Still You Would Not Return To Me
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Amos 4 and Psalm 105:1-22 (NIV)
(Patrick Chua, PTM for Witness & Evangelism)
READ
Amos 4:6-11 (NLT) and Psalm 105:1-22 (NLT)
OBSERVE:
In Amos 4 , the Lord brought famine (v.6), drought (v.7), struck farms and vineyards with blight and mildew, and locusts devoured all the fig and olive trees (v.9). He sent plagues like the plagues He sent on Egypt long before, and young men were killed in war (v.10). Worst of all, some cities were destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah because of their immorality (v. 11). The disasters were getting more and more serious, much like how God brought judgment on Egypt when they enslaved the Israelites. The Lord repeated five times to the Israelites: “But still you would not return to me.” The stubbornness and unrepentant hearts of the Israelites led to the destruction of their lives and cities.
Did God enjoy punishing the Israelites? Not at all! Like a loving parent who disciplines his/her child, God takes no pleasure when He disciplines His children. Psalm 105:1-22 gives a glimpse of God’s covenantal relationship with the Israelites. “He always stands by His covenant — the commitment He made to a thousand generations.” (v. 8)
God desired that the Israelites would turn away from their sin and return to Him. Hebrews 12:5-7 sums up God’s intention of His discipline – “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, ‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.’ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?”
APPLY:
I should be aware of what is going wrong in my life, and self-examine myself in the areas where God is correcting and disciplining me. I should repent and return to God through the covenant in Jesus Christ. I should trust in God’s goodness when He is redirecting my path back to Him, though it might be painful. I should be grateful that God is disciplining me because He still loves me as His child, and He desires me to return to Him.
DO:
- I will practise daily self-examination. At the end of the day, I will take time to reflect if there is an area that I need to be corrected by God.
- I will repent and return to the covenantal relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
PRAY:
Lord, forgive me for I have sinned before You. Wash away my sin, purify me, and help me to turn away from sin. Lead me to walk in Your way instead, leaving behind my old life and starting a new life in You. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
