Nowhere to run
To help us prepare for today’s post, I’d like to share a little mood music. Enjoy, and I’ll see you when the song is over. 
Amos 3:12 – 15 “This is what the Lord says: ‘As a shepherd saves from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites be saved, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches.’
‘Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob’, declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty. ‘On the day I will punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished.’ “
During most of Israel’s history, the Israelites had a pretty equal class system. Sure, some were wealthier than others, but all in all, most people looked out for everyone else, and everyone had what they needed. But at this time, the division between the classes had become extreme. The wealthy took advantage of the poor in the worst ways. The wealthy had summer homes and winter homes, with high-dollar interior design made all of ivory.
Impressive stuff.
Now, these people were accustomed to getting what they wanted. When they heard God was planning to smite them, many of them probably thought, “Well, I’ll just hide.” But according to Amos, there was nowhere to run to, Baby. Nowhere to hide.
Back in verse nine, God said he’d tear down Israel’s fortresses. Lest anybody think they’d be safe hiding out in the military camp, and letting the army protect them, well . . . think again.
Verse fourteen tells us God would destroy the temple. At that time, a fugitive could seek refuge by clinging to the horns of God’s holy altar. It was considered sacreligious to kill someone there. But though the temple had been dedicated to God, this was the same temple where wealthy Israelites had lain on stolen garments, gotten drunk on stolen wine, and participated in temple prostitution. Needless to say, that temple didn’t hold any sentimental value with the Almighty. He would destroy it, no matter who clung to the altar.
Finally, these socialites may have thought they’d just flee to their summer home, or their winter home.
Well, la-dee-dah. Aren’t they special, to have not one, but two places of refuge. Luxurious places, at that.
God was not impressed. He planned to destroy everything and everyone. He had given them chance after chance after chance to repent. They were out of chances.
Ruins at Samaria
It may sound harsh, friends, but it’s not really. After all, God’s patience with the Israelites far exceeds my own patience, and I’m a pretty patient person. I’ll forgive you once. Twice. Three times, even. But I have my limits. You hurt me in the same way more than five or six or ten or twelve times, I’m eventually, probably, going to write you off. But not God. His patience had held out for years. Decades. Centuries, even.
But now, He’d had enough.
Friends, His patience is long, but it does have an end. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to find myself at the end of that place. I don’t want to run out of chances. Gee . . . I guess I ought to take a good, hard look at my life, and at my sin, and turn things around while I’m still somewhere in the middle.
The beautiful thing about God, though, is that we really can’t hide from Him. Just as we can’t hide from His justice, we also can’t hide from His love. No matter where we find ourselves, He is never far away. He loves us, and He waits with open arms for us to run to Him.
Thank You, God, that there is no place I can go from Your presence. I love you.
Amen
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
