). The Lord was going to lay Samaria bare so that it would be fallow (1:6-7). Both books understand that the Lord would lay the land desolate because of the people’s wickedness.

Both books understand that the people would be made desperate. Micah seems to feel desperate like one without food at the end of summer (7:1). The Lord declared that they would eat and not be filled, they would save but would not have provisions, and they will work but not see the fruit of their labor (6:14-15). Micah comments that the faithful and upright are gone, only the violent remain, and the violent are also corrupt and oppress the weak (7:2-3). The idea seems to be representative of the familiar saying, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Micah even says that given the times, it is important to protect yourself (7:5-6). Amos has another vision in which he sees a basket of summer fruit (8:1). The Lord declares that there was going to much wailing and vast amounts of dead bodies (8:3). Furthermore, the Lord said there would be a famine, a drought of the word of the Lord (8:11-14). The people would be laid to waste, but they would also not hear the word of the Lord. Both Micah and Amos understand that the people would be made desperate.

Micah and Amos both show how the Lord identifies the various wicked deeds of the people and then holds them responsible for them. In Amos, the Lord charges Israel for selling people for goods (2:6). He charges them with profaning his name (2:7-8). He charges them for forsaking Him and for turning their backs on Him (2:9-12). He identifies their transgressions—oppressing the poor and needy and offering up unacceptable sacrifices, tithes, and offerings (4:2-5). The Lord identifies the rich and their deeds (6:1-5). And the Lord holds the people accountable for their ways by bringing exile (6:7). In Micah, the Lord charges Samaria for plotting evil deeds and doing it out of their power and for coveting fields and houses and taking them from their rightful owners (2:1-2). The Lord identifies how they became prosperous through dishonest means (6:9-11). He charges them with being full of violence, lies, and deceit (6:12). And the Lord holds them accountable for their ways by bringing exile (2:3) and destruction (6:13). Both books show the Lord as the one who identifies the wickedness of the people and judges them accordingly.

The time following the exodus from Egypt is seen in both books as the ideal condition for Israel. In Micah, the people plea for the Lord to return Israel, as the familiar saying has it, to “the good ol’ days” (7:14-15). They look at the time after they came out of Egypt, a time when they were in the wilderness, which was a time of renewal for the people and of utter dependence on the Lord. Earlier in the book, the Lord looks back to the same event as an explicit marker that He had chosen them to be His own people (6:4). It was a time of redemption. In Amos, the Lord marks Israel’s special condition as being the people that He had brought out of the land of Egypt and led into the wilderness for forty years (2:10). Later in the book, the Lord says that sacrifices were neither necessary nor desired during the time in the wilderness, nor are they desired now (5:25). The wilderness, that is, the time after the exodus from Egypt, was representative of what was ideal for Israel both in Micah and Amos.

Both books determine that Israel will come out of punishment on top of the nations. Amos concludes in the end that Israel will be restored. The Lord will rise up the booth of David and rebuilt the land, in order that the people may possess it and the nations (9:11-12). In Micah, Jerusalem will be the place that all the nations of the world will look to and travel to (7:11-13). It will also be the place from which the Lord will rule (4:3). The Lord will cause Jerusalem to prosper (4:11-13). He will rise up a new leader over Israel that will come out of Bethlehem in Judah (5:2). In the new age, Israel will be protected and will be victorious over all the nations (5:7-9). Amos and Micah both determine that Israel will come out of the punishment on top of the nations.

We have seen that both books are similar in more than a handful of ways. But Amos and Micah do share some similarities with their own distinctive touch in four areas. One, both books have judgment as the key theme. Two, both books proclaim exile as the result of the wickedness of the people. Three, both books demonstrate that the prophets received opposition. Last, both used Israel as a means for communicating to the nations. Although Amos and Micah share these similar areas, each of them has their own distinct uses. In this sense, we can say that they are similar though different.

Both Amos and Micah have judgment as the key theme. However, they are not quite the same in the way that judgment is portrayed. Judgment in Micah is primarily for Israel and Judah, and only by extension the rest of the nations (1:4-5). In Amos, judgment is coming to all the nations for their wickedness (1:3-2:16). Judgment is portrayed in Amos as destruction by fire (1:3-2:5). Israel is the only nation in Amos that is not punished with destruction by fire. Instead, the Lord decides to press and shame Israel (2:13-16). In Micah, judgment is portrayed as desolation and destruction (1:6-9). The similarity is evident; judgment is the key theme in both. The difference between the two books is the scope of judgment. Micah views judgment for Israel and Judah, while Amos views judgment for all the nations. In this way, they are similar though different.

