#DailyDevotion Seek The LORD And Live!
Amos 5 Listen to what I say in a funeral song about you people of Israel: “The virgin Israel will fall never to rise again. 2 She will be thrown down on her ground, and there will be no one to raise her.” 3 The Lord GOD says this: “The town that will go to war with 1,000 will have 100 left, and she who will go with 100 will have 10 left —of the people of Israel.”
So the LORD sings a funeral dirge for His people Israel. Keil & Delitzsch note that virgin here means Israel had not been conquered before. Well her day is coming. The LORD is sending the Assyrians to throw her to the ground never to rise again. There is going to be no one there to help her out, not even the LORD. Only a remnant of the people will remain. One tenth of whatever population there was in any place. The rest will be killed. And this remnant will be exiled to the northwest corner of the Assyrian empire never to be seen or heard of again-hence never to rise again. There was another remnant that fled to Jerusalem who settled outside the city. This remnant would survive the Babylonian empire that follows even unto Jesus’ day as we see Anna the prophetess when Jesus was dedicated. But the rest. . . they are gone. This should be a warning to those in the Church to remain vigilant in their repentance and faith, lest on the last day they are swept away with the unbelievers outside the Church.
4 The LORD tells the people of Israel: “Search for Me and live. 5 But don’t search at Bethel or go to Gilgal or all the way to Beersheba. Gilgal will go into exile, and Bethel will deceive you.” 6Search for the LORD and live. Or He’ll break out among the people of Joseph like a fire that consumes, and there will be no one at Bethel to put it out.
Here we see the mercy of our God. When the LORD threatens and punishes, until the Last Day, it is to call us to repentance—even if there is no promise of redemption. But here a promise is given, “Search for Me and live.” They are not being called to search for the LORD wherever and however they want. The LORD had given the place where He could be found. It was at the temple in Jerusalem. Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba were centers of idolatrous worship. The LORD had told them in the Torah to seek Him where He had placed His name. That place ended up being the temple in Jerusalem. As noted above, some listened and found refuge in Jerusalem. But these other places of worship would deceive them. They were part of the problem in the first place. So sincere is the LORD’s plea to Israel, He repeats it. He tells them of the threat. If they do not repent and turn to Him, fire, i.e. war is going to break out and consume them, their families, and their possessions.
We too are called to seek the LORD where He may be found. There is not just one place. But where His people are gathered in the name of Jesus there we are to seek Him. Normally, we recognize these places as churches. We also have a responsibility to make sure these places aren’t another Bethel, Gilgal or Beersheba. Such places affirm you in your sins and do not call you to repent of them. It’s unfortunate that this is the case. Make sure it is a congregation that confesses the Nicene Creed, so you know, the True and Living God is being worshiped and preached there. The forgiveness of sins should be free and flowing throughout the worship. Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer should be the focus if God’s name is there.
Merciful God and Father, You have sent the prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastors to preach repentance from our sins and faith in Jesus Christ so we may seek and find You where You have promised to be. Grant us such repentance and faith that we seek and find You and Your gracious and merciful redemption in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.