October 24

Amos 9
The little cart rumbled through the haunted ghost mine on the track while the strobe light flashed and produced a sense of terror upon the eyes and mind. New scenes of gore and horror appeared at each turn of the track. As an 8-year-old, it was indeed a terrifying experience as I rode with my friends through the twisted path. About half-way through a hand touched me on the shoulder from behind sending an adrenaline rush through my body that caused me to bolt to remove the unwanted grasp from my shoulder. But as quickly as I tried to move, the hand was gone. But the hand had produced its desired effect, a sense of terror.
The Lord reveals His terror to and upon us. His is not for the effect of an adrenaline rush, but rather that of a changed life. The terror of the Lord is indeed something that should frighten us. His terror has been observed throughout this little book of Amos. As always, His terror should lead us beyond the experience to something rewarding. The Lord calls for the destruction of the nation, the scattering of the people for the goal of an eventual restoration. He will filter the people through the other nations for the purpose of restoring His people in holiness.
Notice from this passage that His terror is inescapable. One can go to Hell or Heaven, to the mountain top or bottom of the Sea, to Rivers that produce abundance or to the nations that are influential, but one can never escape His sight. He finds us wherever we try to hide. His terror sifts us like flour through the twisted paths of life. We can attach to what is evil and remain in the sieve forever, or we can submit to His filtering process and look for restoration to come. His reward is equally inescapable.
Israel benefitted from the sieve process. The benefit was a restoration of the tabernacle of David. In the Acts 15:16-20 James refers to this tabernacle as the church through which the Gentiles would be able to come and seek the Lord. If that is the case, then Paul refers to this (Ephesians 2:11-13 and Galatians 3:26-29) as Jesus breaking down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile to place them in one body. During that journey through the sieve, those who believed in Jesus remained and were made part of the tabernacle of David, and those who did not believe experienced the true terror of the Lord.
What a difference! Through many trials and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Therefore let us remain steadfast in clinging to and relying upon the Lord Jesus for if we do, we will receive an eternal reward. If we do not we will receive eternal terror. That is His glory, eternal joy for those who believe, eternal terror for those who do not. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john