God Will Never Forget

June 28, 2015 Background Scripture: Amos 8 Lesson Passage: Amos 8:1 – 6, 9, 10 Today’s lesson recalls a somber time in the waning days of the northern kingdom of Israel. No longer did the prophecy warn of impending doom if there was no national repentance. The prophecy now is a message of inevitable doom because the nation had gone beyond the point of no return. The Prophet Amos delivered God’s declaration that the nation would fall and never rise again. The northern kingdom would never be reestablished. All of God’s promises would now apply to the southern kingdom of Judah which would become the remnant of God’s covenant people. Israel’s time would be over forever. Their empty worship would be turned into mourning. Finally, the oppression of the poor and needy in Israel would be avenged by God. God vowed that he would never forget the sins against the poor and needy. God champions the cause of those who are marginalized by society’s elite. The wealthy and mighty would now have to contend with God and would not continue to abuse the overmatched masses at the bottom of society. God was going to remove joy and laughter from the land and replace it will mourning and despair. Moreover, Israel was going to experience the worse kind of famine. This would not be a famine for lack of physical food or thirst because of a drought in the land. God was going to withhold His word from them. They would seek Him but would not be able to find Him. They would desire to hear the prophet speak God’s word into their hearing but there would be none. The people would go to great extent seeking the word of God but would not be able to find it. The false prophets would be exposed and rejected. The promises of the false prophets would fail because they were counter to God’s warnings. The fate of the northern kingdom of Israel gives plenty of reasons for one to stop and reflect on the deeper meaning of it all. The northern kingdom initially represented ten of the twelve tribes that were given full allotments of land. The southern kingdom of Judah was primarily made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The tribe of Levi was dispersed in cities among the northern and southern kingdoms as their inheritance under Joshua’s leadership. It is possible that the northern kingdom could represent those who are favored and delivered from worldly situations but who never come to true repentance and conversion. If so, the message is clear that God never forgets sin and if sin is not dealt with and the person reconciled to God, then that person will face eternal punishment. The northern kingdom was not given a second chance after God’s patience had run out. Likewise, there is a day of reckoning for all of mankind. Those who are converted and turn to God will have their sins forgiven but those who refuse to repent or trust in God for salvation will be forever doomed. Sin separates man from God. Only after God removes our sin can we have peace with God. If we refuse to allow God to remove our sin, then our sin will be a testimony against us and God will never forget. Robert C. Hudson June 19, 2015