Both books proclaim exile as the result of the wickedness of the people. However, they do not have precisely the same view about the exile. Micah seems to have the idea that the exile is most certainly going to happen (2:3) and that it is in the midst of happening (5:1). Yet, they would be rescued eventually from their exile (4:9-10). Amos seems to have the idea that the exile was dependent on the people. If only they would love good and hate evil, and if they would only seek God, then they would be saved (5:4, 6, 14-15). Amos also seems to have the idea that they would return from their exile (9:14-15). The similarity is plain: exile is a main punishment in both books. The difference between the two is the nature of the exile. Micah thought it was inevitable and nothing could stop it. Amos thought something could still be done. In this way, the books are similar though different.

Both books demonstrate that the prophets received opposition. However, the prophets respond to their criticisms in different ways. Amos is opposed by Amaziah (7:10-11). Amaziah charges Amos with conspiracy, and he tells Amos to leave and never again prophesy (7:10-13). Amos responds that he is not a prophet, but rather, a herdsman who was chosen by the Lord to speak (7:14-15). Then Amos reports the Lord’s judgment to Amaziah concerning him. He told Amaziah that his wife will become a prostitute, his sons and daughters will die by the sword, his land will be distributed out, he will die in exile and in shame, and Israel will go into exile because of his opposition to Amos (7:16-17). Micah is opposed by a preacher who tells him not to preach for disgrace would not come upon the people (2:6). Micah retorts back by saying that his words are helpful while the opposing preacher’s are not, for the preacher was the people’s enemy, saying that he (or she?) did not keep the peace, that he (or she?) drove women out and robbed their children (2:7-9). Micah summarizes the people that the opposing preacher represented by saying (possibly) that he should leave the people for it is not a place of rest and it is a place of folly (2:10-11). Amos and Micah are similar in the sense that they both received opposition as prophets. Yet, they are different in their responses. Micah retorts back and charges his accuser with being an enemy of the people, and then he seems reflect on the condition of his people. Amos responds by saying God chose him to speak and so his authority comes from the Lord, and the Lord will deal with Amaziah for his opposition. In this way, Amos and Micah are similar though different.

Both books used Israel as a means for communicating to the nations. Yet, they have different ways of using Israel to communicate to the nations. In Amos, Israel is stripped and plundered, and the nations, i.e., Ashdod and Egypt, are called to look at what was happening in Samaria (3:9-12). The Lord seems to be communicating to the nations when he tells Ashdod and Egypt to look upon the destruction and shame of Israel. What precisely is being communicated I am uncertain, but I would posit that the Lord is using Israel as an example for the nations, saying in effect that the rest of the nations should take what He was doing to Israel to heart, so that it would not happen to them. In Micah, the nations would look upon Israel and fall on their face in fear (7:16-17). It seems that Israel in this case is being used to communicate the glory of God, which would lead the nations to turn to the Lord in fear and respect. Both books demonstrate that Israel is a means for communication. However, Israel communicates in different ways. Amos uses Israel negatively to communicate to the nations; do not do as they do or you will become like them. Micah uses Israel positively to communicate to the nations; they are the result of God’s glory, so recognize the Lord for who he is. In this sense, Micah and Amos are similar though different.

We have seen how Micah and Amos are similar, and we have also seen how they are similar though different. Now we will see how they are each unique apart from each other. There are five areas in which Amos and Micah are different from each other. First, they are different in their post-exilic vision of a new age and a new ruler. Second, they are different in the way the Lord confronts Israel. Third, they are different in the reason for the Lord giving judgment. Fourth, they are different in their view of the Day of the Lord. Finally, they are different in view of the Lord’s rule.

Micah and Amos are different in their post-exilic vision of a new age and a new ruler. Micah has a vision of a new age and a new ruler, whereas Amos has no such vision. Micah has a vision of a new ruler of Israel that will come forth out of Bethlehem in Judah (5:2). This ruler will be “from ancient days” (5:2). The ruler will give the people over to oppressors, but when the exile is over he will reign (5:3). He will be the shepherd over the flock, that is, Israel (5:4). This ruler will stand in the strength of the Lord bringing security and peace (5:4-5). The new age would be a prosperous time for the people, and they would give all glory to the Lord (4:11-13). They would have leaders in the new age that would protect them from Assyrian invasion (5:5-6). And in the new age they would have victory over all the other nations (5:7-9). This vision of a new age and a new ruler is unique to Micah. Amos has no such vision.

