#DailyDevotion Savior Of The Nations Come!
Amos 9 11“On that day I will set up David’s tent that has fallen down and repair its walls where they are broken down, restore his ruined places, and build them as they were long ago, 12so they may have what is left of Edom and all the nations over whom My name is called,” says the LORD Who does these things. 13“The days are coming,” says the LORD, “when the one who plows will catch up with him who cuts the grain, and the one who tramples the grapes with him who sows the seed. The mountains will drip with grape juice, and all the hills will flow with it. 14Then I will restore My people Israel, and they will build the ruined cities and live there, plant vineyards and drink the wine from them, make gardens and eat their fruits. 15I will plant them on their ground, and they won’t be plucked up again from their ground that I gave them,” says the LORD your God.
Well, after all the bad news we’ve been reading in Amos it’s about time we get some good news. This will certainly resonate with pastors and laypeople who want the sermon to end in the Gospel (which isn’t a bad thing).
James, who was the head of the Church in Jerusalem, quotes this passage concerning the early church gentile controversy. Verses 11 and 12 are quoted. He sees indeed the LORD Jesus Christ is the rebuilder of David’s tent. Through the conversion of both Jews and Gentiles to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the LORD is rebuilding the walls and restoring broken places, i.e. the spiritual Jerusalem, Zion, which is the ancient Church, the Bride of Christ.
“. . . the nations over whom My name is called,” is this not the mystery of the Gospel hidden in ages past as Paul says in Rom.16:25, “ I bring and the preaching of Jesus Christ, by unveiling the mystery veiled in silence for long ages 26but now brought to light and by the writings of the prophets, as the everlasting God ordered them, shown to all the nations to lead them to believe and obey. . .” Eph. 3:6, “6that in Christ Jesus the people who are not Jews have the same inheritance, belong to the same body, and have the same promise through the good news.”
Based on this, James reasons the Gentile Christians should not be burdened with the Law of Moses, which they, the Jews, have never kept. Nevertheless, through the name of Jesus, the Gentiles are called and made one with God’s holy people, just as the Israelites are God’s holy people though faith in Jesus their Messiah.
But this is just the beginning of the Good News. You might remember that Amos began with locusts eating everything. Then a fire destroys everything. Not looking to good agriculturally. When the prophecy is totally fulfilled on the Last Day, when the LORD Jesus Christ gathers all who believed in His name, He will restore the earth. It will be better than we had ever seen it. They’ll be plowing just as soon as they’re harvesting. The hills will be so full of wine they will drip with it. We will be planted on our own ground. For now, both Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ, we are the diaspora. We are merely travelers, foreigners living in a foreign country. Then we will inherit the kingdom of Christ Jesus, our LORD and Savior. “Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home! Thou, the Father’s only Son, Hast over sin the victory won. Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; When shall we its glories see?
O Savior of the nations, Jesus Christ, come and reign among us. Make our hearts Your earthly throne. Keep us steadfast as we await to see Your glory and receive Your promised kingdom. In Your precious name we pray. Amen.