You Cannot Hide


Amos 9:1-7
1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.
2 “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.
3 If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.
4 And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”
5 The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
6 who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name.

The time of God’s patience has run out and He is pouring out His wrath upon the people. There is no place to hide away from His vengeance.

There’s a great way to start the devotions for today, eh? This is another aspect of the Old Testament that makes it difficult to study for very long. God’s wrath is present and eventually He moves from mercy to justice. We don’t want to know about that part of His personality. Again the Old Testament writers help us see all of God’s character and not just the parts we like to think about when pondering His greatness.

In today’s reading He helps us understand (again) that we cannot hide out from His power. There is no safe place to go while His anger is manifested because He made all those places. There is not a sea deep enough, a cave dark enough, or a mountain high enough where He cannot find every person He has made. While in this instance in Amos that is a fearful thing, for the people have lived in open rebellion for a long time, it can also be a part of His grace as well.

Have you ever felt so very distant from God; like He cannot find you in the deep place of misery that you find yourself? That place doesn’t exist, even though it may feel like it. There is never a time when He is not aware of your location, your activity, your thoughts, or your emotional state. Never – ever – anywhere. Your feelings do not always speak to the truth. Just because you think God is far away or it feels that way doesn’t mean that He has separated Himself from you. In fact, in our greatest pain is often when He is closest, keeping us safe and providing His presence.

This reading points us in two directions then. First, when we are engaged in sin, don’t believe for one moment that He does not see you. Just because you do something in the dark doesn’t mean that He is unaware or looks away from you. Second, when you are sorrowful and lost, He is near. There is not place of sadness or fear that is too far away from Him. He is there to comfort and protect for He always knows where and how you are. Seek His face and You will find yourself in the shelter of His wing.

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