Day 569: Amos 3- The Lion Of Judah

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
2 “You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.
3 “Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
5 Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
6 Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?
7 “For the Lord God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”
9 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and the oppressed in her midst.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“An adversary shall surround the land
    and bring down your defenses from you,
    and your strongholds shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
13 “Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will strike the winter house along with the summer house,
    and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.
 
Meditation
Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). The lion roars in victory and invites you to turn to Him for refuge.
 
The lion at the beginning of MGM movies was from the Memphis zoo, roaring to get the audience’s attention for the start of a feature film. The roar of a lion in scripture is to direct the attention of God’s people to our covenant relationship with the Lord.
 
Lion imagery represents God in scripture. The Lord roars to have His children return (Hosea 11:10) and to remind them He is a refuge (Joel 3:16). The Lord roars to announce His fight for His people (Isaiah 31:4), He roars against His enemies (Amos 1:2), and here, God roars to compel His people to return to Him (8).
 
To ignore the roar of the Lord is to welcome ruin. Israel had been worshipping false gods outside of Jerusalem. Israel would ignore the roar and not return, giving themselves to ruin and rejecting God as refuge.
 
The lion Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia represents God. Aslan is described in a compelling way: “He is not safe, but he is good. He is king, I tell you… He is wild, you know, not like a tame lion.” God is not safe, either. But He is good! The roar of Jesus is a roar of victory. The penalty of sin has been paid, and the power of sin and death is conquered through His resurrection from the grave. We can turn from our ruin and find refuge in God’s grace!
 
Richly Dwelling
-The roar of God invites us to return to God with all our hearts. Will you respond to God’s grace by returning to Him in covenant relationship, trusting His faithfulness?
 
-Ignoring the roar of God leads to ruin. Where is there ruin in your life from rejecting God’s grace and His word? Do you believe His grace can restore?
 
-Jesus roars as the lion of the tribe of Judah, able to open the scroll and give you victory. Jesus’ grace is sufficient. Jesus roars for us to know He fights for us. How can you walk in the victory of Jesus today?
 
Key Verse
8 The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”