Micah and Amos are different in the way they portray the Lord’s confrontation of the people. In Amos the Lord laments over Israel, but in Micah the Lord takes Israel to court. Amos highlights the relationship aspect between the Lord and Israel. The Lord said to Israel, “I know you, I will punish you” (3:2). He speaks in covenantal terms, saying that he tried to get their attention and draw them back to Him by taking away their food and bread, by not providing rain, by giving them blight and mildew, by wasting their gardens, by giving them a pestilence like what he did in Egypt, by killing their young men with the sword, by taking away their horses, and by overthrowing some of them like Sodom and Gomorrah (4:6-11). He is making a charge against Israel, but it is done in more covenantal and relational terms. However, the Lord takes Israel to court. He officially declares before all of creation that He made them His people when He brought them out of Egypt and slavery and saved them from Moab (6:4-5). He officially charges them before all of creation for forsaking him and taking on dishonest prosperity, violence, and deceit (6:9-12). Then he officially declares their judgment before all of creation, which was destruction and futility (6:13-16). Micah has no indication of a pursuit before judgment, whereas Amos does. The Lord, in Amos, attempted to get their attention before bringing judgment. This attempt is absent in Micah.

Micah and Amos give different reasons for the Lord’s judgment. In Amos, the Lord brings judgment on the earth as a result of the sins of the nations. In Micah, the Lord brings judgment on the earth as a result of the transgressions of Israel and Judah, and the nations would suffer by extension. Micah says that the judgment was against the whole earth as a result of the sins of Israel and Judah (1:4-5). But Amos identifies the wickedness of the nations, and the Lord deals with them accordingly. Damascus is given to destruction and exile for threshing Gilead (1:3-5). Gaza is given over to destruction and desolation for exiling communities to Edom (1:6-8). Tyre again is given to destruction for delivering communities to Edom (1:9-10). Edom is given to destruction for going after Israel with the sword (1:11-12). The Ammonites are given to destruction for ripping open pregnant women in Gilead (1:13-15). Moab is given to destruction for burning the king of Edom (2:1-3). Judah is given to destruction for rejecting the law of the Lord (2:4-5). Israel is given to pressing and shame for profaning the name of the Lord, selling people for goods, and oppressing the poor (2:6-16). Micah does not have the idea that the nations are being judged for their wickedness alone, but rather, that the nations are feeling the effects of the punishment of Israel and Judah for their evil deeds. Amos has the idea that the nations are being punished for their own wretchedness apart from Israel and Judah.

Micah and Amos are different in their view of the Day of the Lord. In Amos, the Day of the Lord is gloomy. But in Micah, the Day of the Lord is gloomy, yet it will usher in a new age. The Day of the Lord in Amos’ view was going to be a time of harsh judgment on the nations, including Israel (5:18-20). It would be dark and gloomy, and it would be frightening and scary (5:18-20). In Micah, “day” signals what the Lord would do in a similar way as “day of the Lord” functions in Amos. The Lord will remove the inheritance from the wicked (2:4-5). He will assemble the lame and those driven away and make them into a remnant and a strong nation, and he will reign over them (4:6-7). He will cut off their horses and chariots from them, he will cut their cities off, he will cut off their evil practices, and he will show them His vengeance (5:10-14). The walls of Jerusalem will be extended and built, and all of the nations between Assyria and Egypt, Egypt and the River (Euphrates?) would come to the Lord, and the earth will be desolate because of the wickedness of the inhabitants (7:11-13). The Day of the Lord in Micah, although not explicitly mentioned, is a time of judgment, destruction, and renewal. In Amos, it is only a gloomy and harsh judgment with no view of renewal on the horizon.

Micah and Amos are different in the way they view the Lord’s rule. Amos sees God ruling from the throne in the heavens, whereas Micah sees God setting up his throne on Zion and ruling the earth from there. Micah views God as ruling not from heaven but on earth (1:3). Micah envisions the Lord setting up his thrown upon Zion. From Zion the peoples will stream to him (4:1). From Zion the nations will come to worship him (4:2). Zion would be a place from which the Lord’s instruction would come forth and his word would come out from (4:2). Jerusalem being synonymous in understanding with Zion, the Lord will also judge the nations from Jerusalem (4:3). As a result of his ruling on earth and from his throne in Jerusalem and on Zion, there will be no war and there will be peace (4:3-4). Amos has a different way of talking about the Lord’s reign. He does open by saying that the Lord roars from Zion and speaks from Jerusalem (1:2), but he closes with God ruling from the heavens (9:6). The Lord builds his chambers in the heavens and his vault on the earth (9:6). All of creation, from heaven to earth, is the Lord’s place, and he reigns from any portion of it. Micah’s vision is different in the sense that it does not have the element of reigning from any portion of creation that Amos has.

