“Turning backs on God again and again…”

(6) This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandal.”

It is now Israel’s turn to be judged. In today’s passage, God accuses Israel of injustice and greed. It says that they sold the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. The Israelite have committed same crime as Edom and Tyre by enslaving the innocent to profit. They were profiting from the poor people of the needy without feeling any shame in doing this. They also are accused of trampling the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground. It all just proves that they had no compassion or concern for the needy. And they were not only accused of greed and idolatry by Amos, but they were also found guilty of turning their backs on God despite all the things He had done for them.

Today’s passage showed me the reason clearly why Israel had to be faced the accusation from God. The people of Israel cared nothing about what God had done for them and completely disregarded His Word. They would be punished because of their disobedience and disregard for God and His Word. These accusations against Israel forced me to think about what would be the judgment for their crimes. I can say for sure that they would be helpless in the day of God’s judgment and no one would be able to escape. This fact reminds me that I will have to answer for every decision I make during my life. I have to think about my response to God on that day since I won’t be able to hide my sins. Today’s passage shows me that my only defense is to come to the Lord Jesus for cleansing. I thank to Him that His blood is sufficient to cover all of my sins if I repent. I will have to look into myself with today’s message and find out what are the obstacles that stand between me and God’s Word. For the application today, I will ask Him to forgive me for the times I showed disrespect and no concern for the people in need.