Devotion by Lu Guorong (Pastoral Supervisor)
Photo by Tobi from Pexels
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
When I read Amos 3:3, I had a revelation. This revelation was a timely reminder for me to examine myself. I found that I would often pray that the Lord would lead me to walk with Him, while neglecting the part where I need to be of “one heart” with Him. In our journey with the Lord, sometimes we may think that when we walk with God, we would automatically be of one heart with Him. But no! That may not be the case.
The original text here is, ” Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” In the ancient remote mountainous areas with very few passersby, if two people were walking together, a prior agreement would have been made.
Remember when we first received Jesus into our hearts? Many of us were very willing, full of passion, and wholeheartedly committed to seek the Lord and to walk with Him. However, as time passed, our hearts grew somewhat distant and became “no longer of one heart” with the Lord due to life’s needs, problems, pressures, challenges, hurts, busyness, etc. We began to take control and neglect God’s will for our lives. Subconsciously, we may even want God to do what we want, instead of what is in His heart. This ultimately affects our relationship with God and our perception of Him.
In marriage, if two people are not of one heart, they will not be able to walk together; the marriage will fall apart. In an organisation, if the boss and employees are not of one heart, there is difficult to continue working together. In a family, if the parents and children cannot be of one heart, the family relationship will be strained. Therefore, if you want to walk together, you must first be of one heart and mind with the person. This is the same with God. In this process of walking with Him, we must maintain a common focus, longing, seeking, understanding, and wholehearted commitment. Let this verse be a timely reminder for us, to keep our heart and mind centred on God, to know His heart and mind, so that we may live out the life that God has purposed for us in Christ.
We need to understand the background of the book of Amos. After the division of the north and the south, the northern kingdom replaced Jehovah God with a golden calf, and also introduced idol worship. Eventually, Jehovah God was worshipped as one of the many idols, and no longer as the only God. The purpose of worshiping Jehovah God now becomes a mean to get blessings and personal gains. It is in this context that we can understand what Amos 3:3 means. The people of Israel were no longer of one heart with God, and we see them committing sins that the Bible warns us about. What are some of these warnings?
First of all, we must not be insensitive to sin.
In Amos 4:6-11, “you have not returned to me” was repeated five times. Chapter 4 records that God used seven plagues to discipline the people. His purpose was to turn the people back to Him. Here, God’s enduring love is in stark contrast to the stubbornness and disobedience of man. But the people did not change, nor were they awakened after repeated admonishing.
Secondly, we must not be self-righteous.
Amos 4:4-5 tells us that they people were given to their own ways, doing whatever pleased them. The law stipulates that they only needed to meet God three times a year (Deut. 16:16), and give one-tenth of their produce to God (Lev. 27:30). However, they sacrificed daily and gave their tithe every three days. They did more than what the law dictated and exceeded the requirements of the law. They proclaimed their good deeds to the rest of the people, thinking that they were walking well with the Lord. But being one heart with God is having a heart that is willing to obey and is wholly dedicated to Him. The Israelites were oblivious to the fact that God did not take pleasure in all their works, because their hearts were fixed on many idols, and not on God alone.
Finally, we must not act arbitrarily, without consideration for the kingdom of God, His people and His Word.
From the start of Amos 1 through to 2:8, the words “repeated sins” is mentioned eight times. Six of those were pertaining to judgment of the nations, while two of the sins were to do with the southern and northern kingdoms. Although the nations and people have sinned again and again over the centuries, Jehovah God did not punish them immediately because of His love for them and the covenant He made with them. During these hundreds of years of God’s patience and mercy, God kept raising up prophets, hoping that the people would turn back to Jehovah after hearing His Word. But the people were not mindful of God and His commands. God finally intervened and brought judgment.
Yet, when God speaks about judgment and discipline, He explained the reason for His judgment. In judgment, He always gives us hope and a way out. Amos chapter 5 mentions the way of escape given by God. In verses 4 and 6 it says, “seek the Lord and you will live” (5:4,6). In verse 14, it talks about the kind of life we should live out—” Ask for good, not for evil, and you will live”, The Bible reminds us to act kindly to others when we want to be treated kindly. When we seek to do the Lord’s will among us, we will then treat each other kindly.
God has given us His Word readily. We now need to ask God to enable us to understand His Word and examine ourselves according to it. Then, we need to respond to God with our whole being. God’s plan is to rebuild and restore His kingdom. To be part of Him and His will, we need to know the heart of God and be in one heart with Him!
Let us look to God again, and surrender our hearts to Him. May the Lord intervene and use His Word to teach us how to always consider God’s heart in all things, to live a life of walking with God and with one another in Christ.
May 2022 be a year that God will lead us into His wonderful plan, so that we can witness and experience the Lord even more! Amen!