Posted on by Wade McRoberts

Return to Me

“I smote you with scorching wind and mildew; And the caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD. “I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the LORD.  “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.” For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The LORD God of hosts is His name.  (Amos 4: 9, 10, 12, 13, NASB)

In my walk through the Bible, I’m currently in the period of the defeat of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and the books of the prophets that foretold them (my study is chronological, as it makes more sense to me).  Each time I read about this period, I’m interested in the parallels between ancient Israel and our own country.  The passage above from the Prophet Amos reflects God’s warnings to His people, which were ignored, and led to calamities.  Sound familiar?  It should! 

Amos was a sheepherder “in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.”  (Amos 1:1)  He was not a “professional” prophet, but God put prophecy on his heart to deliver to the people.  This passage is an indictment on both Israel and Judah, which up to this point have been unfaithful to the Lord God.  

Amos explains how God has tried to get their attention, and each time, He declares, “Yet you have not returned to Me.”  God may be trying to get our attention as well through various trials and tribulations.  “I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt.”  We’ve had our own plague recently, called COVID-19.  How did we respond?  One thing we did was close all the churches.  To date, this plague has killed over a million people in the United States.  (https://data.cdc.gov, 29 Aug 2022)  Among the survivors, it’s had physical, psychological, economic, and sociological effects.  Have we returned to God? 

File:Scenes from Exodus f 16.jpg
The tenth plague: the death of the first-born including Pharaoh’s son; the Israelites leaving Egypt, 14th century, author unknown.  Found at Wikipedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scenes_from_Exodus_f_16.jpg

Another calamity we see these days is weather-related phenomenon, usually blamed on global warming.  Is the earth warming?  The data suggests it is.  However, God’s earth has gone through periods of heating and cooling since the beginning of time.  It’s man’s hubris and pride to think he can do anything to affect the global temperature.  But the more important question is, after all the floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and record temperatures, have we as a nation, returned to God?  Is God trying to get our attention?  One pastor said, “It’s not ‘global warming,’ it’s God’s warning!”

God wants our hearts.  He tried long ago to get Israel to return to Him, and He wants us to do the same, both individually and as a nation.  In the last segment of the text, God reminds us just Who He is:  “He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The LORD God of hosts is His name.”  “Return to Me!”

Worship:  “Return to Me,” by Don Moen

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