As we have seen, Amos and Micah share a great deal of similarities, but they do have their differences. Amos and Micah share several features, such as the focus is on the wealthy who oppress the poor, the understanding that the Lord desires justice and not sacrificial offerings, and the understandings that the people would be made desperate and the land desolate. Amos and Micah are similar though different in several aspects, such as in the way they approach, use, or view judgment, exile, or opposition. Finally, we have seen how Amos and Micah are unique with respect to each other in several ways, such as Micah’s post-exilic vision of a new age and a new ruler, Amos’ description of the Lord’s attempt to gain the attention of Israel, Micah’s creation court scene, and Amos’ creation aspect of the Lord’s reign.

I got some new Dunny’s on the weekend and an awesome AMOS King Ken in Blue! Super happy with my toy purchases. Also signed up for a year membership at Play Imaginative! Looking forward to getting my blue Tofu Oyako and Toki Doki membership card!!! Super Syked!!!

Elvis ja Merri ovat käyneet silmätarkissa ja kaikki ok. Elvikseltä tarkastettiin myös polvet ja hyvät ja napakat olivat. Jenkeistä tuli myös hyviä uutisia, Amoksen ja Minin emän Maggien molemmat vanhemmat ovat linssiluksaation osalta saaneet DNA-testistä tulokseksi CLEAR, joten näin ollen Maggie on geneettisesti terve. Myös Mesen emä ja isän emä on DNA-testissä CLEAR-tuloksen saaneiden joukossa. Isän isän tulosta vielä odotellaan. Hyviä uutisia vielä pentusarallakin, Mango kävi keskiviikkona iltakahveilla Rockyn luona ja treffit sujuivat hyvin. 4 viikon päästä tiedetään sitten tarkemmin miten hyvin treffit oikein sujuivatkaan

Elvis and Merri have both been eye tested and are normal. Elvis had also his patellas checked, normal too. We also got good news from U.S. about Amos’s and Mini’s mother’s Maggie’s parents. Both have been DNA-tested CLEAR for PLL. Also Mese’s mother and father’s mother are DNA-tested CLEAR.

Mango had a date with Rocky on Wednesday and also that was successful. After 4 weeks we’ll know how successful it was

ja tässä vielä Mese

I’m preaching on Amos this Sunday, and in the course of my study came across D. A. Carson’s  very powerful Amos-like message for us today.  It seems even more poignant perhaps than when it was first published.

WOE TO CHINA. IN THIS CENTURY she has butchered fifty million of her own people in the name of equality. Proud and haughty, she maintains an officially atheistic stance, persecuting the church while that church, nurtured by the blood of the martyrs, has in half a century multiplied fifty times.

Woe to Russia. In the second decade of this century she embarked on a massive social experiment that resulted in the deaths of more than forty million people. She subjugated nation after nation, so certain was she that the tide of history was on her side. She became excellent at producing the “revolutionary man,” but could not produce the promised “new man” of Marxist thought, and so hid behind illusions and lies until her economic incompetence brought her down.

Woe to Germany. Privileged to serve as home to some of the greatest Reformers, she became extraordinarily arrogant intellectually, and in this century started two world wars that wreaked death and havoc, including the horrors of the Nazis, on countless millions. Today she builds excellent BMW’s but has a materialist soul, worshiping nothing greater than the deutsche mark.

Woe to Great Britain. At one time ruler of one-quarter of the world’s population; inheritor of some of the greatest Christian thought and literature ever produced, she became ever more proud and condescending to the nations she colonized and the people she enslaved. Having repeatedly squandered a heritage of the knowledge of God, she thrashes around directionless and degraded.

Woe to Canada. She likes to think of herself as morally superior to her nearest neighbor, while hiding under the U. S. military umbrella. Sliding toward a moral abyss, her Supreme Court issues decisions that are as morally corrosive as any in the Western world, while the English-French factionalism drives toward enmity and breakup for want of courtesy and respect from both sides.

Woe to the United States. She prides herself on being the only world power left, but never reflects on how God has brought low every world power in history. Her cherished freedoms, so great a heritage, have increasingly become a facade to hide and then defend the grossest immorality and selfishness. To the nation at large, no issue, absolutely none, is more important than the state of the economy.

This is the reasoning of Amos. In Amos 1, he circles around the pagan neighbors, articulating the judgment of God. Here in Amos 2, he moves to Moab, Judah (“Canada”), and finally brings it home to Israel. Israelite audiences would begin with smug contentment during the early parts: how would they end up? And understand: the sequence of my “Woes,” above, could have been rearranged to end with any country—with your country.

Perhaps we should go even further and ask, ‘What woes could we pronounce against ourselves in our churches?’ We are so good and thinking of ourselves as better than other churches around us, yet we often miss the sin crouching at our own door.

