#DailyDevotion Who Or What Do You Seek For Every Good?

Amos 5:6–9 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. ⁷You are twisting justice to make it a bitter experience and throwing fairness on the ground. [⁸He Who made the Pleiades and Orion,Who turns the darkest night into morning and darkens the day into night, Who calls the water of the sea to pour it on the ground —He is called the LORD. ⁹In a flash, He brings destruction on the strong and so destroys a fortress.]

A warning and an invitation the LORD was giving to the Israelites here. The fact that he warns means there still may be hope left. The Israelites, i.e. the ten northern tribes who separated from the house of David because of Solomon’s sins (it was the LORD’s doing, the separation) rebelled against the LORD by building two sanctuaries, on in the north in Dan and one in the south in Bethel, when they were still supposed to worship the LORD at the temple in Jerusalem. On top of that they made two golden calves to put at each sanctuary who they worshiped as the LORD. Now the LORD put up with that for the time being.

But idol worship never stops there, even if it is the LORD they were worshiping. When we start worshiping an idol as the LORD worshiping other idols as gods is never far behind. So the Israelites started worshiping the false gods of their neighbors. When we start worshiping idols then we start the downward spiral of breaking the rest of the commandments as well: false prophecies in the LORD’s name, not worshiping the LORD, disobeying parents, murder, sexual immorality, thefts, false accusations and covetousness of every sort being to make themselves manifest.

Here we see injustice being made manifest in Israel as a result. Fairness is being thrown into the dirt. The poor, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner were get short shafted at the gate of the city were justice was handed out by the elders of the city. Now the LORD had given directions in the Law of Moses for all sorts of incidents but apparently they elders were no longer following it. Instead, they were taking bribes and doing favors for their friends all the while weaker and poorer people were getting only injustice and being taken advantage of.

Do we see this at all in our own society? Are we impartial when it comes to fairness and justice in our own midst? Would God accuse our communities of similar things? Have we turned aside the ways of God for filthy lucre?

The LORD Jesus Christ is calling us to search for him and live too! He who created the great constellations in the sky, he who makes the darkest night light and day into night, is calling us to repent. He says, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6) There is no reason to turn to anything or anyone else for every good thing. Therefore seek the LORD while he may be found. Repent of trusting in created things, of trusting yourself, to find fulfillment and trust in Jesus and he will give you the desires of your heart. No other god, no drug, no wealth, no person, no actions in your life are able to do that.

Heavenly Father, grant us such faith in you through Jesus Christ that we received every good from you so we don’t seek it from other people, places and things. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.