THE GOD WHO REPAIRS AND RESTORES

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“In that day, I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear My name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.”

“I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Amos 9:11-15

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today, we reach the final verses in the Book of Amos and although we have seen many foreboding passages throughout this book regarding the Lord’s coming judgment on the Israelites, we see in today’s scripture that the God who sends consequences on His people for their sins is the same God who repairs and restores them. Look at His promise granted in these words, a promise that still has ramifications today:

“In that day, I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear My name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.”

“I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.  Amos 9:11-15

Yes, God was sending destruction on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah by way of the Assyrians and Babylonians.

Yes, the nation of Canaan was going to be left in ruins, including the beloved city of Jerusalem and God’s temple within its walls.

Yes, God was sending the Israelites into years of captivity, seventy years worth for those who were taken to Babylon.

God was bringing all these penalties on His people and indeed we know those penalties all took place, just as God said they would.

But note that God’s retribution would not last forever for a day would come after the Israelites paid the price for their transgressions when they would be allowed to return home to repair and restore their fallen shelter.

The broken walls would be repaired.

The ruins would be restored.

The reaper would be overtaken by the plowman.

The planter replaced by the one treading grapes.

The people of God would plant vineyards and gardens, enjoying the fruits of their labors. New wine would once again flow as the vineyards once again grew and flourished.

Everything would be rebuilt to where it used to be as the Israelites were brought back from their exile, replanted in their own land.

The Lord promised to do just that and since He always keeps His promises, we know everything came to be just as He said it would.

But I want you to not lose sight of the last assurance He gave His beloved nation of Israel. For God vowed that His people would “never again” be “uprooted from the land I have given them”.

Perhaps other nations today should remember that, especially those who choose to threaten to destroy Israel. The God who repaired and restored them in Amos’ day, the God who once again gave His people protection, is the same God who watches over and safeguards the Israelites today. Only a fool would think they can harm God’s beloved nation because no one, and I mean no one, will be able to oppose that kind of divine, holy guard and shield.

For as David professed in his psalm:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Friends, this God of the Israelites is also the God of all. He is our Maker and Master; we are all His children. And just as God repaired and restored His people, He can take what is broken in our lives and rebuild it. After all, He is in the business of making things new. He told us so Himself.

Perhaps that is the best way we could end this book, with amazing good news about the Lord’s incredible ability to fix our lives when they become ruined, refurbishing us until we are as good as new.

If you’re in a place today where you need mending, I encourage you to turn to the One who stitched you together in the first place, the Lord who knows every fiber of your being.

In and through Him, all things are made well again.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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