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Check out the rest of Carson’s amazingly helpful devotional commentary in his two-volume work, For the Love of God (vol 1, vol 2).

]]> http://letusrun.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/a-sinful-misdemeanor/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:34:49 +0000 Nathan Jewett http://letusrun.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/a-sinful-misdemeanor/

The sermon at church this morning was delivered by our associate pastor and my good friend Chris Haney. He preached from the ninth chapter of the minor prophet Amos bringing this series of the past few months to a close. While Amos may not be a book of particular interest for most, it just so happens that it was the subject of several months of intense study for me during my senior year of college. Like the vast majority of prophetic literature, Amos is not a slap happy, pick-me-upper. Rather, it is a very solemn and firm reminder of the true heart and nature of the Living God.

Amos, a small nobody farmer from the southern kingdom was called to proclaim the word of the Lord to the northern kingdom of Israel. This would be the equivalent of being sent on a one way mission in war. Not only was the message carrier without any proper training or qualification, but he was a foreigner in the northern lands and one of the last people on earth they would consider listening to; especially after hearing what he had to say. The word he brought was this: the day of the Lord is coming and judgment is near. On numerous occasions the prophet cites the sin and wickedness of the people of God and proclaims the Lord will not and cannot tolerate their idolatry and social injustice any longer. The people however, are unreceptive to the prophet’s pleas as they continue in their state of ignorant confidence.

They knew that they were the chosen people. They knew that they were descendants of Abraham and the promise. How then could this same God bring destruction? Sure, they made mistakes and began worshiping other gods and trampled the poor to build up for themselves. But, they still observed the festivals and carried out the religious obligations according to the Law of Moses. They gathered at the temple to offer sacrifices and seek mercy from the true God. Therefore, what did they have to fear? Or so they thought.

In Amos 5:21-24 we find the following words to the people of Israel,

“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Attempting to demonstrate what was happening in this context, Chris used the illustration of getting a speeding ticket. Speaking from experience, he described what so many of us have gone through before. Specifically, he drew attention to our mindset in this type of minor violation. Most often we are not racked with guilt or shame, but rather anger and frustration. Perhaps we think to ourselves how unfair it is that the officer decided to pull us over when the guy ahead was clearly going even faster. Then we are forced to go through the hassle of traveling all the way to the city court building and paying a small fine for our offense. All the while we are not afraid of justice or what the judge may think. In fact, he probably doesn’t even care because it’s just a speeding ticket!

Much in the same way, Chris contended, the people of Israel saw their sin as an inconvenience. It forced them to offer sacrifices, worship at the temple, and maintain the many requirements of their religious festivals. There was no true remorse. There was no understanding of their sin or offense to the perfect righteousness of God. To them, it was just a sinful misdemeanor and God, like any earthly judge, would get over it.

I cannot fully explain why, but this illustration really stuck with me today. For one thing, it serves as an excellent depiction of how I so often view my own sin. Though I may not realize or want to admit it, I often believe and operate based on the fundamental understanding that I am innocent and sin is just another little blip on the radar like a speeding ticket. Sure it’s bad and I shouldn’t have done it, but doesn’t everyone? Did Jesus not come and die on the cross to abolish sin? If I just say I’m sorry and pray a little prayer things will be okay. After all, it’s just a sinful misdemeanor.

What a wretched and damning way to live and think! At the most fundamental level this way of thinking somehow assumes God is obligated to save me and look past my offenses. Instead of understanding the true depravity of my situation, I think I am deserving. But in reality, we are not committing simple, sinful misdemeanors; instead, we are already convicted, sinful felons. Paul put it this way in Romans 3:10-12,

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

Imperative to understanding the true nature of God is understanding the true nature of ourselves. In this case, we must come to the realization that we are sinful. We don’t just sin at times, but we are, to the very core, wicked and evil people just like the recipients of Amos’ prophecy. It is impossible to receive the Word of the Lord, to hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ if we are under the illusion that we are not in need of being saved. If we only think of our sins as little misdemeanors, minor wrongdoings, we will never embrace the glorious grace of God.

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Do you hold a horse race in a field of Rocks? Do you plough the sea with oxen? You would cripple the horse and you would drown the oxen.

Wise words from Amos 6:12

Yesterday I, in a brief moment of self celebration, let some of my closest friends know that my blog (which you have wisely hunted down and are hanging onto every word of) receives around 200 hits a day. I wasn’t quite expecting raptuous applause or a toast, but positive acknowledgement would have been nice. Instead I was greeted by an unexpected but highly amusing anecdote. A friend, who I will refer to as Sarah (that is her name after all) said that she visited daily. I was overjoyed. She continued to say that it was because it has all the links that she likes to follow in one tidy place.

