#DailyDevotion How Do We Treat Those God Sends To Us?
Amos 2 9 Yet I destroyed ahead of them the Amorites, tall as cedars and strong as oaks; I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below. 10 And I took you out of Egypt and led you through the wilderness 40 years so you could get the country of the Amorites as your own. 11I made some of your sons prophets and some of your young men Nazirites. Isn’t that so, you people of Israel?” asks the LORD. 12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine and ordered the prophets, ‘Don’t prophesy.’ 13 Now I will stop you like an overloaded wagon. 14 If you’re fast, you will fail to escape; if you’re strong, you’ll not use your strength; and if you’re a hero, you’ll not save yourself. 15 If you shoot with a bow, you’ll not hold your ground; if you’re fast on your feet, you’ll not get away; or if you ride a horse, you’ll not save yourself. 16 If you’re the boldest of the heroes, you’ll run away naked on that day,” says the LORD.
The LORD recalls to Judah and Israel what He had done for them. He had gotten rid of the Amorites and gave their good land to Israel. He made sure they would not be a problem for them. He recalls how He had taken them out of Egypt. He took them out with a strong hand, taking down the powerful Egyptians a few notches. He brought them through the wilderness for 40 years sustaining them until the time was right to receive the land of the Israelites.
The LORD had blessed them with prophets and Nazirites. We’re really not sure what function the Nazirites played in society at the time. It would seem they held some sort of spiritual place which brought the nation closer to the LORD. We should note our LORD Jesus Christ was both a prophet and a Nazirites. He was sent to bless the Jews with God’s Word so they could hear, repent and believe the good news of the kingdom of God. Now the Israelites did not receive the blessing the prophets and the Nazirites brought to them. What did they do? They made the Nazirites break their oath, forcing them to drink wine. They forbid the LORD’s prophets to prophesy. They did not appreciate the spiritual gift given to them. They did not appreciate the LORD Jesus Christ either. They nailed Him to a cross and killed Him. They persecuted the apostles sent to them and all their brothers and sisters, fellow Jews, who brought Jesus to them as their Messiah. They dragged them into courts, put them in jail and had them killed.
What did the LORD do to Israel? Just what He said He was going to do in these verses. Everything they relied upon, all the things they thought made them strong, the LORD was going to take away from them. They were only strong because the LORD supported them. He took that support away. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Romans all had their way with God’s people because they rejected the LORD and persecuted those whom He sent to them to save them.
How do we treat those the LORD sends to us to call us to repentance? Do we thank the pastor when he addresses our sins from the pulpit? Do you thank him or do you go off, breaking the commandment with your fellow congregants. Do pastors listen when a member of the flock calls him to repentance and repent or do they excommunicate the one Jesus sent them to save them? Do we, as a Church, listen to the world, when the world holds us to the standards we say we hold, repent and do the good the LORD has given us to do so they may be ashamed of their accusations and give glory to God? Since the LORD Jesus Christ has saved us by His crucifixion and resurrection, let us give glory to Him.
Heavenly Father, grant us hearts that receive correction gladly and Your Spirit so we may live out Christ’s life in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.