{"id":641,"date":"2022-08-30T02:26:40","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T02:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=641"},"modified":"2022-08-30T02:26:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T02:26:45","slug":"return-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=641","title":{"rendered":"Return to Me"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI smote you with scorching\u00a0wind\u00a0and mildew;\u00a0And the caterpillar was devouring\u00a0Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;\u00a0Yet you have not returned to Me,\u201d declares the LORD.\u00a0\u201cI sent a plague among\u00a0you after the manner of Egypt;\u00a0I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses,\u00a0And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;\u00a0Yet you have not returned to Me,\u201d declares the LORD.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cTherefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;\u00a0Because I will do this to you,\u00a0Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.\u201d\u00a0For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind\u00a0And declares to man what are His thoughts,\u00a0He who makes dawn into darkness\u00a0And treads on the high places of the earth,\u00a0The LORD\u00a0God of hosts is His name.\u00a0 (Amos 4: 9, 10, 12, 13, NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amos explains how God has tried to get their attention, and each time, He declares, “Yet you have not returned to Me.”\u00a0 God may be trying to get our attention as well through various trials and tribulations.\u00a0 “I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt.”\u00a0 We’ve had our own plague recently, called COVID-19.\u00a0 How did we respond?\u00a0 One thing we did was close all the churches.\u00a0 To date, this plague has killed over a million people in the United States.\u00a0 (https:\/\/data.cdc.gov<\/a>, 29 Aug 2022)\u00a0 Among the survivors, it’s had physical, psychological, economic, and sociological effects.\u00a0 Have we returned to God?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"File:Scenes
The tenth plague: the death of the first-born including Pharaoh’s son; the Israelites leaving Egypt, 14th century, author unknown.\u00a0 Found at Wikipedia Commons,\u00a0https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Scenes_from_Exodus_f_16.jpg<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God wants our hearts.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 In the last segment of the text, God reminds us just Who He is:\u00a0 “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.”\u00a0 “Return to Me!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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