She uses my blog for the links on the side. (Sarah also requested that I add another link for her, of course I will oblige, after all she is a fan).

But this got me thinking, how often do we misinterpret things and create assumptions that effect our thinking and misdirect us? Do all of my visitors use me as a links page, am I merely a google typo or does what I have to say actually interest any of you?

Amos continues to say in a few words what I am struggling to in many:

And yet you’ve made a shambles of justice,
a bloated corpse of righteousness,
Bragging of your trivial pursuits,
beating up on the weak and crowing, “Look what I’ve done!”

That’s me told. Maybe rather than writing for the sake of it or embedding any old clip from YouTube I should focus my energies on content over crowd pleasing. A message with a purpose is worth much more than a thousand whispers in the wind.

It’s interesting that in a time where we have the ability to speak to a potentially huge and global audience we focus on current trends rather than something of value.

Does anyone still read articles about upcoming technology for 1998 or last weeks share prices? It’s worth a thought…

inviato da: CSV centro servizi volontariato di Rovigo

Il 29 novembre 2009, alle 21.00 a Melara, in occasione della ricorrenza del centenario della morte del melarese Amos Bernini, dopo le pubblicazioni e le giornate di studio sia a Melara che a Rovigo, verrà scoperto il cippo davanti al busto che lo ricorda a Melara, in occasione del centenario. Per informazioni: info@mellaria.eu – www.mellaria.eu

SYNERGY Christmas09 - Raga 'n' Rock

Synergy Christmas Program for IT professionals.

Place: Baldwins Boys High school, #14, 7th Stage, Hosur Road, Richmond Town, Bangalore

Date:5th Dec’09

Time: 5pm

More details at http://www.synergyforchrist.com

Connect to Bro.Anil Kant in

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/anilkant and

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1206461392

Amos Lee, Oliver Wood and Anoop Desai perform “Crazy Love” in April 2009 at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA. This was the encore performance at Amos’s show. Check out our mp3 archive page for downloadable mp3 files of this and other performances.

We’ve had an excellent week of potty training.  Tuesday I loaded up a package of pull-ups, a few pairs of cloth underwear, and extra pants + socks as we headed to school.  I’m excited to report he stayed dry ALL DAY LONG!  He unfortunately had an accident sometime between getting out of the car and getting upstairs after school.  Wednesday, again- totally dry until 5pm when he wasn’t able to make it in time to the bathroom.  Thursday, again- totally dry all day. This time he came home in new clothes because he peed on his clothes while sitting on the toilet.  Ooops!   Yesterday at home went great.  I received a lot of resistance again when I urged him sit on the potty.  ”I don’t want to sit on the potty!”  aka: I don’t have to go yet!   I’ve been trying to get him to understand that we need to regularly sit on the potty before we leave for errands in case we’re somewhere that doesn’t have a potty (ie: the park).   After I explained this, he gave in and sat down on the potty – at home, at the library, and the fabric store… all with success.    Man-oh-man… I can not begin to explain how darn exciting this is… to be leaving diapers behind!    Oh, speaking of diapers….  on Thursday we donated the remaining diapers we had to his school, “to the babies” as he would say.   We were putting him in night-time diapers until Wednesday.  I had asked him to go use the potty first thing in the morning and he replied, ” I don’t have to …. I went in my diaper.” So, now we use pull-ups at night.  I knew that going back to diapers at night was against the cause.

Willoughby Amos, Willoughby Abram, Willoughby Bertram, Willoughby Barnabas,

Willoughby Bramwell, Willoughby Christian, Willoughby Cash, Willoughby Dashiell,

Willoughby Elliot, Willoughby Ezra, Willoughby Frank, Willoughby Grant,

Willoughby Isaac, Willoughby Ira, Willoughby Joel, Willoughby Jacob,

Willoughby James, Willoughby Jago, Willoughby Leo, Willoughby Lewis,

Willoughby Miles, Willoughby Matthew, Willoughby Micah, Willoughby Benjamin,

Willoughby Noam, Willoughby Oliver, Willoughby Rufus, Willoughby Reuben,

Willoughby Ross, Willoughby Rune, Willoughby Steven, Willoughby Thomas,

Willoughby Homer Rex, Willoughby Bruno Steven.

Tocmai am realizat subit [a.k.a m-a lovit inspiratia] ca nu am mai postat nimic nou…. de un an, si cum neuronii mei cer sa fie asternuti in cuvinte pixelate am hotarat, spre fericirea mea si prea nefericirea altora, sa mai bag niste aberatii tipice Issel Revlis pe teava tunului…. si sa trag!

