#DailyDevotion When You Treat God’s Grace Cheaply
Amos 3 Listen, people of Israel, to what the LORD says against you, against all the people I brought out of Egypt: 2 “Of all the people on earth I have chosen only you, and so I will punish you for all your wrongs.”
Having accosted both Judah and Israel the LORD returns to Israel. Again He reminds them of the special relationship He has with Israel. He had brought them out of Egypt. This is the beginning of the Ten Words (Ten Commandments) in Ex. 20:2. Although Judah may still be addressed here as, “Hey, if you don’t pay attention to what I’m going to do to the northern tribes, you’re next.”
Our translation of verse two is more of an interpretation. The word being translated “chosen” in the Hebrew is Yada which has the meaning of known. Keil and Delitzsch write, “Acknowledgment on the part of God is not merely taking notice, but is energetic, embracing man in his inmost being, embracing and penetrating with divine love; so that “yada not only includes the idea of love and care, as in Hos_13:5, but expresses generally the gracious fellowship of the Lord with Israel,. . .” From this understanding election is understood. K&D also note that this election should not be taken for granted, as the Israelites and the Judites were doing. For it was a national election not an individual one.
If we use election as an excuse to sin, can we really claim we have a claim to this? Election is only a doctrine of grace. It is to be used to upbuild, edify, and strengthen the faith in those who have weak faith, but faith nonetheless. It is not a doctrine to make us comfortable in our sins. When we find ourselves in sins, repentance is what is called for.
The LORD had called them out of Egypt. He had given them His word, His will for their lives in the Torah aka Law. He had sent the priests and the prophets to them to educate them to what His will for them was and to call them to repentance and greater faith in Him. They were not ignorant. They knew what the LORD wanted of them. Because of their knowledge, great was their sin. To the one much is given, much is expected. 2 Peter tells us the judgment will be far worse for those who had known the path of salvation and rejected it.
So the LORD had known the Israelites, intimately, like a husband knows his wife, well better than that. He had made Himself known to them, out of all the families on the earth. Because they have rejected Him and knowledge of Him, He was now going to punish them for all their sins.
Do we abuse the grace of God and use it as an excuse to sin? Do we instead of confessing our sin and turning away from them because we are God’s people in baptism, just ignore our trampling on the blood of Christ by sinning because we’ll just confess it later and think we’ll be just fine? May it never be so! May we always hate our sin and our inclination to sin. May we never take it lightly because of the One who we sin against. Most importantly, may we always turn quickly to our Father in heaven, thanking Him for the mercy, grace, love and forgiveness He has shown us in Christ Jesus and then may those same gifts be then manifested in our lives towards all people but especially our fellow Christians.
Almighty God and Father, may we never treat Your grace towards us cheaply, but rather hate our sins and evil all the more because of it. Give us Your Holy Spirit so we may trust You and bear the fruits of Your love for us in our daily lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.