Amos 8:11-12

January 12, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12).

This is a disturbing passage. First, the Lord warns the people of the day when He will send a famine of the word of the Lord, resulting in an inability to find the word.

In this case, there are clearly two actors. 1) The people have disregarded the Lord, chasing after idols and pleasure. 2) The Lord who will withhold his blessing. 

The result will be that the people will not be able to find the word of the Lord when they want it. I’m not sure if that means that all the clergy are corrupt and putting out anything but the truth. Or, the Lord has simply taken away his word. I think I lean toward the former because I don’t think the Lord will withhold His word from the remnant of faithful believers. 

Do we see anything similar in our country? There are lots of churches and lots of preachers. But are there lots of churches and preachers preaching the word of the Lord? Or are there more and more that are moving to the word of man? 

Father, please help me be faithful to you and your word. Help me accept what the Bible says, even when it is hard. Amen.

Filed Under: Amos, devotional thoughts, idolatry, Old Testament, Prophecy

Amos 7:8-9

January 11, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’”

The image used by the Lord is very helpful in understanding this passage. The plumb line is used to evaluate the straightness of a wall. In this vision, Amos saw that the “wall” of Israel was not straight. It had become crooked through idolatry at the high places and sanctuaries. 

I wonder if the Lord used a plumb line on me, how plumb I would be. Would I be way off? I suspect that on the days I would be excited to be measured, I would be way off due to my pride in being close to plumb. Thankfully, the Lord is kind and forgiving and seeks to restore us. 

Father, please help me to be plumb. I want to honor you in all areas of my life. Please help me to have confidence in Christ, and not in my own flesh. Amen.

Filed Under: Amos, devotional thoughts, Old Testament, Word Pictures

Amos 6:4-7

January 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore, they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away” (Amos 6:4-7).

This is a passage about which I figuratively say, the Lord says, ‘We’ll see about that!” 

First, he describes the luxury of the northern kingdom: ivory beds, fresh lamb and beef, fine wine, and the best oils. Their focus is on enjoying the finer things in life rather than being concerned about the spiritual downfall (idolatry) of the northern kingdom. (King Ahab – Jezebel’s husband – was known for his large ivory bed.)

Second, he explains that these folks will be the first to be exiled because of their heart focus. 

This passage is a good reminder of God’s priority for heart commitment to righteousness. I must keep this in mind daily because I can be tempted to love the finer things over a love for spiritual things. I don’t think fine things are wrong, in and of themselves. They are wrong when they capture our hearts. 

Father, please help me shape my passions toward righteousness and not toward the world. Amen.

Filed Under: Amos, devotional thoughts, heart matters, Old Testament

Amos 5:4-5

January 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing’” (Amos 5:4-5).

The Lord is consistent in offering forgiveness and restoration for those who turn to Him: “Seek me and live.” The caveat is that He is not interested in divided loyalty. In other words, He didn’t want to share the stage with idols. Thus, he forbade the people from involving themselves in idolatry, specifically at Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba. 

The Lord still offers forgiveness for those who turn to Him through Jesus Christ. And, He still refuses to share the stage with others. At times, this can be challenging for me as my flesh seeks to have Jesus AND the world. 

Father, help me have a repentant heart, focused solely on you. Amen.

Filed Under: Amos, devotional thoughts, forgiveness, heart matters, idolatry, Old Testament

Amos 4:10, 12-13

January 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“’I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord” (Amos 4:10).

In this chapter, Amos provides a list of 5 calamities the Lord sent upon Israel. After describing each calamity (hunger, drought, pestilence, etc), Amos recorded these sad words, “yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord.”

A few observations here: 1) calamity is a tool in the Lord’s toolbox. In this chapter, we see that God doesn’t just allow bad things to happen; He actually causes those things. 

2) God can do this without being guilty of doing wrong. This may challenge some who think too philosophically about God. The true God of the Bible may not always fit in neat philosophical categories. 

3) The condemnation “yet you did not return to me” suggests that calamity is not random; it has meaning and purpose. In these cases, it was used to draw Israel back to the Lord. 

If we take the approach that “bad things” cannot be from God, this chapter can not make sense. This forces us to take a larger view of the world around us. In fact, we should seek to recognize the Lord’s hand in all things happening around us. That is how Joseph responded to being betrayed by his brothers. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭50‬:‭20‬).

Father, please help me see your hand in this world, and help me to respond appropriately to the things that happen to/around me. Amen.

Filed Under: Amos, devotional thoughts, Genesis, Old Testament, Sovereignty
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