Asadar asa cum ziceam, obsesiile lunii noiembrie:

1.Niste sosete roz absolut dementiale, pe care trebuie sa le procur cat se poate de repede, inainte ca piciorusele de panda sa imi degere din cauza frigului si a zapezii inexistente care ar trebui sa vina cu luna decembrie.

2. Housareala urmatoare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRE6ssTulcI

Desi genul meu de muzica nu include aceste manifestatii, melodia asta m-a obsedat de vreo doua saptamani incoace…. si sincera sa fiu, pare ca se va afla o perioada lunga la categoria obsesii.

3. Fiind noiembrie, obsesiile mele au hotarat sa se rasfranga si asupra Torei Amos, astfel pentru duminicile ploiase:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN17rDMGs74

Despre melodia asta se va auzi si prin decembrie

4. J….. despre el se va auzi si peste un an :X

Tinand cont ca toamna se pare ca eu revin la viata, iar obsessile mele se trezesc dupa hibernarea calduroasa de sub valurile de caldura ale verii, astept ca si altii sa  se bucure de zilele ruginii ale toamnei.

…. Issel

December’s edition of the Atlantic Monthly features a disturbing article by Hanna Rosin entitled “Did Christianity Cause the Crash?” What is disturbing about this article is not the insinuation that many conservative Christian groups have caused far more problems than they’ve solved (“guilty as charged”), but the utter duplicity of the movement. The deception begins with the claim of the Prosperity Gospel pundits that they are holding true to biblical principles. In reality they rewrite the Bible to make it fit their vision of personal gain at the expense of the weak and needy. You can hear the sounds of Amos and Micah being ground beneath their wingtip heels.

The Prosperity Gospel is a particularly virulent disease in the United States, a nation of incomprehensible contrasts. The clergy of the Prosperity Gospel (churches of this stripe are among the largest and fastest growing in America) demand tithes on the part of their sometimes poor but always hopeful congregants. Most of them are being set up for failure. But it will be failure with a smile. As I read Rosin’s article, I was saddened that a growing number of those buying into this “Gospel” are those among the exploited Hispanic community. The message they are being given is the worst kind of blasphemy. One such believer, according to Rosin, claimed “the rich are closer to God.” A message farther from the actual Gospels would be difficult to concoct.

Prosperity Gospelers, decidedly not mainstream Christianity in theological outlook, judge a book by its glitzy cover. Its leaders, often fabulously wealthy, hold out unrealistic hope to their gullible and disappointed followers. It is so easy when a congregant looses everything simply to blame it on a lack of faith. This bogus idea of material payoff for spiritual righteousness is not only dangerous, but it is redefining the religious scene in North America. The article follows the story of Fernando Garay, the leader of Casa del Padre, a Prosperity Gospel church. When asked by Rosin about buying a house (a sign of God’s blessing) he tellingly replied, “Ten Christians will say that God told them to buy a house. In nine of the cases, it will go bad. The 10th one is the real Christian.” Americans have a fondness for snake-oil and entrepreneurs. Now the hucksters are the ones claiming the right to define what Christianity really is. It is a religion that even Jesus would fail to recognize.

In this short piece from the London Institute of Contemprary Christianity, Margaret Killingray relates the prophecy of Amos the the present day. The West may have been sitting around in relative peace and comfort whilst there has been violence all around (Amos 1), but perhaps the global credit crunch is a natural manifestation of people’s greed. As usual however, it is not the most greedy that are paying the biggest price…

Israel and Judah were called to be beacons of God’s light and love in a world of violence and greed. They failed and judgement followed. Their calling is now ours, Christians, children of light, his church, in a world of violence and greed. There are many battlegrounds for us. In a time of economic hardship, crippling debt and uncertain futures, maybe we should model a simpler lifestyle and from our church communities provide networks of support. In a world of violence, we should maintain our giving to those charities which seek to help the poor, encourage fair trade, mop up after wars, and rebuild shattered communities.

And Amos’ calling to speak out a word of warning to those who are responsible for violence and greed is ours as well. And like Amos we speak primarily to our own people, our own nation and ourselves.

Joel 1 – Amos 9

image courtesy of jarekst at stock.xchng

Just another note about the reading plan: Over the next three days I will be heavily modifying the Bible in 90 Days reading plan.  I don’t like chopping books up if I don’t have to, I much prefer getting the entire story at once (which is very much in keeping with the theme of this reading plan anyway).  So, my reading plan will look like this

• Day 66 – Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk
• Day 67 – Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah
• Day 68 – Malachi, Matthew 1-4
• Day 69 – Back to the normal plan

If you do this, days 66 and 67 are right at about 53 minutes reading time, and day 68 drops to about 28 minutes! Stick with the original plan if you like, or you can follow my modification.

