WE GRIEVE OVER OUR WORST AND LOOK FORWARD TO GOD’S BEST.
In the name + of Jesus.
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. But this time, it is not “A Tale of Two
Cities”; it is the story of one nation.
For some people, it was a time of decadence and self-indulgence. For many others—most others—it was a time of
oppression, poverty, and injustice.
Those who were in authority reveled in their privileges. Those who were under that authority suffered
in their hardships.
Listen again to how Amos described the
life of the rich in the northern tribes of Israel: They “lie on ivory beds, sprawling
upon their couches, eating lambs from the flock and calves straight from the
stall, improvising tunes on the lyre, composing music for themselves on musical
instruments like David, drinking large bowls of wine—they
slather themselves with the most expensive perfumed oils” (Amos
6:4-6). Ivory beds are very luxurious. Someone dropped some serious cash to get those. Most people only ate meat a few times a year,
so, it was extravagance to eat lamb or veal every day. They rocked to their music and drank large
quantities of wine. I suppose to many
people, that’s the good life, the best of times, and something to strive for.
Amos declared, “They do not grieve over
the ruin of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). They
were like the brothers of Joseph. Joseph’s
brothers sold him into slavery. They
watched the Ishmaelites put bonds and chains on him to drag him away. Despite Joseph’s cries for mercy, his brothers
sat down to eat, and drink, and count their money. In the same way, the rich turned a deaf ear
to the cries of those they were supposed to care for. They sat down to eat, drink, and bask in
their wealth.
Economically, it was the best of times. Spiritually, it was the worst of times. Amos told them, you “do not grieve over
the ruin of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). Joseph
had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. They
were the largest two tribes in the north.
But Joseph had gone to ruin. The
northern tribes had corrupted worship. Even
though the Lord was very specific about how he was to be worshiped, the people
decided, “We will worship God the way we like.”
This corrupted worship encouraged corrupted lives. If they did not care to honor and love God,
why would they honor or love their fellowman?
Amos called them to repent. If
not, those who were the first in society “will go into exile as the first of
the exiles” (Amos 6:7). The Lord warned,
“You want to be first? You will be—the first
to be banished!”
The leaders and the wealthy in Israelite society
had a pecking order in their hearts.
They put themselves first. They placed
their fellowman down the list. Last on the
list was the Lord. Since God’s face was
not directly in front of them, he could be ignored. Since God’s threats were only words at this
point, he was dismissed.
This is the way it is for every sinful
heart. Our hearts are devoted to ourselves—our
pleasures, our reputations, our glory, and getting our own way. Down the list is our fellowman. You might disagree, thinking, “I would do
anything for my friends! They love me
and I love them.” But what if your
friend stops returning your texts? What
if your friend starts hanging out with someone else? Does he or she remain your friend? If you withdraw your friendship because you
are no longer getting something from them, your love is not as pure as you
think. And that’s for friends! To say nothing of strangers.
Finally, God comes at the end of the
list. Some argue that God is selfish
because he demands that we fear, love, and trust in him above all things. Do you know how much God changes if we reject
him or refuse to obey him? Not at
all. God is the giver of every good and
perfect gift. God is not envious of your
possessions; he gave them to you. God is
not jealous of your wealth; he is the one who supplies it. Everything you have comes from God’s hand. Your very body, soul, and life come from the
Lord. He is not kind to you to get
something out of you as if he needs anything.
But he does want you to recognize that he is good and loving. And if God is good and loving, then his word
is good and obeying it is good. And he
will not let anything else receive the honor that he, and only he, deserves.
But if we put ourselves first, we will be
the first to be banished. To put God below
anything is to despise him. To put
anything above God is to choose those blessings over God’s. Then we forfeit the goodness and mercy and salvation
he brings. Jesus warned repeatedly, “many
who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Mark 10:31). To exalt yourself is to lose it all.
The prophet Amos issued a warning to the northern
tribes, and they did not listen. Amos
did not have much good news for these Israelites. When God’s judgment finally came, those who
were not slaughtered by the Assyrian army were taken into captivity, never to
return. We, too, have a judgment
coming. But here is the good news for
you: The Lord Jesus Christ has come to deliver you from your sin and from the coming
judgment. Jesus Christ, by whom all
things were made, made himself one with us.
Jesus, to whom belong all honor and glory and majesty, emptied himself
of everything to save us. Jesus, who is God
over all, took the lowest place—the place of a cursed, rebellious slave. He who is first made himself last. Jesus’ selfless death has atoned for all our
selfishness. He did not do this to get
anything out of us, but to give to us all things that matter, all things that
have eternal value.
You and I rightly humble ourselves; we
grieve over our sins. But those who humble
themselves will be exalted. Jesus exalts
us, making us to be children of the Most High God. Our goal is not to make this world the best
of times. This world and all its wealth
is passing away. Therefore, we can dedicate
our wealth for the good of others. You won’t
keep it, so use it here so that it will do some good for someone. That is what God gave it to you for.
But the best of times are coming. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. We long for the new heavens and the new earth where all God’s people will dwell in peace and security forever. There we will feast with the saints and angels. There we will sing and make music before the Lord. There we will be anointed with the oil of gladness. There, all evils will be put away. Our Lord will delight in us, and we will delight in him above all things. It will never get any better than that.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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