In this daily Bible reading Amos speaks to the people of Israel who at the time were living comfortably and were well-off. They were attending church and going through ritualistic motions, but they were not living according to God’s instructions for them. In short, they were not practicing Justice and Righteousness. Their hearts were far from God.
Amos said that God was beginning to judge them for their bad behavior by removing some blessings from them. Some had well established and good-looking vineyards, but they were restricted from enjoying the wine. Some had built nice houses, but they were prevented from living in them. God had sent a plague among them, but they did not attribute the plague to God’s judgment. They did not ‘connect the dots’ and realize that their sinful behavior was bringing judgment upon them.
This is true in America today. Many people are afflicted with sickness and suffer losses, but they do not see that their hardships are the result of their sinful behavior. The Bible says that we will reap what we sow. If we lead sinful lives, we will suffer hardships: sickness, injury, loss of our possessions, even death. If we do not realize that we are being punished by God for our transgressions, we will not be motivated to change. We must therefore realize that God is causing our pain and change our ways.