Back in 1987, there was a great commercial for Heinz ketchup.  A pre-Friends Matthew LeBlanc sets a bottle of ketchup on the ledge of an apartment building roof, and then goes down several flights of stairs to the street.  He orders a hot dog, and flips it around behind his back just in time to catch the thick Heinz ketchup which had finally started pouring.  The announcer reminds us that “the best things come to those who wait.”

Back in the 9th century B.C., Joel issued a prophecy from God that He would one day pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2).  This was not a promise that every single human being would receive the Holy Spirit, but rather that there would be no distinction as to age, sex, race, nationality, etc.  After Christ ascended to the Father, as the disciples were together in one place, the Spirit fell upon them in great power.  They began speaking in tongues about the mighty works of God.

Really, the best things come to those who wait on the Lord.

For several hundred years, the people waited for the fulfillment of this prophecy.  As always, God made good on His promise when He poured out His Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2.  God will also keep His promise that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32, cf. Romans 10:9-13).

Perhaps sometimes we take the presence of the Holy Spirit for granted as Christians.  We sometimes forget that He was not present with everyone of God’s people in Israel the way that He is today.  The pouring out of the Holy Spirit into everyone who believes is a unique feature of the New Covenant.  Those of us who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit residing within us.  This is why referring to a church building as the house of God is inaccurate.  The Temple is where the presence of God dwelt on earth in under the old covenant, but under the new covenant, God’s presence on earth is within us.  In a very real sense, we are the house of God (Ephesians 2:22; Colossians 1:19; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19).

Let’s never forget God’s faithfulness to His promises and prophecies.  Let’s never take for granted that the Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us who name the name of Christ.  Let’s praise and thank God for His presence within our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

originally at Words of Reason

Are we really so different from the children of Israel all those years ago?  We live in a different culture and a different time and yet manage to fall into the spiritual traps:

“Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves” (Amos 5:25-26).

Here were the Children of Israel who for forty years were in the very presence of God, witnesses miraculous events, and being delivered the law of God first hand.  Yet they were also carrying along their personal “secret” idols.

Are we so different.  We may believe in Jesus (and I mean saving faith belief), read our Bibles, pray, go to church, have a personal relationship with our Savior & God yet also carry with us our own “secret” idols.  The things that we “can’t live without”.  The aspects or items of life that we strive and would give anything to attain.  What are some of your secret idols?

A book I am reading dives into three potent and potential idols – money, sex, and power.  Timothy Keller’s latest book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, has been a good read so far and may be well worth looking into if you would like to do some idol smashing in your life.

Yesterday went really well.  Amos had only one accident, and it happened to be while we were outside of the library.  He couldn’t run fast enough to make it to the bathroom in time.  But he did however, go pee in the toilet before story time and let me know both times when he needed to go while we were out of the house.  Hooray!

I was thinking about what stirred this transition to potty training.  Outside of saving money, I knew it was time when Amos would declare he didn’t want his diaper changed any more.  He would put up a fit when he had to be changed on the changing table.  It was if I was telling him he was still a baby, and not the independent boy he has become.   Teaching him how to go on the potty has given him this extra boost of confidence already.  Last night when we started to put a night-time diaper on him he said, “NO MORE Diapers!”  We told him the night time diapers are just for night time until he gets really good at sitting on the potty.  Diapers are Not Forever, by Elizabeth Verdick has reinforced this thought for him.   Sooner than later, I am sure he’ll be sleeping with underwear on.

When I told him it was time to sit on the potty first thing in the morning and a few times throughout the day, he started to whine, “I don’t want to sit on the potty”.  At first I thought he was just resisting the process.  But later, I knew he was telling me that he just didn’t have to go and that he wanted to go when he was ready.   Instead of forcing it, we tried to gently persuade him to sit at the regular intervals…. to keep up the habit of sitting after breakfast, before having to leave for errands, etc.   BJ and I both agreed that he gets it.  He already gets the concept of knowing when he has the urge and what to do when he has that feeling.  It’s so darn exciting.

Last night we had him sit on the potty after dinner.  No luck.  Then, after a little bit of play time… he decided it was time… and he ran to the potty by himself and took care of #1 and #2.  Afterwards he asked me, “Look Mama, wanna see?”.  Everybody was smiling at that point.

I also have to report that we’ve had 3 dry mornings so far!  This is huge.  We were changing sheets just about every day…. which gets a bit old fast. Washing the mattress pad, potty pads, sheets, and blankets everyday is not so fun.  I’m off to wake the boy to get ready for school.